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Archive for the 'Fukushima Daiichi' Category
Fukushima: From Bad To Worse
Posted in Fukushima Daiichi, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, Nuclear Plant, nuclear plants, Nuclear Power, tagged Daiichi's No. 4 reactor, Fukushima, Japan, level 7 accident, nuclear complex, radioactive material, Tokyo Electric Power Co on April 12, 2011| 1 Comment »
Fukushima reactor contamination zones. Source US Department of Energy
Fukushima nuclear complex goes from bad to worse
by DarkSyde for Daily Kos
Tue Apr 12, 2011 at 09:35 AM EDT
Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear reactor complex appears to have gone from bad to worse, in part due to continual aftershocks and a small fire Monday morning. That nation's nuclear safety agency will raise the crisis level from five to seven, putting it in the same category as the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl and the danger zones could widen. The WaPo reports:
The plant's debilitated reactors face constant threat of strong aftershocks, and the latest on Tuesday morning — a 6.4-magnitude temblor — caused a brief fire at a water sampling facility near Daiichi's No. 4 reactor. The Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the facility, said that the critical process used to cool the hot fuel rods had not been interrupted, and radiation levels showed no signs of change. A level 7 accident, according to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, is typified by a "major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects."
Fukushima: Highly Radioactive Water Has Spilled Into The Pacific Ocean
Posted in Fukushima Daiichi, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, Nuclear Plant, nuclear plants, Nuclear Power, tagged 9.0 earthquake, Fukushima, Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, Fukushima power plant, Highly radioactive water, Japan, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, Nuclear Plant, Pacific Ocean, Prime Minister Naoto Kan, radioactivity, Tokyo Electric Power Co on April 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Radioactive water leaks from crippled Japan plant
By EUGENE HOSHIKO and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press – 47 mins ago
RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan – Highly radioactive water spilled into the ocean from a tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant Saturday as Japan's prime minister surveyed the damage in a town gutted by the wave.
The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex has been spewing radioactivity since March 11, when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing wave knocked out power, disabling cooling systems and allowing radiation to seep out of the overheating reactors. Authorities said the leak they identified Saturday could be the source of radioactivity found in coastal waters in recent days.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan went to the plant and flew over the tsunami-ravaged coast soon after the wave hit, but Saturday was the first time he set foot in one of the pulverized towns.
Dressed in the blue work clothes that have become almost a uniform for officials, Kan stopped in Rikuzentakata, where the town hall is one of the few buildings still standing. All its windows are blown out and a tangle of metal and other debris is piled in front of it.
The prime minister bowed his head for a minute of silence in front of the building. He met with the town's mayor, whose 38-year-old wife was swept away in the wave and is still missing. Officials fear about 25,000 people may have been killed, many of whose bodies have not been found.
"The government fully supports you until the end," Kan later told 250 people at an elementary school that is serving as an evacuation center.
Megumi Shimanuki, whose family is living in a similar shelter 100 miles (160 kilometers) away in Natori, said Kan didn't spend enough time with people on the ground. Kan returned to Tokyo in the afternoon.
"The government has been too focused on the Fukushima power plant rather than the tsunami victims," said Shimanuki, 35. "Both deserve attention."
Saturday's leak was from a newly discovered crack in a maintenance pit on the edge of the Fukushima complex, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said.
The crack was apparently caused by the quake and may have been leaking since then, said spokesman Osamu Yokokura of Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the plant.
Measurements showed the air above the radioactive water in the pit contained more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour of radioactivity. Even just two feet (60 centimeters) away, that figure dropped to 400 millisieverts. Workers have taken samples of the water in the pit and seawater and are analyzing them to determine the level of contamination.
Fukushima: What We can Learn From This Disaster
Posted in Fukushima Daiichi, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, Nuclear Plant, Nuclear Power, tagged disaster, Fukushima, Japan, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, nuclear disaster, nuclear energy, nuclear plants, Nuclear Power, nuclear reactors on March 28, 2011| 1 Comment »
The Lessons of Fukushima
by: Hugh Gusterson | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | Report
As an anthropologist, I am always interested in what humans learn from their mistakes. Can humans change their behavior, thereby improving their chances of survival, not just through natural selection, but also through cultural learning? Or are we hardwired to repeat our mistakes over and over, like humanoid lemmings?
More to the point, what lessons will we learn from the nuclear accident at Fukushima, an accident thought to be impossible just two weeks ago?
Some people, many of them presumably already ill-disposed toward nuclear energy, have concluded that the lesson of Fukushima is that nuclear energy is inherently dangerous. Thus, Eugene Robinson wrote in the Washington Post: "We can engineer nuclear power plants so that the chance of a Chernobyl-style disaster is almost nil. But we can't eliminate it completely — nor can we envision every other kind of potential disaster. And where fission reactors are concerned, the worst-case scenario is so dreadful as to be unthinkable." His colleague Anne Applebaum wrote on the same op-ed page: "If the competent and technologically brilliant Japanese can't build a completely safe reactor, who can? … I … hope that a near-miss prompts people around the world to think twice about the true 'price' of nuclear energy, and that it stops the nuclear renaissance dead in its tracks." (The nuclear renaissance comprises plans around the world to build as many as 350 new nuclear reactors, partly as a way of inhibiting climate change.)
Fukushima Daiichi: Damage Done To Unit 4 Reactor (PHOTO)
Posted in Fukushima Daiichi, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, Nuclear Plant, Tsunami, tagged damage unit 4 reactor, Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima nuke plant, Japan Earthquake 2011, Japan Tsunami 2011, nuke, unit 4 reactor on March 17, 2011| 1 Comment »
The Al Jazeera English Tumblr
About an hour ago– March 17, 2011
Screen grab from a video showing the extent of the damage done to the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex.
This shot shows the damage done to the unit 4 reactor, where emergency workers earlier attempted to fire water at in a bid to cool the fuel rods.
Source: blogs.aljazeera.net


Please join us at 7:45AM on April 21 to celebrate Easter at our annual Sunrise Service. Taking place on the south-east steps of the Liberty Grand building on the CNE grounds, this outdoor service is a wonderful way to begin your Easter celebrations!
A hearty breakfast will be served back at CPC in the gym after the service.
Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, at 25 British Columbia Road in the CNE grounds, beginning at 7:45am. You can find a map here.
If the service needs to be moved indoors due to rain, this post will be updated, or check our facebook page. Regular Easter Sunday services will begin at 11:00am.
Easter Sunrise Service April 1st: The service will be held outdoors, weather permitting, on the southernmost steps of the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, at 25 British Columbia Road in the CNE grounds, beginning at 7:45am. If the service needs to be moved indoors due to rain, the information will be posted on our website www.torontocpc.com and CPC Facebook Page.
Regular Easter Sunday services will begin at 11:00am as usual.
As we head into the Fall season we will begin our church wide study of the book "Just Walk Across the Room". Focusing on building cross cultural bridges with our neighbours, this book by Bill Hybels will be the study material for our Small Groups.
Please join us for CPC's annual picnic on July 2, 2017 at 11 a.m. at Thomson Memorial Park. We will be holding our regular Sunday worship and message at the park, and then will continue to fellowship through a meal and activities! This year, we are again Going Green! To try to reduce on our waste and protect the environment, we ask that you bring your own plate, utensils and cup. Thank you for helping support us in being responsible stewards of our God-given Earth. We would like to ask you to wear red and white that day as we celebrate Canada's 150th birthday.
A meditative worship service including a Cantata presentation by the Combined Choir and celebration of communion.
Easter Sunrise Service - April 16 7:45AM outdoors on the steps of the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex on the CNE Grounds (weather permitting). Breakfast in the church Gym to follow.
Come and celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord together with us! He is Risen!
Sunday Feb 19th come and celebrate the 44th anniversary of the English Service with us. There will be a lunch after service, all are welcome. This will be a bilingual service, with Rev. Kevin Livingston giving the message.
Also put March 1st in your calendars and come to our Ash Wednesday Service marking the beginning of the 40 day period of Lent. Service will be held at 7:15PM in the evening, upstairs in the Sanctuary (enter through the Baldwin St. doors).


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INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP AWARDS GALA
New draft legislation on income sprinkling still raises concerns, says business coalition opposing tax changes: CATAAlliance Tax Advocacy for Tech
New draft legislation on income sprinkling still raises concerns, says business coalition opposing tax changes
OTTAWA, Dec. 14, 2017 /CNW/ – The legislation on income sprinkling released by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, while a step towards clarity, still represents an administrative and financial burden for a number of small businesses and the families that own them.
The Coalition for Small Business Tax Fairness, a unified voice of over 74 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of business owners across the country, remains concerned that the new rules will cause business owners to have to cut through burdensome interpretative red tape in their efforts to prove that they or family members belong in one of the categories that would exempt them from the new sprinking rules. The coalition continues to urge government to create a blanket exemption for spouses.
"The measures announced by Min. Morneau leave many small business owners scratching their heads, especially if they will have to deal with the Canada Revenue Agency interpretation of reasonableness," said the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "Although there has been some improvement, these are not measures to be rushed. This situation highlights the need for an in-depth overhaul of our tax system, in order to make it more competitive."
"The measures announced are slated to come into force in two weeks. That's far from enough time for businesses to adapt," said Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "We continue to urge the government to slow down, and to listen to the recommendations from the Senate Committee on National Finance."
The Senate Standing Committee on National Finance issued a report that recommends the government withdraw the proposed changes to the taxation of private corporations in Canada, or barring that, to push back their application to 2019. The Senate Committee is also issuing a recommendation to proceed with an in-depth review of the country's tax system.
Given the complexity of these proposals, more time is needed to ensure that these changes can be implemented and do not harm small businesses, the backbone of the Canadian economy. The coalition stands ready to work with the government to find solutions that won't adversely affect small business' ability to grow, innovate and create jobs.
The Coalition for Small Business Tax Fairness is encouraging business owners and other concerned Canadians to contact their Members of Parliament and use the hashtags #unfairtaxchanges #taxesinéquitables on social media. For the full list of Coalition members, please visit smallbiztaxfairness.ca.
"The rules are complex and unnecessary, however it appears that the Government has left several opportunities to work within the rules (either intentionally or not). We need to focus on the passive income proposals which have a much bigger impact on the Canadian economy."
– John Reid, CEO, CATAAlliance
About CATAAlliance
Interact with your Innovation Peer Group Now
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/37239/
The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) is Canada's One Voice for Innovation Lobby Group, and is crowdsourcing ideas and guidance from thousands of opt in members in moderated social networks in Canada and key global markets. (No Tech Firm Left Behind)
Support CATA Advocacy Today through Crowdfunding
Contact: CATAAlliance at info@cata.ca, tel: 613-699-8209, website: www.cata.ca, tags: Innovation. Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Advocacy
Sign up here to join our mailing list to receive email news, alerts and opportunities!!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Entryway Shoe Storage Bench Organizer Cherry Shelf 2 Drawers Mudroom Furniture. Cut clutter in your entryway or walk-in closet with this essential storage bench, showcasing crisscross side panels and a slatted lower shelf. Perfect for stowing boots and flats below, and offering guests a convenient spot to remove shoes. Includes one shelf and two drawers. Material:MdF with wood veneer. Shelf not open to drawers. Overall: 18'' H x 30'' W x 14'' D.
Storage Compartment: 12.5'' H x 11.63'' W. Overall Product Weight: 28.6 lb. Hurry, take advantage and get your limited time offer now.
Our goal is to exceed your expectations and sometimes we use third party suppliers on some of our orders. Is always open for you. We usually respond to all messages within 24 hours. 12 Piece Bed In a Bag King Size Bedding Set Duvet Contemporary Comforter & Shams.
12 Pieces of luxury embroidery details to complement the oversized and overfilled comforter set that comes with 4 embellished decor pillows is sure to enhance any master suite or guest bedroom. Set includes 1 comforter , 2 pillow shams, 1 bedskirt, 2 cushions, 2 rectangle pillows, 1 flat sheet, 1 fitted sheet, 2 pillow cases. Engineered supersoft ultra durable microfiber. Oversized overfilled with hypoallergenic filling.
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Fitted Sheet Width - Side to Side: 78'. We guarantee that your issue will be solved quickly. We are totally committed to your 100% satisfaction. The item "Entryway Shoe Storage Bench Organizer Cherry Shelf 2 Drawers Mudroom Furniture" is in sale since Wednesday, January 18, 2017.
This item is in the category "Home & Garden\Furniture\Benches & Stools". The seller is "smart-store*usa" and is located in Sarasota, Florida.


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Smile/Sisters Box Set
By Raina Telgemeier
Pages | 5.58" x 8.09" | Ages 8 to 12
A special boxed set of the #1 New York Times bestselling and Eisner award-winning Smile and its companion, Sisters! Includes bonus stickers!
In Smile, Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.
In Sisters, Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years. But when a baby brother enters the picture and later, when something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.
Praise for Smile:
2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Publication for Teens
2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, Nonfiction
A New York Times "Editors' Choice"
"It hits home partly because there is nothing else out there like it." -The New York Times Book Review
"The real focus of Smile is Telgemeier's search for identity, a universal experience with which readers will readily identify." -The Washington Post
"An utterly charming graphic memoir of tooth trauma, first crushes and fickle friends, sweetly reminiscent of Judy Blume's work . . . . Irresistible, funny and touching - a must read for all teenage girls." -Kirkus
"A charming addition to the body of young adult literature that focuses on the trials and tribulations of the slightly nerdy girl." -Publishers Weekly
Praise for Sisters:
"I love [Telgemeier's] work, not because it is exotic or unusual, but because she writes stories we have all lived, and tells them in a way that feels uncomfortable yet transcendent.The profound thing Raina discovers is that we do not have to navigate the difficulties alone." - The New York Times Book Review
* "Telgemeier's art complements her writing to great effect, offering a cheerful, vivid cartoon simplicity that allows readers to instantly engage even as it leaves room for deeper truths to take hold." - Booklist, starred review
*Â "Told in then-and-now narratives that are easily discernible in the graphic format, Telgemeier's tale is laugh-out-loud funny (especially the story about the snake incident) and quietly serious all at once. Her rounded, buoyant art coupled with a masterful capacity for facial expressions complements the writing perfectly." - Kirkus, starred review
*Â "Though the artwork draws little attention to itself, Telgemeier's visual storytelling skills are well-honed, and readers will be left wishing for more." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Telgemeier has returned with a must-have follow-up to Smile (Scholastic, 2010) that is as funny as it is poignant, and utterly relatable for anyone with siblings." - School Library Journal, starred review


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Wylfa
A decision is expected about whether work to build a new nuclear power station on Anglesey will be halted. Japanese media has reported that Hitachi will suspend construction of its £20bn Wylfa Newydd plant – with the board due to meet on Thursday. Wales' Economy Secretary Ken Skates said he expected an announcement to be made during the morning. Anglesey council said if the project was paused it would be a "tremendous blow" to the north Wales economy. Edward Jones, a lecturer in economics at Bangor University who advises the North Wales Growth Bid, said: "A pause is the best case scenario if we consider how the share price reacted last Friday. When there were rumours they were going to suspend the project the share price jumped by 8%." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales programme, Dr Jones said investors did not like Hitachi in its current form and it would be "difficult to do anything other than pause or scrap" the project. "If Hitachi does come out and say they're going to pause the project, the UK government have to act very quickly to find out what they mean by pause, is it six months or six years?" Dr Jones added people in north Wales had already been investing in developing new skills for the project, along with investment by Hitachi themselves and other stakeholders. "I think it does fall on to the UK government then to make a decision to see how they could help Hitachi… But once we hear the announcement we'll know a bit more about that."
BBC 17th Jan 2019 read more »
Hitachi is expected to scrap plans to build a nuclear power station in Wales, becoming the second firm in two months to abandon a major nuclear project. The £16bn Wylfa plant on Anglesey was meant to be the next in a line of new nuclear plants behind Hinkley Point C but the Japanese conglomerate has been unable to agree a deal with the UK government. With costs mounting and nearly £2bn spent on the project, a Hitachi board meeting is anticipated to pull the plug on Thursday. The decision would be a serious blow to the government's energy strategy and hopes of attracting major investments post-Brexit. Questions will be raised over whether ministers should redouble their efforts to make the numbers work for nuclear, or pivot to a new strategy that hugely expands the build-out of renewables.
Guardian 17th Jan 2019 read more »
Wylfa nuclear: Welsh Government seeks Westminster assurance. The Welsh Government has called on Westminster to provide assurances it is doing "everything possible" to secure investment in the Wylfa Newydd nuclear site.
Construction News 16th January 2019 read more »
Prime Minister Therera May says she did discuss Wylfa Newydd with the Japanese PM last week but any decision will be a "commercial" one by Hitachi. The board of Hitachi is set to meet in Japan on Thursday with it widely expected to suspend the nuclear project on Anglesey. Last week Japan's Shinzo Abe met Mrs May at Downing Street but their press conference made no mention of Hitachi's plans in the UK. But this afternoon Wrexham Labour MP Ian Lucas challenged Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions.
Daily Post 16th Jan 2019 read more »
Filed Under: New Nuclear, News 2019, News January 2019


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MARRØN – Resident Advisor podcast #786 2021-06-28
Leave a Comment / Electronic music, Resident Advisor podcasts, Techno / June 28, 2021 June 28, 2021 / MARRØN
"Vital techno from Amsterdam.
MARRØN is the kind of DJ we love to feature in this mix series: someone who holds down their local scene week in and week out, someone who makes a difference. As a cofounder of the day-into-night Sunday Eerste Communie party, the Amsterdam-based DJ has been essential in providing a safe space for all kinds of people to enjoy techno—a self-described "holy day" away from the city's usual nightlife hotspots, taking place at the intimate Garage Noord on the city's North side. The party describes itself as a "judgmental free atmosphere," and MARRØN himself has said that it's all about "the purest form of techno," which gives you a good idea of what his parties, and his sets, sound like.
The other thing that MARRØN emphasizes about his parties is sound quality (you'll see this mentioned in almost every interview he does, and every Eerste Communie event listing). It's partly because the style of techno he plays is detailed, glimmering and sleek, the kind where every nuance is meant to be felt and heard, not just pummeling you on the dance floor. He plays the kind of techno where melodic leads scurry across the stereo spectrum, where flashes of melody and colour light up an otherwise greyscale landscape. It's techno that never sits still, groovy but adventurous, alive and dynamic, the kind of techno that encourages you to keep dancing with every new shift or new synth chord. He speaks often about "consistency," and while his sets are steady-handed and smooth, it's the moments where things flicker and change that are the most exciting.
"To me, this uptempo, rhythmic style of techno is a style that's timeless," he said in an interview with Glamcult."Music that can be played in the afternoon or as a closing slot without getting bored of it.""
Check out other Resident Advisor podcasts in the archive and subscribe to the feed to get good music in the future.
MARRØN – Resident Advisor podcast #786 2021-06-28 download alternatives:


Why Are the Bankers And Ex-Intel Types Running For Their Lives?
Big Banks Are Being Hit With Cyberattacks "Every Minute Of Every Day"
Record Number Of Volcano Eruptions In 2013 â€" Is Catastrophic Global Cooling Dead Ahead?
Is the US economy really accelerating right now?
Which Currency Is Up Over 9000% This Year and Sells for Almost as Much as an Ounce of Gold?
Will "Rising" Gas Prices Crush The Holiday Spending Spirit?
David Stockman Fears "Panic" When The "Lunatic" Fed "Loses Control"
"We Are Playing Economic Russian Roulette"
Are Another 1.3 Million Americans About To Drop Out Of Labor Force (And Send Unemployment Plunging)?


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The Paesani Research Group
Laboratory for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at UC San Diego
142. Infrared signatures of isomer selectivity and symmetry breaking in the Cs+(H2O)3 complex using many-body
potential energy functions. M. Riera, J.J. Talbot, R.P. Steele, F. Paesani. J. Chem. Phys. 153, 044306 (2020). [link]
A quantitative description of the interactions between ions and water is key to characterizing the role played
by ions in mediating fundamental processes that take place in aqueous environments. At the molecular level,
vibrational spectroscopy provides a unique means to probe the multidimensional potential energy surface of
small ion−water clusters. In this study, we combine the MB-nrg potential energy functions recently developed
for ion−water interactions with perturbative corrections to vibrational self-consistent field theory and the
local-monomer approximation to disentangle many-body effects on the stability and vibrational structure
of the Cs+(H2O)3 cluster. Since several low-energy, thermodynamically accessible isomers exist for
Cs+(H2O)3, even small changes in the description of the underlying potential energy surface can result in
large differences in the relative stability of the various isomers. Our analysis demonstrates that a quantitative
account for three-body energies and explicit treatment of cross-monomer vibrational couplings are required
to reproduce the experimental spectrum.
MBX: Software for many-body simulations
MB-Fit: Software for data-driven many-body PEFs
Group Only
© Paesani Research Group. All rights reserved.
137. Modeling spontaneous charge transfer at metal/organic hybrid heterostructures. V.O. Özçelik, Y. Li, W. Xiong,
F. Paesani. J. Phys. Chem. C 124, 4802 (2020). [link]
Using various metal/poly(3- hexylthiophene)(P3HT) heterostructure models, we reveal that the level of
spontaneous charge transfer and electronic coupling at these interfaces depend on the conformational
regularity of the organic polymer deposited on the metal substrate. Using ab-initio quantum chemical
calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and heterodyne vibrational sum frequency
generation (HD-VSFG) measurements, we show that inducing regio-randomness into the organic polymer
mod- ifies the intensity of interfacial electronic states, level of hybridization, density of interfacial charge
transfer and the electronic wave function of the material. We present the HD-VSFG responses of the
metal/P3HT heterojunctions containing both regio-regular and regio-random P3HT structures and show
that the amount of non-resonant signal is closely related to the level of the spontaneous charge transfer
at the interface. Thus, by measuring the non-resonant response of the metal/P3HT heterojunctions,
the level of spontaneous charge transfer at the interface can be determined.
138. Computer simulations explain mutation-induced structural and functional effects on the DNA editing
efficiency of adenosine base editors. K.L. Rallapalli, A.C. Komor, F. Paesani. Sci. Adv. 6, eaaz2309 (2020). [link]
Adenine base editors (ABEs), facilitate the efficient modification of A:T base pairs to G⋮C at targeted genomic
loci via the deamination of adenine to inosine. ABEs were developed by engineering and evolving a tRNA
adenosine deaminase enzyme (TadA) into a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) editing enzyme. A mechanistic
understanding of the contributions of the individual mutations to ssDNA editing efficiency of ABEs remains
unknown. Here, we use MD simulations to explore the structural and functional role played by the initial
mutations in the onset of ssDNA modifying activity of the TadA enzyme. Atomistic insights into the system
reveal that these early mutations lead to intricate conformational changes in the structure of the protein.
In particular, the first mutation, Asp108Asn, is associated with an enhancement in the binding free energy
of the TadA* to ssDNA. Simulations and experimental reversion analyses verify the importance of this single
mutation in imparting functional promiscuity to the TadA enzyme and suggest that the enzyme performs
base editing as a monomer rather than a dimer.
139. Data-driven many-body models for molecular fluids: CO2/H2O mixtures as a case study. M. Riera, E.P. Yeh,
F. Paesani. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 16, 2246 (2020). [link]
In this study, we extend the scope of the many-body TTM-nrg and MB-nrg potential energy functions (PEFs),
originally introduced for halide ion–water and alkali-metal ion–water interactions, to the modeling of carbon
dioxide and water mixtures as prototypical examples of molecular fluids. Both TTM-nrg and MB-nrg PEFs
are derived entirely from electronic structure data obtained at the coupled cluster level of theory and are,
by construction, compatible with MB-pol, a many-body PEF that has been shown to accurately reproduce
the properties of water. By providing a physically correct description of many-body effects at both short and
long ranges, the MB-nrg PEFs are shown to quantitatively represent the global potential energy surfaces
of the CO2–CO2 and CO2–H2O dimers and the energetics of small clusters as well as to correctly reproduce
various properties in both gas and liquid phases. Building upon previous studies of aqueous systems, our
analysis provides further evidence for the accuracy and efficiency of the MB-nrg framework in representing
molecular interactions in fluid mixtures at different thermodynamic conditions.
140. Active learning of many-body configuration space: Application to the Cs+–water MB-nrg potential energy
function as a case study. Y. Zhai, A. Caruso, S. Gao, F. Paesani. J. Chem. Phys. 152, 144103 (2020). [link]
The efficient selection of representative configurations that are used in high-level electronic structure
calculations needed for the development of many-body molecular models poses a challenge to current
data-driven approaches to molecular simulations. Here, we introduce an active learning (AL) framework
for generating training sets corresponding to individual many-body contributions to the energy of a
N-body system, which are required for the development of MB-nrg potential energy functions (PEFs).
Our AL framework is based on uncertainty and error estimation, and uses Gaussian process regression
to identify the most relevant configurations that are needed for an accurate representation of the energy
landscape of the molecular system under exam. Considering the computational cost associated with
high-level electronic structure calculations for training set configurations, our AL framework is particularly
well-suited to the development of many-body PEFs, with chemical and spectroscopic accuracy, for
molecular simulations from the gas to condensed phase.
141. On the nature of alkali ion−water interactions: Insights from many-body representations and density
functional theory. II. C.K. Egan, B.B. Bizzarro, M. Riera, F. Paesani. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 16, 3055 (2020). [link]
Interaction energies of alkali ion−water dimers, M+(H2O), and trimers, M+(H2O)2, with M = Li, Na, K, Rb,
Cs, are investigated using various many-body potential en- ergy functions, and exchange correlation
functionals selected across the hierarchy of density functional theory approximations. Analysis of
interaction energy decomposi- tions indicates that close range interactions such as Pauli repulsion,
charge transfer, and charge penetration must be captured in order to reproduce accurate interaction
energies. In particular, it is found that simple classical polarizable models must be supplemented with
dedicated terms which account for these close range interactions in order to achieve chemical
accuracy across configuration space. It is also found that the XC functionals mostly differ from each
other in their Pauli repulsion + dispersion energies, and hence benefit from the inclusion of nonlocal
terms such as Hartree-Fock exchange and dependence on the electronic kinetic energy density in
order to reproduce the interactions that contribute to this term, namely Pauli repulsion and dispersion.
143. How good are polarizable and flexible models for water: Insights from a many-body perspective.
E. Lambros, F. Paesani. J. Chem. Phys. 153, 060901 (2020). [link]
We present a systematic analysis of state-of-the-art polarizable water models from a many-body
perspective, with a specific focus on their ability to represent the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy
surface of water from the gas to the liquid phase. Using coupled cluster data in the completed basis
set limit as a reference, we examine the accuracy of the polarizable models in reproducing many-body
contributions to interaction energies and harmonic frequencies of water clusters and compare their
performance with that of MB-pol, an explicit many-body model that has been shown to correctly
predict the properties of water across the entire phase diagram. We find that, while they are able to
reproduce the energetics of minimum-energy structures, the polarizable models examined here suffer
from inadequate representations of many-body effects for distorted configurations. We believe that
future developments of both polarizable and explicit many-body models should continue in parallel
and would benefit from synergistic efforts aimed at integrating the best aspects of the two frameworks.
144. A many-body, fully polarizable approach to QM/MM simulations. E. Lambros, F. Lipparini, G.A. Cisneros,
We present a new development in quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods by replacing
conventional MM models with data-driven many-body (MB) representations rigorously derived from high-level QM
calculations. The new QM/MM approach builds on top of mutually polarizable QM/MM schemes developed for
polarizable force fields with inducible dipoles and uses permutationally invariant polynomials to effectively account
for quantum-mechanical contributions (e.g., exchange-repulsion, and charge transfer and penetration) that are
difficult to describe by classical expressions adopted by conventional MM models. Using MB-pol and MB-DFT,
which include explicit 2B and 3B terms fitted to reproduce the corresponding CCSD(T) and PBE0 2B and 3B
energies for water, we demonstrate a smooth energetic transition as molecules are transferred between QM and
MM regions. By effectively elevating the accuracy of both the MM region and the QM/MM interface to that of the
QM region, the new QM/MB-MM approach achieves an accuracy comparable to that obtained with a fully QM
treatment of the entire system.
145. Data-driven many-body models with chemical accuracy for CH4/H2O mixtures. M. Riera, A. Hirales, R. Ghosh,
F. Paesani. J. Phys. Chem. B 124, 1127 (2020). [link]
conventional MM models with data-driven many-body (MB) representations rigorously derived from high-level
QM calculations. Many-body potential energy functions (PEFs) based on the TTM-nrg and MB-nrg
theoretical/computational frameworks are developed from coupled cluster reference data for neat methane
and mixed methane/water systems. It is shown that that the MB-nrg PEFs achieve subchemical accuracy in
the representation of individual many-body effects in small clusters and enables predictive simulations from
the gas to the liquid phase. Analysis of structural properties calculated from molecular dynamics simulations
of liquid methane and methane/water mixtures using both TTM-nrg and MB-nrg PEFs indicates that, while
accounting for polarization effects is important for a correct description of many-body interactions in the liquid
phase, an accurate representation of short-range interactions, as provided by the MB-nrg PEFs, is necessary
for a quantitative description of the local solvation structure in liquid mixtures.


text:
Q: vue.js with Django-webpack-loader I want to use vue.js with Django but get stuck how to integrate vue in the Django templates.
I manage to make a bundle with webpack, setup vue with a piece of html which I can open 'as file' in the browser and then vue components are shown. So that is working properly.

However when I run my Django server I get the tag and not the Vue component:

Maybe I am on the wrong track as I see others working with an Django REST api and then you might work differently with your templates. But I would prefer first to just integrate vue in my existing Django templates if possible!? I that possible and how should it be done?
test_html:
{% load render_bundle from webpack_loader %}
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Webpack Sample Project</title>

    {% render_bundle 'main' %}

[[ message ]]

kiekeboe

main.js:
import '../css/custom.css';
import Vue from 'vue';

Vue.config.delimiters = ["[[", "]]"];

new Vue({
    el: 'body',
    data: {
        message: "Hello Vue"
    }
});

Further info:
I am currently using: https://github.com/owais/django-webpack-loader which includes all css, sass, other js libraries etc. via a render-bundle tag. As you can see the css-styling does come through, so I think vue tags should work in same manner?! Furthermore also static files from Django static folder can be used 'the normal way'. When putting the bundle.js in static folder and referring to it as:

it DOES work. So why not via Django-webpack-loader?

A: I noticed that the vue.js reference needs somehow to come after the vue html tags. Same applies when using Django-web-loader, so {% render_bundle 'main' %} needs to go down. This got it working:
{% load staticfiles %}
{% load render_bundle from webpack_loader %}
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Webpack Sample Project</title>

[[ message ]]

kiekeboe

{% render_bundle 'main' %}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Which filter is the most suitable if I know points with zero noise amplitude I've got observed data $Y_1,\ldots, Y_n $ which consists of real values $X_1,\ldots, X_n$ and additive high-frequency noise $e_1,\ldots, e_n$, so $Y_i=X_i+e_i$. I know, that indices $i_1,\ldots, i_m, m<n$,  refer to those samples in which $e_j=0$ if $j\in(i_1,\ldots,i_m)$.
I'm trying to implement baseline detecting using that information about points which should have zero amplitude of noise. The filter should has a $Y$ series as input, and it should has output $Z$ like the follows: $Z$ - filtered data without high-frequency noise with $Z_j=Y_j$ if $j\in(i_1,\ldots,i_m)$. That is not strict limitation so it could be $Z_j\approx Y_j$
Which filters could I use for that purposes? I've seen cubic splines, which interpolate baseline by that points, but they are strictly depend on them, since I want filter to be able working even without points but with using them for correction.


Home » Financial Sector » Microfinance » Microfinance: on the road to responsible finance?
Microfinance: on the road to responsible finance?
Although serious abuses may be in the minority, the microfinance sector is not without flaws – or temptations. Some highly competitive markets put considerable pressure on costs to the detriment of service quality, while others that are less competitive tend to overbill their clients. It is essential for the sector to come back to the fundamentals of the profession based on a sound knowledge of counterparts and "long-term" relationships with clients.
There is much talk about "responsible finance" these days. Within the microfinance industry, there's been a tendency to believe that "irresponsible finance" was confined to mainstream financial markets. But in 2009, the microfinance sector has come under more intense scrutiny than ever before, and some are asking whether providers of microfinance—a vast majority of which were created specifically to serve the poor and provide them with better options than money lenders do—might have been lured away from their original missions by the temptation to become larger and more profitable.
Some outside observers and the media are openly wondering if some areas of microfinance aren't guilty of the same excesses of unrestrained mainstream financial markets — reckless and predatory lending practices that over-indebt the poor, products that lack transparency on pricing and lending conditions, pressures on loan officers and other staff to cut corners and put short-term gains before their client's interests, and too much investment money pressuring providers of microfinance to pursue unrealistic goals in terms of growth and return1.
What's the reality? Does microfinance exemplify "responsible finance" or does the sector need to take action now to ensure transparency, fairness, and services to low-income clients that improve their welfare rather than undermine it? We would argue that the problems that received most of attention and that raised the biggest concerns — namely over-indebtedness and the subordinating of client interests to growth and greed—are not widespread in the microfinance industry worldwide. Most microfinance providers offer financial services that deliver substantial benefits to their users and are highly valued by clients. Lack of access to basic financial services, rather than excessive access, remains the larger problem. This is certainly the case for credit services and even more so for financial services, such as deposits and payments services that do not raise the same risks for poor people as taking on debt.
On balance, access to microfinance is a good thing, but this does not mean it should be endorsed unreservedly. In some markets, escalating competition and very rapid growth have created pressures to cut corners. This deserves careful analysis, and action. While there is little evidence that microfinance is causing widespread insolvencies, there are many reasons to shift the focus, once again, on sound underwriting. Microlending should be built on the premise of knowing the customers , carefully analyzing their ability to reimburse loans and to satisfy other obligations, It should also be measured against its capacity to provide well-structured loans, and lay the foundations for a mutually beneficial long-term relationship2.
At this particular juncture, there is a strong case to strengthen that foundation and adopt the same 'back to the basics' policy that produced decades of strong loan recovery rates. Clients in many markets are under higher pressure as a result of the global crisis. Remittances are down in many countries, and costs of living are up. Performance of microfinance portfolios is slipping in some markets, particularly those experiencing fierce competition or economic stagnation. In most markets, there is a dearth of new capital to finance growth in the microfinance sector, but this can also be welcomed as an opportunity to strengthen basic operations. The subprime credit crisis is a grim reminder of the dangers of irresponsible finance—for consumers, providers, and entire financial markets.
To avoid over-indebtedness, providers need to take the lead in strengthening their credit operations, by carrying out a top-to-bottom review of their credit policies, staff training and compensation policies, loan monitoring and collections, as well as client communications. Not only should microfinance providers take these actions within their own structures, they should also enter into partnerships at sectorial level in order to improve credit information sharing, educate their clients, and coordinate expansion strategies and the establishment of branches. National microfinance associations in countries ranging from Mexico to Uganda to Pakistan are developing strong codes of conduct and pushing their members to implement these codes of conduct in an effort to improve policies, products, and practices.
Ensuring that clients can handle the loans they are provided with is not the only dimension of responsible finance. Around the world, providers of microfinance are beginning to enhance client protection, transparency, and fair treatment, on an individual basis as well as a sectorial basis. They are taking steps to make their pricing more transparent, fully inform clients about their rights and responsibilities, ensure that collection practices are appropriate, improve clients' access to redress when things go wrong, and train and reward staff to display the highest level of personal integrity.
CGAP joined with ACCION International and others to translate these commitments and initiatives into six core client protection principles and create the Campaign for Client Protection in Microfinance. To date over 450 institutions—retail microfinance providers, national associations, international networks, donors and investors—have endorsed the principles and committed themselves to practical steps in order to translate them into real improvements in policies, products, and practices. For example, in Nicaragua, Banex has made significant changes in its internal processes, including implementing a code of ethics for collectors and attorneys, training them on customer rights, avoiding forced loan recoveries whenever possible, adding an ombudsman to protect the customer, and informing customers about their rights in writing.
Microfinance providers and their backers must be held accountable for translating these lofty principles into actual practice. We need robust, field-tested tools (such as the Beyond Codes Self-assessment Guide3 that enables microfinance providers to make a clear and honest assessment of how they measure up to each of the principles) that lay out very clearly what improved policies and practices should look like for retail providers. Thorough and straightforward reporting (e.g., the new MIX Social Performance Standards Report4) is part of the solution as well.
Considering that some of these responsible finance measures are difficult to take, especially in competitive environments, providers will also need incentives. This is why CGAP has taken the lead in reaching out to the microfinance investor community and mobilizing an initiative to integrate the Client Protection Principles into every step of the investment process, from due diligence to financing agreements to monitoring. To date, more than 85 investors and donors of all types—small and large, public and private, debt and equity providers, funds and fund managers—have endorsed the principles and committed themselves to action. We want investors to ask tough questions. We want them to work with their partners to identify areas for improvement; we want them to support vigorous efforts to address them. And we want them to reward those microfinance providers that can demonstrate particularly strong performance on client transparency and fair treatment—with more financing, financing on better terms, and visibility.
s profitability targets and how these targets are monitored. Proparco doesn't want to provide finance to institutions which are over profitable as a result of charging their clients with unreasonable interest rates. Secondly, in these turbulent times of "irresponsible finance", it is more crucial than ever before to expect rigorous, transparent and sound financial management of MFIs. Moreover, Proparco will insist on "best practices" in terms of environmental, social and anti-money laundering issues. The assessment of each of the above focus points is made all along the appraisal process, before the investment actually takes place. If critical issues are identified, Proparco will weigh the opportunity to invest against the positioning of the MFI management team and its shareholders, and their willingness to undertake effective measures to fix such issues. Being most of the time minority shareholders, another crucial element for Proparco is then affection societatis and the choice of partners made by the MFI under consideration. Then, it will be ensured that partners share the same approach on microfinance investments.
Donors have important roles to play at the institutional level as well. They can support responsible finance initiatives of providers and their associations, identify trouble spots and determine practical actions to fix them. They can support appropriate consumer protection policy initiatives and invest in helpful market infrastructure (such as credit information reporting, a powerful tool to help borrowers and lenders guard against over-indebtedness). Donors could also make critical contributions to an essential element of responsible finance—ensuring that the clients themselves are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to protect themselves, make informed choices, and hold up their end of the responsible finance bargain. "Financial capability" initiatives are in their infancy for low-income consumers in low-income countries. Well-designed external support could play an important role in assessing priority issues, building knowledge about what does and doesn't work, and scaling up cost-effective programs.
Consumer protection regulation is also part of the solution, if it is designed and implemented with financial inclusion goals in mind. CGAP is identifying and analyzing regulatory approaches from around the world that appear to be striking the right balance. Setting basic standards and market conduct "rules of the game" protects clients. These rules can also protect responsible finance providers against unfair competition.
The time is right for the microfinance sector to rededicate itself to its original mission of providing diverse, high-quality financial services—not just credit—to the poor. This needs to be done in ways that protect clients' interests, offer good value for money, and mitigate risks appropriately. This is, ultimately, the essence of responsible finance.
¹ The Wall Street Journal, for example, recently warned of a brewing credit crisis in microfinance as a result of poor neighborhoods in India being «carpet bombed» with loans [13 August 2009], and France 24 accused microfinance providers in India of causing over-indebtedness for borrowers through multiple loans that failed to take account of borrowers' capacity to repay.
² It is also important to note that multiple lending—where a client has loans outstanding from multiple providers—is not the same as over-indebtedness. Often, in fact, the client can afford more debt than any single provider is willing to offer. Here the problem might be rigid products rather than debt-stressed clients.
³ The Self-Assessment Guide is a manual designed to make a thorough assessment of MFIs' client protection performance. It can be used by MFIs to assess their own performance and may also be used to develop third-party assessment tools. The guide takes users through a process whereby they collect the information required to evaluate a MFI's consumer protection practices.
4 This report collects information on 22 core indicators and focuses on the MFI's mission, products and services, social performance and outreach, client and employment outreach, social and environmental responsibility, child education and poverty levels.


text:
Lewitt Hackman
16633 Ventura Boulevard
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25-50 Attorneys
SECURE Act Creates Need for Estate Plan Review
Congress recently passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act, or the "Act") implementing one of the most substantial pieces of retirement plan legislation in years, into law…more
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Employers: California Assembly Bill 51 on Hold For Now
We previously highlighted Assembly Bill 51, which prohibits employers from requiring employees or applicants for employment to "waive any right, forum, or procedure for a violation" of the Fair Employment and Housing Act or the…more
1/2/2020 / Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Civil Procedure, Commercial Law & Contracts, Labor & Employment Law
Unlawful, or Just Mean? California Appellate Court Decides Discrimination Case
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Franchisee 101: Corralled Franchise Claims
A federal court has granted, in part, restaurant franchisor Golden Corral's motion to dismiss a complaint brought by a former franchisee. The court found a general release of claims, executed as part of an assignment of a…more
12/23/2019 / Civil Procedure, Commercial Law & Contracts, Franchise Law
Franchisor 101: Open Season for Poaching in Washington
Washington State's Attorney General settled a case against sandwich franchisor, Jersey Mike's, over antipoaching provisions in its franchise agreements. Since 2018, Washington State has made agreements with more than 60…more
12/20/2019 / Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Commercial Law & Contracts, Franchise Law, Labor & Employment Law
The California Consumer Privacy Act: Implications for Business Websites
Effective January 1, 2020, many businesses will be required by California law to amend their website's privacy policy for California Consumers and to comply with the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). The CCPA, modeled…more
12/19/2019 / Communications & Media Law, Consumer Protection, Privacy, Science, Computers, & Technology
Employers, In Case You Were Wondering: Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Do Not Pay Off
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12/5/2019 / Civil Procedure, Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
Franchisee 101: Indemnification Woes
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A California Court of Appeal held that courts should not enforce forum selection clauses in contracts that also contain a jury waiver. For franchisors that have California franchisees, this ruling could complicate the ability to…more
Can Your Company's Arbitration Agreement Survive an Unconscionability Inquiry?
Concluding that TWC Dealer Group, Inc.'s arbitration agreements were both procedurally and substantively unconscionable, California's First Appellate District's recent decision highlights certain contractual terms and elements…more
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Legislative Update 2020: Sexual Harassment Training for Janitorial and Construction Workers
Last in our series of California's legislative updates is a summary of bills aimed at sexual harassment in the janitorial and construction industries..…more
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Franchise 101: The Differences Between Franchises and Other Business Arrangements
Under California law, a business relationship is a "franchise" if: (1) the business will be substantially associated with the franchisor's trademark; (2) the franchisee will directly or indirectly pay a fee to the franchisor for…more
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Liverpool were far from their fluent best on England's south coast, but ground out a vital win to move seven points clear of City, who are in action at home to Wolves on Monday, thanks to a 13th clean sheet in 22 league games this season.
"We are not the Harlem Globetrotters, we have to deliver results," said Klopp on the need to respond to defeat at City.
"For that, we need to perform. The performance was good. It was not the best performance of the season in a few departments but I would say it was the most mature performance of the season.
"It's so important. On the good days everybody can win; on average days not a lot of teams can win football games and, on a bad day, only a few can win.
"Today was not a bad day but it was a difficult day because Brighton is doing really well." Salah was just one of a number of first-team regulars to return from Monday's defeat by Wolves, but the Egyptian and the rest of Liverpool's forward line were starved of service before the break as Brighton sat deep and the visitors dominated possession without any cutting edge.
"It was very hard but that is how it is," added Klopp. "I liked the performance. It wasn't an opera of football but it was a really nice song."
Salah immediately signalled a change in Liverpool's intent after half-time as his powerful shot at the end of a purposeful run was well saved by David Button.
Brighton, though, were architects of their own downfall moments later. Salah was given too much room inside the area to turn and Pascal Gross then hauled down last season's Premier League player of the year.
"I feel for Pascal because Mo Salah is probably the most dangerous player once he gets in those positions one on one," said Brighton boss Chris Hughton, who had no complaints over the penalty award.
Salah stepped up to blast the penalty past Button and move level with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Harry Kane as the league's top-scorer on 14 goals for the season.
One moment of madness from Gross undid Hughton's gameplan to defend and frustrate the league leaders.
Yet, the German midfielder had a chance to make amends almost immediately with Brighton's best opportunity to level, but his shot was bravely blocked by Fabinho.
From then on Liverpool looked more likely to add to their lead than concede as Firmino, Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane all went close before Salah passed up a glorious chance two minutes from time when he turned James Milner's driven cross wide from point-blank range.


Ahead of warm weather's arrival, is the time to consider whether your Chatham cooling system needs A/C service. Utilize the skills of our local to Chatham A/C service experts, for high quality A/C service and installation. You can count on our experienced technicians to repair and maintain your Chatham based home or office A/C system, and keep you comfortable throughout the summer months.
When A/C service technicians are fully trained and certified in every facet of A/C service, design, engineering, installation and maintenance, they have the skills you need to provide the prompt and efficient maintenance and repair services that save you time and money. Our expert A/C service technicians have all these skills and more, and are dedicated to keeping your family cool and comfortable through the long, hot summer for years to come.
You can rely on us to keep your home cool and comfortable throughout the summer. We provide same day A/C service to the Chatham area. If you have A/C service related issues, and you are local to Chatham, you can call us and schedule a system check-up with one of our friendly A/C service technicians, today.


text:
Jelena Žnidarić, poznata pod umjetničkim imenom Zsa Zsa, (Pušćine, 9. lipnja 1994.) je hrvatska pop pjevačica. Popularnost je stekla glazbenim duetima s pjevačem Damirom Kedžom i pjevačicom Vannom tijekom 2017. godine. Živi u Pušćinama u blizini Čakovca.

Karijera i život
U proljeće 2015. godine započela je natjecati se u televizijskom glazbenom showu X Factor Adria, koji se prikazivao u pet država, a u Hrvatskoj na RTL Televiziji. Tijekom emitiranja showa u audicijskom dijelu, ostvarila je četiri glasa podrške te je pripala timu Massima Savića, no nije doživjela nastavak natjecanja u emisijama uživo. Odmah nakon završetka glazbenog showa, članica žirija Aleksandra Kovač napisala je za nju njenu prvu pjesmu Živa sam.

Vlasnica je najemitiranije domaće pjesme Sve u meni se budi u 2017. godini. U 2018. godini postala je prvi izvođač pod okriljem nove diskografsko producentske kuće na hrvatskoj sceni Rubikon Sound Factory, iza koje stoji producent Bojan Šalamon - Shalla te kompozitor i tekstopisac brojnih uspješnih pop-hitova Ante Pecotić.

U mladosti, Jelena je osvojila drugo mjesto na 4. izboru hrvatskog predstavnika za dječju pjesmu eurovizije 2006. godine. Također, nastupila je i u glazbenom TV showu Z1 televizije "Kad narastem bit ću zvijezda" 2009. godine i glazbenoj rubrici mladih talenata u emisiji Dobro jutro, Hrvatska u kojoj je skladatelj, glazbeni producent i utemeljitelj djevojačkoga zbora Zvjezdice Zdravko Šljivac predstavljao najbolje hrvatske talente.

Objavljeni singlovi
 2020. Ova ljubav - u suradnji s Hiljson Mandela (treper Kuku$)

 2019.
Sve što hoću
Zarobljena

 2018. Pruži mi ruku

 2017.
 Kada budemo sami
 Sve u meni se budi - u suradnji s Damirom Kedžom
 Tragom tvojih tragova - u suradnji s Vannom

 2015. Živa sam

Nagrade, nominacije i priznanja

 Pobjeda na 64. Zagrebačkom festivalu sa skladbom Sve u meni se budi.
 Hit godine Hrvatske diskografske udruge u 2017. godine za skladbu Sve u meni se budi.
 Nominacija za glazbenu nagradu Cesarica 2017. godine - hit godine za skladbu Sve u meni se budi.
 Nominacija za Porin 2017. godine - najbolje vokalne suradnje: Zsa Zsa i Damir Kedžo za skladbu Sve u meni se budi.
 Pobjeda u 1. sezoni reality showa Masked Singer u Hrvatskoj, nagrada za prvu hrvatsku maskiranu zvijezdu (maska: Meduza)

Filmografija

Sinkronizacija
 "Playmobil Film" kao vilinska kuma (2020.)
 "UglyDolls" kao Manda (2019.)

Televizijske emisije
"Masked Singer" kao Meduza (2022.)

Izvori

Vanjske poveznice
 Službena Facebook stranica

Hrvatski pop pjevači
Životopisi, Varaždin
Životopisi, Čakovec

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Alicia came to us looking to enhance her smile for an upcoming reunion. She was not happy with her smile and was looking to improve her overall look. Alicia is a very pretty girl with an amazing outgoing personality and we were pleased she chose our office for her transformation.
Alicia has a job that is very analytical, so we studied her facial structure and various tooth shapes to determine which smile design would be appropriate for her. We utilized the laser to aid in correcting the asymmetry of her smile and to help eliminate some of the gum tissue she displayed in her smile.
Alicia's final outcome is wonderful. We changed the proportions of the front 4 teeth, changed the inclination of her canines, and selected a color that compliments her beautiful complexion. Alicia's case is a great example of what Smile Design can accomplish.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for what you have given me. I am very grateful for your impeccable work on my new set of veneers. I have had so many people compliment me on my beautiful smile ranging from my friends and family to complete strangers. I have you to thank... no one could have made the experience as comfortable as you did. You are the friendliest, most wonderful group of people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I am so pleased and satisfied with my results I will certainly recommend you to others. Thank you for this gift you have given me... my beautiful smile!


text:
Home Council Freedom Of Information
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Freedom Of Infomation
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives the public a general right of access to information held by public authorities, including Council. The aim of the Act is to increase openness and accountability and we are committed to providing timely access to information held by Council in line with legislative requirements and statutory obligations.
How to request information.
Anyone can make a request for information, to do so you must:
Submit your request in writing.
All FOI requests must be in writing and sent by email via
or via the address below:
Senior Records Manager, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, PO Box 66, Lakeview Road, Craigavon, Co. Armagh BT64 1AL.
Provide your real name. the name you are widely known and/or use regularly and which is not a pseudonym or fictitious name.
A request for information, under Section 8 (1) (b) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, must include the real name of the requester. If the requester:
fails to provide a name;
cannot be identified from the name provided (for example because they have only used their first name or initials); or;
is using an obvious pseudonym
Then their request will not meet the requirements of Section 8 (1) (b) and will be invalid.
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The Freedom of Information Act contains a series of exemptions that allow Council to withhold certain types of information. Information is also exempt where it is accessible to you by other means. Council may also refuse to release information where the cost of identifying, locating and collating the material concerned exceeds a limit of £450.
Where Council refuses a request for information, it will explain the reasons for the refusal.
FOI Complaints / Internal Review
If a requester is unhappy with the information provided in the initial response or with how Council processed their request, they have the right of review under the FOI Act. The review will look at all aspects of the processing of your request from the acknowledgement stage to the information provided in the response.
The Senior Records Manager in consultation with the relevant department will process requests for internal review on behalf of Council. As part of the process, the review will consider whether:
FOIA has been properly applied, in particular, whether the information requested genuinely falls within the exemption(s) cited and (where relevant) whether the balance of the public interests favours non-disclosure;
there have been any developments since the original response, including any points made by you when making your complaint, that should alter our approach;
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Applicants will receive written notification of the review outcome, which will also include details of your right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for an independent review should you remain unhappy with Council's response.
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Lawrence Kamin regularly represents national, regional and local banks in claims involving breach of contract, breach of guaranty, fraudulent conveyance, high-end collections, the Uniform Commercial Code, trusts and estates, and other claims affecting banks, trust companies and lenders. Our attorneys have substantial experience and a track record for success defending lenders in claims arising from federal and state consumer protection statutes, including the Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Working in collaboration with our Bankruptcy colleagues, the Lawrence Kamin litigation group also regularly handles loan workouts, foreclosures, receiverships and assignments for the benefit of creditors for clients.
Recognizing that the best banking litigation strategy frequently entails the avoidance of litigation altogether, we often advise our clients on various litigation prevention strategies, including risk-management schemes and compliance obligations.
Contact one of our banking litigation attorneys today.


Each child's learning target for each subject will be based in his/her stanine result within the three CAT4 categories (Verbal, Quantitative and Spatial). These scores differ in each category and this ensures that the targets set reflect each child's potential in different subject disciplines. Targets are set based on stanine bands. Pupils will therefore work towards achieving and/or exceeding the target assessment percentage set for each stanine band.


Sanchez, Mar M. Howell, Leonard L.
Adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability for the development of substance abuse, including cocaine addiction. Despite the known risk of adolescence initiation of cocaine abuse for lifelong addiction, and its tremendous health and societal costs in the US, the neurobiological mechanisms of increased risk during this developmental period are poorly understood. The proposed studies will examine this question in a novel and highly translational adolescent nonhuman primate model, investigating the effect of an important risk/vulnerability factor: exposure to early life stress. We will also determine whether increased emotional/stress reactivity increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction, including relapse, in females. We will use a highly translational macaque model of early life stress (infant maltreatment) to examine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased vulnerability to cocaine abuse and relapse during adolescence. The project will build on ongoing longitudinal studies of developmental alterations exhibited by the maltreated animals, which have been characterized by our group since birth using a unique cross fostering design that rules out confounding effects of heritability on outcome measures. We have evidence that the adverse experience leads to increased emotional reactivity and alterations of prefrontal connectivity (both structural and functional) during the infant period, and we will now examine whether these alterations (1) persist during adolescence and (2) underlie increased risk to cocaine abuse. Our goal is to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased vulnerability to cocaine abuse during adolescence in animals with a well-documented history of early life stress, with a particular focus on alterations in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems and prefrontal connectivity with the striatum and amygdala. We hypothesize that the increased emotional reactivity/anxiety characteristic of maltreated animals exacerbates cocaine self-administration and reinstatement, and that females will be more vulnerable than males. The study will also test a pharmacological intervention, through the use of pharmacological blockade of the 5-HT2A receptor during cocaine abstinence to reduce the risk of relapse. A critical aspect of this proposal is its focus on adolescence, as it is the developmental period when humans initiate drug consumption and has been rarely examined in nonhuman primate studies of cocaine abuse.
Adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability for the development of substance abuse, including cocaine addiction. Despite the known risk of adolescence initiation of cocaine abuse for lifelong addiction, and its tremendous health and societal costs in the US, we don't understand the neurobiological mechanisms of increased risk during this developmental period. The studies we propose here will examine this question in a novel and highly translational adolescent nonhuman primate model, investigating the effect of risk/vulnerability factors such as exposure to early life stress; we will also determine whether increased anxiety and stress reactivity underlie female's increased vulnerability to cocaine addiction, including relapse.


Zackary Steven Roberts, 22, no listed street address, Fort Pierce; warrant for burglary of a dwelling.
Anthony Dewayne Zackery, 40, 400 block of North 15th Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, tampering with a witness, victim or informant.
Todd Sharrett, 26, Arlington Heights, Illinois; battery on an officer; property damage - criminal mischief.
Eric T. Maples, 38, no listed street address, Port St. Lucie; domestic battery by strangulation; assault with intent to commit a felony; kidnap - false imprisonment of an adult; obstruction of justice - tampering in a third degree felony proceeding.
Joseph Anthony Francis, 48, 1000 block of Southwest Dartmouth Avenue, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order revoking pretrial release, sexual battery with great force, lewd or lascivious battery.
Nicole Lee Tribo, 42, 1400 block of Southwest Iffla Avenue, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, possession of a controlled substance, possession of cocaine.
Terrence Rashad Pride, 24, 4100 block of Southwest Elba Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of pretrial release, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief.
Vanessa Denise Sirmons, 33, 2900 block of Avenue D, Fort Pierce; burglary of an unoccupied structure while unarmed; larceny/grand theft; dealing in stolen property.
Lloyd Walker Buntele, 54, 300 block of Southwest Whitmore Drive, Port St. Lucie; larceny/grand theft; giving false ownership information on pawned items; dealing in stolen property; warrant for violation of probation, burglary of an occupied dwelling/conveyance.
Izell Antonio Kirk, 40, 400 block of North 14th Street, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine.
Tavares Malik Calhoun, 19, 200 block of Heath Street, Fort Piece; robbery by sudden snatching without firearm or weapon.
Ryan Noe Irizarry Gonzalez, 22, West Palm Beach; aggravated stalking of a minor under 16.
Michael Barone, 21, 100 block of Northwest Central Park Plaza, Fort Pierce; property damage - criminal mischief.
Natasha Nicole Brown, 27, 2300 block of North 44th Street, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine.
Dennis Ray Williams, 56, 1600 block of Ponce de Leon Prado, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine.


Visuals. Artwork. Images. Call 'em what you will – they all present a huge challenge for me.
I don't know what to do with them. I don't know how many to use, where they should go on the page, what colors are appropriate in which situations, or what fonts are really saying about who I am.
I'm totally design-blind. So when Visme sent me 12 Visual Hierarchy Principles Every Non-Designers Needs to Know, I knew they were speaking directly to me.
Their clever infographic doesn't go into mind-boggling detail about design principles I don't really care about. They simply show you what works and what doesn't. They let the contrast between the "before" images and the "after" images do the talking in a clear, succinct way.
Enjoy Visme's infographic for its beauty and simplicity. Hopefully, it will help you with design as much as it does me!


In the context of the LIFT conference, I organize (along with Julian Bleecker) an invitation-only workshop called Blogjects and the Internet of Things.
Blogjects - a neologism Julian Bleecker came up with for objects that blog - exemplify the soon-to-come 'Internet of Things', i.e. a network of tangible, mobile, chatty things enabled by the miniaturization, the ubiquity of consumer electronics and a pervasive Internet. In its most basic form, a blogject is not dissimilar to people that blog - it is an artifact that can disseminate a record of its experiences to the web. It would report the history of its interactions with other objects and with people. (...) this topic ties into the idea of proximity-based interaction and usage scenarios for mobile contexts.
The aim of the workshop: is to discuss usage scenarios of blogjects, the design issues they raises as well as their significance in various usage and design contexts.
We will discuss potential ideas related to the Internet of Things, trying to sketch some new directions that - I hope - will go beyond current location-based applications.


The harder route. With nuts.
It's Friday – and compared to the last couple of weeks I'm amazed at how time has flown by. Perspective always has a habit of making things seem this way but this time it's totally down to me and my improved attitude. It's so easy to slip into a negative mindset and not realise just how dark it is until you look back and realise that you were actually really miserable.
I'm past the point where I think that this is a bad thing though. There's a profound value in experiencing negative emotion and dealing with self doubt (which has recently been my own personal kryptonite) or other downbeat feelings.
Whilst I used to paper over the cracks of this aspect of myself with one vice or another I don't any more. I might still stumble – but I now try (thanks in part to insight gained from a certain dancing psychologist friend's book loan) to explore why I feel that way in the first place and also to let myself experience the bad feelings when they're there.
Ultimately her book's advice was spot on. We can't be happy all the time. True happiness requires an understanding of what it's like to be miserable occasionally – and it's not natural to be ecstatic 24×7.
Letting negative feelings wash over you like a wave from time to time is a good thing, because (just like tides of the sea) they will eventually recede again and expose a nice sunny and sandy beach.
I don't think I'd feel the positivity that I do now (primarily borne from feeling that I'm in control again) if I hadn't had a while where I felt the opposite way.
A short while ago I was talking to a friend about how I almost had gastric surgery to deal with my weight. Although it was partially the horror of having such a procedure that made me recoil from this course of action (I've never had so much as a tooth filling let alone an operation) I've realised over the last two years it was more than just that.
Although my change was far from immediate after I decided against this course of action it eventually became vitally important for me to conquer my problems myself, without (as I saw it at the time) 'being butchered'.
I've had too many instances in the past where (in retrospect) I've been unable to accept the reality of the work that I needed to put into life to get what I wanted back out of it. In the past I'd always resorted to quick fixes and pursued only half hearted attempts to change.
Sure – I probably could have lost all of the weight with surgery – but would I have felt the same sense of empowerment and accomplishment that I do now after losing seventeen stone with nothing more than healthy eating and a ton of exercise?
Would I feel proud that I'd stopped drinking and that I haven't touched a drop for 618 days if someone had locked me in a room for the whole time?
I'm not saying that people that people who take the surgery route are wrong to do so though. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another – and you should feel empowered to choose the best course of action for your own circumstances.
I'm just saying that if I didn't feel finally that I had somehow fundamentally changed as a person and that it wasn't some external force out of my control that had instead forced change upon me then I don't think I'd have the certainty that I do now that where I am in life is a permanent state of mind.
I'm 100% sure that I'm never going back to the way that I was before – and whether I have a bad day or week here and there or not the underlying thing that's different this time around is ME.
It's my brain that's made this possible – nothing else – and this is worth more to me than any pile of money because it means that my future possibilities are endless. If I can do something like this, and then continue to do it then why should I have anything but certainty that everything else in life will work out?
Anyway – enough of that.
Lets just say I'm in a positive frame of mind and leave it there!
In other news I've gone from having a rather empty calendar for the next two weeks to having one that's pretty well populated all of a sudden.
Whereas I can usually informally agree to things and be pretty sure that I won't let anyone down, all of a sudden I've overlapped several long standing (largely forgotten) appointments when new things have unexpectedly popped up. It's resulted in some juggling – but I think I've managed to keep all of the balls I have in the air.
It's nice to be busy though – because all of these appointments are very cool indeed and I'm genuinely looking forward to them.
There may be more on these in future posts, but for now… what has Davey been eating?
It occurred to me that for fellow Slimming World readers I've not been listing my 'synned' foods – and focusing just on calories (which is not really in the spirit of things) so starting today I'm adding them to my food lists to help anyone reading and keep myself aware of what my intake is.
I know I went way over my syns yesterday (men get 20) but this week I've had hardly any or none at all, so I'm not unduly worried about this. Whilst my consultant refers to this as a 'Flexible Felicity' day I think I prefer calling it a 'Bendy Bob' one.
I've had a 200g bag of Aldi essentials fruit and nut mix in my cupboard since the 20th July – when I bought two of them for climbing Snowdon. I ate the first bag at the top of the mountain – and I've resisted the second packet for two and a half months. It contains a lot of calories so it's remained unmolested….
Until yesterday when 100g of it took a spanking for the team. I'm not sure the 2nd half of it will last quite as long in the cupboard as the first!
Hope you're feeling upbeat and dandy internet. I have a good feeling about the weekend ahead!


If you've allowed your Twitter marketing strategy to decline, or you've never used Twitter for business marketing, you'll benefit from taking a fresh look at how Twitter can help you grow your business.
Twitter is simply a short messaging social tool for communicating with the millions of other people on the platform. Messages called tweets are short (140 characters only) and can include links to other web content including sites, blogs, images, and video content. Subscribers follow your account, and you follow accounts that are compatible with your business – be they other businesses or consumers. You can interact with and share tweets, and have your tweets shared by loyal followers.
How is Twitter unique in the social media landscape?
Twitter is considered to be a micro-blogging tool, as its messages are short and can be somewhat random and disconnected. This is a feature it shares with Tumblr and a few other less-well known platforms. It also shares some features with Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube; yet Twitter stands alone in its unique qualities overall.
While a tweet is similar to a short update on Facebook, on Twitter, every tweet is delivered to every follower. Facebook filters what is delivered to users' newsfeeds.
Twitter allows for conversation lists and groups in a similar way to Google+ circles.
Whereas LinkedIn is based on connections where trust a personal relationship is present, Twitter allows for complete and unlimited stranger following.
Tweets can contain links to video, in a broader and more general way than on YouTube.
How can you use Twitter for business marketing?
Present your business and your brand to the world.
The potential reach of your Twitter profile is literally global – and with well over 300 million worldwide Twitter users, there is no excuse to not have a profile on the platform. It presents a golden opportunity to tell your brand's story to the whole world.
Make sure you keep consistency in your brand identity across all of the channels in which you affect your online presence. This will help maintain your recognisability for consumers and to build trust.
Your Twitter username needs to express your brand identity and clearly show who you are. Keep it as simple as possible; this will help with user satisfaction, especially on mobile devices.
Choose appropriate profile and header images – a professional headshot or company logo is ideal for your profile picture. If you are a small business enterprise, a personal but professional headshot will be suitable for the profile image and it will give a personalised tone to your account. Use the header image space to tell a story about your brand.
Customising your Twitter page background can further enhance your branding.
A short bio – tell the world who you are and what you do … what can you offer them?
Be somewhat selective – others can see who you follow, so make it compatible with your brand, your business and your identity that you wish to present to the world. Following too aggressively can lead to Twitter suspending your account, so don't dive in too fast and follow every user you come across.
You just need to offer short snippets that pertain to your business and your brand. They can be tweets, replies to other users and retweets from followers, mentions and direct messages. You can include links to video, GIFs, images, websites, blogs and other content online.
Find a happy medium between what you have to say to promote your business and what your target audience wants to hear. How can you help consumers? Answer their questions, show them how you can benefit them, and offer value.
Remember that with its concise nature, each tweet is like a headline – it needs to say what you mean. Make every character count!
You need to integrate your Twitter profile into your brand's online presence as a whole. Add links and buttons to your website for direct linking to Twitter, as well as a Twitter newsfeed to your website. Select only the best and most appropriate tweets to share on your business website.
You should also make it simple for other Twitter users to share your content from your blog etc on Twitter. The easiest way to do this is to include a tweet button on your blog and website content, or to embed a tweet into a blog post.
Create tweets around links back to your site, your blog, or other valuable links to your business. By creating compelling messages, you make your audience want to learn more – hence they will be encouraged to click through and continue their journey on your site. Always use link shorteners! These free up space in your tweet and also look much more appealing to social media users.
You want to extend the reach of your business to a new and wider audience. The easiest way to be visible to a fresh audience on Twitter is to use valuable and appropriate hashtags.
Hashtags are used in tweets to identify common themes or trending topics. When a user clicks on a hashtag, all tweets using this tag will appear – including tweets by people not currently followed. It facilitates a greater conversation.
Create a unique and usable hashtag for your brand; used on Twitter for business marketing, it will help people find your business and what people are saying about it.
Make sure your website is optimised for mobile. Many users will visit Twitter and other social platforms via a mobile device. You want these users to click through to your website, but nothing will drive them away faster than opening a desktop site on mobile that has not been mobile optimised.
Tweet often – this will boost your search engine optimisation efforts. Remember to include your targeted keywords in your tweets, as well as in your Twitter bio.
Offer special deals that are available only on Twitter – "Twixclusive" deals! This will allow your Twitter followers to feel like they have the inside edge on other consumers, and this can result in better customer loyalty, more followers, more retweets and, most importantly, more sales. These exclusive offers may be limited-time discounts, behind the scenes sneak peeks, or live online Q&A sessions.
Broadcast new product launches as they happen.
Promote special events for your company or in your niche.
Using Twitter for business can greatly expand the reach of your brand. What are you waiting for?
Want more info on Twitter? So glad you asked because we have plenty!
Using Twitter for business – get it right: When using Twitter for business, you need to have a clear and well-thought-out plan of attack, with a long-term commitment to building your follower base and delivering what they want to see, share and, most importantly, act on.
Attract, engage and succeed on Twitter: Twitter is one social media platform that every savvy marketer should take advantage of for business marketing purposes. Yet the overall marketing equation relies on much more than simply creating a Twitter profile and tweeting now and then. Twitter engagement with your brand requires commitment and a clever strategy to succeed.
15 ways to smash your social media strategy with Twitter: Twitter may well be the social media platform that offers the biggest punch, yet for the smallest amount of content shared. With each tweet limited to just 140 characters, users are forced to be brief and to the point.
Have a look around the blog for more social media snippets on all the major platforms.


My goal is to cater my message to your needs. I want minds enhanced; I want behaviors changed; I want action from the group you put me in front of.
"Wake Up and Start Dreaming"
This book is meant to empower you to take control over your life, recognize your greatness, and put you on a path to success.
This book will enlighten the hearts and souls of any reader who views or listens to this poetry. These words will send shockwaves through the mind that are designed to uplift the reader.
30 -day motivational audio series.
Take control of the ideas racing in your head, get clarity on your starting point, and begin to live a life outside of survival mode.


On July 8th, partially relying on the U.S. Supreme Court's June 20th decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes (for an analysis of the Dukes decision, see our previous blog entry), the United States District Court for the Northern District of California decertified a class of current and former store managers who alleged that Dollar Tree Stores Inc. had misclassified them as exempt employees and denied them overtime pay. The case, Cruz v. Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., proves that although Dukes involved discrimination as opposed to wage and hour claims, the rationale in Dukes can also be used to defeat wage and hour class actions.
On October 13, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell (R) signed the Construction Workplace Misclassification Act (H.B. 400), which sets forth a number of prerequisites for classifying construction industry workers as independent contractors as opposed to employees. Under the Act, the consequences for misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor are severe. The Act is part of a large trend, as similar legislation has been enacted or is being considered in a number of other states.
In yet another employee misclassification case, Kentucky Attorney General, Jack Conway, brought suit against FedEx Corp. alleging that FedEx violates Kentucky state law by misclassifying its drivers as independent contractors. The Complaint contends that FedEx violated state law in regards to unemployment insurance, workers compensation, payroll taxes, and the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit asks the Court to order FedEx to classify its drivers as employees and to pay the contributions and penalties required by state law, which includes back pay dating to 2000 and totaling at least $10 million.
Our prior posts have chronicled recent attempts by Congress and state legislatures to crack down on employers who misclassify employees as independent contractors, the most notable of which was the Employee Misclassification Prevention Act that, among other things, seeks to create a cause of action under the FLSA for misclassification and to require employers to keep records of hours worked by independent contractors. On September 15, Congress took yet another step in the enforcement direction when Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Representative Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) introduced The Fair Playing Field Act of 2010 (S. 3786, H. 6128), which seeks to close a so-called "loophole" under the current tax regime.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has announced that it will conduct a hearing on Thursday, June 17, 2010 on the Employee Misclassification Prevention Act, which was introduced in both the Senate and House on April 22, 2010. The Act seeks to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act so that worker misclassification is a violation of federal law. The act also requires employers to maintain records reflecting hours worked and wages paid to independent contractors. See our previous post for a detailed discussion of the legislation.
President Obama's proposed $3.8 trillion federal budget for 2011 includes $117 billion for the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department's Wage and Hour Division, which will receive $244 million under the new budget (an increase of almost $20 million from last year), pledges to use the money to increase its number of investigators, to train investigators to detect misclassification of workers as independent contractors, and to focus on industries where misclassification is most prevalent.
Previously we have discussed the risks associated with contingent worker arrangements (engagements of independent contractors, consultants, freelancers, temporary staffers, and "as needed" workers, etc.). These risks will continue to grow in the coming months, as more claimants emerge seeking damages, government agencies increase their enforcement efforts, and state and federal legislators create new restrictions and penalties associated with classifying workers as independent contractors.