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College students who want to step foot on campus this fall will have to first sign a form acknowledging they understand the dangers of COVID-19 and in some cases relinquish their right to take legal action if they get sick.
Along with the code of conduct manuals and reminders to wear masks, colleges across the country are also including unprecedented agreements, waivers, and risk acknowledgement forms in their back-to-school packets this year.
Higher education institutions say these documents are a way to address life during an extraordinary pandemic and ensure that students understand the public health risks of the coronavirus and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves.
But critics argue that even as colleges invite thousands of students back this fall and try to reassure families that their campuses are safe, the institutions are also trying to protect themselves if something goes wrong.
"The universities are trying to cloud their responsibilities," said Heidi Li Feldman, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Feldman has warned students against signing the waivers and argues that colleges are attempting to squelch potential negligence lawsuits and make any legal claims more difficult to win. "What the universities are saying is that students, faculty, and people in the community should bear the risk."
The language of the waivers can vary — some are vague and others are explicit about what legal protections students are signing away. Many institutions said they are not specifically asking students to waive any legal rights.
At Bates College in Maine, students must sign an "acknowledgement of shared responsibility and risk" to return to campus and live in the dorms that reminds them that they are "assuming any and all risks that notwithstanding the college's best effort to implement and require compliance with these prevention and mitigation measures."
The state university system of New Hampshire has asked students coming to campus to sign an informed consent form. The system, which enrolls 32,000 students, plans to offer in-person classes at three of its institutions this fall and wants students to understand that it cannot guarantee they will not contract the coronavirus, officials there said.
And at Stonehill College, a private Catholic college west of Brockton, undergraduates must sign an enrollment waiver that specifically states students "agree not to hold Stonehill legally responsible if they are exposed to or contract COVID-19 unless it is the result of the College's willful misconduct." In the footnotes of the form in bold print, Stonehill reminds students that by signing off they are giving up certain legal rights.
Northeastern University, which has invited its more than 22,000 students to return to campus, is asking students to sign an agreement to wear masks, practice social distancing, and take coronavirus tests. Those consent agreements do not contain language about students taking on risk.
Boston University, the largest campus in the region, is asking students to sign off on a health commitment, agreeing to wear masks, report any symptoms, and abide by the school's testing and quarantining requirements. BU is not requiring students to fill out risk or liability waiver forms or agreements, a spokeswoman said.
However, BU on Friday asked faculty and staff to sign off on a similar health agreement and those who fail to follow the rules could lose their jobs or be suspended from work. Graduate students and some faculty are protesting the penalties as too severe.
The forms don't need to specifically waive legal rights to deter students and their families from holding the school responsible, Feldman said.
If universities wanted to be transparent and avoid confusion, they would explicitly state that these forms are meant to be a legal defense, Feldman said.
"The universities are trying to avoid having anybody question if they're acting reasonably," she said.
Bates officials said their risk acknowledgement forms do not ask students to waive any legal rights and while it doesn't specifically say so, the text should be self-evident. Students and families with questions about the forms have opportunities to ask the college questions, Bates officials said.
"Because a pandemic is a shared public health problem, we need collective action by all members of the community to mitigate risk," said Sean Findlen, a spokesman for Bates. "Our plan for the fall, including inviting students back for on-campus learning, has emphasized student choice. … That choice lies squarely with students and their families, depending on their personal circumstance and their own sense of whether they feel safe living in a campus setting."
The forms have reminded some students of the potential risks and even deterred some from coming to campus over safety concerns. But for the most part, universities said, most students have signed and agreed to come.
The consent forms and waivers come as higher education lobbyists are pushing state and federal legislators for broader COVID-related liability protection as they reopen their campuses. Late last month, the American Council on Education on behalf of nearly 80 other higher education trade groups sent a letter to Congress asking for targeted and temporary liability protections to ward off "excessive and speculative lawsuits."
That lobbying effort has made some students more skeptical of the individual school consent forms.
Ashley Kemker, 28, a graduate student in the University of New Hampshire's fine arts program, still hasn't signed her consent forms. She said the university initially gave students only a week in July to review and agree to the university's statement. But after students raised concerns, the university decided to keep the online link open for students to sign through August.
The forms go too far, Kemker said, especially the acknowledgement that students "assume the risks associated with being at the University of New Hampshire including the risk of exposure to COVID-19."
"I have no problems wearing a mask, I take no issue with constantly sanitizing," Kemker said. "To me, they are showing a blatant disregard for students."
Lisa Thorne, a spokeswoman for the university system of New Hampshire, said the informed consent forms are specifically not a liability waiver, and students aren't giving up any legal rights to sue if they think that the public university system failed to protect them. The courts also generally require documents that shift liability be clearly outlined, Thorne said.
Students who sign "no" on the New Hampshire public university's informed consent forms will not be able to come to campus.
"The university system could have included a legal liability waiver," Thorne said in a statement, "but chose not to include any provisions that lessened the university system's legal responsibilities."
Thorne said instead the university system is trying to be transparent with students and their families that there are risks associated with being on campus in the midst of a pandemic.
The system could have done more if it wanted to ease student concerns, said Joshua Marshall, 24, a University of New Hampshire law student at the Franklin Pierce School of Law. For example, it could have removed the assumption of risk language and just asked students to follow proper public health rules, he said.
"If it's just about informing us about the requirement to wear masks, I'd go ahead and sign it," Marshall said. "It's the other implications that are a problem."
Deirdre Fernandes can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her @fernandesglobe.


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Mon 7 Nov 2011 – United Continental subsidiary Continental Airlines today operated the first US commercial flight to be powered by a sustainable biofuel blend. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft made the two-and-a-half flight 1403 from Houston to Chicago using a blend, believed to be 40/60, of algae-derived biofuel and conventional jet kerosene. Although commercial jet biofuel flights have already taken place in Europe, China and South America since certification in July, this is the first time algae has been used as the sole source of the biofuel, which is considered a major next generation advance on crop-based fuels. The algae oil was supplied by San Francisco-based Solazyme and was refined into jet fuel in Houston by Honeywell UOP's process technology. In another landmark, United announced it has signed a Letter of Intent with Solazyme to negotiate the purchase of 20 million gallons per year of the company's Solajet fuel, with delivery slated for as early as 2014.
In January 2009, Continental was the also the first airline in the United States to operate a demonstration flight that used a sustainable biofuel blend and the same aircraft was used on today's flight (see story).
The fuel on that occasion was made up of jatropha and a small amount of algae, which marked the first airline use of an algae-derived fuel. For that flight the algae fuel was supplied by Sapphire Energy but this is the first commercial airline roll out of Solazyme's Solajet fuel, produced using a proprietary fermentation process, which has so far been supplied only to the US Navy for testing and certification purposes.
Solajet is derived from a tailored oil production process using microbial algae that grow in fermenters by feeding on sugars from plants that have already harnessed the sun's energy. Solazyme says its technology is biomass feedstock flexible and can therefore be tailored according to local geographic conditions throughout the world, therefore enabling cost parity, commercial scale and lifecycle environmental impact reduction.
"United is taking a significant step forward to advance the use of environmentally responsible and cost-efficient alternative fuels," said Pete McDonald, Executive Vice President and COO of United. "Sustainable biofuels, produced on a large scale at an economically viable price, can one day play a meaningful role in powering everyone's trip on an airline."
The flight marks a major milestone in United's Eco-Skies "commitment to leading commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company by taking actions today that shape an environmentally sustainable future," said the airline.
United and Continental already operate more than 3,600 alternatively fuelled or zero-emission ground service equipment vehicles.
United's Managing Director of Global Environmental Affairs, Jimmy Samartzis, commented: "Advancing a greener, more diverse fuel supply for the future is a top priority for United. Our environmental actions and commitment extend beyond that – we are reducing our impact on the environment in the air and on the ground with our business partners and across our communities."
United – Eco-Skies
Continental – Eco-Skies
United Boeing 737-800 commercial biofuel flight takes off from Houston:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Saudi Arabia is said to have taken the "strategic decision" to acquire "off-the-shelf" nuclear weapons from ally Pakistan, senior US officials told the Sunday Times.It has to be said from the outset that all statements from U.S. and British officials on any issue in the Middle East, especially when nuclear or chemical weapons are involved, have to be viewed as highly suspect, for obvious historic and common sense reasons. These guys have no credibility. They lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and then lied that they lied about it in the first place.
"For the Saudis the moment has come," a former US defence official told the Sunday Times last week.
"There has been a long-standing agreement in place with the Pakistanis and the House of Saud has now made the strategic decision to move forward."
"We know this stuff is available to them off the shelf," the intelligence official said, adding that it "has to be the assumption" that the Saudis have decided to become a nuclear power.
A senior British military officer also told the paper that Western military leaders "all assume the Saudis have made the decision to go nuclear."
"The fear is that other Middle Eastern powers — Turkey and Egypt — may feel compelled to do the same and we will see a new, even more dangerous, arms race."
But, it is within the realm of possibility that the shitheads who rule Pakistan have decided in a backroom deal to give some of their sizable amount of ill-gotten nuclear weapons to Riyadh. If true, Pakistan would be going down with the sinking Saudi ship in the region.
Pakistan's government made a smart and thoughtful move by not rushing to join the criminal Saudi-US attack on Yemen. But it is still wedded to the dying Saudi royals for financial reasons.
Officially, they say they give military support to Saudi Arabia to protect the holy cities and mosques, but they are not under threat from anyone. The truth is that they depend on Saudi money to keep their government and economy afloat.
It must be remembered that Pakistan was born a mercenary nation. It sold its military services to Washington during the Cold War in exchange for aid. And its leadership is so corrupt, and so greedy for money and power, that it sees no moral or political problems with trading nukes for billions.


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Monte Isola on Lago d'Iseo
An Enchanted Isle in a Lombardy Lake
|By Roderick Conway Morris
LAGO D'ISEO, Italy 19 June 1994
A thoroughly seasoned traveler by the time she set eyes on Lago d'Iseo in 1746, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was instantly captivated: 'I am now in a place the most beautifully romantic I ever saw in my life,' she wrote.
Even though a thoroughly seasoned traveler by the time she set eyes on Lago d'Iseo in 1746, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was instantly captivated, writing post-haste to her daughter back home in England: 'I am now in a place the most beautifully romantic I ever saw in my life.' Indeed, she liked it so much that, having come here for a brief rest-cure, she settled on the lake's shores for over a decade. It remains one of the loveliest and least spoiled spots in Italy - almost inexplicably since it is less than an hour's train ride from Brescia, and within easy reach of Milan.
Following in Lady Mary's footsteps - though, perhaps fortunately, no longer obliged to go by carriage on a road that was, she wrote, 'so stony, I was almost shook to pieces' - we board the dusty, picturesquely down-at-heel, Lago d'Iseo-bound train at Brescia station. With a loud hoot, this miniature conveyance pulls out and, gaining speed, rattles along between the backs of factories and foundries with yards piled with heaps of scrap metal. It is lunchtime and the train's two carriages are packed with frolicking school children and chattering shoppers loaded with bags and packages.
Minutes later the scenery changes to featureless agricultural plain, with mountains dimly-discernable in the haze to the north. And then - less than twenty minutes out of Brescia - rolling hills appear on either side. Meandering along the gently curving track between them, every few minutes we pull up at a country station, each with a neat garden, the station house festooned with baskets overflowing with bright flowers. The hills are now everywhere covered with ranks of vines and the landscape dotted with old churches, elegant bell-towers and country villas.
This is Franciacorta, an ancient wine-growing district that for long languished in obscurity, but during the last few years has enjoyed a startling rebirth, transforming itself into Italy's Little Champagne by producing sparkling wines of exceptional flavor and quality.
All at once the vineyards disappear and we find ourselves skirting a mysterious land that looks like a tract of Old English countryside in flood - an intriguing patchwork of submerged fields. These are the torbiere, or peat bogs, whose turf was extracted in large quantities in the 18th and 19th centuries to be burnt as fuel. Later abandoned, the whole area filled with water and became a wilderness. It is now a peaceful, strangely atmospheric nature reserve, which can be explored on foot by following trails along the banks and crossing little wooden bridges that link the narrow strips of dry land that criss-cross this man-made marsh.
At last, the train lurching to one side as it negotiates a sharp bend in the track at the foot of rugged lime-stone cliffs, Lago d'Iseo, a great stretch of blue-green water hemmed in by spectacular mountains, comes into view. And then we see, rising up in the middle of the lake a majestic, wooded, over 1,800-foot-high peak - Monte Isola, Mount Island, the largest lake island in continental Europe.
The train pulls in at the small waterfront town of Iseo, and half the passengers get off, but eager to set foot on Monte Isola, we stay aboard and continue northwards along the lake shore to Sulzano, a couple of miles up the line. Descending at Sulzano station, we follow a cheerful group of islanders down to the traghetto (ferry) landing. On the short trip to Peschiera Maraglio, the island's chief port, we catch our first sight of a pair of the buzzards that nest on the inaccessible peaks around the lake, circling and plummeting into the water, and carrying away fish in their talons.
On a journey full of pleasant surprises, Peschiera Maraglio is not the least of them. Over a hundred miles from the nearest sea, we find ourselves in a place reminiscent of nothing so much as a remote southern Mediterranean fishing village: there's a pungent smell of fresh-grilled fish in the air, wooden boats line the quay, children play in the street, and women sit outside the houses passing the time of day, expertly, but apparently absent-mindedly, knotting nets.
Monte Isola has been renowned for net-making for hundreds of years. Local makers still supply nets for lake fishermen in Italy and Switzerland. And they have been strikingly flexible in adapting to the modern age. A number of factories on the mainland - to which some islanders commute daily - manufacture a whole range of heavier-duty netting for purposes as diverse as deep-sea fishing, crop protection, hunting and fencing, while the artisan tradition is kept alive both there and on the island itself in the manufacture of top-quality sports nets for tennis, basket-ball and soccer, not to mention hammocks and shopping-bags.
This balance between preserving the old ways and meeting the demands of the late twentieth-century is at the heart of Monte Isola's specialness. The only motor vehicles permitted on the island are three public mini-buses, a handful of very small cars and vans - allowed to the doctor, vet and itinerant food vendors - and small, low-powered scooters for other residents. No outsiders are allowed to bring any form of powered transport here - and even non-island cyclists are banned at week-ends.
As a result, peace reigns supreme, and one can freely roam the island's narrow tarmac roads - charmingly labeled in places not with speed limits but the injunction 'Al Passo d'Uomo' (At Human Pace) - as well as its winding cobbled paths, without having to leap for your life, as one is often well-advised to do in Italy, at the sound of an approaching vehicle.
The near-idyllic conditions here mean that Monte Isola has äescaped the depopulation typical in many other rural parts of Europe. There are some 2,000 native islanders - more than there were a century ago. Island traditions are very much alive - as is the local dialect, which is well-nigh incomprehensible to outsiders. 'In fact,' said Giuseppe Zilani, whose workshop in Peschiera Maraglio specializes in making the gossamer-fine lake nets used by the local fishermen, 'the dialect even from village to village is different.'
Young people also make great efforts to remain here, finding, for the most part, the bright lights of nearby cities only mildly enticing. 'If a girl starts seeing a boy on the mainland, it's thought quite odd here,' Ziliani's wife Bruna told me. 'And even if she were to marry Prince Charles, nobody would think it a good thing!'
Over two hundred years ago, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu enthusiastically praised 'the fine fish with which the lake abounds, particularly trouts, as large and red as salmon'. The same fish, salmerino (salmon-trout) are still caught today by fishers using the traditional flat-bottomed naet - with their curious arrangement of oars, the right one attached to the rollock three feet or so closer to the prow than the left oar, so that the fisherman can control the boat and get the net over the side. Other delicacies include alborella (white-bait), coregone (another variety of salmon-trout), tinca (tench) and fillets of persico (perch). There is no better place to try these than Peschiera Maraglio's congenial and very reasonably-priced family Trattoria di Pesce, run by Alberto Archetti. ('Archetti' - literally, little bows - is one of the commonest names on the island, deriving from the strung U-shaped wooden frames used, to dry fish, which you still see hanging outside houses everywhere you go.)
It takes two to three hours to walk round the island on the coast road, which passes through a verdant landscape of olive trees, lush grass and woodland, sometimes hugging the shore, sometimes rising above little cliffs and coves. This walk brings us to Siviano, the island's 'capital', perched high on a spur, and the lakeside settlement of Carzano, with its pretty church, known to the locals as 'San Gioan de le Sardene' (St John of the Sardines), because St John's feast day, 24 June, marked the beginning of the sardine fishing season. Sensole, the village in the southwest corner of the island, is a particularly pleasant oasis (and can be reached like the other villages by public boat service).
Off Sensole is the cypress-clad islet of San Paolo, which seems, even at a distance, wrapped in eerie silence. It was once a monastery where the monks - renouncing meat - lived only on fish. Later it was bought by a rich, but seemingly unbalanced businessman from Milan, who had all the medieval buildings demolished and hurled into the lake so that he could build a villa there. With glee the islanders - who have a marked relish for ghost stories - will tell you that the lifeless corpse of this 'destroyer of holy things' was duly found floating in the lake during a violent blizzard. (In defiance of their orders the demolition-gang secretly saved San Paolo's altar, and brought it to St John's church at Carzano.)
A more ambitious three-to-four hour round hike (a trip the less energetic can achieve most of using the public minibus) to the 13th-century Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola, at the summit of the island (the church itself is only open on Sundays), leaves us in no doubt that Monte Isola is not just a mountain in name, and takes us through some truly Alpine scenery of fruit trees, flower-stewn meadows and pine woods. Indeed, by this time we may be forgiven for feeling a pleasant sense of unreality, as though we were walking through the pages of a children's geography book with every possible climate and landscape illustrated on the same page.
Near the summit is the charming hamlet of Cure, where every house has a smoking room for home curing sausages. And though the inhabitants here have the distinct air of being hardy upland folk - who seem to live practically on a level with the towering, snow-capped peaks to the north of the lake - the welcoming owner of the tiny local bar and store serves us drinks, and, while chatting to us, resumes deftly knotting a basket-ball net, which will almost certainly end up a thousand miles or more from this enchanted isle, whose very existence we begin to doubt once we have left.
First published: New York Times
© Roderick Conway Morris 1975-2023


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Cardamom-coconut sauce tops creamy mango "ice cream" here in this indulgent tropical sundae, proving that you can have a delicious, frozen treat completely guilt free (and 21 day fix approved!)
So my girls are starting school next week already. It's crazy, right? Aren't we still in the middle of summer? My youngest is starting preschool this year (sniff, sniff) and although I'm REALLY looking forward to my couple of hours of silence 3 days a week, it's bittersweet. My baby's growing up 🙁 This wasn't supposed to happen, I'm going to have to have a talk with her. Anyway, I'm thinking we should have at least a solid month left of warm weather and I don't know about where you are, but it's still pretty stinkin' hot here in the 'Ville, so this girl is feeling some frozen treats.
Enter this super-tasty Tropical Mango Sundae. You guys are going to love this one, the "ice cream" is sweet and slightly tart and when it's topped with that rich, creamy sauce it's a really great balance of flavors. Btw, remember a few weeks ago in my Cardamom Chia Seed Pudding Post when I promised some more fantastic uses for mango? My word is my bond, people. You're welcome.
If you've ever made 1 ingredient banana "ice cream" before, this recipe is a similar endeavor. You throw 2 ingredients into a little food processor and pulse until it magically turns into ice cream. Seriously who ever figured this out deserves a medal. It's ridiculous. I used this little 3-cup food processor and it was the perfect size - a really big one doesn't work very well for this because the bottom blade tends to sit up a little too high and can't get to everything the way you need it to. At least that was my experience when I tried to make a larger batch in my enormous 14 cup food processor. Just a word to the wise!
This coconut sauce is sooo good, try not to drink it. Wait a minute, I take it back, if you have a blue container to use, I say go ahead and drink it. That's actually a great idea. I've got another idea for this delicious concoction though and it's coming soon to a blog near you!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can have all of the ingredients on hand at any point in time and throw it together whenever. There are no perishable items to pick up and that scores major bonus points with me!
Anyway, my bestie is here visiting us so I'm going to go now and make us some breakfast. What's your favorite fix-approved frozen treat? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!
<3 Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Tropical Mango Sundae
For the sauce:
- 2 ½ tbs coconut milk
- 2 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
For the ice cream:
- ½ of a banana, frozen
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
Optional garnishes:
- 1 tbs toasted coconut (you can sometimes buy it already toasted, or you can toast it in the oven at 350 degrees until browned and crispy)
- fresh sweet cherry
For the sauce:
- In a small bowl, add the coconut milk, cardamom, coconut oil and raw sugar, whisk together until the raw sugar has dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to use. The coconut oil will help to thicken the mixture a bit once it gets nice and cold.
For the ice cream:
- Put the frozen fruit in a small food processor (mine is a 3-cup and it fits perfectly) and process until it looks like ice cream! Simple, right? Depending on the power of your processor, you may have to stop several times and push the mixture down into the blades. It usually takes less than 5 minutes total though,and I have a really cheap food processor!
- You can either eat this right away or stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set up a little more (it'll still be like soft serve). When you're ready to eat, scoop the ice cream into a dish, top with the coconut sauce, toasted coconut (if using) and a cherry!
Container Equivalents:
If having the entire recipe for your serving, you can count this either as 2 PURPLES, ½ BLUE, 1 TSP, 2 teaspoon sugar OR 1 Treat-swap YELLOW.
If having half of this recipe as your serving, it's 1 PURPLE, ¼ BLUE, ½ teaspoon and 1 teaspoon sugar
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 8 for entire recipe
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:Yield: 1 Serving Size: serving size is either entire recipe or half
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 14g


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406 SOEs approved for divestment in 2017-2020
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has approved a list of 406 State-owned enterprises (SOEs) marked for divestment from now until 2020.
The Hanoi-Me Linh factory of the Hanoi Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Habeco) (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has approved a list of 406 State-owned enterprises (SOEs) marked for divestment from now until 2020.
The divestment list, proposed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, aims to raise funds for the nation's public investment plan for the 2016-20 period, and advance the SOE restructuring process.
Under the new schedule, the State will divest from 135 businesses this year, 181 in 2018, 62 in 2019 and 28 in 2020. The total face value divestments from 2017 to 2020 are estimated at 64.46 trillion VND (2.82 billion USD).
The Ministry of Industry and Trade, representing the State, will divest 52.47 percent of its stake from the Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) this year, and other 36 percent by 2020.
VEAM, established in 1990, mainly manufactures agricultural machinery. The company has 20 subsidiaries nationwide, including Song Cong Diesel Limited Company, Southern Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Company Ltd and An Giang Mechanical JSC.
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) will divest from two of its major corporations: the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV); and the Vietnam Airlines Corporation (VNA).
From 2018-2020, the MoT will divest 30.4 percent of its stake from ACV. The State, which currently owns 95.4 percent, will maintain a 65 per cent ownership after divestment.
The ministry will also sell 35.16 percent of its 86.16 percent stake in national carrier Vietnam Airlines by 2019. In February this year, 107.66 million shares in the airline, or 8.77 percent, was sold to its strategic partner – Japan's ANA Holdings. With this sale, the carrier completed 38 percent of its plan to sell shares to strategic partners.
Deputy PM Hue has asked ministers, heads of Government agencies and chairpersons of major cities and provinces to participate as needed in the divestment process.
They should strictly exercise their representation rights of State-owned capital with the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) per regulations. After receiving the representation rights from concerned agencies, the SCIC will be responsible for divestment, according to the new decision.
The decision says that before the 25th of the last month of every quarter and before December 25 every year, the ministries and localities will have to send reports on their divestment activities to the Steering Committee for Business Renovation and Development, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
[State to divest capital from Sabeco, Habeco via open tenders]
Beyond this list, separate decisions will be issued for divestment from certain special businesses in the agriculture and forestry sectors, subsidiaries of economic groups and large State corporations that have not been equitised, some businesses managed by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, major cities and the SCIC.
This will also apply to companies like the Hanoi Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Habeco), Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverages Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco), Transport Hospital, Cable TV provider Vietnam Satellite Television (VSTV) and Vietnam Broadcasting Tower Investment Joint Stock Company, the decision says.
Dang Quyet Tien, Deputy Director of the Finance Ministry's Corporate Finance Department, said the announcement of the list was an important step, allowing prospective investors to know about the State's divestment plan in detail.
It would help expedite the divestment process by making clear the investment options in equitising SOEs, he added.-VNA


text: Your Dog Just Got Injured In A Fight: 5 Steps To Take When Your Pet Has Abdominal Wounds 6 August 2015 Categories: , Blog Your dog was just injured in a fight and now it has an open wound on its abdomen. You're going to need to act fast, especially if it's showing signs of shock which can include drooping eyelids and a pale tongue. The first thing you'll need to do is treat the shock. Lay your dog on a flat surface and wrap it in a warm blanket. Now you'll need to prepare your pet for transport to an animal hospital. Read More


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Why transistor is so difficult to understand?
intuition of the operation of a bjt is more difficult than the intuition of a mosfet but the equations of the model of a bjt are much simpler than those of the model of a mosfet. nature gives and takes away.
it is not difficult to understand at all. I can not speak for the PhD in some universities, but anyone with an undergraduate degree in ee, and probably a bachelor's degree in physics, should know how the transistors work indoors and outdoors. Of course, if you are applying for a PhD in literature, your answer may not be clear.
If you are obsessed with power, you may be confused by pnp and npn transistors. for both types, the base transmitter junction must be forward biased to get transistor action. when the junction is forward biased, the transmitter sends its carriers into the base. the base also sends its bearers into the transmitter. if the number of base-to-emitter carriers equals the number of carriers from base-to-base, the action of the transistor will not occur much.
The transistors are constructed such that the number of base-based emitters is much larger than the base-to-emitter number. sometimes up to 100 against 1. the base is very thin, so that the movement of carriers injected into the base by the transmitter continues and ends up in the collector. In short, if the ratio is 100: 1, for each load placed in the base, you will have 100 loads in the collector.
it is difficult to understand exactly what happens when we do not understand the physics of semiconductor devices.
In general, we take for granted that the current flows from the transmitter to the collector. while moving, some of the carriers recombine in the base and others move to the collector region. If more carriers recombine in the base, there will be less carrier flow in the collector region (less current in the collector).
In order to thwart the recombine carriers in the base (after a while, all the carriers in the base escapement and other carriers will no longer be available for recombination), we provide additional carriers in the base. This is what we call the basic stream. where we apply our required signal and operate the transistor in a linear (active) region to obtain amplification.
again, it is necessary to understand the transistor's doping profile, the inverse / direct polarized working profile (how the energy bands move), the interaction between the p-type and n-type semiconductors. they are assembled, etc. to master the transistor. transistor and I think it's worth studying about it as an engineer in analog .


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The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) serves a diverse community of approximately 9,000 high school students.
We value:
• Professional Development: Our teachers benefit from numerous opportunities throughout the year.
• Mentorships: New teachers have the support of an instructional coach for their first two years.
• Cutting-edge technology for our students and our education teams.
• The mental health and wellness of our students and employees.
• Accessibility and Equity: We are culturally responsive, striving to identify and eliminate barriers so that all students have access to a rigorous education.
• Sustainability: The District aims to be a responsible steward of resources.
District staff and members of the Equity Advisory Committee provided an update to the board about the equity work happening across the district. The team shared how the district is taking a systems-approach to realizing SMUHSD's Equity Vision and Mission. This included an overview on how the anti-racist professional learning for all staff, leadership training for students, and equity advisory committee all support the equity goals of the district.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
San Mateo Union High School District is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. SMUHSD makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. For more information, read through our Nondiscrimination in Employment policy.
For Staff: Interview Procedures and Guidance
Employment Opportunities
The District posts all open positions on EDJOIN. Applications are accepted electronically at www.edjoin.org. Register to create your profile and submit your online application today!
View a current list of job opportunities.
Salary Range
View the salary schedules for the 2021-2022 school year.
Fringe Benefits
Our District offers excellent health benefits with District-paid premiums that include medical, dental, and vision.
We are dedicated to the wellness of not only our students, but also the entire staff.
We offer on-site fitness classes, fitness club discounts, Weight Watchers @ Work and free biometric screenings.


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United States
Bela Kiss, the Vampire of Czinkota
In May of 1916, detectives in Czinkota, Hungary, made a gruesome discovery: two dozen people, drained of blood, and preserved in metal barrels full of wood alcohol. Their murderer was Bela Kiss, a man who'd been recently killed in World War I. Except that, even after his supposed death, Bela Kiss continued to be seen and continued to remain one step ahead of capture for the next three decades. On this episode, we explore the gruesome crimes of serial killer Bela Kiss, the Vampire of Czinkota.
The Vampires of Eastern Europe
The mythology of the vampire dates back millennia. But, in the 16th and 17th centuries, in the mountains of southeastern Europe, these sorts of legends -- stories of the dead who'd come back to harm and kill the living -- started having names attached. In this episode, we begin our exploration of "real vampires" with the stories of three of these men -- Giure Grando, Petar Blagojevic, and Arnod Paole -- and, when possible, those that became their victims
Resurrection Mary, Part 4: Mary Kovac
Resurrection Mary is one of Chicago's most famous ghosts. For decades, people fascinated with the story have been trying to answer the question: Who was she? Over the years, a number of "candidates" have been put forth. And, in researching this episode, we found one of our own. On this episode, we present the story of Mary Kovac who, we believe, may have been the young woman whose ghost Jerry Palus met at the Liberty Grove and Hall in 1939: The original Resurrection Mary.
Resurrection Mary, Part 2: Mary Bregovy
Resurrection Mary is one of Chicago's most famous ghosts and, over the years, a number of "candidates" have been put to answer the question: Who was she? Mary Bregovy, like the girl in the Resurrection Mary legend, had lived on Damen Avenue and had died in an automobile accident in the 1930s. But, despite people who knew her while she was alive having reported seeing her on Archer Avenue after her death, Mary Bregovy didn't look like the girl who is normally described in Resurrection Mary sightings. On this episode, we discuss how she fits into the Resurrection Mary legend.
The Waldheim Flapper
Chicago's most famous Vanishing Hitchhiker is, without a doubt, the ghost of the young woman (or women) who has come to be called Resurrection Mary. But, we'll come back to that. On this episode, we explore the story of one of Chicago's other vanishing hitchhikers: The Waldheim Flapper.
Bonus: The Uniondale Hitchhiker
Between the towns of Uniondale and Willowmore, witnesses have reported encounters with one of South Africa's most famous ghosts: the Uniondale Hitchhiker.
Bonus: The Murdered Girl on Wilfred Barrett Drive
The story is unbelievable, like something out of a bad horror film: A girl walking home along Wilfred Barrett Drive on the Central Coast of Australia is brutally assaulted and left for dead on Jenny Dixon Beach. After dying of the injuries they'd inflicted, her ghost seeks vengeance on the men who had attacked her, ending their lives one by one. While the lore that surrounds it may have been embellished to the point of unbelievability, at its core, the story is true. And what's more, her murder may have had ties to one of Australia's most famous unsolved crimes.
Bonus: The Many Ghosts of Blue Bell Hill
A girl walking quietly beside the road before disappearing. An old woman in a black tartan shawl carrying a bundle of sticks or heather, A girl who steps into traffic, disappearing after being struck. And a pair of Vanishing Hitchhikers. Join us on this episode as we discuss the Many Ghosts of Blue Bell Hill.
Bonus: The Phantom Fares of Ishinomaki
Today, on the eighth anniversary of the disaster, we remember its victims through the stories told by Japan's taxi drivers of the Phantom Fares of Ishinomaki.
The Lady of White Rock Lake
Since the late 1930s, reports have surfaced of people seeing the spectral apparition of a young woman who'd drowned beneath the waves of White Rock Lake. And, she isn't content to just ask strangers to drive her home.
The Ghost of 22 Mountain
Clarence Stephenson wrestled to corpse to the side of the road and, then, panted and grunted as he pushed the body of a woman he'd once considered a friend into a gully and watched it disappear into a bramble of blackberry thorns. He thought she'd never be seen again. He was wrong.
The Ghost of the Buckhorn and the White Lady of Wopsy
Two mountains. One legend. In 1938, an encounter with the Ghost of the Buckhorn launched two weeks of ghost hunts. Dozens of people reported having seen her, having given her a ride or, even, having chased her through the mountains. And, before it was over, she'd been seen by hundreds of school children. But, who was the real person who became the Ghost of the Buckhorn and the White Lady of Wopsy?
The Man in the Black Raincoat
In the 1950s, a plane trying to make it through a thunderstorm to land at the Greenville airport crashed into the mountainside just a few yards off of Highway 107 near Walhalla, South Carolina. The wreckage of his small, single-engine aircraft was found but the pilot's body was never recovered. But, that doesn't mean that no one has seen him since ...
The Girl at the Underpass
Known locally as "Lydia," on this episode of Epitaph, we investigate the history of the Jamestown underpass, the accidents that took place there and find the story of a young woman whose tragic, brutal death near the underpass may have inspired one of North Carolina's most well-known legends.
Introducing Epitaph
Part ghost story and part history, Epitaph aims to find the people behind familiar and not-so-familiar hauntings, explore their stories, and find out why they're coming back to us.


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inewsource reporters were recognized with 11 awards Tuesday night from the San Diego Press Club, including for the America's Wall border project and campaign finance coverage.
Reporter Brad Racino's investigation into the HiCaliber Horse Rescue also won first place for investigative reporting in the online and daily newspaper category. With contributions from inewsource intern Nicole Tyau, Racino's series of more than 15 stories exposed allegations of fraud, animal abuse and improper veterinary care at the organization.
Here's a full list of inewsource's awards with links to each story:
Brandon Quester, Leonardo Castañeda and Jim Tinsky, and KPBS's Jean Guerrero and Kris Arciaga
- First place, political/government, "America's Wall: Decades-long struggle to secure U.S.-Mexico border."
Brad Racino and Nicole Tyau
- First place, investigative reporting, series on HiCaliber Horse Rescue.
Brad Racino, Brandon Quester and the Hechinger Report's Meredith Kolodner
- First place, education, "Remedial classes: A community college segregation machine."
Leonardo Castañeda
- First place, election coverage, "Competing Mission Valley stadium measures gear up for expensive campaign fight."
Cheryl Clark
- First place, Health and Medicine, "Diabetes-related amputations up significantly in California and San Diego."
Megan Wood and the Investigative Reporting Workshop's Mandy McLaren
- Second place, multicultural, "Trauma and transitions: How San Diego schools grapple with educating refugees."
Jill Castellano
- Second place, election coverage, "Unprecedented outside spending for county supervisor's seat and more to come."
Brandon Quester
- Second place, Still — photo essay, "America's Wall: A visual journey."
Cheryl Clark, Megan Wood and Brandon Quester
- Third place, investigative reporting — Single Report television/online video, "Hustling Hope: Doctors debunk diabetes treatment as fraud charges hit clinic executive."
Megan Wood and Joanne Faryon
- Third place, news feature pre-produced, "Music helps people in nursing home once considered unreachable."
Megan Wood
- Third place, education, "Christian college can't explain $20 million in expenses; agency cites very sketchy budget."
Click here for a full list of San Diego Press club winners.
We'll let you know when big things happen.


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SOLVED Space Center not reflecting (all) glyph changes
ryan last edited by gferreira
Version 3.1
Experiencing a lack of update in Space Center when I update a glyph (moving it around, changing a contour, etc.). This happens only sometimes.
Also, when altering a component glyph drawing, glyphs that contain that component will sometimes reflect only edits to on-curve points, not off-curve points.
the default is
this value is set with the idea: you want to see short words while editing, longer text for only spacing.
ryan last edited by
@frederik @Kris Thanks guys. What's the Robofont default? Might actually make it a bit smaller to gain speed.
thanks Kris, that is correct, but the more glyphs the slower it gets...
Kris last edited by
Try this:
from mojo.UI import setDefault setDefault("spaceCenterMaxGlyphsForLiveUpdate", 1000)
1000can be whatever number you like, I think.


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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Review; RecoFit Calf Compression Component
RecoFit's calf compression units' superior design and materials include:
GreatFiT ™
Gradient Recovery Exercise & Activity Technology delivers gradient compression where it's needed most to reduce negative exercise and travel effects and maximize recovery. Careful pattern making and construction provide gradient compression from the ankle up towards the knee, helping to return the blood to the heart.
Negative-ion circulation assistance through Resistex™ carbon yarns increases blood oxygenation and supports the immune system as well as offering ribbed massage, compression, moisture-management and breathability.
Superior Materials
The finest breathable and most comfortable Italian fabrics and flat-seam construction that do not bind or irritate. The contour and cross-grain-cut of the fabric provides maximum compression benefits.
Versatility and Performance
Recofit components are more versatile and specific than shorts, tights or socks.
Left and Right Specific
Maximum benefits result from left- and right-specific components, as well as a wide range of sizes to best suit individual needs.
Although designed by a cyclist (who suffered from shin-splints) for running I have been wearing them for both sports, with over 100 bike (longest ride 75 miles) and nearly 100 running miles (longest run 20 miles) on them in recent weeks here's my take.
At first appearances they look too short and too wide or baggy, but this soon disappears once you have them they are snug and supportive. They easily reach from below the knee to below the level of where an ankle high/crew sock would stop. I made the mistake of putting them on the wrong legs to start and thought they were really uncomfortable, closer inspection revealed the instructions (Left Leg/Front etc…pretty obvious really). The fabric is featherweight and you soon forget you are wearing them. They are constructed out of two panels; the first panel wraps the front of your calf and the seam follows the contour of your gastroc muscle (the bulb shaped one at the top), the rear panel envelops your gastroc. The front panel is stretchy and is ribbed inside which I assume is the Resistex, the rear panel is even stretchier but is a thinner material.
There are some discreet logos on the front and side and really that is all there is to them, however do not let this slim description fool these things are effective! I think a combination of their lightness and the support is amazingly effective. After both long sessions mentioned above I had zero aches or pains and after both of them I followed up with a minimum of an 8 mile run with little complaint the next day.
Specially designed for recovery and exercise (Reco – Recovery/Fit – Fitness) the real beauty of these sleeves is that you do not have to give up your favorite sock, you can mix and match them for cycling and running as I did and I am sure you could use them for hiking or even skiing or snowboarding as well. They do not get overly warm even in black; they are available in white also. They do come in multiple sizes and the company stresses the need for accurate fitting; I was using a size large. They also have some other products in the pipeline to address shin-splints and full leg and arm sleeves. One additional side benefit I noticed was that they took the worst of the beating that my shins take on the trails from low hanging branches etc. So if you're stuck in your own socks these could be the ideal thing for you…and don't forget you can get 10% off them through Wilderness Running using the 'Quad10' code at checkout.
9 comments:
Nope, the photo does it for me - no chance I'm wearing knee highs with shorts.... maybe in the winter? You're brave... or an unconscious fashion disaster!ReplyDelete
LOVE discount codes :)) I keep saying that I MUST try me a pair of these...soon. Should have picked up a pair at the Tri shop since I could have received 20% off due to the bike purchase. What was I thinking.. :)ReplyDelete
No problem getting on your site today. Now I am going to read the post I missed out on. Will leave comment on those...
wow... I was really behind on your post. those freaking RED HOT trail shoes are the bomb!ReplyDelete
I didn't even know there were sleeves for the legs. I've seen everyone wearing sleeves on their arms during races, but this was new to me! Thanks for the review.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the review, they look better than the compression stockings I had to wear after leg surgery....ReplyDelete
i think i would like these best for wearing-while-running/working out. something about the full-on sock deal is still weird to me.ReplyDelete
Cool review. I love my sox.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApr 25, 2010, 12:44:00 PM
Definitely have to give up the vanity, the black compression socks make me look like a dork, but I don't care!ReplyDelete
Thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.ReplyDelete
Triathlon Shorts
Thanks for reading this post and leaving a comment, if you are entering a contest, please ensure you put some sort of unique name down so I can get back to you. E-mail addresses are ONLY displayed to me, and never shared, sold, pilfered, or anything else unhappy.


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She Stoops to Conquer explores how taking on a new personality and class can change the course of a story.
The Teaching Unit for She Stoops to Conquer gives you a comprehensive academic framework that saves you hours of prep work.
You can rely on this well-researched unit as a strong base for your lesson plan — it was written by one of our seasoned educators with your needs in mind.
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Teaching Units are best used to teach students who are on grade level or in College Prep classes.
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You know what is starting to get agitating in entertainment today? Why is it that only superheroes get a theme song? They re fictitious and have abnormal abilities, unlike the normal human; so why cant our beloved video game characters that we have seen in various titles get a theme song? Solid Snake is fictitious, and has an abnormal ability, which is being very acrobatic. We all know the average male human today is not that acrobatic. Heck, if one even tried the moves Snake does, he would put out his back. Any who, so why shouldnt Solid Snake get a theme song? I can guarantee he can beat up such superheroes as Batman, Catwoman and heck, maybe even Superman. I think Spiderman he would have one hell of a challenge with, since he is more acrobatic and good with the ladies.
This is all beside the point. The point here is that Solid Snake has returned for a fifth time. Thats right, a fifth time, not a third time. The title may say Metal Gear Solid 3 but in all reality, a lot of people forget Snakes two journeys on the NES and MSX, which were under the label Metal Gear. Although Konami denies that Metal Gear 2 is a part of the true series, it did feature our beloved character of Solid Snake. So my young stealthy thieves and marksmen alike, you want to know if Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater scores the big one right? Or are you one of those more interested to see if Konami has failed the series for the first time since Metal Gear 2? Want to know the result? Read on. Gameplay
For those who have played Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2) to death, such as me, you are probably sick of being in close quarters and never seeing that oh so beautiful sun. Now sure, MGS2 did feature somewhat of an outdoor level when you began to play with Raiden, but you still had to go from building to building. Snake Eater takes that element almost fully away and puts you in an open environment. When you first start up the game, you are, of course, treated to a somewhat lengthy video intro. Basically, you get the background info on what you must do to accomplish your mission and you get to meet you will be working with.
After that you are thrown into the game, only to run into another cinematic a few minutes later. After that, however, you can finally begin to embark on Solid Snakes wonderful journey through a jungle. Now, dont think its like The Jungle Book here; this isnt a jungle full of furry critters and swinging apes. In fact, its quite the opposite. Filled in this jungle are heavily armed Soviet troops, doing whatever they need to be sure that their country does what they need to do in this Cold War situation. I wont reveal the story to you, as it will ruin the point to watch the beautifully made and well acted cinematics.


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The Superstrada RX300 liquid cooled scooter uses a Linhai Yamaha 300cc 4 stroke engine to bring you the best value in this class of gas powered scooters.
This motor scooter features front and rear disk brakes, 12″ cast alloy wheels, an oversize 2 rider seat, 22hp and a top speed of 85 mph. Also included is a small wind screen to reduce noise, independent halogen lights and a CVT transmission.
This powerful gas motor scooter is DOT and EPA approved.
Aeolus 300cc Specifications:
- Engine- 4 cycle liquid cooled
- Piston Displacement- 300cc
- Max Power- 22hp@7500rpm
- Starting System- electric
- Ignition- cdi
- Fuel Capacity- 3.22 gallons
- Fuel Consumption- 75mpg
- Transmission- automatic
- Total Length- 84″
- Total Width- 32″
- Total Height- 52″
- Dry Weight- 330lbs
- Front Suspension- hydraulic forks
- Rear Suspension- dual shock
- Front Brakes- hydraulic disc
- Rear Brakes- hydraulic disc
- Front Tires- 110/90×12″
- Rear Tires- 130/90×12″
- Max Speed- 85 mph


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Steroid Addiction | Seabrook Therapy for Steroid Abuse
Professional sports and even college sports have seen widespread abuse of steroids for decades. They are used to speed up recovery times after workouts but addiction drives them to become very damaging to the athlete and organization. Major League Baseball players have even been brought before federal grand juries in steroid abuse and dealing investigations. All 50 states and most division 1 college sports programs have experienced incidents with their athletes and steroid abuse at one point or another. From NYC to LA, Washington DC to Colorado, Oregon to Idaho, and Florida to Nebraska, steroids remain a widely abused substance in a variety of sports and non-sports environments. This addiction can be treated and treatment works!
Withdrawal symptoms can be very detrimental for steroid addicts and must be managed by certified professionals. One of the worst is depression, which can lead to suicide attempts. Seabrook can help with these withdrawal symptoms and provide the supportive therapy and education needed to conquer this steroid withdrawal. Come visit us at our main rehab facility in Bridgeton, NJ to find out more about how we can help.


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Friday, May 8, 2015
A Princess Under the Weather
13 comments:
Oh, we sure hate to hear that. Purrs to the purrty Princess from all of us.ReplyDelete
Jeepers, poor Cammie! I've never heard of this and hope the topical ointment helps. If you do need to look at something else, and if she's hard to pill, you can always try to have the med compounded into a tasty (?) flavour via the vet's compounding pharmacy. Anyway, lots of purrs from the boys to her; we all hope she's better soon!ReplyDelete
Sending Cammie many purrs and prayers.ReplyDelete
I do hope this proves to be nothing serious. I guess the vet has ruled out feline acne. Jessie used to break out in acne at times. Poor Cammie. We hope this clears up soon. From Eileen and JessicaReplyDeleteReplies
If it is acne, it's worse than anything I've seen before. Yet it wouldn't be itchy, would it? That would fit this case...Delete
No acne is not itchy. I don't think. Jessie's acne was around her chin. I do hope this clears up for poor Cammie. From Eileen and JessicaDelete
Yes, I figured that to be the case. Both Tungsten and Renn had acne. It was very mild, very infrequent; little black dots on the chin.Delete
Poor Cammie, I hope this ointment takes care of these growths. With any luck it is an allergy and will disappear.ReplyDelete
Enjoy the extra cuddles!
Poor Cammie! I hope the ointment helps and the growths clear up.ReplyDelete
Please hug and kiss Cammie for me. If she has eosinophilic granuloma she needs all the love and caring she can get. I went through this with Alfie and the sooner you can get Cammie on steroids the better.ReplyDelete
Alfie had two types, the nodular type that sounds like what Cammie has and the indolent/ rodent ulcer. My vet started Alfie on oral steroids and antibiotics for prevention of secondary infection of the lesions. We got nowhere with this and, after 2 weeks, I took Alfie to the ER. The doctor there was more familiar with this and said Alfie's case was quite developed, He perscribed steroid injection every couple of days and 2 other medications for him as well. I don't remember exactly what they were as this was about 3-4 years ago. But I do know that had we hit it hard early on with the steroids Alfie would have recovered sooner. Of concern, in Cammie's case, is the proximity of the lesions to her eyes. You'll have to keep particularly close watch on her corneas.Replies
The infection seems a little better today but not enough. I will return Cammie to the veterinary early this week if the situation doesn't improve. I am concerned about the proximity to the eyes, as well, and it merely being on the head is a worry. Thank you for sharing your story; I am grateful for any information on cat-health. I will keep everyone updated.Delete
Tat sounds unpleasant. I hope it heals up quick with no more troubles.ReplyDelete
I do think you are correct that the stress of losing Tungsten could be causing this being that it is a recent thing . I think a food allergy would have been noticed earlier. I will ass her to my prayer list.ReplyDelete


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Bid success for CRTA venue in Tattenhall – New seating arrangements are on their way!
One of the main problems that face CRTA venues and audiences is the fact that, unlike a conventional theatre space, the seating is often required to be on the floor and all on one level. This can cause restrictions to what audiences can see and therefore their enjoyment of the event. One group of CRTA volunteers led by promoter Linda Davenport, decided to tackle this problem head on and, in partnership with the Tattenhall Amateur Dramatics Society and the Barbour Institute Trustees, they put together a bid to, amongst others, Arts Council England's Grants for the Arts programme for modular staging blocks that can be flexible to double as a stage or raised seating areas. Below is an article by Linda Davenport about the bid and how they went about it and what it now means to the CRTA audiences and other users of the Barbour Institute. To read the article in full please click on the link at the end of the piece below. CRTA wish to congratulate Linda and her team and Partners on this wonderful achievement.
By Linda Davenport
Tattenhall Rural Touring Arts' venue, The Barbour Institute (BI), has a large multi-use main hall. Over the years, we found that many visiting CRTA performers/companies, for different reasons, preferred to perform on the floor rather than on our stage. This led to many and repeated complaints from audience members that, if they were seated further back than Rows 3 or 4, even with a cabaret-style layout, they could see very little of the show which occurred below the performers' waist height and that, consequently, their evening's enjoyment had been significantly reduced. As time went on, we (the Tattenhall Rural Touring Arts Team) realised that we either had to try & solve this issue or risk losing forever a sizeable portion of our hitherto loyal supporters.
Our Problem
How do we create an improved audience viewing experience in a space with (a) no ability to install fixed raked seating, and (b) visiting companies bringing no raised staging?
Our Solution
Raise funds to buy modular staging units which can easily be assembled into robust tiered seating and rapidly deconstructed and stored at the end of the performance.
The Cost
We would need to raise £9500 for this equipment
PARTNERSHIPS were a necessary, attractive and effective way forward. It is my firm belief that forming partnerships with other voluntary local groups all working for the benefit of our village was the key to the success of our venture. Not only that, it forged connections within the village which will last long after the end of this project. Our Partners are:
- Tattenhall Amateur Dramatics Society (TADS) which was looking to replace its existing stage extension which was coming to the end of its useful life, and
- The Barbour Institute (BI) Trustees who agreed to store the kit in the BI and to add it to the BI's general insurance. In return, all Partners agreed that the kit will be used as a community asset and made available at no charge to any community group using the BI, eg. the Guides, Tattenhall Singers, charity fund-raisers.
Fund-raising requires persistence, teamwork, good humour, the ability to write succinct reports & fill in online applications and an appreciation that you're in it for the long haul – there's no quick fix and much competition for the same funds. Many avenues we tried were unavailable to us for different reasons, eg. the purpose for which we need the kit fell outside the fund-holders parameters for giving. However, rather than talk about our unsuccessful bids, I want to celebrate and thank the people and organisations who did back the project. They are:
a) Tattenhall & District Parish Council offered us £1500 provided we raised the rest from other sources,
b) The Amateur Dramatics Society Management Committee voted £1000 towards the project,
c) Arts Council England granted us £3500
d) Our Ward Councillor (Cheshire West & Chester Council), Cllr Mike Jones, offered us up to £3500 in match funding from his Ward Councillor's Personal Budget.
The Future
CRTA (Tattenhall) can be much more versatile when meeting the needs of performers & audience.
For example:
- The rear rows of theatre-style seating can be raked so audiences can see all performers head-to-toe even when they are performing on the floor, or
- Our stage can be extended along its full width from its current depth of 3.4m to 5.2m, or
- Companies have a choice between performing on the floor or on a large, flat platform raised up to ½ metre off the floor.
Amongst its other advantages, our improved sight lines mean that CRTA (Tattenhall) can now consider hosting dance-based shows because we have more confidence that our audience will see the essential element of this art form, ie. the dancers' feet.
*Delivery is planned for the first week of November, 2015.
To view the "Q-Plus" units we bought, go to www.stagesystems.co.uk Click on Products from the topline menu, then click on Tiered staging from the drop down menu.
Linda Davenport
Promoter, CRTA Tattenhall
28th September, 2015
To read the article in full please click on this link Tattenhall flexible seating article


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Plants in this genus prefer full sun to partial shade depending on desired coloration - full sun tends to bring out red or pink hues. However, too much direct afternoon sun can burn foliage. Leaves can be waxy or hairy, or even glaucate or farinose. Flowers appear in large inflorescences of bright yellow, orange, or red flowers. Echeveria can generally be propagated from leaf cuttings or offsets, but can also be grown from stem cuttings and seed.
Here's your opportunity to order exact succulent species at an awesome price! We will continue to add new types as they become available, and we're pretty darn sure you won't find them cheaper anywhere!
We always do our best to ship the largest and healthiest succulents we have available. But size and color may vary based on multiple factors including time of year, growing temps, length of days, and their growing seasons. Succulents generally slow down and almost stop growing during the coldest months of the year, but come spring and summer you can often see growth in just days.
If looking for exact Haworthias, Gasterias and Aloes, please see those pages specifically.
Some containers may have 1,2,3, and even 4 smaller rooted plants, this can also vary based on the species and the way they grow, vertical vs horizontal being possible factors. Containers are basic plastic nursery stock with colors are usually orange or black, and approx. 2" tall and across the top.
Please remember these are juvenile specimens, they are nowhere near maturity, and any small imperfections will be outgrown in time. Please see our multiple blogs and care instruction on potential soil displacement during shipping, and propagating many types of succulent leaves etc.
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Such a cute perfect shaped succulent. The perfect plant for my daughters fairy garden.
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Central governments are and remain a net supplier of macroeconomic instability. This is a direct result of the institutions and policy tools created to conform to a Keynesian vision. These are now a fundamental portion of our economic and political environs.
For Keynesians, the complete commercial sector is questioned in the position of only two classes of goods:
1. consumption goods and
2. investment goods.
It is simple of course to ignore the distributions of prices within these two classes. Having studied Bayesian statistics and having my masters in statistics with respect to the problem of homogeneity of variance measurements, I can state that this is a huge flaw. Comparing two means with similar values but hugely different variances is a mathematical and logical flaw — one Keynes decided to overlook when it was noted by Hayek.
The shoddier logic than this from Keynes comes from price equilibria; here one relative price that is engaged in this formulation. This involves the relative value of consumer goods with respect to investment goods as articulated by the interest rate. This calculation is based on an assumption where it can either not function and fail or function aberrantly — an assumption not based on quantitative data available even at the time.
Of course, the notion of scarcity is missing from Keyne's philosophy. The trade-off between generating consumption goods and constructing investment goods is an often overlooked foundation of reality. We have limits. We can only do one thing, at the expense of another.
In all cases, the manufacture of a greater amount of plant and equipment — capital ALWAYS has to be facilitated through an increase in net savings. These savings are obtained through a decrease in current consumption. The US has lived on the savings of other nations for many years through a Fed policy of unnaturally low interest rates. There is always a need to pay the piper eventually.
Keynesian aggregates serve to conceal these very mechanisms. Keynes simply swept away the impression of any trade-off between consumption and investment. The problem is, though, his formulation was elegant, it had little correlation to reality. We live in a universe of limits. Like it or not, all things are made at the expense of an alternative. Liberal views that ALL PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE EVERYTHING MEAN LITTLE; THERE ARE LIMITS AND NO AMOUNT OF POLITICAL HOT AIR CAN ALTER THIS FACT. Welcome to the real world.
William H. Hutt, when calling the theory a "theory of idle resources", and F. A. Hayek, in stating the underlying foundation of Keynesian-ism to be an "economics of abundance", hit the nail on the head. The problem is not a world of abundance, but one of scarcity. This is the foundation of economics.
The set of reciprocally supporting but mutually unsupportable proposals concerning the relationship of how selected macroeconomic aggregates are related to one another is unsupported in reality for all the elegance of the theory. Keynesian policy is this set of self-justifying policy prescriptions.


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What Effects Does Climate Change Have On Soil Health & The Future Of Food?
Originally published on The Climate Reality Project.
Global temperatures increasing steadily at their fastest rates in millions of years? Very scary. Glaciers calving and collapsing into the sea? Hard to miss. The Atlantic Ocean lapping down the streets of Miami? Front page news almost everywhere.
Others — like declining soil health — may be a little less immediately dramatic, but they can be equally impactful and even more far-reaching. It's not the sort of thing that inspires a telethon, but over time the toll of erosion, pollution, losses in organic matter, and other soil impacts of the climate crisis imperil a very basic human need — to eat.
The health and vitality of soil everywhere, from the smallest backyard garden to the largest Midwestern farm, plays an integral role in food production — and it's threatened by climate change.
"I think a big problem that people have when they talk about climate change is they don't emphasize enough the risks to food production, and I think that really shortchanges some of the arguments and the concerns down the road," says journalist and author Chris Clayton. "The idea that you could have millions of migrants moving all over the world because they can't eat, and the disruption and instability that creates doesn't get enough appreciation in the world."
Get the dirt on how climate change affects soil health — and the future of food. Free download: https://t.co/JgTmouYTdb pic.twitter.com/c1A5iYJl6U
— Climate Reality (@ClimateReality) September 8, 2017
Clayton is the agriculture policy director of DTN/The Progressive Farmer and the author of The Elephant in the Cornfield: The Politics of Agriculture and Climate Change, which examines the conflict in rural American farming communities over climate change.
He puts the stakes of the climate crisis on agriculture and food production into stark relief. "[E]verybody has to eat. You know? And if our population is growing as everybody says it's going to be growing – 9.6 billion people by 2050. That's two-and-a-half billion more people than now," Clayton goes on to explain. "How are you going to feed them in a more volatile weather climate? Every single year, every single day. And when that year hits where food production in two or three bread baskets around the world is short a little bit – 10 percent here, 15 percent there – the risk of political instability becomes huge."
Read more about the effect of climate change on the health of our soil – and the future of our food. Download our free e-book, Right Under Your Feet: Soil Health and the Climate Crisis. In it, we get you the facts on:
- The impact of climate change on soil health
- What's at stake
- What you can do to support a world where we can provide people with fresh, healthy food grown in a sustainable soil ecosystem
The climate changes, but these facts don't. Download our free Soil Health and the Climate Crisis e-book now.
Reprinted with permission.
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Packing Tips to Make Your Barbados Getaway a Breeze
Packing Tips for a Perfect Barbados GetawayYou have booked the trip for your Barbados Getaway, but now you have to pack! And how I dread packing. These days though, packing is easier, thanks to this tried and true system to tackle the "packing monster".
Travelling throughout the Caribbean you will find the lifestyle is easy, laid back and casual. Comfortable, airy and light are the keys to packing for an island getaway. Here are a few packing tips to make your Barbados getaway a breeze.
Packing Tips: Essentials for Barbados
Due to the humidity of Barbados, it takes a longer time for wet or damp clothing to dry. So when you are preparing to pack, remember that heavy items will take a much longer time to dry.
- Bathing Suit(s): I like to have a variety with me, so I pack 2 bottoms and 2 tops that can mixed or matched, thus creating 4 different choices, perfect for a 5 day trip.
- 1 Sarong
- 1 Coverup to toss over your bathing suit for an impromptu lunch or dinner after time on the beach or at the pool
- 2 pair of Shorts:
- Black
- White
- 1 Skort in White
- 1 pair White Capris / White denim boyfriend jeans
- Tops
- 2 print halter tops to pair with shorts, skorts and capris
- 2 sleeveless tops in bright colors to pair with shorts, skorts and capris
- 1 dressy top that can be worn with capris / white denim for dinner
- Black tee: Paired with white skort or white capris / white denim boyfriend jeans this makes a perfect combination take you from a day of island sightseeing to dinner at a five-star restaurant
- Dresses
- 1 smart casual dress (can be long or short) for dinner
- 1 sundress that can be worn for day or evening
- 1 casual, quick dry dress (I like the Columbia UPH sundresses)
Indispensable Extras:
When packing for Barbados, the weather can be a bit chilly at night, so pack a sweater. The sun can also be brutal, so make sure you bring a fun hat to wear!
- Statement belt: A must for any traveler's wardrobe, a statement belt can dress up even the plainest outfit.
- A pair of comfortable sandals: These can be neutral or colorful, which add a pop of color to your outfit. If You will probably be doing a lot of walking, so comfort is crucial. Having a blister crop up from wearing those super cute (but uncomfortable) shoes can put a damper on your vacation plans!
- Dress sandals for evening
- Wide-brimmed hat: Protect your face from the brutal sun, and to give your outfit an extra punch of whimsy.
- Cardigan: Use to create a funky twist with your dresses, pair with a tee and boyfriend jeans for a casual, fun look.
- Small crossbody purse: You can toss it into your larger bag with your travel essentials – camera, phone. Carry it when you don't need a bigger bag
Tips for Choosing What to Pack
All the items that you bring should be able to be mixed and matched. Packing in this way means less baggage (My goal is to be "carry on only"). Choose a color theme, and then choose your clothing from this perspective. Less time deciding what to wear = more time to get out and explore!
Toiletries and Electronics
Buy travel size of all toiletries and pack in a quart size bag. Pack any prescription medication in a gallon size bag, and then place the quart size bag in the gallon size bag. Pack your phone chargers and battery chargers into another quart size bag. Gather your electronics (ipad, phone, e-reader, laptop) and stage them with your toiletries, prescriptions, and chargers.
Packing Your Bag
- Tightly roll your pants, shorts and skort and place on bottom of the suitcase.
- Tightly roll your tee's, tops, bathing suits, pj's, etc and place beside pants, making sure they are tight against one another to prevent wrinkling.
- Tightly roll dresses and place on top of tops.
- Roll and tuck undergarments into the corners of your suitcase or carry on.
- Place jewelry in small bags and tuck into the corners of your suitcase. If it is valuable, always carry your jewelry in your purse or tote bag.Packing this way allows you to pack more in less space = winner!
This post may contain affiliate links which won't change your price but will share some commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Once your bag is packed, then you can decide if you want to carry a tote bag also. I usually will carry a tote bag that has my electronics, chargers, my cross body bag with travel documents and passports, and cosmetics.
You are set and ready to tackle Barbados and the Caribbean for a week long getaway!
For more Packing and Travel Tips:
New Orleans
Packing for the Perfect Weekend Getaway
Reasons to Visit Barbados
Barbados offers so much for the casual traveler seeking relaxation, sun and fun. With over 70 miles of some of the most beautiful beaches you will find in the Caribbean, there is something for everyone. Couples looking for some time to reconnect will find a secluded beach or two. If you are traveling with kids, there are plenty of beach activities to keep them on the move all day. If a couple's getaway is in your planning, then Sandals Barbados is a perfect choice! Sandals Barbados makes your getaway worry free!
Barbados is quickly establishing itself as a "foodie hotspot" in the Caribbean. If you like food, and Caribbean flavors, then Barbados will not disappoint!
Only a quick 3 hour plane trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Barbados is quite accessible for travelers. Flights are relatively inexpensive as well.
- 14 BEST THINGS TO DO IN WILMINGTON, NC and where to stay
- Easy Holiday Entertaining Ideas
- Adventures on the Gorge and Fun Things To Do at New River Gorge National Park & Preserve


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Looking for Juicing for Pain Relief information and recipes? You have come to the right place. Pain Resource has many articles to help with your Chronic Pain and getting you the relief you need.
Eating enough fruits and vegetables in your daily diet can be challenging. However, making sure you get plenty of fresh produce is important. When you're living with chronic pain or conditions that cause inflammation, eating the right foods becomes even more important. If you're tired of eating fruit and vegetables the old-fashioned way, consider juicing for pain relief.
Foods that Fight Pain
Certain foods may actually help combat chronic inflammation and pain. These foods are often rich in antioxidants, polyphenols as well as vitamins and minerals. Many people find it difficult to eat enough fruits and vegetables. Juicing allows you to drink fruit and vegetable juices, so you may receive the benefits of these excellent foods a little easier.
Examples of foods to try juicing include, but are not limited to, the following:
Pineapple, Cucumber and Turmeric Juice Recipe
Pineapple is packed with pain-fighting nutrients. In fact, pineapple contains bromelain, which is an enzyme that has shown promise in aiding digestion, fighting cancer and promoting better whole body health. Bromelain may also help reduce inflammation, which could also help reduce pain levels. In addition, turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory.
Combined with turmeric and dash of cinnamon, this pineapple juice recipe packs a punch of tasty benefits.
Pineapple, Cucumber and Turmeric Juice Recipe
- 1 pineapple
- 2 cucumbers
- 15 three inch pieces fresh turmeric root
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- Juice the pineapple, cucumber and fresh turmeric.
- Pour into a glass.
- Stir in the cinnamon and enjoy!
Blueberry and Spinach Juice Recipe
Blueberries contain a flavonoid called anthocyanin, which gives blueberries their color and is also a potent antioxidant. Because of this, blueberries have anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, they taste great. Add some spinach for increased fiber, iron and other important nutrients. Here's the easy recipe, courtesy of Natural Living Ideas:
Blueberry and Spinach Juice Recipe
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 2 fuji apples
- Juice and enjoy!
What are Some Other Juicing for Pain Relief Recipes?
Tell us about your juices in the comment section below!


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'It's a money-grab!' Fashion photographer, Bruce Weber submits texts, photos revealing male model Jason Boyce, who's suing him for 'soliciting sex in exchange for work' sent him nude images to get his attention
Popular Stories
'It has been over a year since Plaintiff, an unsuccessful 32-year old male model, filed his complaint containing false and salacious allegations that Bruce Weber, inappropriately touched him during a brief photo shoot in 2014.'
'Since then, Plaintiff has refused to provide required discovery and failed to identify any evidence to support his claims, because his claims are false.' – Weber's court filing
Top fashion photographer Bruce Weber, facing allegations of sexual quid pro quo by more than 20 male models is claiming he's the victim in at least one case
Weber on Wednesday filed a Memorandum of Law in Opposition in New York Supreme Court, responding to a complaint filed by Jason Boyce
Male model Boyce, 32, is suing Weber for 'soliciting sex in exchange for work'
Boyce is a former model who alleges that Weber groped and kissed him at a 2014 shoot and compared the photographer's tactics to the 'casting couch'
'How far do you want to make it? How ambitious are you?' Weber allegedly asked Boyce on one occasion after pulling off the model's underwear and covering him in oil
Weber submitted multiple texts sent by Boyce that show him stark naked or semi-nude before and after the shoot, to support his claim that the suit is a money grab by a 'failed model'
In one of the nude frontal shots, Boyce adds a caption introducing himself – 'This Jason Boyce. 24 and 6 feet. Stunning !!!!'
Boyce now claims he was a victim of sex trafficking under a new code, prompting Weber and his legal team to submit this latest filing by the defense
Embattled celebrity fashion photographer Bruce Weber has fired back at the male model who is suing him for sexual harassment. Weber is claiming he instead was the one being solicited by the plaintiff, Jason Boyce.
In documents filed on Wednesday in New York Supreme Court, Weber countered allegations of harassment made by Jason Boyce in his #Me Too lawsuit, and dismisses the lawsuit as nothing more than a 'money grab' by a failed model.
Jason Boyce in his complaint claims Weber asked him 'How far do you want to make it? How ambitious are you?' after pulling off the model's underwear and covering him in oil. Weber's team submitted this image of Boyce as from one of the solicitation messages the model allegedly sent to him
The defense team also submitted evidence to support his filing in the form of nude images sent by Boyce before and after the photo shoot that led to the lawsuit.
One of those images shows Boyce fully nude, and other images came with fawning texts and eager requests asking Weber when the two might work together again in the future.
Weber claims his accuser former male model Jason Boyce, 32, [photo], who alleges that Weber groped and kissed him at a 2014 shoot and compared the photographer's tactics to the 'casting couch', sent him the text message shown above
It is also noted that Boyce then exchanged pleasantries with the photographer in those messages.
'Plaintiff, [Boyce], repeatedly texted pictures of himself to Mr. Weber in provocative poses, both prior to and after the brief photo shoot, demonstrating that Plaintiff was soliciting Mr. Weber, not the other way around,' states the document.
'Similarly, Plaintiff's allegation that he was so horrified at the thought of running into Mr. Weber that he fled New York and sought refuge in California, cannot be reconciled with the provocative and solicitous texts that Plaintiff sent to Mr. Weber over the next several months.'
The images sent by Boyce are in line however with the modeling he did, and the full frontal shoot was actually sent by a member of his team.
Boyce is also suing his former agency.
Fashion photographer Bruce Weber seen [left] with one of his favorite subjects, super model Naomi Campbell
Weber says however that even Boyce's former agency hounded him to see the model, and offers proof that there was a discussion about a problem with his 'look.'
'In fact, the pestering of Mr. Weber to see Plaintiff began years earlier, when Plaintiff was working with a different agent, David Todd. In 2011, Todd repeatedly sent messages to Mr. Weber asking him to photograph Plaintiff,' reads the filing before citing the full-frontal image as one of these pictures.
'Mr. Weber did not agree to see Plaintiff. Plaintiff also deliberately fails to allege that he had previously been to Little Bear's studio for a test shoot, because, when he did, Mr. Weber's team, obviously unimpressed, concluded that he had a "boxy face."'
This email [image] from Weber's studio team was informing him of Boyce's 'boxy face'
This email about the shoot during which Boyce claims Weber took advantage of him, appears to contradict the chain of events in the immediate aftermath
Bruce Weber, one of the most successful fashion photographers in the world, who has been with his partner and agent Nan Bush since the 1970s, has now been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by over 20 male models.
The top photographer who does many high-fashion campaigns, and beloved of many top male and female fashion models, is best known for his sepia-toned images of young men and women in little to no clothing which also tend to have strong homoerotic undertones.


text: How Are European Supervisory Authorities Exercising Cooperation and Consistency In Practice? By Latham & Watkins on September 2, 2019 Posted in GDPR, Privacy Recent action by the Hamburg authority may present implications for companies regulated by a lead data protection supervisory authority in Europe. By Fiona Maclean, Tim Wybitul, Joachim Grittmann, Wolf Böhm, Isabelle Brams, and Amy Smyth A German supervisory authority has initiated an investigation into Google's speech recognition practices and language assistant technologies, which are integrated … Continue Reading


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Hammering the Tomte (Epic 2)
DISCLAIMER: Your Steps and Tasks may be different
Brief Walkthrough:
1) Speak with Visindakona Magna, loc=23751,26644 inside the Temple of the Aesir in Jordheim.
2) Speak with Burl across the bridge from Jordheim, loc=55164,18909 Vasudheim, East Svealand
3) Speak with Vidarl, a named tomte hiding beside the bridge to the East of Audliten, loc=17083,23865 East Svealand.
4) Give Vidarl the Payment for Vidarl from Visindakona Magna.
5) Return to Burl to get the Hammer of Tomte Crushing. Equip the hammer.
6) Travel to just outside of Audliten to the West side of town where the tall pole is. /use the Hammer of Tomte Crushing, kill all the tomte invaders that spawn (around10-12 of them)
7) Return to Visindakona Magna in Jordheim for your reward.
lvl 49 Thane received 61,440 experience, 4 silver and Stormhammer Belt.
Quest dialog:
You can first speak with your class trainer or just talk to Visindakona Magna is at loc=23751,26644,8028 dir=253 inside the Temple of the Aesir in Jordheim, to begin this quest
Visindakona Magna says, "There you are, Thane. I sent for you because I have discovered more about [the tomte threat] that we uncovered earlier."
Will you continue to help Visindakona Magna investigate the tomte threat? [Level 10]
You have been given the Hammering the Tomte (Epic 2) quest.
[Step #1] Finish talking to Visindakona Magna. If she stops talking to you, ask her about the [plans of the tomtes].
Visindakona Magna says, "Guided by my always accurate visions, I have found a tomte informant that is willing to provide us information about his fellow tomtes in exchange for gold and treasure. He has promised that the next time he is contacted he will give [information] on the location of a secret tomte invasion force."
Visindakona Magna says, "If he does, it is proof that he is willing to sell out his own kind. With this proof we know we will be able to rely on him for continuing information about the [plans of the tomtes]."
Visindakona Magna says, "My vision has revealed that they are the greatest hidden threat that Midgard has ever faced. You cannot fail, Thane. Take this payment to give to [the informant]. His name is Vidarl."
You receive the Payment for Vidarl from Visindakona Magna!
Visindakona Magna says, "He is used to being contacted by one of my agents in Vasudheim named Burl. Burl is a merchant in Vasudheim, just across the bridge from Jordheim. You will need to talk to Burl first to find out where to contact [Vidarl]."
Visindakona Magna says, "If Vidarl gives you the location of the tomte invasion force, do whatever you can to disrupt or destroy that force. When you are done, return to me to report what has happened."
[Step #2] Find Burl in Vasudheim, just across the bridge from Jordheim.
Burl says, "Hail, Thane. Are you here on behalf of [Visindakona Magna]?"
Burl says, "I thought so. She told me she would be sending you my way soon. I will tell you where to go to contact Vidarl. You [have the payment] of gold for him already right?"
Burl says, "Good to hear. I have been his contact up until now, but I the danger of the mission is increasing and I am too old for running about after tomtes. I'm sure you will be able to take over just fine. Watch out for [Vidarl] though, he's a shifty one."
Burl says, "He is supposed to be waiting for us to contact him now. You can find him beside the bridge that is East from Audliten, hiding next to the water's edge. Good luck!"
[Step #2] Find Vidarl hiding beside the bridge to the East of Audliten, and give him the payment.
Vidarl says, "Hrrrhmph! What does the Dwarf want with Vidarl?"
Vidarl says, "Ehhh? Lot of gold! You came [instead of Burl]?"
[Step #2] Finish talking to Vidarl. If he stops talking to you, tell him that you came [instead of Burl].
Vidarl says, "Nevermind I don't care, as long as the gold is the same. I'll tell you some good information, and you'll want to bring Vidarl even more gold for even better information. You see, the tomtes think to war upon your kind. They are stupid to do so, but when I tell them this they throw pointy things at me. So you want to hear [all about] the tomte war plans?"
Vidarl says, "Hahaha you think me a fool! If I tell you all then no more gold for Vidarl. I'll tell you their plans one at a time. And listen to me, Dwarf. The tomte are on the rise. They think to destroy Midgard [from within]."
Vidarl says, "Even now a large force of tomte are digging a secret tunnel. They plan to invade and pillage the town of Audliten. To prove that I am worth the gold, I'll tell you exactly where the tunnel is coming up, and how you can [ambush them]."
Vidarl says, "The tomte have an agent spying on the town. When the town is ripe for an attack he will signal the tomtes underground by banging on a pole near where they are coming up. If you want to ambush them, all you have to do is get a big hammer and hit [the pole]. When they come digging out of the ground, just hit them on the head!"
Vidarl says, "The pole they are aiming the tunnel for is just outside Audliten to the West of the town. Go find a hammer you can use to hit the pole, then get ready to smash tomte heads. Hahahah I wish I could see the looks on their faces when you do! I bet Burl has a hammer you can use. Run along now!"
[Step #3] Return to Burl in Vasudheim, to see if he has a hammer you can use to ambush the tomtes.
Burl says, "Back already? Did our little tomte informant give any good information?"
You tell Burl about the invasion tunnel, and Vidarl's suggestion to use a big hammer.
Burl says, "If Vidarl's story is true, we have got ourselves a valuable spy after all! Here is a big hammer designed for use in house building. It won't stand up to heavy combat use, but should be perfect for hitting tomte invaders on the head. May Odin and Thor guide your hammer Thane!"
You receive the Hammer of Tomte Crushing from Burl!
[Step #4] Just outside of Audliten on the West side of town is a tall pole. /use the Hammer of Tomte Crushing to make the tomtes think it is time to invade, then kill all the tomte invaders with the hammer.
[Step #7] Return to Visindakona Magna in Jordheim to report what has happened.
Visindakona Magna says, "I knew you would return soon. It is good to see you, brave Thane. I have something important of which [to inform you]."
Visindakona Magna says, "You return! Tell me of your journies, and what has happened."
You tell Visindakona Magna about the tomte invasion tunnel, and how you stopped the tomtes.
Visindakona Magna says, "The threat of the tomtes is great indeed. But as long as heroes like you are willing to rise to the defense of Midgard, we will be able to contain their threat. Thank you for your service, (your name). I have a [reward] to give you, on behalf of the Council of Gothi."
Visindakona Magna says, "The tomtes are many, and will no doubt continue to cause us trouble. I will monitor the situation using the gift of my vision, and my agents in Svealand. Safe travels for now, (your name). I will send for you again before long."
You receive the Stormhammer Belt from Visindakona Magna!
You are awarded 61,440 experience!
You are awarded 4 silver and some copper!
You have completed the Hammering the Tomte (Epic 2) quest!
(quest exp reward for a lvl 49)
Stormhammer Belt -- Thane
Handmaiden Belt -- Valkyrie
Runic Practitioner Belt -- Runemaster


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China has completed the installation of the irradiator to the world's largest radio telescope FAST, according to China radio International (CRI).
The irradiator is used to collect radiation that it sends the dish-reflector telescope, and amplifies the signal, allowing you to register it instrumentation.
According to China radio International, feed weighing 30 tons was finally installed on Sunday. It is located at an altitude of 130 meters above the surface of the telescope. At the moment the feed is able to receive signals, completed work on setting it up.
The construction of the telescope, an area equal to the area of 30 football fields, began in March 2011. The telescope is located high in the mountains of Guizhou province in southwest China. The diameter of the telescope is 500 metres away. The perimeter of the structure is equal to 1.6 kilometers. The total investment in the project is estimated at 1.2 billion yuan (about 180 million dollars).
China Central television reported earlier, FAST will be connected to one of the fastest computers in the world Sky Eye 1 for astronomical calculations with the purpose of finding life on other planets and the study of dark matter. It is expected that the new telescope will greatly improve China's capabilities to study outer space.
After the Chinese engineers fully assemble the telescope, it will surpass in size the largest at the moment telescope in Puerto Rico, the diameter of which is 300 metres away.