text:
Issued: June 3, 2024
Version: 3.9
Thank you for your interest in our online offer. Protecting your data is important to us. So, at this point, we would therefore like to explain to you which personal data we process, for what purpose, and in what form when you use our offers.
This policy applies to the websites and online games operated by Spiele-Palast GmbH and also if you play our games via a social network such as Facebook or visit our Facebook fan pages.
You may print out or save this privacy policy via the usual functionality of your browser.
1. Responsible contact person
The contact person and so-called controller for the processing of your personal data described below in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is
Spiele-Palast GmbH, Boxhagener Str. 106, DE-10245 Berlin.
One exception to this is when you use our Facebook fan pages and personal data is processed for Page Insights, as described in section 9.1; here we are joint controllers together with Facebook.
Should you have any questions or suggestions regarding data protection, please do not hesitate to contact us personally. Our contact details are:
Spiele-Palast GmbH
Boxhagener Str. 106
DE-10245 Berlin
If you have any questions about data protection in connection with our offers or the use of our website, you can also contact our data protection officer at any time. They can be contacted via the above postal address and at the email address email@example.com (keyword: "To data protection officer").
2. Data security
We maintain state-of-the-art technical measures to guarantee data security, in particular to protect your personal data from risks during data transmission and against unauthorised third parties acquiring knowledge of your data.
All passwords are encrypted using the SHA256 algorithm and an individual salt.
3. Use of our websites
The following data are collected during an ongoing connection for communication between your Internet browser and our web server:
- Date and time of access
- Name of the requested website/file
- Page from which the file was requested
- Address of the requested website and the requesting website
- Access status (file transferred, file not found, etc.)
- Web browser and operating system used
- IP address
- The amount of data transferred in each case.
The data processing is necessary to facilitate the visit to the website and to guarantee the permanent functionality and security of our systems. For the purposes described above, the above data are also temporarily stored in internal log files in order to generate statistical data on the use of our website, to further develop our website with regard to the usage habits of our visitors (e.g. if the proportion of mobile devices via which the pages are accessed increases) and in general to maintain our website administratively. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(1)(b) of the GDPR.
The log files are stored for 30 days and archived after subsequent anonymisation by means of an abbreviation, so that it is subsequently no longer possible to establish a reference to individual users.
Furthermore, cookies are used when our website is in use. Cookies are small files that are stored by your web browser and contain information for exchange with our web server. Cookies are used to make our website more user-friendly and attractive. Basically, there are two different types of cookies – session cookies, which are deleted as soon as you close your browser, and long-term cookies, which are stored for a longer period or indefinitely. This storage helps us to personalise our websites and our offers for you and to facilitate your use, for example by saving certain entries and settings in such a way that you no longer have to repeat them constantly.
We mainly use session cookies, which are deleted when the browser is closed. Session cookies are used for login authentication and load sharing.
We use long-term cookies to save your language settings or to indicate that information placed on our website has been shown to you – so that it is not displayed again the next time you visit the website. The same applies to your login data, so that you can log in again more easily on the website. Long-term cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may vary depending on the cookie. These services are based on our legitimate interests; the legal basis is Article 6(1)(1)(f) of the GDPR. Their purpose is to enable you to use our website more comfortably and individually.
You may prevent the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser; however, please note, that if you do this, you may no longer have access to the full functionality of our website.
You can prompt the deletion of any saved data within any of our games. To do so, log in and, under the button Create Table, click Data Privacy in white font. Select Delete Data in the opened menu and confirm that you want to delete all your data with us. The result of deleting all data is the deletion of your account in the game. Your account will be flagged for deletion across all our games and irrevocably deleted after 14 days. But if you log in with this account during that time, the flag is removed, and your account will not be deleted.
Alternatively, you can send an e-mail with the headword Termination to email@example.com and request to delete your account.
4. Registration
Participation in our online games requires registration. There are two methods for registering for an online game: Either register directly on our websites or log in via your Facebook member account (Facebook login). If you play our games via Facebook, you will automatically use your Facebook account to join the game, so registration is not required.
4.2. Direct registration
Should you wish to register directly, you must create an account by entering your email address, a password of your choice and your freely definable player name. It is not compulsory to use your real name, i.e. pseudonymous participation in the game is possible. If you wish, you may also upload a profile picture.
After registration is complete, we create your account. To do this, we store your email address, your encrypted password and your player names. If you have uploaded an image, we will also save it. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR. In addition, also on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, we store the country of origin of the IP address that you used for registration for the purpose of evaluating the reach of our online games and in which countries the players of our online games are located.
4.3. Facebook login
We also offer you the option of registering via your Facebook account. Facebook is a social network of Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook"). This registration option is only available if you are already registered on Facebook or if you register for a new Facebook account. Please note that Facebook's privacy policy applies to registration for Facebook and use of Facebook.
To register with your Facebook member account, you must follow these steps:
First, click on the "Continue with Facebook" button.
After clicking on "Continue with Facebook", you will be redirected to the Facebook website as a first step. This tells Facebook that you want to register for an account with us.
There Facebook will ask you to enter your Facebook login credentials and to log in to Facebook. Please note: If you are already logged in to Facebook, this first step will be skipped.
Once you are logged in to Facebook, a (second) step will link your Facebook profile and the online game you wish to play. In addition, Facebook will at this point give you the opportunity to access our linked Data Protection and General Terms and Conditions. This link provides us with the following information about you from Facebook:
- Public profile (e.g. name, age, profile photo, gender)
- Friends list (voluntary)
- Email address (voluntary)
We only use your name and profile picture from your public profile data to create your account. We use your friends list to show your Facebook friendships in-game, if these friends are also registered with us.
Once successfully linked, we take over the above data from Facebook and use it to create your account. If you wish, you may complete your profile data with further information.
You can now log in to your new account using the "Continue with Facebook" button.
When you participate in an online game, we collect and use additional data, insofar as these are required for the secure and fast execution and personalisation of the online game ("game data" such as profile name, profile picture, friends list, scores, moves, game history, participation in leagues, membership in clubs, status of the premium membership). To correctly identify your profile, we collect and use the device ID as well as the player ID. Since our online games also offer a multi-player experience, this also includes the publication of game data (e.g. game status, player name, club, rounds played, rating, platform, game statistics and, if applicable, profile picture) for friends or other players. We use the email address as a means of communication with you. We collect and use performance data to ensure our games' stability. An advertisement ID is collected and used by us for advertisement purposes. In addition, we collect and use registration, game and access data insofar as these are required for billing for playing the online games. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
Please note that when using the Facebook login, your data can also be transmitted to Facebook servers in the USA. There is currently no decision by the EU Commission that the US provides an adequate level of data protection.
The legal basis for the aforementioned transmission and processing of your data by us is Article 6(1)(1)(b) of the GDPR.
More information on this can be found in Facebook's data policy.
If, at a later date, you wish to remove your Facebook member account from one of our online games, you can do so by removing the relevant online game within your Facebook profile.
Our website also features links to our respective game apps on Facebook. Please note that when you click on a link to Facebook or log in via Facebook, data are transferred to the Facebook servers. If you are logged in to Facebook at this time with your username and password, the information that you are visiting our app will be transferred there and assigned to your user account. In principle, we have no influence on data processing on Facebook. However, we do receive statistics from Facebook about the use of and visits to our apps. Consequently, we share certain parameters with Facebook about our company and the offers on our apps. Facebook uses this information to generate more detailed statistics. Facebook may also use the data for its own purposes over which we have no control.
Further information can be found in the Facebook data policy linked above (cf. section 4.3.2.). You may address your requests for information regarding data processing within the scope of our apps to us via the contact data given in section 1. We will then inform you about the data we have collected and the data transmitted to us as well as their further processing and implement your rights as exercised against us. Should you also wish to assert rights against Facebook, the easiest way to do so is to contact Facebook directly. Facebook knows both the details of the technical operation of the platform and the associated data processing as well as the specific purposes of the data processing and can, at your request, implement appropriate measures if you exercise your rights. The contact details can be found in the data policy linked above.
5. Participation in online games
When you participate in an online game, we collect and use additional data, insofar as these are required for the secure and fast execution and personalisation of the online game ("game data" such as profile name, profile picture, friends list, scores, moves, game history, participation in leagues, membership in clubs, status of the premium membership). To correctly identify your profile, we collect and use the device ID as well as the player ID. Since our online games also offer a multi-player experience, this also includes the publication of game data (e.g. game status, player name, club, rounds played, rating, platform, game statistics and, if applicable, profile picture) for friends or other players. We use the email address as a means of communication with you. We collect and use performance data to ensure our games' stability. An advertisement ID is collected and used by us for advertisement purposes. In addition, we collect and use registration, game and access data insofar as these are required for billing for playing the online games. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
If you play the online game Pinochle Palace or Whist Palace, please note that we use the Unity technology for this from Unity Technologies (30 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA). This will involve Unity Technologies collecting some or all of the following information about your device: unique device identifiers (e.g. IDFV for iOS devices and Android ID for Android devices); IP address; country where the installation was performed (based on IP address); device manufacturer and model platform type (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, etc.) and operating system and version running on your system or device; language; CPU information such as model, number of CPUs present, frequency and instruction set support flags; graphics card type and vendor name; graphics card driver name and version (e.g. "nv4disp.dll 184.108.40.206"); which graphics API is used (e.g. "OpenGL 2.1" or "Direct3D 9.0c"); the amount of existing system and video RAM; the current screen resolution; the version of the Unity Editor used to create the game; sensor flags (e.g. device support for gyroscope, contact pressure or acceleration sensor); application or bundle identification ("App-ID") of the installed game; unique advertising identifiers for iOS and Android devices (e.g. IDFA or Android Ad ID); and a checksum of all sent data to ensure that it has been transmitted correctly.
This data processing helps us to make our games more attractive and to adjust our monetisation services in terms of user satisfaction. The legal basis for the data processing described here is Article 6 (1)(f) of the GDPR, based on our aforementioned legitimate interest.
In the event that personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to countries with a level of data protection not considered adequate by the European Commission, we and Unity Technologies have taken appropriate measures, in particular the conclusion of standard contractual clauses, which are provided by the European Commission to protect your personal data. A copy of these measures can be obtained at email@example.com.
You can opt-out of this data collection by Unity Technologies by clicking on the "Unity Data" button under the "Data Protection" item in the menu. You will then be forwarded to the Unity Technologies privacy settings. Pressing the "OPT-OUT" button will deactivate data collection by Unity Technologies.
More information on this can be found in Unity Technologies' data policy as well as in the data protection FAQs.
In order to offer safe and fair gaming to all users, we make reasonable use of playing, registration and access data (e.g. IP addresses) in order to detect unusual activity or conduct that we know from experience indicates fraudulent or abusive use of our online games (e.g. suspicious reaction behaviour indicating the use of bots or cheats, or multiple logins from different devices at the same time). We also use this data to investigate complaints we receive from other users. In cases of suspected fraud or abuse, we may temporarily suspend your player account in order to protect you, other users and/or Spiele-Palast from fraud or abuse. If this happens, Spiele-Palast will inform you on your next login attempt of the suspension and, if applicable, any information or steps required to lift the suspension. The legal basis is Art. 6(1) Sentence 1(f) GDPR, based on our and our users' legitimate interest in preventing fraud and abuse.
6. Chargeable content
You can add paid content ("premium content") to our online games. Should you wish to purchase premium content, you will be required to enter your payment details. We have commissioned the following service providers to process the following payment methods:
- for payment via Sofortüberweisung: Sofort GmbH, Theresienhöhe 12, DE-80339 Munich
- for payment via PayPal: PayPal (Europe) Sà r.l. et Cie, S.C.A, 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg
- for payment via Boku: Boku Payments Inc, 735 Battery Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
- for payment via DaoPay: DaoPay GmbH, Hackhofergasse 5/14, AT-1190 Vienna, Austria
- for payment via Facebook: Facebook Payments International Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin, 2 Ireland
- for payment via Google Play: Google Payment Limited, Belgrave House, 76 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TQ, UK
- for payment via Amazon: Amazon Media EU Sà r.l. (Société à responsabilité limitée), 5 Rue Plaetis, L-2338 Luxembourg
- for payment via Apple iTunes Store: Apple Distribution International, Hollyhill Industrial Estate, Hollyhill, Cork, Ireland
- for payment via Steam: Valve Corporation, 10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 1000, Bellevue, WA 98004-4345, USA
- for payment via Microsoft Store: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA
All information that you provide to the aforementioned service providers in the context of payment processing will not be transferred to us by them. We only receive information that payment for the respective Spiele-Palast GmbH offer has been made by the respective buyer.
7. Chat with other players
Some of our online games may offer you the opportunity to chat directly with other players and friends. Chat logs are stored here as follows: There are three different types of chat: 1. Public chats at the gaming table, 2. Club chats and 3. Private chats between individual players. We create chat logs for chats of type 1. (public at the gaming table) and type 2. (club chat), but not for type 3. There is also automated recognition of expletives with no. 1 (public chats at the gaming table), which can result in a warning or temporary suspension for the player. The chat logs are automatically deleted within 30 days. The legal basis for processing the chat logs is Article 6(1)(1)(b) of the GDPR. In the event of legitimate interest (e.g. insults or other improper or punishable behaviour), we also store individual chats for longer. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our interest is in protecting our players from insulting and other inappropriate comments.
Messages sent via the "Private chat" function are only visible to the recipient you have selected. Messages sent via the "Club chat" function are only visible to the members of the respective club.
8. Blog comment function
You can make public comments on our blogs. For this we need your name or your freely selectable pseudonym as well as your email address. Optionally, you can enter the URL of your homepage.
Please note that we do not review comments prior to publication. However, we do randomly check comments and delete them if they contain illegal content.
As we may be held liable for unlawful comments, we store your email address and your IP address, the latter being automatically deleted or made anonymous after 30 days. We use these data only to contact you in the event that a third party claims to have had its rights infringed by your comment (e.g. in the case of an insult) and, in such cases, to prevent you from committing similar violations in the future. If necessary, we also use your email address to contact you about the subject of your comment (no advertising). The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. In this way, we want to pursue and prevent the aforementioned infringements.
9. Google Analytics and Firebase
9.1. Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA ("Google"). Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to be able to analyse and improve our website based on your user behaviour. The data resulting in this context can be transmitted by Google to a server in the USA for evaluation and stored there. In the event that personal data are transferred to the USA, Google is contractually committed to us to provide an appropriate level of data protection in accordance with the EU standard contractual clauses. However, your IP address is truncated before the usage statistics are evaluated, so no conclusions can be drawn about your identity. For this purpose, Google Analytics was extended on our website by the code "anonymizeIP" in order to guarantee the anonymised collection of IP addresses.
Google will process the information obtained by the cookies in order to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on the website activities for the website operators and to provide further services associated with the use of the website and the Internet. We use Google Analytics to analyse usage behaviour and for evaluation of the associated data in order to adapt our website accordingly. The legal basis for this data processing is Article 6(1)(1)(f) of the GDPR.
You can configure your browser to reject cookies or you can prevent the collection of data generated by cookies and related to your use of this website (including your IP address) and the processing of these data by Google by downloading and installing the browser add-on provided by Google. As an alternative to the browser add-on or when you access our website from a mobile device, please use the button at the end of this privacy policy (under "Settings"). This will prevent Google Analytics from collecting data on this website in the future (the opt-out only works in this browser). Should you delete your cookies in this browser, you must use this button again.
More information on this can be found in Google's privacy policy.
9.2. Google Analytics for Firebase
We also use the analytics service "Google Analytics for Firebase", which is offered by Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, "Google"). It processes technical usage data (e.g. IP address of your device, installation data such as the app version and time of installation, information on the content and functions you use, information on clicks, duration of use and information on your device such as device model and operating system). The information is collecting in pseudonymous form using so-called identifiers, e.g. in the form of the Apple Advertising ID or the Android Ad ID. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of our websites and apps on our account, compiling statistical reports on general usage patterns for us and providing other services associated with use and internet usage for purposes of market research and tailoring our offerings to meet customer needs. As part of the reports, Google may also provide us with statistical data regarding the age structure of our users and other compiled demographic data. In the event that personal data is transferred to the USA, Google is contractually committed to us to provide an appropriate level of data protection in accordance with the EU standard contractual clauses.
The legal basis for this data processing is Article 6(1)(1)(f) of the GDPR.
You can object to the processing at any time. To do this, use the button at the end of this privacy policy (under "Settings"). This will prevent Google Analytics for Firebase from collecting data on this website in the future (the opt-out only works in this browser). Should you delete your cookies in this browser, you must use this button again.
Further information can be found in Firebase's privacy policy.
10. Use of our Facebook fan pages
10.1. Usage analysis for Page Insights
Every time someone interacts with Spiele-Palast's fan pages, the operator of Facebook – Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook") – uses cookies and similar technologies to record the usage behaviour of visitors to the fan page in order to provide Spiele-Palast with so-called Page Insights. Page Insights contain anonymous statistics that cannot be assigned to any specific user. Spiele-Palast has no access to the individual personal data used by Facebook to create Page Insights ("Page Insights data"). The selection and preparation of the Page Insights data is performed exclusively by Facebook.
The data used by Facebook for Page Insights includes, for example, information about the frequency of visits to the fan pages, activities related to the content we post (such as whether a post is "liked" or a mouse hovered over a page's name or profile picture in order to see a preview of the page content), and whether a computer or mobile device is used to visit the fan page. With the help of Page Insights, Spiele-Palast receives information from Facebook about how its fan pages are used, what interests the users have, and what content is particularly popular. This allows Spiele-Palast to better align its fan page activities with the interests and usage habits of its Facebook audience.
Spiele-Palast and Facebook are joint controllers responsible for the data processing described above in connection with Page Insights. To this end, Spiele-Palast and Facebook have concluded an agreement to determine which party meets which data protection requirements under the GDPR with regard to the processing of Page Insights data. Facebook has summarised the essence of this agreement here.
If a participant has consented to Facebook processing Page Insights data as described above, the legal basis of this is Art. 6(1) Sentence 1(a) of the GDPR. Furthermore, the legal basis is Art. 6(1) Sentence 1(f) of the GDPR, based on Spiele-Palast's legitimate interest, as described above, in the optimisation of its fan page activities.
10.2. Your rights with regard to Page Insights
More information about your rights in connection with Page Insights and how to exercise them is available on Facebook here.
Since Spiele-Palast does not have access to the Page Insights data collected by Facebook, you should contact Facebook directly if you wish to exercise your rights in this regard. You can also contact us to exercise your rights; we will then forward your request to Facebook.
10.3. Further data processing by Facebook
Spiele-Palast has no influence on how Facebook processes data for other purposes and is not responsible for this. Detailed information on further data processing by Facebook can be found in Facebook's Data Policy.
11. Online advertising
11.1. Facebook app events
For marketing purposes, our websites use so-called conversion and retargeting tags (also "Facebook Analytics" or "Facebook App Events") from the social network Facebook, a service offered by Facebook Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA ("Facebook"). We use Facebook Pixel to analyse the general use of our websites and to track the effectiveness of Facebook advertising ("conversion"). In addition, we use the Facebook pixels to show you individualised advertising messages based on your interest in our products ("retargeting"). For this, Facebook processes data that the service collects via cookies and similar technologies on our websites. However, data processing only takes place when the purchase process has begun at Spiele-Palast or a purchase has been completed.
Please note that the data resulting in this context can be transmitted by Facebook to a server in the USA for evaluation and processed there. There is currently no decision by the EU Commission that the US provides an adequate level of data protection. In particular, there is a risk that your data processed by Facebook in the USA may be collected by US security authorities also without a court order or legal protection.
If you are a member of Facebook and Facebook has permitted it via your account's privacy settings, Facebook may also link the information we collect from your visit to us to your member account and use it to target Facebook ads. You can view and change the privacy settings of your Facebook profile at any time. If you are not a member of Facebook, you can stop Facebook from processing your information by clicking the "Facebook" opt-out button on the TRUSTe website mentioned above. You can still prevent data processing by clicking on the button at the end of the privacy policy (under "Settings").
If you disable data processing by Facebook, Facebook will only display general Facebook ads that are not selected based on the information collected about you.
More information on this can be found in Facebook's data policy.
11.2. Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing
Our websites and apps use the conversion tracking and remarketing Google Ads services of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google"). Google Ads is used by us to capture specific customer actions (such as clicking on an advertisement, page views, downloads and purchases) and to analyse them to display individualised advertising messages within the Google advertising network (such as Google Search, Play Store, YouTube, or third-party websites and apps). Google uses cookies and similar technologies for this purpose. The data resulting in this context can be transmitted by Google to a server in the USA for evaluation and stored there. In the event that personal data are transferred to the USA, Google is contractually committed to us to provide an appropriate level of data protection in accordance with the EU standard contractual clauses.
If you use a Google account, Google may – depending on the settings saved in your Google account – link your web and app browser history with your Google account and use information from your Google account in order to personalise advertisements. If you do not wish for this allocation to the Google account, it will be necessary for you to log out before visiting our website at Google. As set out above, you can so configure your browser that it rejects cookies. You can also turn off "ad personalization" on Google's ad settings page. Once you've turned off ad personalization, Google will only display general Google ads that are not selected based on the information collected about you. More information on this can be found in Google's ads and data section and in Google's privacy policy.
12. Recipient of the data
The data collected by us will only be transferred if this is necessary to fulfil the contract or for provision of the technical functionality of the website or if there is another legal basis for transferring the data.
A portion of the data processing can be conducted by our service providers. In addition to the service providers mentioned in this privacy policy, this may include data centres that store our website and databases, IT service providers which maintain our systems and consulting firms. Should we transfer data to service providers, they may use the data solely for the fulfilment of their tasks. We have carefully selected and commissioned the service providers. They are contractually bound by our instructions and have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect the rights of the data subjects.
For the technical provision of our website, online games and backend systems we use server services (e.g. application hosting, database server) from Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg ("AWS"), which processes our data on our account. Data processing by AWS takes place in a computer centre within the EU. In exceptional cases, the parent company of AWS (Amazon Web Services, Inc. 410 Terry Avenue North Seattle WA 98109, USA) may also access the data for maintenance purposes. In the event that data has to be transferred to the USA, Amazon Web Services, Inc. is contractually committed to us to provide an appropriate level of data protection in accordance with the EU standard contractual clauses.
Further information can be found in AWS's data policy.
Since our online games offer a multi-player experience, in some of our online games certain game data (e.g. player name, club, rating, game statistics and, if applicable, profile picture) is published on our website and in our online games for all users in the form of highscore lists, live statistics or in similar form, in order to give them a realistic impression of the game activity and level of play. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
In addition, a transfer may occur in connection with official enquiries, court decisions and legal proceedings if required for legal prosecution or enforcement.
13. Newsletter
You have the opportunity to subscribe to our newsletter, in which we provide you with regular information about innovations to our products and campaigns.
You can subscribe to our newsletter by registering on our website and then confirming your email address in the welcome email. The welcome email will once again make separate reference to the newsletter. However, use of the games offered by Spiele-Palast, does not require confirmation of the email address and therefore registration for the newsletter. You may unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs in accordance with the basic tariffs. An "unsubscribe link" can be found in each newsletter. Notification via the contact data specified above or in the newsletter (e.g. by email or letter) is, of course, also sufficient. The legal basis for the processing is your consent as per Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.
In our newsletters we use commercially available technologies to measure interactions with the newsletters (e.g. opening of the email, clicked links). We use these data in pseudonymous form for general statistical evaluations as well as for the optimising and further development of our content and customer communication. This is done with the help of small graphics embedded in the newsletter (so-called pixels). The data are collected exclusively in pseudonymous form and are not associated in any way to your other personal data. The legal basis for this is our above-mentioned legitimate interest as per Article 6(1)(1)(f) of the GDPR. We want to use our newsletters to share content that is as relevant as possible to our customers and, as a result, to better understand what our readers are actually interested in. Should you not wish your usage behaviour to be analysed, you may unsubscribe from the newsletter or deactivate the graphics in your email program as standard. The data on the interaction with our newsletters are stored pseudonymously for 30 days and subsequently completely anonymised.
14. SendGrid as e-mail service provider
For the services on our website, we use the email delivery service provider "SendGrid" of SendGrid, Inc. (1801 California Street, Suite 500 Denver, Colorado 80202, USA). Two different types of emails are delivered using SendGrid. On the one hand, we use the service to send individual emails within the scope of contract performance (e.g. purchase confirmation, registration emails, password recovery emails). On the other hand, we also use the service to deliver our newsletter. In both cases, SendGrid receives the emails of the recipients from us. In some cases, additional data such as the player's name or chip balance, as far as this is necessary for filling in placeholders in a newsletter. SendGrid acts as an email server and sends the information to the email addresses listed in the registration form. In the event that personal data are transferred to the USA, SendGrid is contractually committed to us to provide an appropriate level of data protection in accordance with the EU standard contractual clauses. The use of the SendGrid delivery service provider is based on our legitimate interests as per Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR on the use of a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users.
More information on this can be found in the data protection policy from SendGrid and especially for the email delivery at https://sendgrid.com/policies/email/.
15. Storage period
In principle, we store personal data for only as long as is necessary to fulfil the contractual or statutory obligations for which we have collected the data. We then delete the data immediately, unless we need the data until the end of the statutory limitation period for purposes of evidence for civil claims or due to statutory retention obligations.
For evidence purposes, we must retain contract data for a further three years beyond the end of the year in which our business relationship with you is terminated. Any claims shall lapse after the statutory period of limitation at the earliest as of this date.
Even after that, we must still store some of your data for accounting reasons. We are obliged to do so on the basis of statutory documentation obligations that may arise from the German Commercial Code, the Fiscal Code of Germany, the German Banking Act, the German Money Laundering Act and the German Securities Trading Act. The periods specified therein for the retention of documents range from two to ten years.
Insofar as personal data is processed on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR, the personal data shall be deleted here at the latest when the legitimate interest in its processing no longer exists or the user requests the deletion of the data.
16. Your rights
You shall have the right to request information about our processing of your personal data at any time. Within the scope of providing information, we will explain the data processing and provide you with an overview of the data we have stored which relates to you. Should the data stored by us be incorrect or no longer up to date, you shall have the right to have these data corrected. You may also request that your data be deleted. If, in exceptional cases, deletion is not possible due to other legal regulations, the data shall be blocked such that they are only available for this statutory purpose. The processing of your data may also be restricted, for example if you believe that the data we have stored are incorrect. You also have the right to data portability, i.e. we will send you, on request, a digital copy of the personal data you have provided to us.
To exercise your rights as described here, you may contact us via the above contact details at any time. This shall also apply if you wish to receive copies of guarantees to prove an adequate level of data protection.
Finally, you shall have the right to complain to our data protection supervisory authority. You may exercise this right before a supervisory authority in the Member State in which you are resident or working, or in the location of the suspected infringement. In Berlin, the location of the registered office Spiele-Palast GmbH, the responsible supervisory authority is: Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Friedrichstr. 219, DE-10969 Berlin.
Right of revocation and objection
You have the right to revoke your consent at any time. The consequence of this is that we shall not continue processing data based on this consent in the future. The revocation of consent shall not affect the legality of the processing carried out on the basis of the consent prior to revocation.
Insofar as we process your data on the basis of legitimate interests, you shall have the right to object to the processing of your data at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation. Should you object to data processing for direct marketing purposes, you have a general right of objection, which we will implement without you giving any reasons. In the event of an objection to an automatic temporary suspension of your player account (see clause 5.3), you have the right to contest the suspension, to inform us of your own position, and to request that one of our employees manually review the suspension (also taking into account your point of view).
Should you wish to utilise your right of revocation or objection, an informal communication to the above-mentioned contact data is sufficient.
You can prompt the deletion of any saved data within any of our games. To do so, log in and, under the button Create Table, click Data Privacy in white font. Select Delete Data in the opened menu and confirm that you want to delete all your data with us. The result of deleting all data is the deletion of your account in the game. Your account will be flagged for deletion across all our games and irrevocably deleted after 14 days. But if you log in with this account during that time, the flag is removed, and your account will not be deleted.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time, for example when we adapt our website or change the statutory requirements.


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Free Stock Photo of Mosque of Muhammad Ali Wallpaper #222 containing islam, muslim, mosque and islamic wallpaper captured by
Islamic Wallpaper.
Available to download for free in 2160x4088 resolution for any purpose like social media post, website or blog.
You may download, modify and use this Photo royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is required under CC-BY 4.0 License.

subset: commoncrawl


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Singoalla dress Beige/white 86/92
Long-sleeved dress with singoalla sleeves in beige and white-striped cotton. A classic favorite in the wardrobe of many Geggamoja customers. The single dress is practical all year round and has a sewn-in body in sizes 50/56 and 62/68.
- 100% GOTS cotton
- Sewn-in body in 50/56 and 62/68
- Big favorite
Lowest price during the previous 30 days before discount: 29,93€
Article no.: 1576222124Material:100% Organic cotton. Gots-certifiedWashing advice:40 degrees, no tumbling -
Delivery & Returns
We strive to send all orders from our warehouse within two business day. Further information regarding delivery time and cost for your specific location is available at the checkout.When your order has been shipped from our warehouse we will send you a delivery confirmation by email with the tracking number. For more delivery questions visit our FAQ
We want you to be satisfied with your product and have the opportunity to look more closely at it. If you would like to return the product, you can read more about our return policy here. -


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Why Schools Need to Change
Today's learners face an uncertain present and a rapidly changing future that demands far different skills and knowledge than we needed in the 20th century.
Designing for Equity
Next gen learning serves equity when it takes a cultural lens, values whole person development, and equips students and educators to address injustice.
New Designs for School
Educators are combining the best of what we know about purposeful, authentic learning with bold ideas about student success to completely reimagine schools.
Building Community
When educators design and create new schools, and live next gen learning themselves, they take the lead in growing next gen learning across the nation.
Reimagining Assessment
Educators are rethinking the purposes, forms, and very nature of assessment, designing assessment for learning as an integral part of the learning process.
Professional Learning
If educators are to enable powerful, authentic learning among their students, they need to live that kind of learning and professional culture themselves.
Technology Tools
Educators often make use of ed tech as they make the shifts in instruction, teacher roles, and learning experiences that next gen learning requires.
Enabling Change
Next gen learning happens when everyone—kids and adults alike—takes charge of their own learning and has the opportunity to do their best possible work.
Competency-based Education
Gaining knowledge & skills, not time spent
Personalized Learning
Education tailored to, with & by each learner
Project-based Learning
Deep & active with real-world connections
Social-Emotional Learning
Educate hearts, inspire minds, navigate the world
Learner Agency
Deep & durable self in charge of own learning
Student Success
Prepared for learning, work & life
Design Thinking
Creative, disciplined, user-centered process
Change Management
Getting from here...to there
Shaping the conditions for next gen learning
School Culture
Beliefs, values, rules, relationships, stories
Applying funds & resources for learning
The personnel behind next gen learning
College & Career
Ties to a learner's next steps after K–12
Tools for Next Gen Learning
Tech & resources used by next gen educators
Facilities & Classroom Design
Physical spaces that advance learning
Curriculum & Instruction
The content & practice of teaching & learning
- All Media
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- All audiences
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Show me all media for all audiences


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Corn Yield Prospects
US - With 2011-12 marketing year-ending stocks of US corn expected to be near pipeline levels, the size of the 2012 crop has substantial price implications, writes Darrel Good.Acreage intentions will be revealed in the USDA's 30 March Prospective Plantings report, but much of the current discussion centers on prospects for the US average corn yield.
Widely differing views of yield prospects for 2012 have emerged. A number of factors may contribute to the diverse views, but four have received a lot of attention. These include (1) the timing of planting, (2) the magnitude and potential change in the trend yield, (3) expected summer weather conditions, and (4) the location and magnitude of acreage changes. A brief discussion of these factors follows, with more detailed analysis to be provided in upcoming posts at farmdocdaily.
The mild winter weather and early spring fieldwork suggests that the 2012 crop will be planted in a very timely fashion. There is a general perception that early planting results in a higher US average yield potential, all other things equal. Agronomic research in the Corn Belt generally reveals a slight yield penalty for extremely early planting (March), a wide planting window for maximum or near maximum yield potential (early to mid-April through early May), and a yield penalty for late planting that increases with the lateness of planting. While there is a clear yield penalty for late planting, there is not a similar yield premium for early planting. The majority of the crop is planted in the optimum window in most years. To have an effect on US average yield potential, a substantially larger or smaller portion of the crop would have to be planted outside the optimum window. For 2012, a smaller than average per centage of the crop planted late might increase yield potential, but that impact would be quite small.
Widely varying opinions about the trend in US average corn yields have emerged in recent years. The long term increase in average yields is associated with the development and adoption of crop production technology and crop management practices. The nature of those developments has varied over time, but there has been a steady flow of yield-enhancing technology and practices. For the most part, variation around the trend yield reflects variation in growing season weather, although events such as pest infestations or early occurrences of freezing temperatures can have a yield effect. Confusion about the yield impact of technology and weather can occur if there is a string of years with very favorable or unfavorable weather. In that case, the impact of weather can mistakenly be attributed to technology and give the impression that the underlying trend yield has changed. That appeared to have happened from 2003 through 2009 when generally favorable weather led some to believe that the underlying trend yield was increasing at a faster rate. The reverse may have occurred recently as poor weather in 2010 and 2011 resulted in low yields following the record yield of 2009. Overall evidence suggests that the trend in US average corn yields has been linear since 1960 (click here for more information).
Opinions about likely summer weather in the Corn Belt center on the ElNino/LaNina Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The Climate Prediction Center forecasts that the winter LaNina is transitioning to neutral conditions. Historically, such a transition has been mostly associated with corn yields near trend value, although deviations in both directions have occurred. Others are suggesting a transition to an ElNino and increased chances of an above trend yield in 2012.
It is generally expected that US corn plantings will increase by 2 to 3 million acres in 2012. It has been argued that the increase will occur in lower yielding areas and therefore prove to be a drag on the US average yield. However, the yield implication of increased acreage is likely to be extremely small. First, some of the increase in corn acreage may occur in the higher yielding areas of the eastern Corn Belt since acreage there in 2011 was below the recent peak of 2007. Second, a 2 to 3 per cent increase in acreage has the potential to only marginally impact the US average yield even if all the increase was in low yielding areas.
While the 2012 yield debate will continue well into the growing season, the most logical expectation is for an average yield near the long term trend. The trend yield for 2012 is just under 160 bushels per acre. The USDA's early forecast for 2012 is for a yield of 164 bushels. With harvested acreage projected at 87 million acres, a 4 to 5 bushel difference in the US average corn yield represents a difference of 350 to 435 million bushels in crop size. Prospects of an average yield near 160 bushels would suggest that new crop corn prices are probably low enough, while prospects for a yield of 164 bushels or higher would likely push prices marginally lower.


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Do you have diabetes? Also suffer from gum disease? There is a growing number of research beginning to link the two. An astounding approximate of nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes. Health complications associated with diabetes are nothing new… but adding gum disease to the ever growing list is. Oklahoma City dentist, Dr. Grace Jun, discusses the relationship between the diseases below.
Diabetes Relationship to Gum Disease
Diabetes causes glucose levels in the blood to elevate. This is due to the body being unable to produce enough or any insulin. When blood sugar is improperly controlled, our bodies can become more susceptible to further complications. One of these complications is now gum disease. When someone has diabetes the immune system is weakened and resistance to infection lowers. The culprit of gum disease is bacteria, plaque and tartar. When the body's resistance to infection is low, it is harder to fight off the bacteria invading our gums. This then creates further susceptibility to gum disease.
Gum Diseases' Relationship to Diabetes
Emerging studies are now displaying the relationship between diabetes and gum disease may be a two way street. Gum disease diagnosis vary on severity. Moderate being gingivitis and advanced being periodontitis. When an infection, such as gum disease, is present in the body, glucose levels tend to rise. When glucose levels are not properly controlled, diabetes may be entering your life.
Diabetes and Oral Health
Diabetes can affect multiple aspects of your mouth. A sign of undetected diabetes is dry mouth. Dry mouth can cause ulcers, infections and tooth decay. Each of these can then lead to further, costly health issues. There are measures one can take to minimize the distress diabetes has on your oral health. The first and perhaps most obvious step, is getting the diabetes under control. Watch blood sugar levels, stop smoking, exercise and eat a proper nutritional diet. Next, practice proper oral care. This includes; brushing and flossing twice daily, bi-annual dental exams and rinsing with an oral mouth rinse.
If you have diabetes it is important to inform your dentist. This also makes it extremely important for you to not miss your six month dental check-ups. Gum disease can start slow and take off. If gingivitis has begun and blood glucose levels are erratic, this could be a recipe for disaster. As with any disease, early detection is key. If you believe you may be at risk for gum disease in OKC, contact Pragma Dental OKC and get your appointment set up right away.


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This is a reprint from WFAE's The Party Line blog:
As the game of gridlock "chicken" in Washington continues to march on, commentators are trying to explain 'how did we get to this point of polarization?"
Recently, long-time DC observer Dan Balz of the Washington
Post offered his explanation
of the roots of the government shutdown as being "deeply embedded divisions in
America's politics."
Among the factors, Balz contends, underlying the division is
the fact that the congressional
parties have separated themselves and increased the level of polarization,
especially in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As one of the leading scholars tracking this trend described
it, the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction was "a highly polarized time,"
but today's levels "are far worse than we observed then." In fact, some of the measures are close to
going off the charts.
Another factor that Balz cites is that the parties have
become much more homogenous, especially due to the realignment of the South
from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party and the demise of the
Northeast and Midwest liberal wing of the Republican Party.
This realignment has sparked questions about how deep it
went in terms of actual voters. Some
scholars contend that it is only the elites of society that are polarized; one
of the leading proponents of this view, Morris
Fiorina, argues
that the sensationalism created by the media over red states versus blue states
is exaggerated.
Instead, he argues that Americans are closely divided, but
not "deeply" divided. Other scholars
contend that Americans are deeply divided, and it's not just the elites but the
masses as well; Alan
Abramowitz contends
that a large segment of the public are deeply divided, but that this
polarization and division "energizes the electorate and stimulates political participation."
One way to measure this possible polarization in the public
is to look at how the public classifies themselves by both political party and
One great wealth of data is from the American National Election Studies,
which has surveyed citizens since the mid-20th Century and allows
scholars and researchers to explore a host of different questions on the
nation's political environment.
One basic way of looking at the political landscape is to
classify the survey's respondents by their self-identified partisan
affiliation, going from "strong Democrats" to "pure independent" to "strong
Republicans." In addition, the surveys
asked respondents to classify themselves into different categories based on
their ideology, from "extremely liberal" to "moderate, middle of the road" to
"extremely conservative."
Going back 40 years to 1972, we find a general mix among
partisans when it comes to their ideology, or "their vision of how they see the
While one can see a concentration of liberals (extremely to
slightly liberal) across the range of politicial party affiliation, conservatives
were present in the Democratic affiliations.
Moderates appear to classify themselves more heavily within the
Democratic ranks, but were distributed even along the independents to strong
Flash forward to 2012, and a different picture emerges of
the country. Now, the ideological partisans
have "sorted" themselves between the two parties, with the range of liberals
camping out within the Democratic Party, while conservatives have fully
migrated into the GOP.
Interestingly, modern-day moderates have adjusted themselves
more into the middle as "pure independents," with an alignment to the
Democratic party over the GOP.
In fact, when you look at just "pure independents" who don't
see themselves aligned to either of the two major parties, you find a pretty
stable distribution in 1972 across the ideological spectrum.
In today's environment, there's an even larger alignment to
the "moderate, middle of the road" among pure independents.
Unfortunately, in 2012, only 14% of the respondents said
they were a pure independent. With 86%
of public aligning themselves with one of the two major parties, and voting at least
85% of the time for their party's candidate, is it any wonder that it's not
just the political elites in government, but the rest of us who can't seem to
understand the other political side?


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Check Swiss Chalet Gift Cards Balance
Saturday, April 9th, 2011Do you have a Swiss Chalet gift card but are unsure of what balance is remaining on the card? If so than you have come to the right spot, in this post we will look at the different ways you can check your gift cards balance. We will also examine some alternative uses for your gift card, for example did you know you can get cash for your unwanted gift cards? You can also purchase gift cards at a discount and save money every time you eat out. Before you decided what to do with your gift card you can check the balance using either of the following methods,
1) Check Swiss Chalet Gift Card Balance Online, Click Here.
2) Check Swiss Chalet Gift Card Balance At Any Swiss Chalet Location.
Swiss Chalet gift cards are part of the BonAppetit gift card network that includes several other Canadian restaurants such as Harvey', Montanas, Kelseys and MileStones. You can use the same online or in store options listed above to check the gift card balance on cards from any of these restaurants. For example you would be able to check the balance on your Swiss Chalet gift card at any Harveys location or vise versa.
Often our gift cards end up sitting around the house for years, so long that we often can not even remember what balance is left on the card. There are now alternative ways to use your gift card, in addition to using your gift card for a meal or two you can now sell Swiss Chalet gift cards and use the money to buy whatever you want. That's right, you can now turn your unwanted gift cards into cash. You can sell your gift cards on Giftah.com, they will give you cash for any of your unwanted gift cards. If you still decide you want to use your gift cards you can also check Giftah.com for discount gift cards to major Canadian restaurants and retailers. Either way Giftah.com will help you put more money back in your pocket.


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Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens
SKU # can.9522B002
Regular price
Incredibly lightweight, the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a fast and versatile lens with advanced AF and superior optics. With a 35mm equivalent focal length of 38mm, it''s appropriate for a variety of purposes. The lens features optimized lens element placement and includes an aspheric element for high image quality from the center of the composition to the corners, and has specialized coatings on the lens elements to reduce ghosting and flare. To ensure excellent color balance, a 7-blade circular aperture provides superb out-of-focus detail.
The EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM excels during movie shooting thanks to its STM motor that enables silent and smooth focus tracking (on EOS cameras with Movie Servo AF), plus a micro-stepping drive that keeps aperture changes quiet.
The lens also offers full-time manual focus, manual AF adjustment (one-shot AF), and can focus down to a minimum distance of 0.5 ft. (0.16m).
Delivering optical brilliance in a lightweight and unobtrusive construction, the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a great fixed-optical length lens for photographers looking to add a travel-friendly option to their collection.
- Wide-angle lens for Canon APS-C cameras (equivalent to 38mm on a full-frame camera) offers an ultra-slim and lightweight design.
- Slimmest and lightest lens of the EF-S series (approx. lens width is 0.9 in, or slightly wider than a U.S. nickel).
- A stepping motor (STM) supports the Canon EOS Movie Servo AF function to provide smooth and quiet continuous AF during video recording, as well as when shooting photos.
- Delivers outstanding image quality and excellent low-light performance.
- Aspheric lens element helps you achieve a high level of image quality from the center to the periphery.
- Optimized lens arrangement and coating helps minimize ghosting and flare.
- Circular aperture (7 blades) delivers beautiful, soft backgrounds.
- Aperture mechanism uses micro-stepping drive control for quieter drive.Full-time manual focus allows manual focus adjustment while in One Shot AF Mode.
- Minimum focusing distance of 0.5 ft./0.16 m; maximum magnification of x0.27.
Focal Length & Maximum Aperture | 24mm 1:2.8 |
Lens Construction | 6 elements in 5 groups |
Diagonal Angle of View | 59°10' |
Focus Adjustment | Full lens extension |
Closest Focusing Distance | 0.52 ft. / 0.16 m |
Filter Size | 52mm |
Max. Diameter x Length, Weight | Approx. 2.7 x 0.9 in. / 68.2 x 22.8 mm Approx. 4.4 oz. / 125 g |


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Looking for IT Support In Wichita? Call Us Now! (316) 788-1372
Attorneys have unique needs for the storage of information while needing to access data on clients and cases from remote locations. That's why cloud computing has become such a popular option for lawyers. However, the value of cloud computing needs to be tempered with concerns about security and privacy.
Below is your 2019 introductory guide to cloud computing for lawyers.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is web-based, off-site storage of software and data, and is often referred to as software as a service (SaaS). It allows for access to files and software applications from most mobile devices if there's an available internet connection.
Among some of the most popular commercial cloud-based storage solutions are Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and iCloud. Some of these services are provided for free and others charge a nominal monthly or annual fee, usually based on the amount of storage required. Housing applications in the cloud usually is best done via a managed IT services provider that can configure and monitor the solution on your behalf.
What Are the Advantages to Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing helps busy attorneys stay connected to information critical to their work. Here's a closer look at some of the core benefits of cloud computing for lawyers:
How Is Information Secured in Cloud Computing?
Keeping information protected is a moral and legal obligation for attorneys. With cloud computing, you have added security functions and peace of mind.
Lawyers are obligated to provide "reasonable care" to prevent unauthorized disclosures or access to information. However, states have different definitions of "reasonable care" but generally include the following:
Cloud security features can ensure that data is encrypted while in transit or at rest, access is limited and suspicious activity is detected, quarantined and addressed before any serious damage occurs. Some law firms need to meet mandated guidelines for work with government agencies like the Department of Defense or the Central Intelligence Agency. In such cases, cloud security solutions are available that address those mandates through threat detection, machine learning and automated monitoring of data and applications.
What Are the Ethical Concerns Regarding Cloud Computing for Lawyers?
U.S. state ethics commissions have ruled that cloud computing is ethical, as long as the "reasonable steps" and conditions are met. According to a recent article by the American Bar Association, the Iowa Committee on Practice Ethics and Guidelines issued suggested questions attorneys should ask themselves and service providers:
Attorneys can gain considerable benefits with a cloud computing solution. Knowing the benefits, security provisions and due diligence to be done will help attorneys make an informed decision that keeps information accessible and safe.


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Speaking at Florida Power and Light's (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, President Barack Obama today announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nation's transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system. The end result will promote energy-saving choices for consumers, increase efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
The $3.4 billion in grant awards are part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and will be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion. Applicants state that the projects will create tens of thousands of jobs, and consumers in 49 states will benefit from these investments in a stronger, more reliable grid.
An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the implementation of smart grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. That would mean a savings of $20.4 billion for businesses and consumers around the country, and $1.6 billion for Florida alone -- or $56 in utility savings for every man, woman and child in Florida.
One-hundred private companies, utilities, manufacturers, cities and other partners received the Smart Grid Investment Grant awards today, including FPL, which will use its $200 million in funding to install over 2.5 million smart meters and other technologies that will cut energy costs for its customers. In the coming days, Cabinet Members and Administration officials will fan out to awardee sites across the country to discuss how this investment will create jobs, improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical grid, and help bring clean energy sources from high-production states to those with less renewable generating capacity. The awards announced today represent the largest group of Recovery Act awards ever made in a single day and the largest batch of Recovery Act clean energy grant awards to-date.
Today's announcement includes:
Empowering Consumers to Save Energy and Cut Utility Bills -- $1 billion. These investments will create the infrastructure and expand access to smart meters and customer systems so that consumers will be able to access dynamic pricing information and have the ability to save money by programming smart appliances and equipment to run when rates are lowest. This will help reduce energy bills for everyone by helping drive down "peak demand" and limiting the need for "stand-by" power plants – the most expensive power generation there is.
Making Electricity Distribution and Transmission More Efficient -- $400 million. The Administration is funding several grid modernization projects across the country that will significantly reduce the amount of power that is wasted from the time it is produced at a power plant to the time it gets to your house. By deploying digital monitoring devices and increasing grid automation, these awards will increase the efficiency, reliability and security of the system, and will help link up renewable energy resources with the electric grid. This will make it easier for a wind farm in Montana to instantaneously pick up the slack when the wind stops blowing in Missouri or a cloud rolls over a solar array in Arizona.
Integrating and Crosscutting Across Different "Smart" Components of a Smart Grid -- $2 billion. Much like electronic banking, the Smart Grid is not the sum total of its components but how those components work together. The Administration is funding a range of projects that will incorporate these various components into one system or cut across various project areas – including smart meters, smart thermostats and appliances, syncrophasors, automated substations, plug in hybrid electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, etc.
Building a Smart Grid Manufacturing Industry -- $25 million. These investments will help expand our manufacturing base of companies that can produce the smart meters, smart appliances, synchrophasors, smart transformers, and other components for smart grid systems in the United States and around the world – representing a significant and growing export opportunity for our country and new jobs for American workers.
The combined effect of the investments announced today, when the projects are fully implemented, will:
-Create tens of thousands of jobs across the country. These jobs include high paying career opportunities for smart meter manufacturing workers; engineering technicians, electricians and equipment installers; IT system designers and cyber security specialists; data entry clerks and database administrators; business and power system analysts; and others.
-Leverage more than $4.7 billion in private investment to match the federal investment.
-Make the grid more reliable, reducing power outages that cost American consumers $150 billion a year -- about $500 for every man, woman and child in the United States.
-Install more than 850 sensors - called 'Phasor Measurement Units' - that will cover 100 percent of the U.S. electric grid and make it possible for grid operators to better monitor grid conditions and prevent minor disturbances in the electrical system from cascading into local or regional power outages or blackouts. This monitoring ability will also help the grid to incorporate large blocks of intermittent renewable energy, like wind and solar power, to take advantage of clean energy resources when they are available and make adjustments when they're not.
-Install more than 200,000 smart transformers that will make it possible for power companies to replace units before they fail thus saving money and reducing power outages.
-Install almost 700 automated substations, representing about 5 percent of the nation's total that will make it possible for power companies to respond faster and more effectively to restore service when bad weather knocks down power lines or causes electricity disruptions.
-Power companies today typically do not know there has been a power outage until a customer calls to report it. With these smart grid devices, power companies will have the tools they need for better outage prevention and faster response to make repairs when outages do occur.
-Empower consumers to cut their electricity bills. The Recovery Act combined with private investment will put us on pace to deploy more than 40 million smart meters in American homes and businesses over the next few years that will help consumers cut their utility bills.
-Install more than 1 million in-home displays, 170,000 smart thermostats, and 175,000 other load control devices to enable consumers to reduce their energy use. Funding will also help expand the market for smart washers, dryers, and dishwashers, so that American consumers can further control their energy use and lower their electricity bills.
-Put us on a path to get 20 percent or more of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Reduce peak electricity demand by more than 1400 MW, which is the equivalent of several larger power plants and can save ratepayers more than $1.5 billion in capital costs and help lower utility bills. Since peak electricity is the most expensive energy – and requires the use of standby power generation plants – the economic and environmental savings for even a small reduction are significant. In fact, some of the power plants for meeting peak demand operate for only a few hundred hours a year, which means the power they generate can be 5-10 times more expensive than the average price per kilowatt hour paid by most consumers.


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Welcome to the Kumoricon Forums! Remember: Have fun! – Forum code of conduct.
Total Members Voted: 214
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
^im sorry if you took what i said offensivly. i should have stated that i ment in or near con space (i.e. 9 feet with in a door to a business i beleve its law.... or i read that somewhere.... ) realy for me its when i step out a door and basicly get hit in the face from someone smokeing right there.
Something I just remembered that annoyed me very much at con this year: When you've done your time, worked your butt off volunteering, gotten your priority seating ticket or volunteer ticket, earned your right to sit in the priority seating row, been shown to your seats even....and then someone comes up (especially someone you know) and questions, to your face, your right to be sitting there, demands to see your tickets, and then takes your volunteer ticket and goes to demand a second opinion from another staff member before believing that you are allowed to sit there. Especially when it happens TWICE. On the same day.
"The Game" and "Marco - Polo". One year I was on the second floor mezzanine at the Hilton and the person next to me, quite literally yelled in my ear at the top of their lungs POLO!
It may not be an annoying thing, but something that does peeve me no end. People NOT ATTENDING GOH PANELS. The one thing that , for me at least, defines a convention, is being able to meet celebrities that I couldn't meet at any other time. So, I go into the panel for Cynthia Martinez (English voice of Lina Inverse from the Slayers movies and Sora Naegino from Kaliedo Star among others), and there are maybe 20 people in a room large enough to hold 200. They didn't even fill the first two rows. I can hear tons of people in the area outside the doors making noise, yelling, screaming, I look outside the door and 90 people are just loitering around talking to one another. WTF! How much did we pay this person to fly out here, provide them an escort, pay for their room, and 20 people show up to see them out of over 1000, that is just wrong. I went to her autograph session later in the day, 150 people easy.
I don't know, maybe I am just showing my age, but people who come to the con and spend the entire day in the gaming room hogging a game that they own at home, or playing an RPG. You payed admission so you could do this?
I feel terribly uncomfortable when a really young female asks if she can hug me. I never know what to do with my hands. I usually try to hold the small of the back in a gentle squeeze, but my arms are long enough to grab my own elbows with each hand and still have this "little kid" not feel any pressure. When you consider that I am probably as old as, or older, than their parents, you wonder if the same kid would ever even THINK about hugging their dad that way. I doubt it.
My daughter was in a mascot costume (Silver the Hedgehog) and had very limited visibility. She was mass glomped to the point of almost falling down, and then actually picked up off the ground. It scared the (bleep) out of her, she couldn't even see who was holding her. My wife was her handler, and they actually pushed her out of the way. Now THAT is rude.
-Rude glompers. Okay, glomping is okay if you ASK for PERMISSION! My sister got punched in the face by a glomper who glomped my boyfriend at this years con. It was a random glomp as well.
Another annoying thing: That Scion ice cream car/van thing... It looked like it was there to abduct children.
Quote from: GregAtlas on November 04, 2011, 05:14:56 amAnother annoying thing: That Scion ice cream car/van thing... It looked like it was there to abduct children.If it's the same one I'm thinking, that one scared the living [censor] out of me. I walked by it and it just gave me a weird vibe... .__.
Another annoying thing at anime conventions: People who think they can deliberately slam into you and then yell at you for "taking up the entire sidewalk" when you're really not, just because you happen to be the only person in your cosplay group that looks like an actual girl (and not boys or boys in drag. my poor little sister).It wasn't a cosplayer that did it, but the also did that to another member of our group when she changed out of her male costume and into a more feminine one later that day. Most non-cosplayers that you encounter are at least polite (when asking why you are dressed up), but some of them are really mean! D:
Sorry for asking, but, could someone please tell me what glomping is? This will be my first time a Kumoricon. XD
Usually, the only issue I personally see at con is hall clogging. People stop to talk and completely block the path for others. I am more leiniante when it comes to pictures just because I know how hard it sometimes is to get to an area where a picture is even possible, and someone not wanting to miss getting a picture of someone they don't know if they will see again.
Personally, I LOVE The Chair, although I only participated with it for one Kumoricon. I'd love to have The Chair come back, but it is quite annoying. One of my best friends at her first anime convention got OBSESSED with The Chair ^_^'
Quote from: CaptnPoptart on May 19, 2012, 08:32:52 pmPersonally, I LOVE The Chair, although I only participated with it for one Kumoricon. I'd love to have The Chair come back, but it is quite annoying. One of my best friends at her first anime convention got OBSESSED with The Chair ^_^'It was really bad with the chair really bad. When you are going threw 1000+ votes and and most of them being chair. D: I know chair is awsume guys but really please vote right and not vote chair.
The Most Annoying thing ever.When people Pull on your tail. (If you're a character with one)I've gone to a lot of event type things where I was dressed as Pikachu and I seriously wanted to Slap everyone that pulled on my tail.It even came out sometimes! T.T
"the game" is sooo annoying!Any time I heard it I responded as loudly as possible "you have won the game, you are free!"