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Home Business Dr. Michael Whitt — 2021 Innovation Award Winner
Dr. Michael Whitt — 2021 Innovation Award Winner
Inside Memphis Business honors the very best in local innovation. Meet one of the four winners this year.
by Jon W. Sparks
This year may not have been the smooth return to normal many expected, but Memphis' penchant for clever thinking and creative problem solving continues unabated. In 2021, for our ninth Innovation Awards running, Inside Memphis Business features prominent individuals and bright thinkers who are showcasing Memphis' evolution through innovation. And like every year, there are always plenty of candidates to choose from, spanning industries ranging from the medical field to logistics.
This year, we recognize Chloe Hakim-Moore's reforms to childcare and early education, Mason George's new technology to ease congested supply chain issues, Dr. Leta Nutt's chemical sterilant meant to cut down on the overwhelming number of stray animals, and Dr. Michael Whitt's crucial contribution to the production of effective Covid-19 vaccines. They're all worthy winners in their own right, and are doing their utmost to move Memphis forward. Today, we introduce you to Dr. Whitt; other winners will be profiled throughout December.
photograph courtesy UTHSC
Dr. Michael Whitt — Professor, UTHSC
Professor Michael Whitt's innovation in virus research from two decades ago has been innovatively adapted to help develop Covid-19 vaccines.
Whitt currently serves as the associate dean of the Office of Medical Education in the school's College of Medicine. But his career at UTHSC began back when he joined the university in 1991 and in the mid-1990s developed a testing protocol that allowed researchers to study highly pathogenic viruses. A key element was that the work could be done in a Biosafety Level-2 environment. The challenge with the current pandemic is that a Biosafety Level-3 laboratory is required to work with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Such labs have much higher safety protocols, and most companies do not have them. But the surrogate system that Whitt developed allows crucial testing that can use the Level-2 standard.
"As long as they have the ability to do cell culture work and have a Biosafety Level-2 facility, any lab around the world can use this and use it safely," he says.
"We can take information from a new virus … and plug it into our system and generate materials that could be used to screen for the presence of neutralizing antibodies, when someone is either infected or after they've been vaccinated." — Dr. Michael Whitt
Developers of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needed a way to test its efficacy, and Whitt's system enabled that. But it's not just Pfizer: "We've gotten a ton of requests," he says, "from not only individual research labs, but companies that also requested material. Some companies also asked if we could make materials for them, so we entered into subcontracts with some of them to make these pseudovirus surrogate virus particles that had the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein." More than 170 companies and universities in more than 30 countries have used these materials during the pandemic.
The system Whitt developed in the 1990s was able to develop ways to infect and kill cancerous cells without harming healthy cells. The current coronavirus required scientists to test the inhibitory effects of the antibodies generated after vaccination on virus infection. "We can take information from a new virus," he says, "and as long as we have the ability to get the molecular clone for the important part, which is the spike protein, we can plug it into our system and generate materials that could be used to screen, for instance, for the presence of neutralizing antibodies, when someone is either infected or after they've been vaccinated."
He says it's adaptable to any new pathogen that might be found and the material can be generated in about three days. It doesn't work for every virus, but it does with those that have a membrane envelope or a lipid bi-layer that surrounds them. That includes influenza, Ebola, and SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
"The surrogate viruses that we use for the Covid analysis or antibody analysis from people infected or vaccinated against Covid, are what we call single cycle vectors," Whitt says. "On the outside of the virus, it looks just like a SARS-CoV-2 or just like Ebola. That virus will bind to cells and enter cells just like those separate viruses. But once inside the cell, they produce a signal — we call it a reporter — that allows us to easily measure whether that cell was infected. Then what is released is a non-infectious particle. So, it's a very different scheme."
UTHSC Innovation Awards Inside Memphis Business December 2021
Jon W. Sparks
Jon W. Sparks is editor of Inside Memphis Business, a senior editor of Memphis magazine and contributes to the Memphis Flyer. He's been covering arts, business, government, and Elvis in Memphis and the Mid-South since 1981 for various publications.
Read more by Jon W. Sparks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Education Jan 11th 2020 - 7am
PRAHS mentorship program postponed
News Feb 7th 2010 - 9am
Elevator employee rescued from silo in Feely
Government and Politics Jan 15th 2020 - 8am
City embarks on Phase 2 of workforce housing plan
Opinion Jan 1st 2020 - 11am
Patriot act: Civil disobedience seeks just laws
Making small changes to create a healthy lifestyle
Wellness 101 emphasizes small steps as keys to success
Written By: Lorie R. Skarpness | Jul 22nd 2019 - 4pm.
Nurse practitioner Cheryl Rising and community ministry and education coordinator Diane Brophy who works with parishoners at St. Peter's in Park Rapids and St. Mary's at Two Inlets shared insights on how good nutrition is a key to disease prevention at a recent "Wellness 101" presentation. Lorie Skarpness/Enterprise.
Many people have made a New Year's resolution to eat healthier, but after a month returned to old habits.
The transitional lifestyle approach emphasizes making changes one small step at a time. This approach makes it is more likely a person will make long-term changes, according to retired nurse practitioner Cheryl Rising who gave a free "Wellness 101" presentation in Park Rapids last week.
Diane Brophy is the community ministry and education coordinator at St. Peter's and St. Mary's at Two Inlets. She attended the presentation to get information to use with parishioners.
"I work with community health through St. Joseph's as well and have been teaching classes to prevent diabetes," she said. "It all starts with food."
Good nutrition key to disease prevention
Rising did her doctoral dissertation on obesity. "Half of the people in our nation are either overweight or obese according to their body mass index," she said. "People who continue to be overweight get heart disease, diabetes, arthritis. The epidemic we have in our nation is our kids. Kids who are overweight and obese often stay that way as adults. These children also have increased psychological problems, anxiety, depression and all the chronic illnesses that go along with obesity, and developing these problems at an earlier age than happened in any previous generation."
Rising shared the story of an employee she worked with who had severe diabetes and an insulin pump. "In just working with changing choices and eating style she was able to cut way back on her insulin with the OK of her doctor," she said.
For diabetics, she said the key is eating "low glycemic."
"You try to eat things that don't have a lot of sugar and that helps stabilize the glucose in your body," she said.
Overcoming obstacles to success
Rising said often when people try weight loss they wonder why it didn't work. "What happens a lot of times is that you go on a diet to lose weight for some special occasion," she said. "All of the programs have positive things, but we need to eat healthy and make the right choices."
"We have to look at our lifestyle as happenings throughout the day," Brophy said.
"Transitional lifestyle is all about taking where we are today and the choices we make. I know I feel better when I stick to healthy proteins, vegetables and fruit and cut down on pasta and bread."
She said it is helpful for people to look at how what they eat affects how they feel. "When you choose foods that don't agree with you, it creates inflammation in your body," she said. "Inflammation can lead to osteoarthritis, lethargy, you name it."
Tips for making healthier choices include picking items with five ingredients or less, reading ingredients and reading labels. "If sugar, fructose, corn syrup are there you've got added sugar," she said. "Then look at the sugar content. Even a protein energy bar that sounds healthy may have 18 grams of sugar. I encourage people to keep sugar below 10 grams. Some yogurts have only 2 grams of sugar while others have as much as 20. So whether yogurt is a healthy choice depends on which one is selected. At the grocery store, the best place to shop is the periphery, because most of the outside rows in the store are not filled with processed foods."
Processed foods may have ingredients that cause hunger to increase.
Rising said some programs specify what to eat but not how to eat and make lifestyle changes, so after a six-month program people go back to eating as they always did.
"The other thing I tell people is not to focus on the scale but how your clothes are fitting," she said. "When we lose fat and gain muscle, the scale may go up some. We're getting healthier, but the scale doesn't measure it so we get discouraged."
Another benefit of weight loss is back health. "For every 10 pounds we take off we take 40 pounds of weight off our backs," Rising said.
Making health a priority
"The main thing is we've gotten so busy, we sometimes forget to make time to be healthy," Rising said. "You need time to prepare food. When you don't have time, it's often fast food or frozen dinners."
Transitional lifestyle is a comprehensive program to implement changes.
"You don't stop eating this way today and eat another way tomorrow," Rising said. "You make a lifestyle change. You gain the confidence to make good choices from day to day."
Both women agree making small changes each day is key.
"It's a whole process of changing how you think about food and retraining your brain," Brophy said.
"You have to think about labels. Some of the best food doesn't have a label, like an apple or an orange. If we consider eating as part of our overall well-being, then we will be more successful. There are additives in processed food that are addictive. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine, and sugar substitutes also have addictive chemicals, including diet soda."
"It is looking at everything in your day and making changes," Rising said. "Sugar is one of the most inflammatory things we put in our bodies. If you're really trying to eat low glycemic and not take that cookie or candy bar or piece of cake, think back to when you ate those things and how you felt."
Rising said avoiding the first bite of a cookie or candy is key. "Once you start you want more," she said. "That's the addiction piece."
Rising said in her previous workplace she learned to avoid the break room on Wednesdays, when big boxes of caramel rolls and doughnuts were brought in.
Brophy said the SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Partnership) grant she works with emphasizes changing cultures. "We work really hard with businesses."
She said in Hubbard county, worksite wellness was one of the initiatives. "We worked with seven businessses on changing the work environment, so people don't bring in those doughnuts," she said. "We explain how that decreases productivity and increases the risk of chronic diseases, along with how to add activity to the work day and help people stop smoking, support breast feeding, decrease stress. We look at sustainability, so it's not just a program, it's a way of thinking. It's policies, systems and environments."
"Stress eating is huge," Rising said.
"That's when cravings kick in and if you have the food around, that's what you'll grab," Brophy said. "If you have all the ingredients for a salad at work, then you'll have a healthy option."
Rising suggested bringing baggies to work with snacks such as cut up carrots or celery or almonds. "Then go for those instead of going for the cookie," she said.
Instead of buying flavored water, Brophy suggested infusing water with lemons, oranges or cucumbers. "They are natural and you avoid adding more plastic bottles to the environment," she said.
Dealing with constant stress so it doesn't lead to comfort eating is also a key.
Rising said a low glycemic diet leads to faster fat burning. Combined with exercise "we end up losing inches," she said.
"If we can get people on a healthier track, that will bring down healthcare costs," Brophy said. "A lot of these diseases are preventable. If we can get people back into gardening that helps too."
"If a person can focus on making lifestyle choices for six months or longer you can develop habits that will last."
Food choices are key to maintaining good health. For diabetes, low-glycemic eating is especially important.Lorie Skarpness/Enterprise
New Articles Dec 28th 2019 - 5am
Ring in the new year with festive appetizers
Frosted trees brighten gray day
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text:
<?php

namespace PHPUnit\DbUnit\Constraint;

use PHPUnit\DbUnit\DataSet\IDataSet;
use PHPUnit\DbUnit\InvalidArgumentException;
use PHPUnit\Framework\Constraint\Constraint;

/**
 * Asserts whether or not two dbunit datasets are equal.
 */
class DataSetIsEqual extends Constraint
{
    /**
     * @var IDataSet
     */
    protected $value;

    /**
     * @var string
     */
    protected $failure_reason;

    /**
     * Creates a new constraint.
     *
     * @param IDataSet $value
     */
    public function __construct(IDataSet $value)
    {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->value = $value;
    }

    /**
     * Evaluates the constraint for parameter $other. Returns TRUE if the
     * constraint is met, FALSE otherwise.
     *
     * This method can be overridden to implement the evaluation algorithm.
     *
     * @param mixed $other Value or object to evaluate.
     *
     * @return bool
     */
    protected function matches($other)
    {
        if (!$other instanceof IDataSet) {
            throw new InvalidArgumentException(
                'PHPUnit_Extensions_Database_DataSet_IDataSet expected'
            );
        }

        return $this->value->matches($other);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the description of the failure
     *
     * The beginning of failure messages is "Failed asserting that" in most
     * cases. This method should return the second part of that sentence.
     *
     * @param mixed $other Evaluated value or object.
     *
     * @return string
     */
    protected function failureDescription($other)
    {
        return $other->__toString() . ' ' . $this->toString();
    }

    /**
     * Returns a string representation of the constraint.
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function toString()
    {
        return sprintf(
            'is equal to expected %s', $this->value->__toString()
        );
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Coolest Cooler is a multi-function cooler created by Ryan Grepper. It includes an ice-crushing blender, a Bluetooth water-resistant speaker, a USB charging port, LED lamps, a bottle opener with magnetic cap catch, plates, knife, corkscrew and a removable divider that can also be used as a cutting board.
Use this offer at Coolest.com and get free shipping on all US orders.


text:
How Did The Swedish 'Snus' Become Such A Worldwide Sensation?
Russell Campbell 2 years ago
As more and more people stray away from cigarettes, alternatives to the traditional method of smoking are becoming increasingly popular. One alternative that has been proven to be less harmful than cigarette smoking is Swedish snus.
Snus is a common alternative for those looking to quit smoking. As a substitute, nicotine pouches help satisfy the desire of smoking while containing far fewer risks than a cigarette. The popularity of snus and other alternatives continue to grow rapidly worldwide while cigarette smoking quickly is becoming phased out.
IMAGE: PEXELS
What Is 'Snus'?
Snus is a smokeless tobacco product made of moist, ground powder. Usually, snus is placed behind the upper lip for 20 minutes to an hour as the dissolved tobacco is absorbed into the bloodstream. Unlike American dipping tobacco, snus does not typically require spitting. Dipping tobacco also undergoes fermentation when it is processed, while snus tobacco is pasteurized.
Snus most commonly is placed into teabag-style sachets, though it can be consumed as loose tobacco. It is important to differentiate Swedish snus from non-Swedish snus as non-Swedish manufactured snus typically contains more chemical additives.
Origins Of 'Snus'
Snus originated in Sweden from a variant of dry snuff (pulverized tobacco) early in the 18th century. Snuff previously gained popularity through France in the 16th century after French diplomat Jean Nicot recommended it to Catherine de' Medici as a migraine remedy. At this time, there was a trend of using snuff through the nose.
Shortly thereafter, snuff became more socially acceptable than other forms of tobacco and was considered a fashion among the court and France's upper-class citizens. By the 18th century, moist snuff began to be produced in Sweden. It later would become known as "snus."
Types Of 'Snus'
There are a number of different types of snus, including:
Loose – Loose snus is a moist powder made of tobacco, salt, water, and taste. It can be packed using one's fingertips and usually is pinched and tucked under the upper lip. Loose snus comes in various coarseness and is the oldest type of snus.
Portion – Portion snus is packaged moist powder in small teabag-like sachets that are white with dark tobacco, and in all white. Original portions are the traditional form and are moisturized during the manufacturing process, resulting in a brown, moist pouch.
White portion snus is not moisturized during the manufacturing process. It is a white, dry pouch with snus that is milder and slower delivering of flavor and nicotine than original portions. All white snus does not contain tobacco flavor and will not make unwanted colors on teeth. Snus comes in several formats such as large, slim, super slim, and mini. Snus also comes in four levels of strength, with Level 1 being normal and Level 4 known as "ultra-strong."
Why Is Swedish 'Snus' Exploding In Popularity?
Many cigarette smokers have struggled to kick their habit due to the lack of a safer alternative. But in recent years, Swedish snus along with other alternatives such as vaping and e-smoking have helped smokers kick cigarettes to the curb. While snus is not a risk-free product as it contains nicotine and is highly addictive, there are fewer health risks with snus than there are with cigarettes.
It is encouraged to stay away from tobacco products entirely, but snus presents an attractive option for cigarette smokers who have struggled to quit cold turkey. By introducing snus as an alternative, they are put on the right track to better health.
The Future Of 'Snus'
The more we learn about snus and its effects, the more it is becoming a solid alternative to cigarettes and other smokeless tobacco products. The global snus market size was valued at USD 2.41 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2020 to 2027, according to Grand View Research. Currently, it is the most popular form of tobacco in Norway and is available in Switzerland.
Snus growth will be expedited by its eventual expansion throughout Europe. As of 2021, the sale of snus is illegal in all the European Union countries except for Sweden, Estonia, Hungary, and Denmark.
In the United States, snus is commonly manufactured with significant amounts of sweeteners and therefore is not pure tobacco like Swedish snus. And in Canada, the sale of snus is discouraged through high taxes on snus products. Cigarette companies are investing in snus as smokers shift to smokeless tobacco use.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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Shopping on Amazon this month? Help Ghostlight in the process.
Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/81-3409965 between now and March 31, and Amazon will donate a portion of your sale to Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre Company. And if it's your first AmazonSmile purchase, Amazon is tripling it's usual donation amount to 1.5 percent of your total purchase price.
Best of all, there is no added cost to you.


Activities highlighted in RED are located at the Outdoor Stage.
Activities highlighted in BLUE are located inside the Marcy Scott Media Center.
FREE for Veterans and $55.00 for Non-Veterans. Hands-on workshop, which includes a t-shirt and lunch. Hosted and Organized by Tiny House Nation's Zack Giffin and Operation Tiny House, and in partnership with Milwaukee Tools, Mustard Seed Tiny Homes, and Vintage Lumber Sales. Registration is available on-line by CLICKING HERE.
9:00AM-2:00PM: FREE Field Trip Day for Public, Private and Homeschool Students (Ages 5-18). This is for pre-registered schools and students ONLY, and is NOT open to the general public.
9:15AM: Outdoor Stage – Opening Comments and Announcements.
12:00PM: Composting Toilet Workshop – Presented by Nature's Earthly Way at the Nature's Earthly Way booth area.
12:00PM: Alternative Energy Battery Storage Workshop – Presented by Trojan Battery at the Trojan Battery booth area.
Children's activities, food concession sales, showings of Tiny House Expedition's documentary "Living Tiny Legally", and all the tiny homes will be available throughout the day*. Additionally, children's author Susan Schaefer Bernardo 7 Courtenay Fletcher will be reading their book, "The Big Adventures of Tiny House".
5:15PM: Outdoor Stage – Tiny House Awards Presentations, Prize Give-Aways, and Closing Statements.
Children's activities, food concession sales, showings of Tiny House Expedition's documentary "Living Tiny Legally", and all the tiny homes will be available throughout the day*. Additionally, children's author Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Courtenay Fletcher will be reading their book, "The Big Adventures of Tiny House".


text:
Our team at HERA is growing!
Articles for Kim Nugent
Our team at HERA is…
We're pleased to announce that we've had two new team members join HERA this month – Innovation Centre Manager, Greg Buckley, and Research Engineer, Hafez Taheri.
They both bring a unique set of skills and diverse thinking to our HERA team fabric, and we're excited to see the positive contributions that they'll bring to our members and our own team dynamics!
We see both Greg and Hafez being an important part of our new vision to secure tomorrows industry by innovating today, and mission to build a passionate tribe of metal heads who innovate successfully.
Innovation Centre Manager, Greg Buckley
Last year saw our Industry Development division pivot in it's focus. Moving away from it's traditional R&D projects towards driving an innovation mindset in our industry for future sustainability.
This led to the development of our signature leadership program Innovation READY, SET, GO, as well as innovation cluster interest groups and the concept of building both a digital and physical innovation hub.
With the resignation of Boaz Habib earlier this year, it presented an opportune time for the Industry Development division to pivot even further – restructuring to better suit and support the works it was now delivering.
Greg has come on board to drive that initiative – which is the growth of a purpose built Innovation Centre. We want to drive thinking, inspire adoption of new technologies and provide access to members to explore the possibilities available to our industry in the future. We want our members to prepared for the disruptions that are ahead.
Innovation Centre Manager, Greg Buckley.
Greg brings excellent communications skills to the table, and as a self- confessed futurist and people optimiser, brings over 10 years' experience working in innovation, new media technologies, education and digital storytelling.
"I know I can offer an experienced and well- informed innovation perspective."
"With more and more noise to cut through, innovation frameworks that leverage the diversity and human potential already present in organisations will be key to establishing financial sustainability now and into the future."
Greg's background is in various business development roles with MIT and other businesses, including Vitality Works and his own communications-related ones. He's also had exposure to digital optimisation principles and AR/VR development which will prove valuable when it comes to developing out our own technical capabilities inhouse.
Research Engineer, Hafez Taheri
Hafez is a Structural Engineer with almost 6 years' research experience in assessment and evaluation of structural components, structural systems and welds. He's also no stranger to HERA!
Working with us since 2016 as a HERA Foundation PhD Scholarship Recipient at the University of Auckland where he was focused on investigating the potential solutions to address deficiencies in both stainless and normal carbon steel welded moment connections in seismic regions. Conducting experimental tests and finite element analysis to delve into this, as well as exploring research in weld sizing for structural steel connections, fatigue analysis in welded connections and structural design and analysis.
"It's great to be able to apply my knowledge for industrial problem identification to propose scientific approaches to solve them."
"I'm honoured to work at HERA, and work alongside our strong and reputable research team. It's a great platform to learn and develop my skills."
Research Engineer, HERA Foundation Post-Graduate Scholarship Recipient & PhD Research Fellow, Hafez Taheri.
Hafez will be working across both our welding and structural technical teams, and reports into our General Manager Welding Centre, Michail Karpenko.
Connect with our new team members!
Greg has certainly hit the ground running, and is currently on a mission to develop out an HR community dubbed 'Kotahitanga' – meaning unity, togetherness, solidarity, or collective action.
It's in direct response to industry wide concerns around the growing skills gap and ability to attract and retain good staff. Kotahitanga will be designed to foster collaboration and co-creation of metals industry specific initiatives to address this challenge, so if you want to ensure your organisation is prepared for the #futureofwork – then joining 'Kotahitanga' is a must!
If you want more details, get in touch with Greg at [email protected].
Hafez is working on a number of research projects – and continues to oversee the seismic research at the University of Auckland, if you'd like to know more, you can email him on [email protected].
Kim Nugent
General Manager Comms 4.0


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Posted inFeatures
What you need to know about Charleston's $2 billion storm surge project
by Samantha Connors January 20, 2021 January 21, 2021
Ruta Smith file photo
What's in a Wall?
Rising seas, strengthening storms and eye-popping real estate growth have forced Charleston to consider extreme steps to protect its downtown peninsula, the engine of the state's relentless tourism industry.
To do nothing is a nonstarter, and would risk billions of dollars in storm damage and gamble the city's priceless cultural history.
But, a leading alternative poses many of the same risks: Forking over billions of dollars, all with an unknown impact on the city's landmark coastlines.
By the end of March, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is set to deliver an updated $1.75 billion plan to protect the Charleston peninsula from storm surge for 50 years using an 8-mile sea wall. It's a drastic measure that even some critics admit is needed in some form. Others believe it could do more harm than good.
One thing is for sure: Bigger, more frequent storms won't stop, regardless of whether there's a wall in Charleston to meet them.
Naturally Wet
Perimeter defense proposals for the peninsula figure prominently in the findings that came from a series of meetings and workshops in 2019 called Dutch Dialogues. The resulting study, endorsed by Charleston City Council in early 2020, depicts a system of measures designed to help drain water quickly to minimize negative human impacts in all parts of town, from the Eastside and hospital district to rural Johns Island.
Courtesy Charleston Civic Design Center
Proposed changes to the Low Battery sea wall have been part of the city's response to sea level rise
"The final report urges local governments, businesses, developers and residents to make a coordinated effort to work with water instead of against it," City Paper reporter Heath Ellison wrote in October 2019.
A holistic approach to managing water, according to the report, would require a layered system to harness natural topography, store surface water runoff and reengineer critical low-lying infrastructure to minimize problem areas.
Mentions of rigid flood-prevention measures in the Dutch Dialogues report are paired with suggestions to find multiple uses for new man-made water-control features — not-so-subtle reminders of nature's humbling inevitability.
"Land that was once naturally wet, will be again," the 252-page report states, at one point.
Studying Feasibility
City of Charleston and Army Corps officials are upfront that a potential sea wall would primarily be aimed at mitigating damage from storm surge downtown, not preventing nuisance flooding.
Wilbert | Provided
But, that's not to say there won't be any secondary, everyday benefits.
"You can't put a wall up around a city to keep water out, if you get 3, 4, 5, 6 feet of sea level rise, and say that it's not going to be helpful," said Mark Wilbert, the city's chief resilience officer.
Currently, the Corps is working through a three-year, $3 million feasibility study that began in 2018 to find out exactly what it would take to protect a city like Charleston from flooding events. It all comes down to money — potential damages must exceed the cost of a project to prevent them. The Corps' draft analysis estimates its $1.75 billion sea wall system could prevent $4.7 billion in damage over the estimated 50-year lifespan of the project.
Federal funds could cover up to 65% of the cost, leaving the city on the hook for the balance — more than $612 million. Local funding sources have not yet been determined.
By the end of March, the Corps is also slated to present new findings and account for potential negative impact of added infrastructure downtown on surrounding communities.
"Right now we're working on the optimization … refining our tentatively selected plan," said Wes Wilson, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Reducing the uncertainty and risk and doing our due diligence on our analysis on that tentatively selected plan."
Wilson | Provided
The current proposed barrier is intended to protect downtown from a storm surge of up to 12 feet. Storm surge refers to water driven onshore above natural water levels by powerful storms. That flooding can be compounded if a storm rolls in during high tide, which can drive sea level increases of more than 7 feet on its own.
(The draft plan does not call for a 12-foot wall in all locations, according to the Corps. Some higher-elevation areas might only need shorter barriers to prevent local flooding.)
Army Corps modeling shows a 12-foot wall would protect from the 9.39-foot storm surge downtown experienced during Hurricane Hugo in 1988 and Hurricane Matthew, which pushed 6.15 feet of water onshore in 2016.
The 8-mile protection barrier would be built in three phases around the peninsula, from northern Morrison Drive to Wagener Terrace. Outlying communities like Bridgeview Village and Rosemont would get help from "non-structural measures," according to the Corps. Raising homes when possible in those communities and floodproofing vulnerable structures that can't be raised are all in the cards.
A breakwater proposed to sit just offshore has been deemed unfeasible and will be eliminated from the Corps' plans going forward, according to Wilson.
Early-stage renderings that depict utilitarian, military-grade perimeter protection will likely change with local input as the process moves into its engineering and design phase in the coming months.
Still, some are skeptical that the proposed plan could deliver on the promise of helping stop flooding catastrophes without significant trade-offs.
Have a Say
To civil and environmental engineer Joshua Robinson, there are unanswered questions about the Army Corps' proposal, but the community needs to weigh in on fundamental questions before moving on to specifics.
"I think the biggest, the most important issue for Charleston, at this stage, isn't so much about what it's going to look like, or specifically where it's located," Robinson said. "I think the bigger question, and the fundamental question is, what's it going to do?"
Robinson | Provided
During the Corps' spring 2020 public comment period, Robinson's firm used downtime during the pandemic to assemble its own report critical of the agency's draft study, pointing to data that showed the wall could very well be too short in a major storm. In a Post and Courier op-ed, Robinson said the wall plan was a wrongheaded response to the Dutch Dialogues.
"Where we have the capacity to work with nature on the peninsula, we must," he wrote.
Graphic courtesy Waggonner & Ball, City of Charleston
Options for Battery storm surge measures
Since then, a separate analysis of the Corps' plan drafted by the engineering firm Waggonner & Ball also shows an 11.8% risk that a storm would come close to overtopping a 12-foot wall by 2040 — within a decade of its completion. That risk increases each decade, up to 37.1% by 2080, the end of the proposed project's lifespan. (Robinson's firm assisted on the Waggoner and Ball analysis.)
For the past decade, residents downtown have wrestled with how to deal with sea level rise and increasing nuisance flooding. Winslow Hastie, the leader of the Historic Charleston Foundation, said the impacts of the changing climate make a perimeter protection plan "non-negotiable."
His group helped fund and organize the Dutch Dialogues and the most recent Waggonner & Ball study, and Hastie said it's imperative that local groups push the sea wall plan to be as effective as possible.
"The Army Corps, let's be honest, is not really well known for designing beautiful things that people like to hang around," Hastie said. "It's utilitarian. They're really looking at this from a cost-benefit ratio and risk reduction."
Once the project does enter the design phase, Hastie believes Waggonner & Ball's analysis will give the city the flexibility it needs to go back to the Corps with changes and end up with a favorable outcome.
"My advice is simply to stay engaged because it is a big deal," Robinson said. "It's a big deal financially, it's a big deal in terms of the future of the city."
"It doesn't have to be a take it or leave it sort of proposal," he said. "But it's a partnership between the city and the federal government. And so that means we have a say in making edits and changes based on what serves our community."
Brack: Want to make a difference? Get involved January 15, 2022
Jan. 14 COVID-19 update: 15,409 confirmed cases, 28 deaths; 31.8% positive January 14, 2022
Will Charleston get any snow this weekend? Experts weigh in January 14, 2022
Friday headlines: Expect wintry weekend weather across state January 14, 2022
MLK Day tradition cleans graves of Charleston judge and activist January 14, 2022
Will Charleston get any snow this weekend? Experts weigh in
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Henry Cavill And Zachary Levi On Who Would Win In A Fight Between Superman And Shazam!
Posted August 5th, 2018 by Jax Motes
Who would win in a fight between Superman and Shazam? That question has plagued comic book readers for decades and it's a clash that has been revisited several times, starting in a 1978 'All New Collector's Edition' oversized tabloid to 'Kingdom Come' to the New 52. It was even adapted into an animated short film in 2016. Now, with 'Shazam!' soaring onto the big screen, the question is likely to divide an even larger audience.
Do the stars of the DC movies know how such a clash could go down on the big screen? They offered some insight.
While appearing at San Diego Comic-Con, Zachary Levi, who plays Shazam, Billy Batson's adult alter ego, was obviously biased. Flanked by young co-stars Asher Angel (who plays Billy) and Jack Dylan Grazer (best friend Freddy Freeman), Levi stated:
"Shazam is magic, so I think we're team Shazam."
Indeed, if you go by the rules laid down in the comics, Superman is susceptible to magic, as expressed separately by Henry Cavill, the big screen Man of Steel. "Shazam's got magic, which is allegedly — comic book lore-wise — Superman's weakness, or he's at least more vulnerable to it than other things."
However, unlike bloodthirsty comic book fans, Cavill took a "can't we all just get along" stance.
"Superman isn't going to just be beating up Shazam. He's not. And Shazam is basically just a big kid. So he's not going to be beating up Superman. He's a huge fan of Superman, for one. But Supes is seriously quick. I think it's whoever gets the jump on the other. It's situational."
But Cavill takes into account that a third wild card could trump them both– Batman. Although logically speaking, Superman could wipe Batman out from miles away with a blast of heat vision, Cavill admits that under the right conditions, Batman could sneak his way to victory.
"Well, if it's three guys fighting, Batman has a chance. Because Shazam and Superman are going to focus on each other. And that's when Batman gets all his sneaky stuff in."
Sure Batman could whip out some Kryptonite to take down Superman, but what could he do to stop Shazam who doesn't really have a simple weakness? Distract him with a new PlayStation? But if he were to get the upper hand on Shazam, unfortunately, Billy Batson's mother was named Marilyn, so he doesn't hold the key to Batman's greatest weakness.
Unfortunately, we may not find out the answer anytime soon. As it stands, Ben Affleck's Batman isn't slated to appear in another movie, as Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' will utilize a younger actor and may not even take place in the DC shared universe. The same goes for Cavill's Superman as there has been no word on a 'Man of Steel 2' in ages and 'Justice League 2' was derailed when the first tanked. But at least one of these heroes will be lighting up the big screen soon…
'Shazam!' opens in theaters on April 5, 2019.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
Asher Angel
Billy Batson
Jack Dylan Grazer
Jax Motes
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
Patrick Stewart To Reprise 'Star Trek' Role For New CBS All Access Series
Sorry 'Men In Black' Fans, The First Movie Wasn't Possible According To Neil deGrasse Tyson
New Look For The T-800 In 'Terminator Genisys'
New 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Synopsis Reveals New Story Details
Stop A Bullet… Or Barb Cold: Lynda Carter Shuts Down James Cameron's Continued Anti-'Wonder Woman' Jabs
'The Defenders' Return To Marvel In "The Best Defense"


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Major Indices Hit New Records as U.S. and China Reach Phase One Trade Deal
It was another record-setting week in which the U.S. and China reached a Phase One trade deal that helped avoid the Dec. 15 tariffs. The S&P 500 (+0.7%), Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.4%), and Nasdaq Composite (+0.9%) set new intraday highs. The Russell 2000 increased 0.3%.
Nine of the 11 S&P 500 sectors finished higher, with the information technology sector (+2.0%) outperforming by a wide margin amid strength in the semiconductor space. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 4.2%. The real estate sector (-2.6%) greatly underperformed, and the communication services sector (-0.7%) finished modestly lower.
These results were mostly solidified before the trade announcement on Friday, which was largely expected given the gains posted beforehand and the muted reaction after the official decision. Specifically, the USTR confirmed that the tariff rate on $250 billion of Chinese imports will remain at 25%, the tariff rate on $120 billion of Chinese imports will be cut to 7.5% from 15%, and China will commit to purchase additional U.S. farm goods.
Agricultural purchases will reportedly be between $40-50 billion over a two-year period. President Trump added that Phase Two discussions will begin immediately, which should focus on issues pertaining to forced technology transfers and IP rights, according to NEC Director Kudlow.
Trade dominated the headlines and dictated price action, but this week also included FOMC and ECB policy decisions, a UK election, government deals, and the Retail Sales Report and Consumer Price Index for November:
Both central banks left rates unchanged, with the Fed signaling no rate hike in 2020.
The Conservative Party won in a landslide, setting up a Brexit by Jan. 31.
A USMCA deal was reached and a bipartisan budget deal was reportedly reached, as well.
Retail sales and consumer prices for November increased less than expected.
U.S. Treasuries had another week of wild swings but ultimately finished near their unchanged marks from last week. Both the 2-yr yield and 10-yr yield declined one basis point each to 1.60% and 1.82%, respectively. The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.5% to 97.19. WTI crude rose 2.8% (+$1.66) to $60.11/bbl.
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Q: how to use scrapy with the crawler template and scrapy-splash to parse javascript i am trying to scrape amazon's products using scrapy with the crawl template, but i found the amazon use some javascript to get some block of the product details, so i decide to use splash to render javascript, it works fine in the shell command, but i can't figure out how to implement it in my code.
import scrapy
from scrapy.linkextractors import LinkExtractor
from scrapy.spiders import CrawlSpider, Rule

class AmazonCrawlerSpider(CrawlSpider):
    name = 'amazon_Crawler'
    allowed_domains = ['amazon.com']
    start_urls = ['https://www.amazon.com/s?i=specialty-aps&bbn=16225009011&rh=n%3A%2116225009011%2Cn%3A502394&ref=nav_em__nav_desktop_sa_intl_camera_and_photo_0_2_5_3']

    len_product_details = LinkExtractor(restrict_css='h2 > a')
    product_details = Rule(len_product_details,
                           callback='parse_item', follow=False)

    len_products_pagination = LinkExtractor(
        restrict_xpaths='//*[@id="search"]/div[1]/div[1]/div/span[3]/div[2]/div[37]/div/div/span/a[3]')
    products_pagination = Rule(len_products_pagination, follow=True)
    rules = (
        product_details, products_pagination
    )

    def parse_item(self, response):

        data = {

            "categorie_0": response.xpath('//*[@id="wayfinding-breadcrumbs_feature_div"]/ul/li[1]/span/a/text()').get(),
            "categorie_1": response.xpath('//*[@id="wayfinding-breadcrumbs_feature_div"]/ul/li[3]/span/a/text()').get(),
            "title": response.css('h1 > span ::text').get(),
            "price": response.xpath('//div[@id="corePrice_feature_div"]/div/span/span[1]//text()').get(),
            "amazon_globale_shiping": response.xpath('//*[@id="a-popover-content-2"]/table/tbody/tr[2]/td[3]/span/text()').get(),
            "estimated_import_fees_deposit": response.xpath('//*[@id="a-popover-content-2"]/table/tbody/tr[3]/td[3]/span/text()').get(),
            "total": response.xpath('//*[@id="a-popover-content-2"]/table/tbody/tr[5]/td[3]/span/text()').get(),
            "delevery_period": response.xpath('//*[@id="mir-layout-DELIVERY_BLOCK-slot-PRIMARY_DELIVERY_MESSAGE_LARGE"]/span/span/text()').get(),
            "delevery_destination": response.xpath('//*[@id="contextualIngressPtLabel_deliveryShortLine"]/span[2]/text()').get(),
            "in_stock": response.xpath('//*[@id="availability"]/span/text()').get(),
            "quantity": "not_exist",
            "ship_from": response.xpath('//*[@id="tabular-buybox"]/div[1]/div[2]/div/span/text()').get(),
            "sold_by": {
                "name": response.xpath('//*[@id="sellerProfileTriggerId"]/text()').get(),
                'store_url': response.xpath('//*[@id="sellerProfileTriggerId"]/@href').get(),
                'packaging': response.xpath('//*[@id="tabular-buybox"]/div[1]/div[6]/div/span/text()').get()
            },
            "description": response.xpath('//*[@id="productDescription"]/p/text()').get(),
            # "brand": response.xpath('//*[@id="productOverview_feature_div"]/div/table/tbody/tr[1]/td[2]/span/text()').get(),
            "is_returned": response.xpath('//*[@id="productSupportAndReturnPolicy-return-policy-popover-celWidget"]/div/div[1]/text()').get(),
            "extra_info": [],
            "details": [],
            "about_this_item": [],
            "note": response.xpath('//*[@id="universal-product-alert"]/div/span[2]/text()').get(),
            "Q_AW": [],
            "Customer_reviews": {
                "customer_rate": response.xpath('//*[@id="reviewsMedley"]/div/div[1]/div[2]/div[1]/div/div[2]/div/span/span/text()').get(),
                "total_rate": response.xpath('//*[@id="reviewsMedley"]/div/div[1]/div[2]/div[2]/span/text()').get(),
                "global_rate": {
                    "1_star": response.xpath('//*[@id="histogramTable"]/tbody/tr[5]/td[3]/span[2]/a/text()').get(),
                    "2_star": response.xpath('//*[@id="histogramTable"]/tbody/tr[4]/td[3]/span[2]/a/text()').get(),
                    "3_star": response.xpath('//*[@id="histogramTable"]/tbody/tr[3]/td[3]/span[2]/a/text()').get(),
                    "4_star": response.xpath('//*[@id="histogramTable"]/tbody/tr[2]/td[3]/span[2]/a/text()').get(),
                    "5_star": response.xpath('//*[@id="histogramTable"]/tbody/tr[1]/td[3]/span[2]/a/text()').get(),
                },
                "rate_by_feature": [],
                "product_reviews": []

            },
            "url": response.url

        }
        for reveiw in response.xpath('//*[@id="cm-cr-dp-review-list"]/div'):
            data["Customer_reviews"]["product_reviews"].append(
                {
                    "rate": reveiw.xpath('/div/div/div[2]/a/i/span/text()').get(),
                    "feature": reveiw.xpath('div/div/div[2]/a[2]/span/text()').get(),
                    "date_from": reveiw.xpath('div/div/span/text()').get(),
                    "verified": reveiw.xpath('div/div/div[3]/span[2]/text()').get(),
                    "review": reveiw.xpath('div/div/div[4]/span/div/div[1]/span/text()').get(),
                    'view_reaction': reveiw.xpath('div/div/div[5]/span[1]/div[1]/span/text()').get()
                }
            )

        for cr_rf in response.xpath('//*[@id="cr-summarization-attributes-list"]/div'):
            data["Customer_reviews"]["rate_by_feature"].append(
                {
                    "key": cr_rf.xpath('div/div/div/div/span/text()').get(),
                    "value": response.xpath('div/div/div[2]/span[2]/text()').get()
                }
            )

        for Q_AW in response.xpath('//*[@id="ask-btf-container"]/div/div/div[2]/span/div/div'):
            data["Q_AW"].append(
                {
                    "Question": Q_AW.xpath('div/div[2]/div/div/div[2]/a/span/text()').get(),
                    "Answer":  Q_AW.xpath('div/div[2]/div[2]/div/div[2]/span/span[2]/text()').get(),
                    "vote": Q_AW.xpath('div/div/ul/li[2]/span[1]/text()').get(),
                    "date_answer": Q_AW.xpath('div/div[2]/div[2]/div/div[2]/span[3]/text()').get()
                }
            )

        for extra_info in response.xpath('//*[@id="productDetails_detailBullets_sections1"]/tbody/tr'):
            data["extra_info"].append(
                {
                    "1": extra_info.css('th::text').get(),
                    "2": extra_info.css('td::text').get()
                }
            )
        for index, about_this_item in enumerate(response.xpath('//*[@id="feature-bullets"]/ul/li')):
            data["about_this_item"].append(
                {
                    index+1: about_this_item.xpath('span/text()').get(),

                }
            )
        for extra in response.xpath('//*[@id="productOverview_feature_div"]/div/table/tbody/tr'):
            data['details'].append(
                {
                    extra.xpath('td[1]/span/text()').get(): extra.css('td[2]/span/text()').get()
                }
            )

        yield data

A: I think you have a problem in line 20, you forgot to define the correct function, knowing that the previous loop was undefined brojola !!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


1. Multiple spotlights - At times I need to spotlight multiple parts of the screen.
2. Custom shapes - The software I do videos for is academic, and that means working with texts. I oftentimes need to spotlight sections of text. That means I have to be able to create a rectangle, and then remove parts of that rectangle to correspond to the sentence or section that I need to point out.
1. I use ShareX to take a screenshot.
3. ShareX then automatically opens up GIMP to edit the file.
So, these first 3 steps are all automated by ShareX, and all take place with one simple keystroke.
4. Within GIMP, I delete the sections of text, or the multiple parts of the screen that interest me from the image. GIMP is configured to delete with rounded corners and with feathered edges. I save the edited image.
5. I import the edited image into Camtasia, and place it above my video, creating a fake spotlight.
Thanks for considering these feature requests!! I hope as well that my workaround helps others while TechSmith works on getting these features in the software!
you could easily use different shape masks, and multiple ones at same time?


text:
On Joining Manchester United – What Is Bruno Fernandes Bringing (February 13, 2020)
Top Nigeria Football News-Nigeria's Flying Eagles qualify for African Games football final (August 28, 2019)
Latest Nigeria Football News: Samson Siasia Hits Back- I Am Innocent (August 17, 2019)
Latest Nigeria Football News: US trained coach calls for Nigeria football on TV (August 16, 2019)
Top Nigeria Football News- Ezenwa: Super Eagles goalkeeper set for return to Heartland (August 13, 2019)
EPL Trending news
Nigeria Football news
Cristiano Ronaldo News
World Cup Trending
Chelsea FC / EPL Trending news
Hazard has the talent to become the best in the World: Jorginho
Eden Hazard has been the focal point in Sarri's Chelsea team, with the Belgian international dictating Chelsea's performance and style of play.
The Belgian has contributed to 19 goals with 10 goals and 9 assists in 20 Premier League games to ensure the Blues remains in UEFA champions League spot.
The 27-year-old has produced some of his best form in a Chelsea FC shirt under Sarri, who has given the Belgian more of a free role in the team.
As result the former Lille playmaker has continued to be on the radar of Spanish club Real Madrid, with the reigning UEFA Champions League desperate for his signature after allowing Portuguese international Ronaldo depart to Juventus last summer.
Despite Eden Hazard's performance, the Belgian have not been considered in the class of the Ronaldo and Messi. Jorginho however, believes that the Belgian has the quality to be the best player in the world after playing with the Belgian for six months.
"With the potential he has, if he wants, he can be the best in the world," Jorginho is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"In the new role he's playing, he can score more goals in the position he has and he has the potential to do so."
Hazard joined Chelsea was from Lille in the summer of 2012, and has seen then gone on to enjoy trophy laden periods which involves two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League


text:
New receptor molecules could detect pesticides and other industrial pollutants that are hazardous to the environment.
Chemical noses could sniff out pollutants
By Daniel T Cross on February 14, 2019
Once industrial pollutants get airborne or leak into water sources, it's pretty darn hard to get rid of them. The solution then is to stop them at their sources. How to do that, though?
One way could be to have chemical noses sniffing out pollutants.
A group of researchers at the School of Science at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia has been building a new generation of receptor molecules that can detect pesticides and other industrial pollutants that are hazardous to the environment. Such smart "electronic-nose-devices," they say, could alert us to the presence of harmful toxins so they could be identified and removed before they are released into the environment.
"Dealing with pollutants in the environment is becoming an ever-increasing problem," observes Professor Riina Aav, who leads the group specializing in supramolecular chemistry. "One relatively unknown reason for this is that many agricultural pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs that enter the environment are 'chiral', which means they exist in two non-superimposable forms (like left and right hands)," she explains.
"This molecular quirk makes it difficult for the pollution control technologies to identify and remove many of these pollutants and this cannot be achieved by traditional methods for analysis," Aav adds.
Chirality, a certain geometric property of some molecules, can impact the environment into which the substances that contain them are released. "Chiral pollutants are found in pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, freon substitutes, dyes, antibiotics and many other drugs," the researchers note. "In most cases we have no idea about their environmental impact."
Work is now underway to engineer molecules that can act as receptors so that they can recognize specific pollutants. That done, the receptors could then be integrated with nanostructures to create devices that can be deployed widely to detect and destroy specific pollutants in the environment.
"These devices will function as 'chemical noses' by sniffing out the specific industrial pollutants, thus facilitating their removal and destruction," the researchers say. Their aim is to build chiral molecular systems that can identify and flag specific pollutants, such as by changing their colors.
Once these systems become operational in coming years, they could help us stop pollutants at their source.


Family Literacy Day takes place every year on January 27. ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation and Honda Canada created the day in 1999 to encourage families to read and learn together. […] Literacy is more than books. There are many ways to strengthen your literacy skills – all it takes is practicing for 15 minutes every day. Reading, writing, playing a game, following a recipe or even singing a song all help prepare children for challenges ahead and sharpen skills for adults.
Now, I'm guessing that I'm preaching to the choir when I tell you that literacy is one of the most important tools you can give your children, but I'm always looking for new tips and ideas for turning learning into a fun family activity.
Encourage your kids to tell stories. When you're waiting in line, or in the car, or otherwise find yourself with time on your hands, create a story together based on something around you. See that man with the bright yellow t-shirt? What do you think he had for breakfast this morning? Why is he wearing that yellow shirt? Is his favourite colour yellow? Do you think he wears yellow every single day, one day wearing yellow pants and one day wearing yellow underwear? Why? You can get really silly with this, but it's great fun and my kids love it.
Did you know there's a Sesame Street podcast? You know I love Sesame Street, and you know I'm fixated on my iPod. What could be better than the Word on the Street podcast from the creators of Sesame Street?!
Sing it! I mentioned the other day how astonished I am that Lucas, not yet two, knows the melody if not all the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and he's been calling out the last word of each line to You are my Sunshine for months now. This year's official theme for Family Literacy Day is "Sing for Literacy" and ABC Canada has provided access to free karaoke videos online.
Wear your words. This is a neat idea for older kids from ABC Canada's family literacy tips pdf: write a story or a poem on an old pair of jeans. Love this idea!
Make yer own books. Tristan was about three when I helped him make his first book, made of pictures cut out of a Thomas the Tank Engine catalogue. He made his own first comic book around age five. All you need is a single letter-sized page cut into quarters and stapled along one edge and voilà: instant 8-page mini-book ready for words or scribbles or stickers or whatever your child can think of. If you like, get fancy and use a hole-punch and ribbon or yard to bind the side. The only problem with these is that the kids make them by the pile and I never have the heart to throw them out!
Care to share? Add your thoughts for making literacy fun in the comment section!
It's a great week for content here at the Mothership. Earlier in the week, we had a righteous (but, as always, entirely civil) debate about parenting, and today we have some word geekery. All we need is a cute kid anecdote and we've hit the "my favourite things" trifecta!!
I've blogged about Lake Superior State University's Banished Words list each year from 2006 through 2008, so of course I had to bring you the 2009 list. Rather than list them for you, I just cut-and-paste LSSU's press release. The bolded terms are, of course, the banished words.
Word czars at Lake Superior State University unfriended 15 words and phrases and declared them shovel-ready for inclusion on the university's 35th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.
Other terms nominated for banishment included sexting, App, transparency and bromance.
One can't help but notice the congruence of "Tweet" being on one group's Banished Words list while being named the Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society.
-er A suffix used in such words as birther, someone who questions whether Obama was born in the United States; deather, someone who believes the government has death panels in its healthcare reform plan; Tenther, someone who believes the Federal government is mostly illegal because it usurps rights which belong to the States, in violation of the 10th Amendment; and truther, someone who doubts the official account of the 9/11 attacks.
H1N1 The virus that causes swine flu.
public option A government-run healthcare insurance program, desired by some to be part of the country's healthcare reform.
Dracula sneeze Covering one's mouth with the crook of one's elbow when sneezing, seen as similar to popular portrayals of the vampire Dracula, in which he hides the lower half of his face with a cape.
And of course, since we changed not only years but decades this past New Years Eve, we have a Year of the Decade list from the American Dialect Society, too. The winner, quite rightly IMHO, is google. Note the small "g" – it's google the verb, as in to search the Internet, and not Google the company. Also-rans in the Word of the Decade contest were: blog, 9-11, green, text, war on terror and Wi-Fi.
I always find the banished words more fun than the favourited ones (oh look, there's another term that didn't exist 10 years ago: favourite as a verb) and not only because the ADS's list is a little too, um, Americanized for my taste. Frankly, I hadn't even heard of some of the terms they nominated.
Okay, so retro is cool, right? And retro is basically recycling old stuff and making it new again, often by those who missed it the first time around, right? Grand, so I'm totally retro in finally remembering on St Patty's Day that I forgot to put up my annual posts in January about the word of the year and the banished word of the year. I'm so kewl it hurts.
Right then. Word of the year for 2008 from our friends at the American Dialect Society is "bailout". Excellent choice, IMHO.
WINNER: recombobulation area: An area at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee in which passengers that have just passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order.
skadoosh: A nonsense interjection popularized by Jack Black in the movie Kung Fu Panda.
Not a bad choice, even if I do support the movement in principle. What should really be banished is the use of "green" as a marketing term. THAT would make me happy!
What say ye, bloggy peeps? What words or phrases would you banish, should you suddenly find yourself King or Queen of the Language?
We've defended the disappearing hyphen and debated the lowly comma, but it's been a bloody good long time since we've had a dust-up as much fun as the one-space or two after a period debacle.
The city council of Birmingham, England, has decided to eliminate apostrophes from its street signs. Apostrophes are of course normally quite common in British place names, in constructions such as St. Paul's Square and Acock's Green. Apparently Birmingham has been quietly removing them from official signs since 1950, and now it faces a non-standardized mishmash of usage across the city. Citizens have often protested against the changing of historical names. After a recent dispute about punctuation in the name of the suburb of King's Heath – now Kings Heath – the council decided to put an end to the bickering forever, and introduce a simple rule: no apostrophes anywhere. Now, even the Birmingham Children's Hospital is the Birmingham Childrens Hospital, dashing the ambitions of that city's schoolteachers to ever hope to teach children how to write.
Now, much as I like a good pedantry-versus-Philistinism cage match, I'll admit that I'm not as frothed about this debate as I have been over some of our earlier language debates. The apostrophe vexes me at the best of times. Just here in the neighbourhood, for example, we have Smiths Falls and Bells Corners with nary an apostrophe to be found. I usually find myself siding with the traditionalists in any language debate, but I find this one particularly hard to defend.
What do you think? Shall we rally the troops to join the Apostrophe Protection Society, or is the simple existence of the Apostrophe Protection Society yet another sign of the pending apocalypse?
Jody at Raising WEG always finds the coolest things! I first saw the wordle word cloud at her place. I made this one using Lucas's birth story post.
Neat, eh? Click on it to see the full-size version in the Wordle gallery, or to make yer own.
Edited to add: that came out so cool I did it for Tristan and Simon's birth stories, too!
Courtesy of Kerry, #99 in the ongoing series of Things White People Like: Grammar.
Sheesh, can you believe there are people in the world who get frothed over the use of the comma? Or punctuation? Or the last letter of the alphabet? What kind of geek delights in discovering grammatical errors the same way kids love to find Easter Eggs?


Weave a roomy black and white basket using amazing Crayola Color Explosion Paper and Markers.
Print the Easter Basket template found in the Coloring Pages here at Crayola.com and cut it out. Now trace shape onto the back of a piece of Color Explosion Black. Make sure to copy all of the solid and dotted lines.
Now design the front of the page any way you like. Design a separate piece of Color Explosion White as well and set it aside. Each paper system has its own marker to use to create designs with magical, surprising colors and patterns!
Cut out your shape. Fold it in half lengthwise and use scissors to cut slits along the solid lines leaving about a finger's width between the end of the line and the edge of the paper.
Now take your designed piece of Color Explosion White and cut it into long strips. Measure and cut to make them equal width or cut them freely to make your basket even more unique.
Weave the strips into the slits, going over and under like a pattern. Be sure to weave each strip so it does the opposite of the one before it. So if the first strip went over then under, the next strip you weave should go under then over. This makes it look like a checkerboard and holds all of the strips in place.
After all have been woven, use a glue stick to fasten loose ends on of strips both sides.
Fold up the sides of your basket. Use a glue stick to attach the sides to the tabs. Let dry.
Decorate for the festive celebration of Chanukah with these delightful, Dancing Dreidels placemats and napkin holders.
Make a stunning Easter egg display using the vivid Crayola Neon Color Explosion® Paper and Markers system.


text:
File created: 6/7/2022 In control: Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee
Enactment date: 8/4/2022 Enactment #: 19474
Title: AN ORDINANCE relating to public transportation, revising rates of youth fare to zero; and amending Ordinance 13480, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.010, Ordinance 12643, Section 12, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.450 and Ordinance 17935, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.820.
Sponsors: Dave Upthegrove, Girmay Zahilay, Claudia Balducci, Rod Dembowski, Sarah Perry, Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Indexes: Transportation, Youth
Code sections: 4A.700.010 - *, 4A.700.450 - ., 4A.700.820 - .
Attachments: 1. Ordinance 19474, 2. 2022-0205 transmittal letter, 3. 2022-0205 Fiscal Note, 4. 2022-0205 Zero Youth Fare Proposal Title VI Fare Equity Analysis, May 2022, 5. 2022-0205 Legislative Review Form, 6. 2022-0205_SR_RTC-Zero-Youth-Fare 6-15-22, 7. 2022-0205_ATT2_AMD1_Sept-Start-06-15-22, 8. 2022-0205_ATT4_Fiscal Note Updated 05-31-22, 9. 2022-0205_SR_TrEE-Zero-Youth-Fare, 10. 2022-0205_Title_VI_Report, 11. 2022-0205_Revised-SR_Zero-Youth-Fare
Staff: Bourguignon, Mary
7/19/2022 2 Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee Recommended Do Pass Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
6/15/2022 1 Regional Transit Committee Recommended Do Pass Substitute Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
AN ORDINANCE relating to public transportation, revising rates of youth fare to zero; and amending Ordinance 13480, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.010, Ordinance 12643, Section 12, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.450 and Ordinance 17935, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.820.
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. K.C.C. 4A.700.010 provides for fares for regularly scheduled county public transportation service on buses, trolleys, transit vans, dial-a-ride vehicles and streetcars, including fares for adults, children, youth, seniors and persons with disabilities and low-income riders.
2. K.C.C. 4A.700.450 provides for the execution of agreements with public school districts to supply students with passes in connection with special school programs and ties the rates for such passes to the youth fare.
3. K.C.C. 4A.700.820 provides for fares for regularly scheduled county passenger ferry service, including fares for adults paying in cash or with a prepaid fare product, children, youth, seniors and persons with disabilities, and low-income riders.
4. The King County Metro Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, 2021-2031, as adopted by Ordinance 19367, includes a strategy to "Align fares with other service providers, meet revenue targets, and advance equity through Metro's income-based approach to fares."
5. The current youth fare is $1.50 for buses, trolleys, transit vans, dial-a-ride vehicles and streetcars, $3.75 for the West Seattle water taxi route, $4.50 for the Vashon Island water taxi route and $1.75 for paratransit service. The youth fare is available to persons from six through eighteen years old and person over eighteen years old who receive student passes under K.C.C. 4A.700.450.
6. In March 2022, the Washington state Legislature passed a $17 billion transportation funding bill known as Move Ahead Washington. This transportation investment legislation added a new section to chapter 47.66 RCW establishing a transit support grant program for the purpose of providing financial support to transit agencies for operating and capital expenses and requiring that to be eligible to receive grant funding from this program a transit agency must have adopted a zero-fare policy that allows passengers eighteen years of age and younger to ride free of charge on all modes provided by the agency and must submit documentation of this zero-fare policy by October 1, 2022.
7. King County area public schools begin the 2022-23 school year in September of 2022. In order to facilitate disbursement of student passes, any fare changes applicable to students must be effective by September 1, 2022.
8. The Metro transit department's fund management policies for the public transportation fund, as adopted by Ordinance 18321, provide that the Metro transit department will recover at least twenty-five percent and will maintain a target of recovering thirty percent of passenger related operating costs from farebox revenues for bus service. Youth fares account for approximately six percent of total farebox revenues.
9. The increased revenue provided from the Move Ahead Washington transit support grant program would offset the reduction in fare revenue from adopting a no-charge youth fare policy.
10. In recognition of the equity and social justice benefits of a zero-fare policy for youth and to maintain the eligibility of the Metro transit department to apply for transit support grants under the Move Ahead Washington transportation investment program, the King County executive and council support a zero-fare policy for youth.
SECTION 1. Ordinance 13480, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.010 are hereby amended to read as follows:
A. Except as may otherwise be provided by ordinance, the following fare categories and rates are established for regularly scheduled county public transportation service on buses, trolleys, transit vans, dial-a-ride vehicles and streetcars:
Regular fare
Child fare
Youth fare
(($1.50)) No charge
Seniors and persons with disabilities fare
Low-income fare
The fare categories and rates are subject to, and defined by, the following:
1. The child fare is available to persons up to six years old when accompanied by a responsible person paying the proper fare as set forth in this chapter. Up to four children may ride with each responsible person;
2. The youth fare is available to persons from six through eighteen years old and persons over eighteen years old who receive student passes under K.C.C. 4A.700.450;
3. The senior and persons with disabilities fare is available to persons who apply for and receive a regional reduced fare permit. The permits are available to persons at least sixty-five years old and persons with disabilities as provided in the regional reduced fare permit program authorized under K.C.C. 28.94.255;
4. A person with a disability who has been issued an "attendant ride free" permit by the department may be accompanied by an attendant, who is not required to pay a fare; and
5. The low-income fare is available to persons who apply for and are determined to meet the threshold eligibility requirements for the low-income transit fare program authorized under K.C.C. 4A.700.490 and receive a valid low-income transit fare product.
B. A fare in subsection A. of this section is paid when a person pays the appropriate amount in cash or presents an appropriate pass, transfer or other fare payment media established under and used in accordance with this chapter.
C.1. Regional and institutional passes, in various single-trip value denominations and for various effective periods, may be issued and sold in accordance with the terms of an agreement approved by the council and entered into with other public transportation providers in the region. Institutions include employers, groups of employers, educational institutions, transportation management associations and other organizations. The effective periods, single-trip values and prices for the regional and institutional passes shall be established by the agreement. A valid regional or institutional pass may be presented an unlimited number of times during its effective period as full or partial payment of the applicable fare. To the extent the single trip value of the regional pass is not sufficient to cover the applicable fare, the rider shall pay the difference in cash or from an electronic stored value product, such as e purse.
2. For institutions entering into an annual institutional pass agreement, the following schedule of calculations shall determine the cost of the annual agreement for ((King County Metro's)) the Metro transit department's portion of the agreement:
First twelve months:
TR x baseline trips
Second twelve months:
(TR x baseline trips) + [(TR x added trips) x 1/3]
Third twelve months:
Fourth twelve months (and subsequent ((12)) twelve-month periods):
(TR x baseline trips) + (TR x added trips)
For purposes of this formula, "added trips" means those trips taken during the prior twelve months, determined either from surveys or electronic counting of actual institutional pass use, that exceed the number of baseline trips established at the execution of the institutional pass agreement. Electronic counts of one month or more will be annualized and used in lieu of survey results if available.
For purposes of this formula, "baseline trips" means the estimated number of transit trips taken by the contracting party's covered population of students, employees or others, or any combination thereof, in the twelve months preceding execution of the institutional pass agreement. Baseline trips may be adjusted on an annual basis to account for changes in the number of eligible employees.
For purposes of this formula, in the event a party terminates or does not renew an institutional pass agreement, any subsequent institutional pass agreement entered into with that party shall be priced as if in the "fourth twelve months and thereafter" category.
For purposes of this formula, "trip revenue" or "TR" means the weighted average fare per trip determined by the department.
D. The rate of fare for paratransit service shall be $1.75 per trip and $63.00 for a monthly pass, except that a no-charge youth fare shall be available to persons from six through eighteen years old and persons over eighteen years old who receive student passes under K.C.C. 4A.700.450.
E. The rate of fare for customized bus service to residents of Center Park, a facility of the Seattle Housing Authority located at 2121 - 26th Avenue South, Seattle, is equal to the paratransit fares specified in subsection D. of this section.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 12643, Section 12, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.700.450 are hereby amended to read as follows:
The executive is authorized to execute agreements with public school districts to supply students with passes in connection with special school programs ((, but the price for passes under the agreements shall be established at a rate of thirty-six times the youth fare in K.C.C. 4A.700.010 for each month in which these passes are valid, and the passes shall be regional passes as defined in K.C.C. 4A.700.010)).
A.1. Except as may otherwise be provided by ordinance, the following fare categories and rates are established for regularly scheduled passenger ferry service:
One-Way Water Taxi Fares
West Seattle Water Taxi Route
Vashon Island Water Taxi Route
Cash fare
Regular prepaid fare
Youth ((prepaid)) fare
Senior and persons with disabilities fare
Bicycle fare
2. The fare categories and rates are subject to, and defined by, the following:
a. All fares shall be established only for a one-way trip;
b. All fares shall be rounded up to the next whole twenty-five cent increment;
c. The cash fare is determined by adding a fifteen-percent surcharge to the regular prepaid fare and applies to cash and ticket purchases;
d. The regular prepaid fare is established as the base rate for persons nineteen years old and older using ORCA prepaid fare media;
e. The child fare is available to persons five years and under when accompanied by a parent, guardian or other person aged sixteen or older and paying the proper fare as set forth in this chapter;
f. The youth ((prepaid)) fare is available to persons from six through eighteen years old and persons over eighteen years old who receive valid student pass transit-fare products under K.C.C. 4A.700.450((. The youth prepaid fare shall be twenty-five percent less than the regular prepaid fare));
g. The senior and persons with disabilities fare is available to persons who apply for and receive a regional reduced fare permit. The permits are available to persons at least sixty-five years old and persons with disabilities as provided in the regional reduced fare permit program authorized under K.C.C. 28.94.255;
h. A person with a disability who has been issued an "attendant ride free" permit as authorized under K.C.C. 4A.700.010 may be accompanied by an attendant, who is not required to pay a fare;
i. A person who has paid fare may bring a bicycle onto a water taxi at no additional charge, up to the water taxi's bicycle capacity; and
j. The low-income fare is available to persons who apply for and are determined to meet the threshold eligibility requirements for the low-income transit fare program authorized under K.C.C. 4A.700.490, when effective, and receive a valid low-income transit fare product. The low-income fare shall be twenty-five percent less than the regular fare.
SECTION 4. This ordinance takes effect September 1, 2022.


text:
Q: Best way to scale large images Is there is best tool to scale multiple images for android studios. I have tried the Android Drawable importer and various other but i keep getting the out of memory error
I am making images in Adobe illustrator if i import the image for android scaling i get my images in different densities like which i believe is too high
Result form Adobe Illustrator After scaling
for l-dpi

810 x 1440

for m-dpi

1080 x 1920

for h-dpi

1620 x 2880

for xhdpi

2160 x3840

for xxhdpi

3240 x 5760

for xxxhdpi

4320 x 7680

My images pixels that i use in project but till getting outOfMemoryException :
for l-dpi

151 x 270 (seven images that have these dimensions)
191 x 284 (other seven images that have these dimensions)

for m-dpi

202 x 360
255 x 379

for hdpi

303 x 540
382 x 569

xhdpi

405 x 720
510 x 759

xxhdpi

607 x 1080
765 x 1139

xxxhdpi

810 x 1440
1020 x 1519

My project contain a lot of images so any easy way to do scaling properly on large scale

A: Besides reduicng size, you clearly should try reducing their bit depth to exactly 8 bits as well. by default full color is 32 bits that's 4x as big.


Totally pamper yourself before you glam up for a party or simply unwind after a hard day at work! If you're looking for the ultimate relaxing gift set for a bestie or fancy treating yourself, then this is the set for you!
Contains our pink striped Make-up Headband, Body Polisher, Shower Cap and Make-up Melts.
Great for leaving you feeling fresh and squeaky clean!
Our Make-up Melts serve a dual purpose by removing makeup using only warm water, and leaving your skin exfoliated at the same time!


For years we've watched Lulu Ward dazzle Dallas theater audiences by disappearing so convincingly into characters that she's almost unrecognizable. Like the twin divas (one gorgeous, one homely) in Pegasus Theatre's black-and-white comedy Cross Stage Right: Die! Or the three parts she played in Cloud Nine at the Bath House. She was Medea in Orgasmo Adulto Escapes From the Zoo. A slatternly crack whore in The Abandoned Reservoir. A jealous mistress raging in the afterlife in Ground Zero's 10:10. And she took on a dozen characters, including a 6-year-old, a hippie teen and an elderly Irish maid, in Contemporary Theatre's The Dining Room. Getting good at the acting thing meant giving it up for a few years, says Ward, 45. "I left, gained some weight, got a little older, and it made a difference. I felt like I owned my own talent after that. It was healthy for me," she says. A self-described former "pageant queen," Ward went through college on a Junior Miss scholarship. In the works now: a one-woman show called Texanese Confessions, based on stories about her parents. Mom Yoko is Japanese. Ward's late father was a "redneck steel guitar player who hung out with Willie Nelson." Ward has been married for five years to musician Michael Beall and offstage is an ardent animal rescuer who tends to four dogs and six cats. Little Lulu, we love you-lu.