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Top Logo PNG Images
Logo is an abbreviation used for the term logotype which finds its origin in the Greek language from a Greek word. It is a graphic mark, symbol or emblem used to promote and aid public recognition and identification. It might be something like an abstract or figurative design or might also include some text of the name it represents as in a wordmark. During the time of hot metal typesetting, a logotype was considered to be one word cast as a single piece of type, as opposed to a ligature, which is something with two or more letters joined but not happening to form a word. By extension, it refers to a term that was also used for a uniquely set and arrange colophon ot typeface. To be done at a level of mass communication and in common usage, a company's logo is today usually synonymous with its brand or trademark.
There have been a number of techniques and inventions in order to contribute to the contemporary logo, including cylinder seals, trans cultural diffusion of logographic languages, coins, watermarks, coats of arms, silver hallmarks and the development of printing techniques.
In this sub category you can download free PNG images: Logo Brands. In this category "Logo" we have 717 free PNG images with transparent background.


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10/24/2013 - 11 Years Ago
As announced previously on July 25, 2013, submissions containing invalid or otherwise erroneous non-crew (i.e. passenger) data would be rejected, necessitating correction and resubmission. The Coast Guard has determined that a temporary downgrade of these rejections, to the level of warnings, is needed to allow industry submitters more time to implement the necessary changes. The grace period will extend to a minimum of 30 days after the Coast Guard has provided clear instructions for implementing non-crew (passenger) information format expectations.

subset: commoncrawl


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Digital Imaging
In a dental office, radiographs allow your dentist in diagnosing a wide variety of issues, such as cavities, tooth decay, and impacted teeth and/or gums. They also facilitate the examination and determination of one's bone level, bone health, roots, nerves, lesions (cysts/tumors), and oral damage/trauma.
Due to the invasive nature of radiographs, we make sure to very carefully assess the necessity and type, keeping patient wellbeing, health, and urgency in mind.
Our dentists very carefully decide when and what kinds of radiographs are taken for patients. Radiographs are x-ray images that are used in combination with low radiation levels in order to capture images of hard-to-see areas of your mouth, such as the interior of your teeth and gums.


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Smart Investing Today – Your Stock Market Market Digest
Stocks Give Up Ground Amid Slowing Job Growth
A weekly technical summary of the major U.S. indexes.
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Stocks pare losses while gold and bonds surge after Syrian air strike and miss on jobs report
Stocks (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC) are roughly flat at the midday mark despite the US air strike on Syria and a disappointing headline payrolls number in the jobs report. The consumer staples sector (XLY) is the most in the green, while financials (XLF) are the most in the red. Keith Bliss of Cuttone & Co. joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.
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Trade of the Week, Short Nasdaq; Parsing the FOMC Comments: Doug Kass' Views
Doug Kass shares his thoughts on Apple, Facebook and Google.
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Precious Metals Snapshot
- Gold Spot Price: $1,251.90 per ounce
- Silver Spot Price: $17.93 per ounce
- Platinum Spot Price: $946.80 per ounce
- Palladium Spot Price: $791.00 per ounce
Gold & Silver Spotlight
SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) share price is $119.46, which is 1.8% above its 50-day exponential moving average of $117.35
The RSI is 60.37 which suggests that SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is technicallyneither overbought nor oversold.
Based on the share price being above its 5, 20 & 50 day exponential moving averages, the current trend is considered strongly bullish and GLD is experiencing selling pressure, which indicates risk of future bearish movement.
According to the MACD, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is currently on a Buy Signal.
Over the next 4 weeks, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) has on average historically risen by 0.9% based on the past 12 years of stock performance.
SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) has risen higherby an average 0.9%in 7 of those 12 years over the subsequent 4 week period,corresponding to a historical probability of 58%
SPDR Silver Shares (SLV) share price is $17.03, which is 1.6% above its 50-day exponential moving average of $16.76
The RSI is 53.63 which suggests that SPDR Silver Shares (SLV) is technicallyneither overbought nor oversold.
The current trend is moderately bullish and SLV is experiencing selling pressure, which indicates risk of future bearish movement.
According to the MACD, SPDR Silver Shares (SLV) is currently on a Buy Signal.
Over the next 4 weeks, SPDR Silver Shares (SLV) has on average historically fallen by 1.9% based on the past 10 years of stock performance.
SPDR Silver Shares (SLV) has fallen lowerby an average 1.9%in 6 of those 10 years over the subsequent 4 week period,corresponding to a historical probability of 60%
Trending Stocks On The Move
Loxo Oncology, Inc. (LOXO) share price is $47.8, which is 6.9% above its 8-day exponential moving average of $44.73
Loxo Oncology, Inc. (LOXO) share price is $47.8, which is 13.2% above its 50-day exponential moving average of $42.24
According to the MACD, Loxo Oncology, Inc. (LOXO) is currently on a Buy Signal.
Medidata Solutions, Inc. (MDSO) share price is $63.69, which is 7.7% above its 8-day exponential moving average of $59.13
Medidata Solutions, Inc. (MDSO) share price is $63.69, which is 13.6% above its 50-day exponential moving average of $56.05
According to the MACD, Medidata Solutions, Inc. (MDSO) is currently on a Buy Signal.
NV5 Holdings, Inc. (NVEE) share price is $39.95, which is 6.2% above its 8-day exponential moving average of $37.60
NV5 Holdings, Inc. (NVEE) share price is $39.95, which is 7.1% above its 50-day exponential moving average of $37.29
According to the MACD, NV5 Holdings, Inc. (NVEE) is currently on a Sell Signal.
Market Mood
The VIX figure is 12.87. This is 26.6% below the historic median figure of 17.53.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX®) is a key measure of market expectations of near-term volatility conveyed by S&P 500 stock index option prices. Historically, VIX levels above 50 correlate closely with periods of stock market panic while VIX levels below 20 are more typical during relatively calm periods in the market.
The 10,000 Foot Economic View
Total Market Cap / GDP
Chart for Total Market Cap / GDP
The ratio of the Total Market Capitalization (Wilshire 5000) to United States GDP is 1.3007. This is 47.7% above the historic median figure of 0.88.
The higher the Market Cap/GDP figure is relative to its median level, the higher the perceived risk in the market. Markets can remain overvalued for extended time periods.
S&P Earnings
The S&P Earnings is 94.59. This is 69.3% above the historic median figure of 55.86.
The higher the S&P Earnings are above their median level, the higher the perceived risk in the market.
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Medicaid — which has been a political football between Washington and state capitols during the past decade — scored big in Tuesday's election.
Following the vote, nearly 500,000 uninsured adults in five states are poised to gain Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, advocates estimate. Three deep-red states passed ballot measures expanding their programs and two other states elected governors who have said they will accept expansion bills from their legislatures.
Supporters were so excited by the victories they said they will start planning for more voter referendums in 2020.
Medicaid proponents also were celebrating the Democrats' takeover of the House, which would impede any Republican efforts to repeal the ACA and make major cuts to the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people.
"Tuesday was huge for the Medicaid program," said Katherine Howitt, associate director of policy at Community Catalyst, a Boston-based advocacy group. "The overall message is that the electorate does not see this as a Democrat or GOP issue but as an issue of basic fairness, access to care and pocketbook issue. Medicaid is working and is something Americans want to protect."
But health experts caution that GOP opposition won't fade away.
David Jones, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University, said ballot organizers now have a blueprint on how to expand Medicaid in states that have resisted. "I see this as a turning point in ACA politics," he said. Still, he added' "it's not inevitable."
Medicaid is the largest government health program, insuring at least 73 million low-income Americans. Half of them are children. To date, 32 states and the District of Columbia have expanded it under the ACA. Before that law, Medicaid was generally limited to children, sometimes their parents, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
The ACA encouraged states to open the program to all Americans earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level ($16,753 for an individual in 2018). The federal government is paying the bulk of the cost: 94 percent this year, but gradually dropping to 90 percent in 2020. States pay the rest.
GOP opposition has left about 4.2 million low-income Americans without coverage in various states.
"It's not over until it's over is the story of Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act as the politics never ends and the opportunity for obstruction never ends," said Jones. "But the trend overall has been to increasing implementation and increasing coverage."
Montana Fails To Endorse Funding
Two years after President Donald Trump carried Idaho, Nebraska and Utah by double-digit margins with a message that included repeal of the ACA, voters in those states approved the ballot referendums Tuesday. Together, the states have about 300,000 uninsured adults who would be eligible for the program.
In addition, Democrats secured the governor's offices in Kansas and Maine, which will increase the likelihood those states pursue expansion. Legislatures in both states have previously voted to expand, only to have GOP governors block the bills. Maine voters also passed a referendum in 2017 endorsing expansion, but Republican Gov. Paul LePage again refused to accept it.
Current and incoming Republican governors in Utah and Idaho said they wouldn't block implementation of the effort if voters approved it. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday he would follow the will of the voters but would not support paying for it with a tax increase.
It wasn't a clean sweep, however, for Medicaid on Tuesday.
In preliminary results, a ballot issue to fund Montana's Medicaid expansion — which is already in place and slated to expire next July — was failing. Tobacco companies had mounted a campaign to stop the measure, which would have partially financed the expansion with taxes on tobacco products.
The Montana legislature and the Democratic governor are expected to address the issue in the session that starts in January. No state has reversed its Medicaid expansion, even though GOP governors in Kansas and Arkansas have threatened to do so.
Nearly 100,000 Montana residents have received Medicaid since its expansion, twice as many as expected.
Nancy Ballance, the Republican chairwoman of the Montana House Appropriations Committee who opposed the bill that expanded Medicaid in 2015, said she is confident the state legislature will extend the program past July. But she expects the legislature to put some limits on the program, such as adding an asset test and work requirements.
"There are some people in the state who may not have disabilities but need some help to access coverage," she said. "I think we can pass something without people having a gap in coverage. … That will be a priority."
"It was never our intent to simply sunset the expansion and have it go away," she said. Rather, the legislature put the sunset provision in to revisit the provision to make any changes.
Chris Jacobs, a conservative health policy analyst in Washington, D.C., said the Montana results showed that when voters are given a choice of having to pay for Medicaid expansion through a new tax they were not willing to go along.
But in Utah, voters did agree to fund their state plan by adding 0.15 percent to the state's sales tax, just over a penny for a $10 purchase.
Fernando Wilson, acting director of the Center for Health Policy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said the vote on the state's ballot question indicated many people wanted to help 80,000 uninsured Nebraskans gain coverage.
"I think it showed there was a clear need for it," he said. The legislature likely won't block the expansion, Wilson said, though it may try to add a conservative twist such as adding premiums or other steps.
Sheila Burke, a lecturer in health policy at Harvard Kennedy School, said voters approved Medicaid expansion not just because it would help improve health coverage for their residents but to help stabilize their hospitals, particularly those in rural areas. Hospitals have said this step helps their bottom lines because it cuts down on uninsured patients and uncompensated care.
"The broad population does see the value of Medicaid," she said. "They saw it as a loss by their states not to accept the federal funds," she said.
Despite the victories, Burke said, advocates should not assume other states such as Florida, Texas and Tennessee will follow suit.
"I don't see a radical shift, but it moves us closer," she said.
'Fertile Ground' For More Referendums
If advocates press for more referendums, Florida might be a tempting target. More than 700,000 adults there could become eligible, but the campaign would likely also be very costly.
Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, which financed the ballot initiatives in Maine in 2017 and the four states this year, refused to say which states would be targeted next.
The group is funded by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, a California health care workers union.
"The GOP has been bashing the ACA for nearly a decade, and voters in the reddest states in the country just rejected that message," Schleifer said. "It's a repudiation and a tectonic shift in health care in this country."
"There is fertile ground" for more such ballot votes, said Topher Spiro, vice president for health policy at Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "It is clear that public opinion is on the side of Medicaid expansion and the election results merely confirm that."
"This will build momentum for expansion in other states," he added.
The election results also could have consequences on efforts by states to implement work requirements for Medicaid enrollees.
New Hampshire and Michigan — which expanded the program but recently won federal approval to add controversial work requirements — could revisit that additional mandate as a result of Democrats winning control over both houses of the legislature in New Hampshire and the governor's office in Michigan.


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Here we will describe the many types of modeling you will find in the modeling industry. Some models only fit into one category, while another model may fit into multiple.
With that in mind, here are the modeling categories at a glance:
FASHION MODEL: This category is the most exclusive and most difficult of all categories for a model to get into, much less succeed in. As a whole, a fashion model MUST be tall, young, and thin. In addition, there are fashion model "size requirements", and hardly any exceptions made in terms of that. While there is no universally-agreed upon, OFFICIAL "fashion-industry size-standard", the size requirements in fashion modeling are TYPICALLY as follows:
- Female Fashion Models:
- Model Height Requirement: 5'9" to 6".
- Model Measurement Requirement: 34-24-34. (There are exceptions within one inch, and MAYBE two, of this standard. Anything beyond that is extremely unlikely to be considered.)
- Model Age Requirement: 16-21 years old.
- Model Size Requirement: 0-4.
- Model Weight Requirement: 105-130 lbs, directly proportional to height
- Male Fashion Models
- Model Height Requirement: 5'11" to 6'2".
- Model Weight Requirement: 140-165 lbs, directly proportional to height.
- Model Measurement Requirement: Waist between 29" and 32". Shirt size between 15-15 ½ neck, sleeve size between 32 and 34. Jacket size between 40 and 42.
- Model Age Requirement: 18-25 years old.
EDITORIAL FASHION MODEL: These models are the ones you find in the editorial spreads of pages like Elle, Vogue, Glamour, etc. You MUST fit the modeling requirements for a "Fashion Model" (listed above) in order to be considered for this category. Almost all editorial fashion agencies in the US are based in New York, but agencies/jobs can be found in other major cities (LA, Chicago) and overseas.
FASHION CATALOG MODEL: Slightly less restrictive than fashion modeling in terms of requirements, but catalog modeling still has rigid standards nonetheless, and is also difficult to get into. Catalog models are the ones you see in the clothing catalogs, posing in a variety of outfits. Typically, only female models between 5'8" and 6'1" will find work here. Male models should be between 5'10" and 6'2".
RUNWAY MODEL: Models that walk the catwalk or runway; a "live model." Runway models are hired to use their bodies as a mechanism to display the fashion garments of a specific clothing designer. They MUST be tall (5'9" and up for females, 5'11" and up for males), slender, have measurements that fit the standard clothing size, and know how to walk the runway.
COMMERCIAL MODEL: Most agency models work in this category. Commercial models work MANY different jobs, including: print advertisements, catalogs, campaigns, television shows, magazines, trade shows, and much more. There are no height or size requirements to be a commercial model. So even if you are DYING to be a fashion model, but simply do not fit the size requirements for mainstream "fashion modeling", you can still find work and book great jobs as a "COMMERCIAL fashion model", doing fashion print and things of that nature. Not interested in being a commercial fashion model? No problem. This category of modeling accommodates MANY types of looks: from the girl-next-door, to middle-aged men, to those with very "unique/interesting" faces.
PRINT MODEL: Print models are used for many different types of publications, such as: magazines, print advertisements, billboards, posters, calendars, campaigns, booklets, flyers, banners. Print models must have an attractive face, good skin, a nice body, and a pretty smile. Print models can find modeling work in one of two ways: through a modeling agency, or by freelance modeling.
GLAMOUR MODEL: Glamour modeling focuses much more on the model's appeal, beauty, and body than it does anything else. Models in this category are considered very pretty; able to book work simply by being attractive, a nice body, and having a sort of "sex appeal". While there are no height or size requirements, glamour models DO have to be at least 18 years old.
- Glamour models are typically hired to appear in swimsuit, bikini, lingerie, and form-fitting attire. Often times they will find work in magazines, music videos, calendars, etc. They can find work as a freelance model, and they can also find other work through modeling agencies as a print model, commercial model, or promo model.
PROMO MODEL / PROMOTIONAL MODEL: A promotional model, also known as a promo model, is a model that is hired to represent a brand, product, or service. This category of modeling does not have a height or weight requirement; thus making it much easier to get into promo modeling than it is to get into many other types of modeling. While there are no height/weight requirements, there are other general requirements for booking paid promo work: a great attitude, outgoing nature, a nice smile, and the ability to easily adapt/learn.
- SPOKESMODEL: A spokesmodel is a more lucrative form of promo modeling. These models tend to have signed contracts with a specific company; acting as the face of the brand, being paid to attend events and make special appearances, appearing in advertisements, and traveling the country.
- TRADE SHOW MODEL, OR CONVENTION MODEL: Tradeshow or convention modeling is another form of promo modeling. These models are hired by a company to represent their brand, product, or service specifically at a trade show or convention. There are no height/size requirements, but these models need to be outgoing, reliable, work well with others, and take direction well. They also will be expected to work long hours, readily engage with other people, to quickly learn/accurately relay the company's mission (or products or talking points) to consumers.
CATALOG MODEL: A catalog model has the same job description as a "fashion catalog model", yet none of the same size requirements. General catalog models are needed in all shapes and sizes. There are tons of clothing designers in the world offering a variety of options, many of which cater to petite, plus-size, or alternative buyers. These designers need models of the same variety to pose for their catalogs. Almost any category of model can be used as a (general) "catalog model."
PETITE MODEL: These are models that are on the shorter side- typically 5'4" and under. While they will not be able to find work as a fashion model, petite models can still find work in other categories, such as a print, commercial, glamour, or promotional modeling. Petite models can be sought after for their small hands/feet for print work as well.
FREELANCE MODEL: A freelance model is one that is self-represented: they are not signed exclusively to any one modeling agency, they do not have an agent or a manager, and they are responsible for finding their own work. In addition, they are responsible for their own marketing, promoting, networking, and branding. This might all sound overwhelming, but in this day and age, freelance models have many avenues to get a career started. The internet is their main weapon/source; if properly harnessed, freelance models can still make a name for themselves without an agency.
FITNESS MODEL: Fitness models are toned, in-shape, healthy, and have good muscle tone. There are no size/height requirements, but you MUST be in shape! There are modeling agencies with "fitness modeling" departments. Fitness models seeking representation should focus on these first, but fitness models can also be self-represented.
PARTS MODEL: These models typically model their "parts", such as their hands, legs, feet, stomach, etc. There are modeling agencies that represent parts models, and the best way to get started in this modeling category is by finding an agent rather than attempting to freelance.
PLUS-SIZE MODEL: These models, also known as "Full figured models", are models that do not fit the size requirements for mainstream modeling. They weigh more, have fuller figures, and have pretty faces. They can be hired as catalog models for plus-sized clothing brands, among many other job opportunities. Plus-sized models are able to achieve representation with modeling agencies that have a "Plus-Size" division.
ART MODEL: Art models work with visual artists. The model is the subject of the intended art piece, usually being required to pose while the artist interprets and creates a piece of art. They are able to use the model as a real-life visual aid. There are many mediums an art model can be asked to participate in. Some of the more common include paintings, illustrations, sculpture, and photography.
PINUP MODEL: Pin-up models first gained notoriety in the 1940's and 50's, with the term "pin-up" referring to a physical photo of an attractive model, which could be "pinned up" on the wall. In the past, pinup models were more risqué than their current era. Today, modern pinup models (posing in the same manner and outfits of the 40's and 50's), seem to be less risqué than their current era, as times have changed and so have social standards. To explain: modern pinup models can be seen wearing classic 1-piece swimsuits, while modern glamour models can be seen wearing barely-there string bikinis.
ALT MODEL, or ALTERNATIVE MODEL: This genre of modeling does not conform to "typical" modeling standards. The models used in this genre are not the mainstream, cookie-cutter models. Many of them have tattoos, piercings, unusual hairstyles, etc. They can work in this industry with the help of internet websites, networking, and niche magazines.


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Universal Orlando Resort today announced a project of remarkable vision: to bring to life an entirely new water theme park experience. Called Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando Resort, it will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure and become the resort's third incredibly immersive park.
Universal's Volcano Bay will be a place for the entire family. It will be a whole new generation of experience that reimagines what it means to be a water park.
Imagine a place that offers radically innovative, thrilling attractions, peaceful moments of relaxation and an inspired guest experience that will forever change the perception of water theme parks. It will be set in a highly themed, completely immersive environment inspired by postcard-perfect tropical islands. And it will be the kind of special place that only the Universal team – the same team that has changed the face of Universal Orlando Resort in recent years – can envision and create.
Universal's Volcano Bay will be located within Universal Orlando Resort, just south of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Work is already underway and more details will be released in the future.
Universal's Volcano Bay is the next in a series of boldly creative experiences that have opened and will continue to open at Universal Orlando. It began with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in 2010 and quickly moved to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Springfield, hometown to America's favorite animated family, The Simpsons, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, eight new venues at Universal CityWalk, the breathtaking Cabana Bay Beach Resort and more. It will include Skull Island: Reign of Kong and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in 2016.
And then – in 2017 – will come Universal's Volcano Bay.


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WASHINGTON — A U.S. Navy veteran whose family said his only crime was falling in love left Iran on Thursday after nearly two years of detention, winning his freedom as part of a deal that spared an American-Iranian physician any more time behind American bars.
Michael White flew from Tehran to Zurich, where he was met by diplomat Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran. White's mother said "the nightmare is over" now that her son was out of Iranian hands. In Atlanta, a federal judge approved a sentencing agreement for Florida dermatologist Matteo Taerri, who had been charged with violating U.S. sanctions on Iran as well as banking laws.
The developments capped months of quiet negotiations between countries that are at bitter odds over U.S. penalties imposed after President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal and over the killing by American forces of a top Iranian general in Iraq at the beginning of this year.
White, of Imperial Beach, California, was detained by Iranian authorities in July 2018 while visiting a woman he had met online and fallen in love with. He was convicted of insulting Iran's supreme leader and posting private information online, and was sentenced to a decade in prison.
"I am blessed to announce that the nightmare is over, and my son is safely in American custody and on his way home," White's mother, Joanne White, said in a statement. She thanked the State Department and Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and onetime New Mexico governor, for raising her son's case with the Iranians.
As White flew to Switzerland, U.S. prosecutors completed the American part of the arrangement by asking a judge to sentence Taerri to time served on his conviction stemming from the 2018 charges.
"There are numerous foreign policy interests that are furthered by this particular sentence," U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May said in granting the government's request.
Taerri was charged with attempting to export a filter to Iran that he said was for vaccine research but that U.S. authorities said required a license because it could be used for chemical and biological warfare purposes. He was also accused of structuring a series of bank deposits below the $10,000 limit to evade reporting requirements under federal law.
He pleaded guilty late last year and has already served months behind bars, but in April was permitted to be free on bond pending his sentence. The Justice Department in March withdrew its request to have him detained, citing what it said were significant foreign policy interests.
"The United States government and the government of Iran have been negotiating the release of a U.S. citizen held in Iranian custody," prosecutor Tracia King said at the hearing. "This case, and more specifically the sentence recommendation, is directly related to these negotiations."
A citizen of Iran and the United States, Taerri is permitted as part of his sentence to remain in America and to travel abroad.
White's release was cheered by Trump, whose administration has said it considers the release of detainees and hostages a priority. "I will never stop working to secure the release of all Americans held hostage overseas!" he tweeted.
A spokesman for the White family, Jon Franks, said in a statement that the charges against White "were pretexts for a state-sponsored kidnap-for-ransom scheme." He added: "The tragedy of this case is Michael's only only crime was falling in love with Iran and its people for whom he cares deeply."
Despite widespread speculation, White's release was not related to the deportation to Iran this week of Iranian scientist Sirios Asghari, the officials said. White's release was linked instead to the Taerri case.
Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, tweeted that such deals can "happen for all prisoners. No need for cherry picking. Iranian hostages held in – and on behalf of – the US should come home."
White was released from prison on a medical furlough in March as Iran struggled to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, and turned over to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran.
Richardson said in a statement that the "release should have and could have been done earlier, but I am glad and relieved that Mike is on his way home to get treated." White was diagnosed with COVID-19, but has been recovering.
White's mother has told The Associated Press that she was especially concerned about her son's health because of his battles with cancer.
Trump administration officials in recent months stepped up public pressure to release White. Last month, for instance, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned White by name and thanked Switzerland for its work on arranging the furlough.
The U.S. has also urged Iran to release other Americans jailed in Iran.
Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American, remains in Iran's Evin prison after being convicted of collaborating with the United States – charges a U.N. panel has said are bogus. Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian with U.S. and British citizenship, was part of a group of environmental activists sentenced on espionage charges and remains in custody.
Namazi's brother, Babak, said he was happy for the White family but distressed that his brother was not released. He also noted that his 84-year-old father, Baquer, who was also convicted, is out of prison but has not been permitted to leave Iran despite his poor health.
In December, Iran released Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-American Princeton University scholar held for three years on widely disputed espionage charges, in exchange for the release of a detained Iranian scientist.
In March, the family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran 13 years ago, said they had been informed that U.S. officials had determined that Levinson was probably dead.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.


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The Plan? - Have few beers with my dear rat bro, talk about our future plans with Punk Moth and simply have some fun. This is just a little WIP story for you to see. I think Kari will describe everything more accurately later when the time is right.
And so we did have some fun and drank few beers! (actually we had more than few beers;) Went to sauna, had some brandy then went to a Pub.
Then came the morning... with the bloodshot eyes we gathered the little what was left from us, had some strong coffee and decided to start working with the caterpillar phase of the Punk Moth.
We started up with the modular gaming boards. We used polyester plate that we then coated with layer of styrofoam.
After we had the rough shapes ready, we had this crazy idea that we wanted to use Spraypaint to melt the styrofoam surface to get very crude look for the boards. Dirty scenery painting!
The mad scientist doctor izeColt trying out experimental scenery building methods! |
We were very happy with the result, what do you think?
Before it was time for me to leave , Kari wanted to try out how the buildings he had planned would fit to boards.
That was a crazy weekend! This is the reason why I keep doing this stuff. See it's more than these little toy soldiers. It's about creating art, it's about friendship Thank you Kari!


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main content
Auction by the judiciary
Items seized by enforcement officials and agencies are generally auctioned off. The option now also exists to offer these items to a wider public via an internet auction platform. The judiciary is the sole vendor, along with its courts, public prosecution services and enforcement bodies.
The continuative link is currently available in German only.


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Reveal Your Coins' True Beauty
Numismatic Conservation Services™ (NCS®) is the world's first and foremost professional conservation service, with more than 1 million coins, tokens and medals conserved since its founding in 2001.
A professional approach to numismatic conservation.
From within a state-of-the-art secure facility, NCS uses a variety of proprietary techniques to remove harmful surface contaminants, stabilize and protect a coin's surfaces, and improve eye appeal. The American Numismatic Association (ANA), the only coin collecting organization chartered by US Congress, and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) have named NCS their conservation service of choice. Read more >
Entrusted with the world's most extraordinary coins
NCS has conserved and preserved many of the world's most important numismatic rarities and collections, including pieces from the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to these rare and valuable vintage coins, NCS has handled coins recovered from four major shipwrecks along with countless modern coins.
What is numismatic conservation?
Collectible coins are susceptible to damage and changes of appearance as a result of improper storage and packaging, adverse environmental effects, mishandling, and natural changes over time. Surface contaminants such as PVC and other residues, soils, tarnish, spots and encrustation can diminish eye appeal and even permanently damage coins.
NCS pioneered a professional approach to numismatic conservation and can safely remove these harmful surface contaminants and often dramatically improve a coin's eye appeal. Unlike improper cleaning, which will permanently impair a coin's surfaces, professional conservation from NCS reveals a coin's originality.
NCS will never perform repairs such as filling holes or smoothing scratches, or do any type of mechanical alteration. The techniques used by NCS are non-invasive and widely accepted by industry experts.
Join now to submit your coins to NCS!
Join todayWhat NCS conservation can do
Prolonged exposure to an unstable environment can cause coins of all types to develop haze, spots, encrustation, verdigris, corrosion and tarnish. NCS specializes in the removal of these harmful surface contaminants and the stabilization of a coin's surfaces. Read more >
Conservation for vintage and modern coins alike
All coin types can be affected by surface contaminants and negative environmental reactions. In many cases, coins have been stored or sold in soft plastic flips or mint packaging that contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a chemical now known to slowly leach onto the surfaces of a coin. If not safely removed, PVC and other residues will eventually result in permanent damage.
Some of these issues will make a coin ineligible for grading by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), an independent affiliate of NCS, if not first addressed by professional conservation. After conservation by NCS, coins can be transferred to NGC for certification and, depending on the surface condition, will be numerically graded or NGC Details graded.
Important Note: Many coins are artificially toned or have had substances applied in attempt to hide other problems such as scratches or improper cleaning. These issues may become apparent after NCS removes the artificial toning or applied substances, but they are in no way caused by NCS's conservation techniques. None of NCS's techniques will cause scratches or an "Improperly Cleaned" notation at NGC, an independent affiliate of NCS.
PVC, glue and dip residues
Residue caused by PVC holders, glue or dip chemicals can often be safely removed by NCS conservation. If left untreated, these residues can permanently damage a coin's surfaces. Many modern Chinese coins have been sold in packaging that contains PVC.
Copper spots on gold coins
Unattractive reddish spots are often seen on gold coins. Gold is frequently alloyed with copper, and high concentrations of copper at the coin's surface can result in reddish spots. NCS can carefully remove these spots to improve the coin's eye appeal.
Many coins, particularly delicate proof coins, can develop haze on their surfaces over a period of time. This haze can be caused by improper storage or environmental conditions, or it can occur naturally over time as contaminants react to a coin's surfaces.
Soils and encrustation
Many types of contaminants caused by storage and the environment can be removed by NCS, with the result being a dramatic improvement in the coin's eye appeal.
Unattractive tarnish / toning
Virtually all metal types develop toning naturally over time. In some cases, toning can be quite attractive and desirable. In others, however, it can severely diminish eye appeal. In many cases, NCS can safely remove or minimize unattractive toning.
Artificial toning
A coin's natural toning is sometimes artificially accelerated by chemicals or excessive heat. NCS can often remove this artificial toning to restore a coin's originality — though removal may reveal previously hidden problems such as scratches or improper cleaning.
Applied substances
NCS can remove many substances applied to the surfaces of coins to change their appearance, such as putty or lacquer. As with artificial toning, removal may reveal other surface problems, and the coin may still receive an NGC Details grade after conservation.
What NCS conservation cannot do
Though NCS conservation benefits many coins, there are certain problems that cannot be remedied, such as corrosion, wear, scratches, and white "milk" spots. NCS does not make repairs and, likewise, cannot undo mechanical alternations. Read more >
Important Note: Hairline scratches and other surface issues caused by improper cleaning are often disguised with artificial toning or applied substances. Artificial toning and applied substances can be removed by NCS conservation, which will then reveal the improper cleaning underneath. None of NCS's techniques will cause an "Improperly Cleaned" notation at NGC.
White "milk" spots on modern silver coins
This form of corrosion is caused by the mint's manufacturing process and can develop anytime, from right after striking to many years later. NCS cannot remove these unpredictable spots, but rest assured that none of NCS's techniques cause them, either.
White "milk" spots can negatively impact a coin's grade at NGC, but NGC cannot be liable for spots that occur after encapsulation. The NGC Guarantee specifically excludes coins "exhibiting environmental deterioration subsequent to certification. These issues include but are not limited to spotting, hazing, PVC and corrosion."
Learn more about white spots >
Improper cleaning
Many coins have been permanently altered by amateur cleaning, leaving fine scratches and other surface issues that cannot be fixed by NCS conservation. Sometimes these alterations are only revealed upon removal of artificial toning or applied substances.
Mechanical repairs
NCS cannot undo or hide mechanical repairs such as tooling, plugged holes, rim repairs and re-engraved details. NCS also cannot remove solder from coins. In most cases these coins are eligible for NGC Details grading.
Damage, graffiti, wheel marks and countermarks
Damaged coins, including those that are bent, holed or have wheel marks, graffiti or countermarks, cannot be repaired by NCS. In addition, NCS cannot repair coins that are mounted or have been removed from mounts or jewelry.
Damage, graffiti, wheel marks and countermarks
Damaged coins, including those that are bent, holed or have wheel marks, graffiti or countermarks, cannot be repaired by NCS. In addition, NCS cannot repair coins that are mounted or have been removed from mounts or jewelry.
Damage, graffiti, wheel marks and countermarks
Damaged coins, including those that are bent, holed or have wheel marks, graffiti or countermarks, cannot be repaired by NCS. In addition, NCS cannot repair coins that are mounted or have been removed from mounts or jewelry.
Damage, graffiti, wheel marks and countermarks
Damaged coins, including those that are bent, holed or have wheel marks, graffiti or countermarks, cannot be repaired by NCS. In addition, NCS cannot repair coins that are mounted or have been removed from mounts or jewelry.
Scratches, abrasions and wear
The natural effects of circulation — scratches, abrasions and wear — cannot be undone. NCS does not re-engrave details, plug holes, or perform any type of repairs. Similarly, NCS does not repair or disguise planchet flaws.
Severe corrosion
Corrosion affects virtually all metals. A chemical reaction, corrosion causes the molecular makeup of a coin's surfaces to change. Though NCS can stabilize a coin's surfaces and prevent further damage, it cannot reverse corrosion that has already occurred.
Add "red" to copper coins
A copper coin's color can change naturally over time from red (noted as "RD" on the NGC certification label) to red brown ("RB") to brown ("BN"). This is an irreversible process and NCS conservation cannot change the BN, RB or RD designations assigned to copper coins.
The NCS Process
NCS Evaluates your coin
NCS first evaluates a coin to determine if it will benefit from conservation. If it will not benefit from conservation, NCS transfers the coin directly to NGC for certification.
NCS Conserves your coin
If NCS determines that a coin will benefit from conservation, it performs the necessary conservation techniques. After conservation is complete, NCS transfers the coin to NGC for certification.
NGC Grades your coin
After NCS conservation, coins are seamlessly transferred to NGC for authentication, grading and encapsulation. Once the coin has been graded and encapsulated by NGC, it is returned to NCS for shipment back to the submitter.
Frequently asked questions
How much does NCS conservation cost?
For more information about NCS conservation tiers and fees in Hong Kong, China, click here.
Does NCS offer any type of guarantee?
CCG Hong Kong does not provide grade protection or any type of grade guarantee for coins submitted for NCS conservation. Coins are guaranteed by NGC only after they are graded and encapsulated by NGC.
Important: Conservation services performed by CCG Hong Kong do not necessarily improve a coin's grade. In rare instances, CCG Hong Kong conservation may reveal additional issues that were previously hidden by residue or other surface contaminants. None of the techniques used by CCG Hong Kong will cause such issues. It is important to understand that coins conserved by CCG Hong Kong may still receive a lower grade or no grade from a coin grading service. By submitting a coin to CCG Hong Kong, the submitter waives any right to assert any form of legal claim against CCG Hong Kong (and any affiliates, divisions, subsidiaries or other entities related to CCG Hong Kong and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and assigns) with respect to a lower grade or no grade subsequently being assigned to such coin by a coin grading company.
For more information, click here
What happens when NCS evaluates a coin?
CCG Hong Kong evaluates every coin submitted for NCS conservation services to determine whether it believes the coin will benefit from conservation. Special handling, detailed below, applies to submissions of NGC and PCGS-certified coins.
- If NCS believes that a coin will benefit from conservation, the coin will be conserved and then transferred to NGC for grading. Both the NCS conservation fees and NGC grading fees will apply.
- If NCS believes that a coin will not benefit from conservation, the coin will not be conserved. In this case, raw (not holdered) coins will be transferred to NGC for grading. Only the NGC grading fees will apply.
- If NCS believes that an NGC-certified coin will not benefit from conservation, the coin will not be conserved and will be left in its original holder and returned to the submitter. The NGC grading fees will be refunded less a $5 processing fee.
- If NCS believes that a PCGS-certified coin will not benefit from conservation, the coin will not be conserved. It will be transferred to NGC for CrossOver in its original holder. The full NGC grading fees will apply regardless of whether the coin is crossed or certified by NGC.
- *Please note that while NCS will attempt to accommodate special requests from submitters, it can't be responsible if any special requests are not fulfilled.
How can I submit to NCS?
There are three easy ways to submit to NCS:
- Purchase an Associate or higher NGC Collector membership.
- Submit to an NCS International Submission Center. Click here for a list of NCS International Submission Centers.
- Submit through an NCS Authorized Dealer. Click here to find an NCS Authorized Dealer near you.
Before submitting, please refer to the Services Terms and Conditions.
The NGC grading process
To ensure impartiality, NCS and NGC specialists never know the identity of a submitter. All submissions are opened within view of each secure facility's surveillance cameras, and every coin is assigned a unique tracking number and handled with the utmost care. A separate certification number is printed on the NGC label once the coin is encapsulated.
NGC employs the internationally recognized Sheldon grading scale of 1 to 70. Coins with surface conditions that preclude a numeric grade are assigned an NGC Details grade with the problem noted. Every coin is assessed by multiple members of NGC's professional grading team to determine authenticity, grade and attribution.
After the coin is graded, it is encapsulated in NGC's EdgeView® holder — the same holder that has been tested by the Smithsonian Institution and is currently used to house many of that museum's most important rarities. Encapsulated coins are then inspected by a quality control specialist and imaged for NGC's online certification verification tool.
Every NGC-certified coin is backed by the NGC guarantee of grade and authenticity, the strongest guarantee in the industry. NGC is the official grading service of the ANA and PNG.
What types of coins does NGC not grade?
NGC does not grade coins that are not genuine, coins that are of questionable authenticity or unverifiable authenticity, coins that have added or removed mintmarks, or coins that have altered dates. NGC will not grade coins that have altered surfaces, such as those with frost added to give a Cameo appearance. There are also some coin types that are ineligible for NGC certification, such as Chinese "cash" coins.
Does submitting to NCS mean that I will get a higher grade at NGC?
Submitting a coin to NCS for conservation does not mean that it will get a higher grade at NGC (i.e., be "upgraded"). NCS conservation will improve a coin's eye appeal and stabilize its surfaces. In some cases, coins may receive a higher grade at NGC after NCS conservation, but this is not guaranteed.
Can NCS add "red" to copper coins?
A copper coin's color can change naturally over time from red (noted as "RD" on the NGC certification label) to red brown ("RB") to brown ("BN"). This is an irreversible process and NCS conservation cannot change the BN, RB or RD designations assigned to copper coins.
How do I contact NCS?
China – Hong Kong SAR
CCG Hong Kong Ltd.
Suite 1208-10, 12/F, Tower 1,
The Gateway, Harbour City,
25 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,
Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Phone: +852 2115-3639
Fax: (+852) 2115 3783
PO Box 4750
Sarasota, FL 34230
United States
+1 941-360-3996
+1 941-360-2559 fax
Munich, Germany
49 (0) 89 550 66 780
What if I submit a coin for both NCS conservation and an NGC ReGrade, but NCS declines to conserve the coin?
NCS conservation can help coins with unattractive toning, copper spots and other surface issues. Customers may submit a coin already certified by NGC for a service that includes NCS conservation and an NGC ReGrade (NCS+ReGrade). If NCS declines to conserve a particular coin under this combined service, then NGC will not perform the ReGrade. If the customer wants the NGC ReGrade regardless of the NCS determination, then the customer should write on their submission form: REGRADE REGARDLESS OF NCS DECISION.
Add Coin
Join NGC for free to add coins, track your collection and participate in the NGC Registry. Learn more >


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Firebase expands to become a unified app platform
Crossposted from the The Firebase Blog
Eighteen months ago, Firebase joined Google. Since then, our backend-as-a-service (BaaS) that handles the heavy lifting of building an app has grown from a passionate community of 110,000 developers to over 450,000.
Our current features -- Realtime Database, User Authentication, and Hosting -- make app development easier, but there's more we can do, so today, we're announcing a major expansion!
- Developer experience matters. Ease-of-use, good documentation, and intuitive APIs make developers happy.
- Work across platforms. We'll support you whether you're building for iOS, Web, or Android.
- Integrate where possible. Firebase has one SDK, one console, and one place to go for documentation and support. You can mix-and-match any of our features and, where it makes sense, data flows between them to help you do more, faster.
Introducing Firebase Analytics
Firebase Analytics is our brand new, free and unlimited analytics solution for mobile apps. It benefits from Google's experience with Google Analytics, and features some new capabilities for apps:
Firebase Analytics is user and event-centric and gives you insight into what your users are doing in your app. You can also see how your paid advertising campaigns are performing with cross-network attribution, which tells you where your users are coming from. You can see all of this from a single dashboard.
Firebase Analytics is also integrated with other Firebase offerings to provide a single source of truth for in-app activity and through a feature called Audiences. Audiences let you define groups of users with common attributes. Once defined, these groups can be accessed from other Firebase features -- to illustrate, we'll reference Audiences throughout this post.
Develop Faster with Messaging, Storage, Config
To help you build better apps, our suite of backend services is expanding.
Google Cloud Messaging, the most popular cloud-to-device push messaging service in the world, is integrating with Firebase and changing its name to Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). Available for free and for unlimited usage, FCM supports messaging on iOS, Android, and the Web, and is heavily optimized for reliability and battery-efficiency. It's built for scale and already sends 170 billion messages per day to two billion devices.
One of our most requested features is the ability to store images, videos, and other large files. We're launching Firebase Storage so developers can easily and securely upload and download such files. Firebase Storage is powered by Google Cloud Storage, giving it massive scalability and allowing stored files to be easily accessed by Google Cloud projects. The Firebase Storage client SDKs have advanced logic to gracefully handle poor network conditions.
Firebase Remote Config gives you instantly-updatable variables that you can use to tune and customize your app on the fly to deliver the best experience to your users. You can enable or disable features or change the look and feel without having to publish a new version. You can also target configurations to specific Firebase Analytics Audiences so that each of your users has an experience that's tailored for them.
In addition, we're continuing to invest heavily in our existing backend products, Firebase Realtime Database, Firebase Hosting, and Firebase Authentication. Authentication has seen the biggest updates, with brand new SDKs, and an upgraded backend infrastructure. This provides added security, reliability, and scale using the same technologies that power Google's own accounts. We've also added new Authentication features including email verification and account linking. For Hosting, custom domain support is now free for all developers, and the Database has a completely rebuilt UI. We're working hard on other great Realtime Database features, stay tuned for those.
Introducing Test Lab and Crash Reporting
We're adding two new offerings to Firebase to help you deliver higher quality apps.
When your app crashes, it's bad for your users and it hurts your business. Firebase Crash Reporting gives you prioritized, actionable reports to help you diagnose and fix problems in your iOS or Android app after it has shipped. We've also connected Crash Reporting to Audiences in Firebase Analytics, so you can tell if users on a particular device, in a specific geography, or in any other custom segment are experiencing elevated crash rates.
Cloud Test Lab, announced last year at Google I/O, is now Firebase Test Lab for Android. Test Lab helps you find problems in your app before your users do. It allows for both automatic and customized testing of your app on real devices hosted in Google data centers.
Grow Your App with Notifications, Dynamic Links, and More
After you've launched your app, we can help you grow and re-engage users with five powerful growth features.
Firebase Notifications is a new UI built on top of the Firebase Cloud Messaging APIs that lets you easily deliver notifications to your users without writing a line of code. Using the Notifications console you can re-engage users, run marketing campaigns, and target messages to Audiences in Firebase Analytics.
Firebase Dynamic Links make URLs more powerful in two ways. First, they provide "durability" -- links persist across the app install process so users are taken to the right place when they first open your app. This "warm welcome" increases engagement and retention. Second, they allow for dynamically changing the destination of a link based on run-time conditions, such as the type of browser or device. Use them in web, email, social media, and physical promotions to gain insight into your growth channels.
Firebase Invites turns your customers into advocates. Your users can easily share referral codes or their favorite content via SMS or email to their network, so you can increase your app's reach and retention.
Firebase App Indexing, formerly Google App Indexing, brings new and existing users to your app from the billions of Google searches. If your app is already installed, users can launch it directly from the search results. New users are presented with a link to install your app.
AdWords, Google's advertising platform for user acquisition and engagement, is now integrated with Firebase. Firebase can track your AdWords app installs and report lifetime value to the Firebase Analytics dashboard. Firebase Audiences can be used in AdWords to re-engage specific groups of users. In-app events can be defined as conversions in AdWords, to automatically optimize your ads, including universal app campaigns.
Monetize Your App With AdMob
To help you generate revenue from your app and build a sustainable business, we've integrated Firebase with AdMob, an advertising platform used by more than 1 million apps. We've made it easier to get started with AdMob when you integrate the Firebase SDK into your app. Using AdMob, you can choose from the latest ad formats, including native ads, which help provide a great user experience.
Introducing a New Console, Documentation, and SDK
Along with new feature launches, we're moving our website and documentation to a new home: firebase.google.com.
We're also launching a brand new console to manage your app. It is completely redesigned and rebuilt for improved ease of use, and we've deeply integrated it with other Google offerings, like Google Cloud and Google Play.
Firebase now uses the same underlying account system as Google Cloud Platform, which means you can use Cloud products with your Firebase app. For example, a feature of Firebase Analytics is the ability to export your raw analytics data to BigQuery for advanced querying. We'll continue to weave together Cloud and Firebase, giving you the functionality of a full public cloud as you grow.
You can also link your Firebase account to Google Play from our new console. This allows data, like in-app purchases, to flow to Firebase Analytics, and ANRs (application not responding) to flow to Firebase Crash Reporting, giving you one place to check the status of your app.
Finally, we're announcing the beta launch of a new C++ SDK. You can find the documentation and getting started guides here.
Announcing New Pricing Plans
We're excited to announce that most of these new products, including Analytics, Crash Reporting, Remote Config, and Dynamic Links, are free for unlimited usage.
For our four paid products: Test Lab, Storage, Realtime Database, and Hosting, we're announcing simpler pricing. We now offer:
- A free plan with generous limits
- A fixed-rate plan for early-stage startups who need a predictable monthly price
- A metered pay-as-you-go plan that scales with the largest apps
Some Things Stay the Same
Many things are changing, but Firebase's core principles remain the same. We care deeply about providing a great developer experience through easy-to-use APIs, intuitive interfaces, comprehensive documentation, and tight integrations. We're committed to cross-platform development for iOS, Android, and the Web, and when you run into trouble, we'll provide support to help you succeed.
If you were using a Firebase feature before today -- like the Realtime Database, GCM, or App Indexing -- there's no impact on your app. We'll continue to support you, though we recommend upgrading to the latest SDK to access our new features.
More to Come
As far as we've come, this is still early days. We'll continue to refine and add to Firebase. For example, the JavaScript SDK does not yet support all the new features. We're working quickly to close gaps, and we'd love to hear your feedback so we can improve. You can help by requesting a feature.
Get Started!
All the new features are ready-to-go, and already in use by apps like Shazam, SkyScanner, PicCollage, and more. Get started today by signing up, visiting our new site, or reading the documentation to learn more.
We can't wait to hear what you think!


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SMS (or "Text Messaging") has been around for ages. But these days, BlackBerry users and BlackBerry developers have a wide range of messaging systems available to them including BBM and the excellent BlackBerry Push service. So is there still a place for SMS and if so, how can you exploit it from a BlackBerry 10 application?
The answer to the first question is YES! As for the second question, there are BlackBerry 10 Cascades APIs that allow you to develop applications that exploit SMS in a variety of ways.
To help BlackBerry developers get the most out of our SMS-related APIs, I've written a technical knowledge base article which you'll find in our developer resource centre (link below) and published a video presentation in our YouTube BlackBerry Developer channel. This blog post acts as an introduction to the topic, but if you want to know more, check out the article and the video!
What is SMS good for?
SMS is still *the* primary, perhaps even the *only* truly cross-platform, mobile messaging system. You can send an SMS from almost any mobile device that has a SIM card in itand know that the device that receives it will support SMS and be able to process it. The device could be the cheapest feature phone in the world and the chances are it will still support SMS. So SMS has a "works anywhere appeal."
SMS can be used for more than just mobile-to-mobile messaging. There are numerous server based (I'm loath to say "cloud based") services that send and receive SMS messages from mobile devices. By definition, such services tend to need to support a very wide range of mobile device types.
SMS can be used for more than just text. It's possible and common to send binary SMS messages, which either contain standard object types such as pictures (yes you can send simple bit maps by SMS and I'm not talking about MMS here by the way) or proprietary binary objects of your own design.
Store and Forward
SMS is a "store and forward" system. When you send an SMS message from your device, you immediately hand over responsibility for its final delivery to the mobile network. Your request is asynchronous and having submitted it, you can continue doing other things and not have to wait for the message to be delivered.
In fact, your message is not delivered directly to the device it is addressed to when you send it. It is first delivered to a server known as an SMSC (Short Message Service Centre) which is operated by the mobile network operator that issued you with your SIM card. You can see the address of the SMSC in the Text Messages Advanced Settings screen of your BlackBerry 10 device. Yes, it looks rather like a phone number; in fact that's a network address sometimes referred to as a "global title" or "GT."
The SMSC will then determine where the device, to which the SMS is addressed, is currently located geographically and its current status. Essentially, the delivery process needs to establish the base transceiver station (that's the cellular network mast) from which the message must be transmitted over the radio link to the destination device and other information such as whether or not the target device is currently switched on. It does this using other mobile network services that I won't go into here.
Once the location and status of the destination device have been ascertained however, the SMSC will try to deliver the message. If it cannot deliver right away for anything other than there having been a fatal and permanent error reported, the SMSC will hang on to the message and queue it for a series of retries later on or for delivery when the destination device contacts the SMSC and says "I'm ready and available to receive SMS messages now." For example, the first time the SMSC tries to deliver the message, it might find that the destination device is currently switched off or that it reports that it has no space available in its inbox. These would be regarded as temporary problems and delivery of the message would be retried later on.
There's a limit to how long an SMSC will retain a message and keep retrying delivery. SMS messages have an attribute known as a "validity period." This defines the maximum age an SMS message may attain without having been delivered before the SMSC should give up attempting to deliver it and delete it. In practice, SMSCs have their own maximum validity period and this may override any value specified for a particular message. Typically, messages will be retained and retried for several days or perhaps more.
The store and forward architecture of SMS as implemented by SMSCs make SMS ideal for "fire and forget" scenarios.
You may wish to track the outcome of submitting a message however. Was it eventually delivered or not?
Delivery Receipts
Cellular networks typically support a mechanism known as "status reports." These are also known as "delivery receipts" and are special messages which can be returned to a message sender to indicate the eventual fate of a message that was sent some time ago. On a BlackBerry 10 device, you can switch on delivery receipts via the Text Message basic settings screen.
By switching on Confirm Delivery for SMS, you'll see status indicators next to SMS messages you send, change to have a little icon containing a "D" to indicate that your message was delivered. Behind the scenes, your BlackBerry 10 device knows that this is the case because the mobile network delivered a delivery receipt to it.
Size Limits
SMS does of course have its limitations. The maximum length of a single SMS message is one such limitation. I often hear people state that the maximum size of an SMS message is 160 characters. In fact, the limit is 140 bytes. A text-based SMS will either contain a series of 7 bit characters or a series of 16 bit UCS2 encoded characters. 7 bit characters, often drawn from the GSM 03.38 character set, are left shifted so that every available bit is used. Consequently (do the math), you can fit 160 x 7-bit characters in your 140 byte payload; or 70 x 16 bit Unicode USC2 characters; or 140 x 8 bit binary bytes; or a mixture of both character and binary data. Yes, it can get a little complicated.
Why would you mix character and binary data in the same SMS message? Well there are many reasons, but one would be to exploit something called "concatenation". It's possible for multiple SMS messages to be encoded such that they are each designated as a particular, numbered segment of a larger SMS message which comprises the text part from each of the segments, all joined together. This is how it's possible to send an SMS which contains many more than 160 characters. BlackBerry 10 takes the "long" text message that you keyed in and encodes it as a series of separate but related, concatenated SMS message segments.
APIs to the rescue
My goal in providing this basic guide to SMS is to hopefully give useful background information about SMS to developers who have not worked with the technology before. If I've managed to make it sound complicated, don't worry! BlackBerry 10, the Cascades APIs and the mobile network take care of the greater majority of the issues I've described, completely by magic and without any effort needed from you, the developer.
So let's talk about developing BlackBerry 10 applications that exploit SMS next.
SMS Applications Development on BlackBerry 10
In simple terms, developers will want to do one or both of two things with SMS in a BlackBerry 10 application; send SMS messages or receive them. But, there are two distinct scenarios for each of these simple use cases; either the application is working with SMS messages in much the same way that a user would via the BlackBerry 10 text messaging application, creating or receiving text messages that are intended to be "consumed" by a human recipient or, they are using SMS as a transport for binary data, to be sent or received to/from another device or server-resident messaging service and consumed by an application. I call the first of these scenarios: "user directed SMS" and the second, "port directed SMS" due to the way in which we target an application with our binary SMS data.
In addition to my knowledge base (KB) article and video presentation, I've also written a couple of sample applications. The first application shows how to send and receive user directed SMS messages and the second, port directed SMS. The KB article walks through the code in each of the sample applications and explains the BlackBerry 10 API use for both sending and receiving SMS in both the user directed and port directed cases. The code for both applications is available in the Cascades Community Samples GitHub repository.
You'll find the article here:
The video presentation here:
And the sample applications in GitHub here:
Enjoyed this blog post?


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Mahanandi is moving to a new web location, www.themahanandi.org on its fourth anniversary. The website grew in content and visitors and needed a dedicated domain.
New content will be posted on the new site, www.themahanandi.org from now on. The old location, www.nandyala.org/mahanandi will continue to exist at its present location.
Welcome to the new home: www.themahanandi.org . I look forward to seeing you there.


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Yeah I know, I said that I was going to document my entire second pregnancy. Well, clearly the myths about the second baby are true. I don't have as many pictures of me pregnant. I didn't write in my "love mom" memoir book. And I'm sure the baby book is going to be just as much of a disaster lol!!!
We have been staying pretty busy and enjoying summer though! My last day of work was Wednesday and now we are just waiting for baby casey #2 to arrive. We are juggling some names around which is better than what we did last time. Poor C didn't have a name for three days and we had to go back to sign the birth certificate lol!!!!
I have been reading this book to her as often as I can. I'm not sure that she can fully comprehend what's going on but a friend of mine gave me this book and it sure is the cutest.
I have legit guilt about having a second baby. Although every one of my friends that has two children or more has assured me that it will be ok, I currently still feel bad for Charlee. I'm sure this will pass as soon as the little guy is born!
I am sad that this will be the last time that I am going to be growing a baby. My husband actually brought this to my attention (ahem thanks babe) and every night since, I have literally thought about it with tears in my eyes. Bittersweet.
I am actually shocked that I have been able to keep up with Charlee through out this pregnancy. Daily smoothies have definitely helped keep my energy going! Along with a supplement called "Multi Greens", that I haven't skipped a day of!
She is currently obsessed with her Daddy, which is a beautiful thing. Not to mention, perfect timing for when the new baby comes and will make my routine a little easier! I didn't have a close relationship with my dad growing up, so watching them love one another holds a special place in my heart. In the mornings before he wakes up and I'm not chopped liver yet, I get in my quality time ;)
Ok so the oily stuff.....This stuff is amazing!!!
I have applied this morning and night since the day that I found out that I was pregnant! I've also applied it when my belly started growing and got itchy!!! It is seriously the easiest recipe and works like a charm!
3/4 cup coconut oil
20 Drops of Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil
20 Drops of Young Living Gentle Baby Blend Essential Oil
20 Drops of Young Living Lavender Essential Oil
Don't believe me? Here ya go....(I got the ok to post this lol)
The house is currently quiet due to a rainy day and a movie, so I'm going to go eat an entire pineapple, bounce on the ab ball, massage my ankles, and drink some red raspberry tea all while watching life time! Wish me luck!