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The 50,000 students returning to public school classrooms in Detroit on Tuesday following the summer break will find drinking fountains dry, after elevated levels of lead and copper forced the district to shut off the water supply.
After test results evaluating all water sources, from sinks to fountains, for 16 schools showed higher-than-acceptable levels of the chemicals last month, the Detroit public schools community district announced it was turning off the water at all its schools.
The district superintendent, Nikolai Vitti, cited safety concerns for staff and students.
"I am turning off all drinking water in our schools until a deeper and broad analysis can be conducted to determine the long-term solutions," he said.
Bottled water and coolers will be provided.
The news about testing for toxic water is just the latest risk and indignity to be endured by the teachers and children in a district infamous for its "crumbling" public schools.
The latest results come on the heels of previous tests from 2016 and spring 2018 that revealed elevated copper and lead levels, bringing the total number of schools with water quality issues to 34 out of the 106 Detroit currently operates.
Vitti, who became superintendent in 2017, inherited a district that had been under emergency management for almost a decade. In an interview last Friday, he told the Guardian that the decision was a preventive health measure.
"If you only turn those [34] water sources off, and then you wait and something happens, how do you tell a parent, 'I was waiting for the next round of tests'?" he said. "It would be like playing a game of whack-a-mole. That doesn't make sense for ensuring the safety of children."
The shutdown of water fountains doesn't apply to charter schools, but Detroit's mayor, Mike Duggan, intends to initiate "the same level" of water quality testing at those schools, Vitti said.
While drinking water is only one of multiple potential sources of lead contamination in the environment, young children are especially vulnerable to irreversible developmental damage because they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, copper poisoning causes vomiting and gastrointestinal issues, among other problems.
Water testing in schools is currently not required by federal law or Michigan state law. However, a bill that would require lead testing in water is currently being considered in the state legislature.
The Detroit Federation of Teachers, the local arm of the American Federation of Teachers union, supported the superintendent's decision. The DFT president, Ivy Bailey, said that the district needed to develop a plan addressing test results, including using rainy day funds for repairs.
She said she was told the problem wasn't systemic but related to older plumbing in the fountains specifically. "It's not the pipes in the buildings," she said during a local briefing.
The Great Lakes Water Authority and the Detroit water and sewerage department released a statement assuring Detroit residents they were not affected, indicating that the water passed all federal and state Safe Drinking Water Act regulations.
Older drinking water fountains are "a known source of lead exposure", said Stuart Batterman, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health.
Such water fountains were connected to a system with copper parts, fused together with lead, Batterman said.
"That leaches out, dissolves into the water and the kids get that first flush, especially early in the morning when no one has used it," he said.
Detroit public schools have suffered from years of underfunding.
Vitti said: "The infrastructure of the public school system has been neglected, and this is an example of it. In five years, the cost ends up being $1.3bn."
Misha Stallworth, a Detroit school board member, said needs were great.
"After 10 years of emergency management, there is a lot of work to be done, across, let's say, 90% of our school buildings to get ceiling tiles, basic heating and cooling," she said. "That's a big challenge that we're faced with in terms of trying to identify opportunities for the state to support us or the private sector to offer their support."
Problems with lead are not restricted to Detroit schools, which make up the largest district in the state.
It took a pediatrician's test results showing the alarming spikes in lead levels in the blood of children in Flint, Michigan, to finally bring that scandal to national attention in 2015.
That prompted testing in schools across the country.
But in 2017, a Government Accountability Office survey found that only 43% of school districts, with 35 million students, had conducted tests in the preceding 12 months. About a third of those districts found elevated lead levels and took action to reduce them.
This year, lead was found in school drinking water in Virginia, Texas and Chicago, according to news reports.
"This is not a new problem," said Batterman, adding that it had been a known issue since the 1991 Lead and Copper Rule, which requires public water suppliers to monitor drinking water for lead.
He warned: "Basically, it has not progressed for 20 or 30 years. We are just not making headway."


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28 January 2016
New Zealand's important contribution to scientific research in Antarctica received a boost this week with a 60-strong team from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) unloading a year's supply of the science equipment, food, and construction materials needed to sustain researchers in one of the world's most inhospitable laboratories.
Senior National Officer Major (MAJ) Mac McColl said soldiers and logistics specialists from Burnham and Linton military camps have been deployed to offload 468 containers packed with science equipment, construction materials and fresh, dry and frozen food and drink supplies from the supply ship Ocean Giant. A crane and a tractor for Antarctica New Zealand are also to be unloaded.
"NZDF's support through the Joint Logistics Pool is a lifeline for our scientists and other staff working on the continent. The supplies are crucial for them to get through the season," said Simon Trotter, General Manager of Operations at Antarctica New Zealand.
MAJ McColl said around 60 of the 468 containers were for Antarctica New Zealand. The rest are earmarked for the United States Antarctic Programme at McMurdo Station.
Once all the cargo has been offloaded, NZDF personnel, assisted by US Navy personnel, will reload the ship with excess equipment, items for repair and waste from the previous 12 months.
MAJ McColl said the entire operation, which began early on Tuesday, was expected to take nine days.
"We have highly trained people to do this operation. Even during summer, weather conditions can be challenging. In addition, we are handling 20 per cent more supplies this year compared to last year," MAJ McColl said.
"Since 1965, the NZDF has been supporting New Zealand and American scientists as they carry out important research on the ice," said Lieutenant General (LTGEN) Tim Keating, the Chief of Defence Force.
"We are proud that our partnership with Antarctica New Zealand is contributing to the continued advancement of their work," said LTGEN Keating, who has just returned from a visit to the icy continent at the invitation of Antarctica New Zealand.
The NZDF provides search and rescue support, air transport, terminal operations at Harewood Terminal in Christchurch and McMurdo, and support for the unloading of the annual container ship. Up to 220 NZDF personnel, including air crew and ground support staff, passenger and cargo facilitation staff, logistics staff, fuel specialists, Army engineers and heavy plant operators, cargo handlers and communications specialists, are deployed during the summer season to support both Scott Base and McMurdo Station.
Antarctica New Zealand manages Scott Base and supports scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, particularly the Ross Sea region.
For further information please contact Defence Public Affairs: 021 487 980

subset: commoncrawl


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It is time for a pattern remix!!!
What is a pattern remix? Well, it is when you take a pattern and change it just a bit to make it different. Kirsten Holloway organized a fun pattern remix between 13 crochet designers, including myself. You can find the details about the Designer Remix, HERE.
I was so excited to look through all the designers shops and fell in love with Nicki's Homemade Crafts Lattice Scarf. I knew this was the pattern I would to remix. Look how beautiful it is!
If you know me, you know I am a sucker for texture and this scarf is full of it with those amazing raised diamonds. Nikki also provides a great photo tutorial on her blog as well as a video tutorial for those that like to see it in action. Find her full blog post about the Lattice Scarf HERE.
Now for the Remix, a touch of SP3
I had some Knit Picks Brava Worsted Weight in Red laying around and with the upcoming holidays, this was perfect. I followed Nikki's pattern until it measured 32″ long. Then to make it different I added a key hole end.
Follow pattern until it measures 32″ long, ending on a row 7 repeat (which completes the diamond pattern).
Key Hole Addition:
Row 1: Ch 2, dc in each st across, turn (31)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each st across until 2 sts remain, sc2tog, turn (29)
Row 3-5: Repeat Row 2 (each row will decease by 2 stitches, after row you will have 23 stitches)
Note: in Row 5, mark the middle stitch (12th stitch), this will be the placement of the button you will sew on later.
Row 6-11: Repeat Row 2 (each row will decease by 2 stitches, after row you will have 11 stitches)
Row 12-42: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn (11)
Row 43: Ch 1, sc in first 4 sts, ch 3, skip next 3 sts, sc in last 4 sts, turn (11)
Row 44: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts & chains, sc2tog, turn (9)
Row 45: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog, turn (7)
Row 46: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog (5), fasten off and weave in ends
Sew a 1" button on the marked (center) stitch from Row 5.


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Spring Cleaning: My 5 Best Tips For Cleaning Out Your Closet
Spring is right around the corner and you know what that means... time for some Spring cleaning! For me, the place that always needs it the most is the closet! I've been trying really hard to stay organized and to clean out my closet every couple of months. I used to have a big problem. I admit it... I was extremely attached to my clothes for no reason at all. It was always really difficult for me to get rid of things and I accumulated WAY too much. However, in the last year or so I've been setting guidelines for myself and following a set of rules to help keep my closet lighter and more organized. Plus, a couple months ago I finished building out my dream closet and the last thing I want is for it to look cluttered and disorganized! Since my closet also doubles as my organization room for the blog, it's important to me to keep it clean and beautiful. I've been really good about cleaning out my closet and have done 3 big clean outs in the last couple of months! I sell everything I clean out through At One Boutique on Poshmark. You can shop everything from my closet HERE!
These are the rules I follow to keep my closet organized and to help get rid of things as new things come in.
1. The one-year rule
I am pretty sure at one point I had pieces in my closet that were 5 years old. Last year, I started using the one year rule. That is, if you haven't worn something in a year, it goes. Gone. Bye. No second guessing. No justification. The rule to apply is If you haven't worn it in a year, then chances are you're not going to wear it again any time soon.
2. Ask yourself, would you buy this piece today? If the answer is no, it goes.
Things go in and out of style. Our tastes change. If this is the case, you will find that you are holding onto pieces that you just glaze over when you are looking for something to wear in the morning. If you would not buy the piece you're looking at if you were out shopping today, then say your goodbyes.
3. As new things come in, old things go out.
Each time you buy something(s) new, you have to get rid of something similar. ie: I used to practically collect white t-shirts but I realized I only really wore a few. If you buy a new white t-shirt, it's time to get rid of an old one!
4. Try things on!
As the years pass, our perception of how we want to look and present ourself changes. Clothes that we thought looked amazing years back, sometimes don't look or feel the same. If you don't like how it looks or feels anymore, it goes! Although trying things on can sometimes be time consuming, it really makes it easier to make your decision versus just looking at the item on a hanger.
5. Organization is key!
My top organizational tips are: swap out any odd hangers... having all matching hangers creates more room and makes things look so much more organized. We all know figuring out what to wear in the morning is tough enough. A simple change can make you feel so much more relaxed when thumbing through your wardrobe. For folded items, fold everything with the fold facing out, it creates a much more seamless look and makes it easier to see what you have. Color coordinate. I like to go from light to dark and separate my clothes into sections, pants, tops, dresses, jackets etc.
Now, the most important part is stick up to yourself! This won't work if you look at something you haven't worn in a year and say, "but I still like it!" I still like 99% of things I get rid of but what matters is that you wear it, would still buy it if you were shopping today and if you still like the way you look and feel in it! Shop everything I've recently cleaned out of my closet HERE.
Have any other great tips for closet cleaning!? I'd love to hear them!
Shop my look and my closet here:
Photos by: Ally Manzella


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Mark Grindell
Grindell, a 1985 Hamden High and 1989 Paier College grad, is an art director and graphics designer specializing in marketing and communications. As a freelancer he owns and operates Grindell Photography and Graphic Design. Grindell has volunteered his services in support of the Square Foot Theatre and the theatrical productions of Hamden High. He led the design teams that produced headwear for the Special Olympics held in New Haven (1995) and the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta (1996).


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If you watch Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments for long enough, you start to become familiar with the common stock phrases and exclamations used by popular commentators. One of my personal favorites is the Swanton Bomb, a nickname commonly used by Bobby "Scar" Scarnewman (and others) to describe a Fox combo that ends with an offstage falling up-air. A perfect example of this technique can be seen at about 10:25 in the video below:
Though the Swanton Bomb has become a well-known finishing move among Smash players, many are unaware of the origins of the phrase. The original "Swanton Bomb" was a finishing move invented by legendary Japenese pro wrestler The Great Sasuke. To satisfy the crowd's thirst for blood, Sasuke would execute a diving flip onto his opponents in a move that he called the "Senton Atomico." The move came to America when wrestler Jeff Hardy modified it and gave it its current name.
Over the years, the Swanton Bomb became one of Jeff Hardy's most popular finishers. It's difficult to do justice to his take on the move, so I'll leave that to the eloquent top description of it on UrbanDictionary:
A look at footage of Hardy executing the move shows a marked similarity between the way he looks coming off the top turnbuckle and the way Fox flips during a falling up-air—the comparison is an apt one.
It's difficult to trace the origins of the phrase's usage within the Smash scene. Its earliest mention on Smash Reddit was in 2014. Though I can't find anything to confirm this, my earliest recollection of the term is of Scar using it at MLG Anaheim 2014, and it's possible that he was the commentator who first used it in the context of Smash. If you have a better idea of how Melee's use of the term began, please comment here to let me know!
Regardless of its origin, the Swanton Bomb is here to stay. Next time you see a Fox player hit his or her opponent with an offstage falling up-air, take a moment to acknowledge Jeff Hardy and The Great Sasuke's contributions to Super Smash Bros. Melee.


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Eylure Brow Palette - Blonde
with FREE 1st Class delivery in the UK!
Eylure Brow Palette - Blonde
with FREE 1st Class delivery in the UK!
Want defined, gorgeously groomed brows? The Eylure Brow Palette in Blonde is the perfect way to add definition and shape to your brows - all from the same palette! Not only are there three different shades to choose from creating a more precise finish, there is also a applicator to make this the perfect travel companion.
- Blonde palette
- Maintain flawless brows
- Shape & sculpt
The Eylure Brow Palette in Blonde comes with completely FREE 1st Class UK delivery - just like every other item here on our website. Don't forget to browse the rest of the Eylure brow range while you're on our site!


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It was Ianvisits who told me by way of Facebook about the Architecture Festival hosted by Berkeley Developments at The Royal Arsenal in Greenwich/Woolwich. Tickets were free to join in the PR exercise. The rush was on to get a place through Eventbrite. Everything was free. Berkeley hired privately a boat, poured out fruit juice and alcohol liberally and we snacked on sushi and some posh salad served with smiles. The sun was on our side. Our hosts were the best you could want taking us through the film archives of the recently neglected and empty buildings at The Artillery and then on group tours around a silent neighbourhood (like Wapping and Rotherhithe in the evenings).
So, a boat ride with running commentaries guaranteeing we'd learn something about the box buildings along the river side, an interesting debate about social sustainability, plenty of snacks, a tour by majestic flat walls and the DLR home. All in jolly good company.
Weather great,


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Performance Pay Trends for Executives
When working with executive clients, we believe it is important to focus on the long-term incentive award design as well as the weighting of performance metrics. The long-term incentive award design can mean determining what percentage of the long-term incentive package should be strictly time-based (stock options), what percentage should be both time and performance based (restricted stock units), and what percentage should be based on corporate performance relative to comparator companies (performance units).
This weighting has become increasingly important based upon recent pay-for-performance trends, particularly as measuring the executive's effectiveness in delivering relative total shareholder return (RTSR) has become more critical. For example, the spring issue of C-Suite, an Equilar publication, reported the following:
· Over 82% of Equilar 500 CEOs received a performance grant in FY 2016, and the percentage of these receiving at least half of their long-term inventive values based on performance awards increased from 33.3% in 2012 to 60.8% in 2016.
· The percentage of Equilar 500 companies providing compensation awards dependent upon a Return on Capital (ROC) metric increased to 36.1% in 2016, up from 30.0% in 2012.
· Approximately 28% of Equilar 500 companies use Earnings Per Share (EPS) as a metric by which to measure executive performance.
Executives want input into the appropriate performance metrics to be used, and the weighting of that metric to the final award payout. They also want to set target goals that map to payouts.
We appreciate that incentive plans are often unique to each company – and each executive. As such, to protect against the impact of market or industry-wide movements and other factors that are beyond the control of the individual executive, it is important to try to design an LTI package in a balanced way – for example, by pairing metrics together vs. the entire LTI award being fully dependent upon one metric or measurement.


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Galleria Couture Wedding Dresses
Hand crafted, modern, these dresses are a work of art by award-winning designers Kevin and Nicole at their Menora studio. As a wedding photographer I get to see so many wedding dresses, but Galleria Couture dresses always take my breath away. The attention to detail is phenomenal. All my clients who have worn Galleria Couture dresses have nothing but the highest of praise and awe for Kevin.
Laura dazzled her groom with this incredible dress, so beautifully detailed with lace and beading and complemented by a floor length veil.
The plunging neckline accentuated by lace detail was the wow factor of Michelle's dress. It was so beautifully sculptured to her shape, with a striking fusion of silk underlay entwined with lace in the skirt.
Eleanor's Galleria Couture was exquisite with it's sheer lace detail over the shoulders and decolletage and tiny buttons on the back. Like all Galleria Couture's dresses the fitting was like no other.


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The Talmud explains that smiling (genuinely I will add) at someone is an even higher form of charity than giving him (or her I will add) money, because the smile will enhance the recipients well-being on every level of body and soul.
All I can say is "WOW"!
This movement all started from my Dad's deathbed when he gave me a big smile the last time I saw him conscious. He rarely expressed joy and rarely smiled. I also didn't smile very much either. My grandmother committed suicide when my Dad was 9 years NEW and he rarely smiled after that and I wasn't very happy either. I can honestly say that that isn't the case any longer. Halleluyah! Joy is revelation! Support joy, SMILE! Common you can do it. Fake it til you make it, if you have to. The child within wants to have fun and be joyful again.


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9 Simple Exercises To Burn Belly Fat
Belly fat is one of the worst enemies of every person. Every person wants to look slim and fit, and belly fat crashes down all the dreams. Excess fat gets accumulated in all parts of our body, but the belly is one of the first parts to get affected by fat. Belly fat is very stubborn, and it is very difficult to get rid of excess fat from this region.
Even if a person is originally slim,but a little amount of fat in the belly region forms a pot belly, and makes the person look very odd and ugly, Belly fat looks very ugly, and it damages the entire personality of a person. Slim and fit people are always preferred over fat people, and staying fat free has many other advantages. So, if you want to stay fit and reduce your belly fat, then are some exercises , which can help you lose your belly fat.
1. Crunches:
There is no better exercise that you can think of the reduce belly fat than crunches. It will help you to easily burn stomach fat and if this exercise is coupled with a proper diet intake, then you can see effective results in quick time.
How to do:
- Lie flat on your back on a mat. Bent your knees with your feet touching the ground.
- Now place your hands just behind your head.
- Take a deep breath and lift your upper body off the floor. You need to exhale when you are lifting your body.
- When you bring your body back to its original position you need to inhale. Once you come up you need to exhale.
- Do this for 10 times and then repeat for two or three more sets.
2. V-Sits:
How to do:
- Sit with your feet lifted off the ground and your knees bent into your chest. Place your hands on the floor just behind your bottom.
- Engage your core by pulling your belly button into your spine. This is your starting position.
- With control, lean your upper body right back and at the same time extend both legs straight out.
- Return to the start position. That's one repetition. Aim for up to 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Keep your abs engaged during the movement. If this move is too challenging, instead of extending your legs, keep your knees bent as you lower and raise your upper body.
3. Roll Up:
How to do:
- Lie on your back with your legs straight on the ground.
- Extend your arms over and behind your head to the point just before your torso starts to lift off the floor. Your torso should be in contact with the mat. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, curling your upper body off the floor and reaching your arms toward the ceiling, exhale about halfway up, continuing rolling forward reaching all the way to your toes.
- Inhale, reversing the movement and exhale half way through the movement to return to your starting position.


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A Software Engineer. I love solving problems with technology. I believe reflection is the best way to build empathy.
NOTE: This post is obsolete as beepboot has changed drastically since the time of publishing this post, but you can still read on to learn a thing or two about building bots.