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Written by Simon Kensington in Homework Help
Battery facts
Modern batteries have become amazing powerhouses for today's portable devices. The history of batteries is a fascinating story, with men and women across the world striving to harness the remarkable properties of electricity and make them available everywhere.
Just 10 years ago people were walking around with the proverbial "Brick" cell phone. However today it is now possible to lose your phone within the average pocket or smallest of handbags, this is in no small measure due to the advances in battery technology.
All batteries available today have their own advantages that make them ideal for particular purposes, however, they all have an Achilles heel. Get to know the batteries and their funny little ways at Battery Facts.
Battery Facts provides you with all you need to know about batteries –
From how a battery works, to which battery is best for a purpose.
The Development of the Battery
Modern batteries have become amazing powerhouses for today's portable devices. They have a fascinating history, with men and women across the world striving to harness the remarkable properties of electricity and make them available everywhere.
Luigi Galvani 1780 (1737 – 1798)
During the 1780's, biologist Luigi Galvani performed experiments at the University of Bologna involving frogs. While cutting a frog's leg, Galvani's steel scalpel touched a brass hook that was holding the leg in
place. The leg twitched. Further experiments confirmed this effect, and Galvani was convinced that he was seeing the effects of what he called animal electricity, the life force within the muscles of the frog. At the University of Pavia, Galvani's colleague Alessandro Volta was able to reproduce the results but was sceptical of Galvani's explanation.
By experiment Volta found that it was the two dissimilar metals, not the frog's leg that produced the electricity. The frog's leg was just an indicator of the presence of the electricity
Alessandro Volta 1880 (1745-1827)
One of the enthusiastic admirers of Galvani was a university professor in Padova Alessandro Guiseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta. He repeated Galvani's experiments many times with many different materials. From these experiments, he came to the conclusion that it was the two dissimilar metals, not the frog's leg that produced the electricity. The frog's leg was just an indicator of the presence of electricity.
In 1800, after extensive experimentation, he developed the voltaic pile. The original voltaic pile consisted of a pile of zinc and silver discs and between alternating discs, a piece of cardboard that had been soaked in saltwater. A wire connecting the bottom zinc disc to the top silver disc could produce repeated sparks. No frogs were injured in the production of a voltaic pile.
Volta built different piles using thirty, forty or sixty elements. This enabled him to study the action of the pile on the electric fluid, depending on the number of elements, and he confirmed that the electric shock increased in intensity with the number of elements used in the pile. If more than twenty elements were used, it became painful. The first piles constructed by Volta comprised alternating zinc and copper discs. Each was separated from its neighbour by a piece of cloth or card dampened by an acid solution. The column was supported by three vertical glass rods.
William Sturgeon 1830 (1783-1850)
William Sturgeon was an English electrical engineer. In 1825 he built the first practical electromagnet, in 1832 invented the commutator for electric motors and in 1836 made the first moving-coil galvanometer.
A major problem with the Voltaic pile was that it could not provide current for a sustained period of time. Sturgeon worked on the problem and in 1830 produced a battery with a longer life than that of Volta by amalgamating the zinc.
Contributing to the major problem with batteries was a thin film of hydrogen bubbles that formed over the positive electrode. The thin film of hydrogen caused increased internal resistance of the battery that reduced its effective electromotive force (voltage). This process of a thin film of hydrogen collecting on the electrode is known as polarization.
The Volta cell had certain inherent weaknesses – any impurity in the zinc plates used caused erosion of the electrode. Sturgeon developed a long-lasting battery that consisted of a single cell cylinder of cast iron into which a cylinder of amalgamated rolled zinc was placed. Discs of millboard located between the cast-iron cell and the cylinder of zinc prevented contact by the different metals. Dilute sulfuric acid was used to charge the battery.
John Daniell 1835 (1790-1845)
John Daniell began experiments in 1835 in an attempt to improve the Voltaic battery with its problem of being unsteady and as a weak source of electrical current. His experiments soon led to remarkable results. In 1836, he invented a primary cell in which hydrogen was eliminated in the generation of electricity. Daniell had solved the problem of polarization. In his laboratory, he had learned to alloy zinc with mercury. His version was the first battery that produced a constant reliable source of electrical current over a long period of time.
To make the Daniell cell, a copper plate is placed at the bottom of a glass jar. Copper sulfate solution is poured over the plate to half-fill the jar. Then a zinc plate is hung in the jar as shown and a zinc sulfate solution poured very carefully into the jar. Copper sulfate is denser than zinc sulfate, so the zinc sulfate "floats" on top of the copper sulfate.
Gaston Planté 1859 (1834-1889)
In 1859 Planté began experiments that resulted in the construction of a battery for the storage of electrical energy; his first model contained two sheets of lead, separated by rubber strips, rolled into a spiral, and immersed in a solution containing about 10 per cent sulfuric acid.
A year later he presented a battery to the Academy of Sciences consisting of nine of the elements described above, housed in a protective box with the terminals connected in parallel. His battery could deliver remarkably large currents.
Initial capacity was quite limited since the positive plate had little active material available for reaction. About 1881, Faure and others developed batteries using a paste of lead s for the positive plate active materials. This allowed a much quicker formation and better plate efficiency than the solid Planté plate.
Although the rudiments of the flooded lead-acid battery date back to the 1880s, there has been a continuing stream of improvements in the materials of construction and the manufacturing and formation processes. Since many of the problems with flooded lead-acid batteries involved electrolyte leakage, many attempts have been made to eliminate free acid in the battery.
Georges Leclanché 1866 (1839-1882)
In 1866, Georges Leclanche, patented a new system, which was immediately successful. In the space of two years, twenty thousand of his cells were being used in the telegraph system. Leclanche's original cell was assembled in a porous pot. The positive electrode consisted of crushed manganese dioxide with a little carbon mixed in. The negative pole was a zinc rod. The cathode was packed into the pot, and a carbon rod was inserted to act as a currency collector. The anode or zinc rod and the pot were then immersed in an ammonium chloride solution. The liquid acted as the electrolyte, readily seeping through the porous cup and making contact with the cathode material. Leclanche's "wet" cell (as it was popularly referred to) became the forerunner to the world's first widely used battery, the zinc-carbon cell.
The Leclanche cell was used extensively for telegraphy, signalling and electric bell work; and for most work where the intermittent current is required and where it is essential that the battery should require very little attention. The cell proved very useful in the early years of the telephone, before power was centralised in the exchanges, every telephone needed to have its own source of electricity. The battery was hidden inside a wooden box, often fixed with the telephone on the wall. It proved less suitable as conversations lengthened, and for long-distance calls. In a prolonged call, the start might be fine, but the conclusion could well be inaudible, as the battery ran down. However, the Leclanche was to some extent self re-charging, thanks to the chemicals inside it reacting with the surrounding air and before too long the telephone would be ready for action again.
Carl Gassner 1887
The Leclanche cell was quite heavy and prone to breakage but steadily improved over the years. The idea of encapsulating both the negative electrode and porous pot into a zinc cup was first patented by J.A. Thiebaut in 1881. But, it was Carl Gassner of Mainz who is credited as constructing the first commercially successful "dry" cell. Variations followed.
Carl Gassner patented the first "dry" cell in 1887 with zinc as the container for the other elements as well as for the negative electrode. The electrolyte was absorbed in a porous material and the cell was sealed across the top. This cell was easy to handle and portable. It became the prototype for the dry battery industry.
By 1889 there were at least six well-known dry batteries in circulation. Later battery manufacturing produced smaller, lighter batteries, and the application of the tungsten filament in 1909 created the impetus to develop batteries for use in torches.
Waldmar Jungner 1899
Waldmar Jungner invented the nickel-cadmium battery in 1899. At that time, the materials were expensive compared to other battery types available and its use was limited to special applications. In 1932, the active materials were deposited inside a porous nickel-plated electrode and in 1947 research began on a sealed nickel-cadmium battery.
Rather than venting, the internal gases generated during charge were recombined. These advances led to the modern sealed nickel-cadmium battery, which is in use today.
Nickel-cadmium prefers fast charge to slow charge and pulse charge to DC charge. It is a strong and silent worker; hard labour poses little problem. In fact, nickel-cadmium is the only battery type that performs well under rigorous working conditions. All other chemistries prefer a shallow discharge and moderate load currents.
Nickel-cadmium does not like to be pampered by sitting in chargers for days and being used only occasionally for brief periods. A periodic full discharge is so important that, if omitted, large crystals will form on the cell plates (also referred to as memory) and the nickel-cadmium will gradually lose its performance.
Thomas Alva Edison 1903 (1847-1931)
As with several of Thomas Edison's later projects, such as his effort to mine iron ore and his quest to create synthetic rubber, his attempts at improving the battery did not lead to the results he hoped for. Edison started his work on the battery in the 1890s, just after the motor car had been introduced. At that time, the petrol engine was still unreliable, and steam and electric cars sold in larger numbers. One problem with electric cars, however, was that the lead-acid batteries that they used were extremely heavy. Another was that the acid corroded the lead inside the battery, shortening the useful life of the battery.
Edison began looking for a way to make batteries lighter, more reliable, and at least three times more powerful so that they could become the basis of a successful electric car. Edison and his team conducted tests of all sorts of metals and other materials, looking for those that would work best in batteries. The tests numbered in the thousands and lasted until 1903 when he finally declared his battery finished. The battery used potassium hydroxide, which reacted with the battery's iron and nickel electrodes to create a battery with a strong output that was reliable and rechargeable.
As usual, Edison announced the new battery with great fanfare and made bold claims about its performance. Manufacturers and users of electric vehicles, which now included many urban delivery and transport trucks, began buying them. Then stories about battery failures started coming out. Many of the batteries began to leak, and others lost much of their power after a short while. The new nickel-graphite conductors were failing. Engineers who tested the batteries found that while lightweight, the new alkaline battery did not significantly outperform an ordinary lead-acid battery.
Edison shut down the factory immediately, and between 1905 and 1908, the whole battery was redesigned. Edison came up with a new design, and although the new battery used more expensive materials, it had better performance and more power. By 1910, battery production was again underway at a new factory near the West Orange, NJ laboratory.
However, it was too late for the electric car. Edison's friend Henry Ford had introduced the lightweight, inexpensive Model T in 1909, which helped make the petrol engine the standard for the automobile.
Samuel Ruben 1930 (1900-1988)
The story of Duracell begins in the early 1920s with an inventive scientist named Samuel Ruben and an eager manufacturer of tungsten filament wire named Philip Rogers Mallory. Ruben came to the P.R. Mallory Company seeking a piece of equipment he needed for an experiment. But Ruben and Mallory saw an opportunity: uniting the one's inventive genius with the other's manufacturing muscle. Their partnership, which would last until 1975 with Mallory's death, was the bedrock of Duracell International.
Samuel Ruben's inventions revolutionized battery technology. Amidst World War II, for instance, Ruben devised the mercury cell, which packed more capacity in less space and was durable enough for the harsh climates of wartime theatres like North Africa and the South Pacific — places where ordinary zinc carbon batteries used in flashlights, mine detectors, and walkie-talkies couldn't hold up. P.R. Mallory manufactured millions of mercury cells for the war effort. The Mallory Battery Company was formed shortly thereafter. The mercury cell has now largely been phased out due to its environmental impact.
Lewis Urry 1950 (1927-2004)
Lew Urry graduated from the University of Toronto in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He got a job working for the Eveready battery division of Union Carbide in Toronto, then moved to Cleveland at the company's request in 1955, where he continued his research into creating a 'better battery'.
Lew Urry developed the small alkaline battery in 1949. The inventor was working for the Eveready Battery Co. at their research laboratory in Parma, Ohio. Alkaline batteries last five to eight times as long as zinc-carbon cells, their predecessors.
Urry examined past failed attempts at creating an alkaline battery and experimented with different combinations, before discovering that powdered zinc was the best electrolyte. He changed the shape of the battery from a button to a cylinder, then gave a demonstration using toy cars in the company cafeteria. One car used the best battery at the time, carbon-zinc, and the other contained his prototype. The car with the alkaline battery outperformed the other by a considerable margin.
Most of today's exotic rechargeable battery systems–nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, and the variety of lithium-based cells–are 20th Century developments, products of research labs at major corporations and universities. New chemistries are no longer discovered through experimentation because the principles of battery design and operation are now well known. Today new efforts in battery design focus on making the optimal chemistries work in practical cells.
There are battery technologies to suit all conditions and purposes. Modern uses may demand long life, small size, high current, light weight or any combination of these factors and batteries have been developed to satisfy all of these needs. Take a browse through the different types of battery and find out which is best for your needs:
The AAA battery (also called R03 or "triple-A"), is the smaller sister (or brother if you prefer your batteries to be male) of the AA battery. It is gaining in popularity quickly and is already the second most common battery sold in the UK.
All AAA batteries share the same cylindrical shape with a height of 1.752″ (44.5mm) and a diameter of 0.413″ (10.5mm). Most AAA batteries use alkaline technology, with a voltage of 1.5V. The AAA battery is however also available as a rechargeable battery. The NiMH AAA rechargeable battery is rated at 1.2V but performs as well as the alkaline version in modern high-drain applications, such as digital cameras.
The increased use of and demand for the AAA battery is the result of battery powered devices becoming smaller and more efficient, while battery technology has advanced such that a current AAA battery packs as much punch as only an AA battery could deliver a few years ago. The smaller size and reduced weight are also important considerations for the designers of the newest generation of portable CD players and other gadgets. For some devices, the battery compartment and the batteries are the largest and heaviest component of the entire device!
The AA battery (sometimes affectionately called "double-A"), is the most common battery size. Every year, about 200 million are sold in the UK alone!
The AA standard actually refers to the physical dimension of the battery: cylindrical, measuring 1.988″ (50mm) in height with a diameter of 0.571″ (14.5mm). Amongst battery professionals, the AA battery is also called an R6.
Based on this physical standard, a large number of different AA batteries have actually been developed. They differ in performance, electrical specification, and suitability for various applications.
Zinc-Carbon AA batteries have been available for the longest amount of time. They are least expensive and work well in low drain applications, such as portable radios or torches. They don't work well when the application requires a lot of electricity quickly, because the chemicals in the battery start deteriorating, with the result of the battery losing power. Low to moderate drain applications allow the battery chemicals to recover, and thus make for a reasonable life-span.
Alkaline AA batteries are the best general-purpose AA battery available today. They provide more power than Zinc-Carbon AA batteries and also work much better at lower temperatures. The cheapest alkaline AA battery comes close to a Zinc-Carbon battery in price but still exceeds it in performance. A top-of-the-range alkaline AA battery, such as the Duracell Ultra M3 commands a visible premium but outlasts not just Zinc-Carbon AA batteries, but also several other alkaline AA batteries by multiples.
More recently lithium AA batteries have emerged to power high drain devices, such as digital cameras. They clearly outperform any alkaline AA battery in such demanding electronic applications as digital photography, but this extra performance is also visible in their price.
The most economical and environmentally friendly version of the AA battery is the NiMH rechargeable AA battery. Recharging a set of NiMH AA rechargeables costs only a small percentage of the price of alkaline AA batteries, and when you've used them, you don't have to pile your used batteries into a landfill, you simply recharge them. NiMH AA rechargeables also use less dangerous materials than the previous generation of NiCd rechargeable batteries.
Rechargeable AA batteries are also typically rated at a voltage of 1.2V, rather than the 1.5V nominal voltage of the pre-charged batteries. Because of the difference in chemical process inside the battery, however, the rechargeable AA battery can still outperform an alkaline AA battery in many applications.
Camcorder Batteries
A battery in a camcorder has a tough life. It needs to provide a high voltage for all of the clever electronics that ensure great pictures no matter where you point the camera, and also provide a strong current to drive the tape motor. This has made for pretty large camcorder batteries.
There are currently three generations of camcorder battery, all of which are still being manufactured, sold and used:
• Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) is the best established, most common, and least expensive technology.
• Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) is a significant improvement over NiCd, with faster recharge times, and good performance for a much larger number of recharge cycles. A NiMH battery pack will typically have a capacity of 30%-50% over that of a NiCd battery pack of the same size. The NiCd memory effect, which reduces the efficiency of the battery pack with each charge/discharge cycle, has also been overcome in NiMH camcorder batteries. When the battery pack does eventually expire, NiMH is a lot friendlier to the environment, because it removes the Cadmium in NiCd battery packs from household waste.
• Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) technology is the most recent. It outperforms the other technologies but does so at a price. Li-Ion camcorder battery packs are also 'intelligent, in that they have on-device electronics that record usage information and allow the battery pack to be utilized more effectively than without this information.
Have you ever attempted to buy a replacement camcorder battery? You'll be surprised at the price of some original brand battery packs. It is unfortunate (for the consumer) that so many camcorders each require a special battery pack that isn't compatible with any other camera or battery pack. This of course means that the maker of the camcorder is in a good position to dominate the supply, and dictate the price. When you are looking for a camcorder, you have a wide choice, and manufacturers need to price the camcorders aggressively to compete with each other. Once you have your brand XXX camcorder, you'll also have to get their battery packs, so your ability to shop around has been dramatically reduced.
Fortunately, a number of third party providers have stepped in, in support of the cost-aware consumer. Uniross and Fameart are amongst the firms offering replacement camcorder battery packs for a wide variety of camcorders. Uniross is one of the leaders in rechargeable battery technology and makes very high-quality battery packs. In fact, because some of these third-party providers specialize in rechargeable batteries, their products can sometimes exceed the performance of the original battery packs, while still being less expensive.
Cameras tend to be used very intensively over a short amount of time, and then stored for a while before their next use. This has resulted in lithium batteries dominating the market for camera batteries. Lithium batteries can provide a lot of relatively high voltage power, and do so quickly. This is important when the battery needs to power the film motor, the range finder electronics, the powered zoom and a flash, nearly all at the same time. Lithium batteries also have a shelf life of 10 years or more, which means that the battery doesn't lose any charge when it is not being used.
Most of the camera batteries available today are quite mature. The most common sizes come with labels such as CR123, CR2, 2CR5 or CRP2P. All of the big brand battery manufacturers offer these batteries, although some electronics companies (such as Panasonic), and some film companies (such as Kodak) also offer photo batteries under their brand. Because of the relative maturity of this type of battery, there are only small differences in performance between the camera batteries sold with brand names you would recognize. As such, there are great opportunities to save money by shopping around.
One more recent battery is the CR-V3. It is a 6 Volt lithium battery that will fit into a battery compartment the same size as two AA batteries. Because it doesn't waste the space between two cylindrical AA cells, it has more space for electricity-producing chemicals, and will thus last longer than a pair of lithium AA batteries.
Digital Cameras place a huge burden on the batteries that provide them with power. When being used, they need a large amount of electricity very quickly. And of course it still needs to work after a month or two of being stored.
Even though some alkaline batteries have very high rated capacities (up to 2500mAh), the method by which alkaline batteries convert their chemical energy into electrical energy places a limit on how much power they can produce. This gives even the best alkaline AA batteries a run for their money in power-hungry digital cameras.
Rechargeable batteries fare much better. The current technology used in rechargeable batteries for digital cameras uses Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) chemistry to convert the stored chemical energy into electricity. This chemical process can generate electricity far more rapidly, and will thus allow a 2100mAh NiMH battery to outperform a 2500mAh alkaline battery in a digital camera.
Current NiMH technology has a number of additional advantages over its predecessor, Nickel-Cadmium or NiCd. NiCd rechargeable batteries suffer from something called a 'memory effect'. This reduces the amount of electricity that the battery can store in each charge/discharge cycle. Not by a great deal for each cycle, but over time you would notice that you got ever fewer pictures from your digital camera before you had to stop to recharge.
One disadvantage that rechargeable batteries for digital cameras have not overcome is the loss of stored power while not in use. A rechargeable battery loses 1-3% of its power EVERY DAY when not in use. If you are running a professional photo studio, that won't be an issue because you're recharging every day anyway. But for a more casual user, quickly grabbing the camera on the way to the car for a long weekend can often result in a surprise – and no pictures! Fortunately, most digital cameras are designed to also work with lithium batteries. These typically come in the same size as AA alkaline batteries, but are much better at keeping up with a digital camera's voracious appetite for power. They also have shelf lives of 10 years or more. The ideal strategy will be to rely on rechargeable batteries for most of the time but to keep a spare set of lithium batteries handy for emergency use.
Hearing aids are designed to be small and light so that they can be worn behind, or even in the ear. Of course, they still need a suitable source of electricity to function. Hearing aid batteries have thus been optimized to be small and light.
The battery technology best suited to produce light batteries is the zinc-air battery. Out of all of the battery chemicals commonly in use today, it allows for the greatest amount of power to be stored for a given weight. This is a function of using air (or more precisely the oxygen in the air) as part of the chemical process to produce electricity. Because no storage is required for this chemical inside the battery, it can be made lighter.
This unique technology brings a few features of its own. Zinc-air batteries that are sealed when manufactured. While sealed, they have an exceptionally long shelf life. To use a zinc-air battery, you have to remove the sealing tab from tiny holes on the battery to let in air. This starts the electricity-producing chemical reaction. The way these chemical process proceeds makes it ideal to provide a steady current over a period of time. Zinc-air batteries are not good at producing peak power quickly in a high drain application (e.g. a camera), because of the steady rate of the chemical process.
In hearing aids, this steady discharge is exactly what's required, however. Because the chemical process continues even when the battery is not used to power a device, the shelf life of a zinc-air battery once un-sealed is quite limited.
• Very good power to weight ratio
• Found in high-end laptop computers and cellular phones
• Now taking market share away from NiMH
• Outputs 3v per cell therefore NOT directly interchangeable with normal 1.5v batteries. (sold as a unit that replaces 2, 1.5v batteries)
• Made from layered sheets of aluminium foil coated with cobalt oxide, which acts as the cathode with the anode made from a thin copper sheet coated with carbon materials.
• The thin film cathode and anode are separated by a sheet of plastic, rolled up together in a spiral and immersed in a liquid electrolyte medium of Lithium.
• These batteries produce the same energy as NiMH batteries but are 40% smaller, half the weight, and are better for the environment because they don't contain toxic materials such as cadmium or mercury.
• Currently more expensive than a comparable NiMH battery.
• There are safety issues when charging – Ensure Li-ion batteries are only charged using a battery charger specifically built for the purpose.
NiCad Batteries
• Enabled the early use of portable power tools, camcorders, laptop computers and cellular phones.
• Was the industry standard for portable computers until 1992.
• NiCad batteries have been virtually displaced by NiMH and Li-ion.
• Low energy density by weight makes it less desirable for portable computers.
• NiCad batteries have a memory that prevents efficient topping up.
• NiCads pollute the environment if not disposed of correctly.
• Low cost and high power capability make it the best technology for motor-driven portable devices such as power tools.
• Uses nickel hydroxide and cadmium electrodes with potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte.
• Introduced in 1990
• Rapidly took market share away from NiCd batteries in the portable computing industry
• Differ from NiCd only by their negative electrode which is made of a metal alloy capable of storing a large number of electrons.
• Metal hydride is produced as the charging product
• Energy density is almost 50% greater than NiCad
Rechargeable batteries do exactly what the name implies. Once you've used them, you don't dispose of the battery, you simply recharge it!
Like primary batteries, rechargeable batteries have four basic components – a positive electrode (cathode), a negative electrode (anode), a separator and electrolytes. But that's where the similarities end. The chemicals inside a rechargeable battery are reversible, allowing them to be recharged again and again.
For heavy users of batteries, rechargeable batteries have always been a cheaper source of electricity. Recharging 4 batteries from mains electricity costs about 2p, whereas a new set of alkaline batteries can easily cost £4.00 or more. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the slightly higher cost of buying rechargeable batteries is more than covered by savings over the life of a set of rechargeable batteries. With high-performance rechargeable batteries, you can go through 1000 charge/discharge cycles before you need to replace them. That means literally hundreds of pounds saved over the use of primary batteries.
A further important consideration is how battery use affects the environment. Using rechargeable batteries reduces household waste. 15 billion ordinary batteries are thrown away every year, all of which end up in landfill sites. Rechargeable batteries can be reused which helps reduce the impact disposable batteries have on the environment.
Rechargeable batteries have been continuously enhanced to improve performance, as well as becoming more environmentally friendly. The most ecological rechargeable batteries are Ni-MH rechargeable units (Nickel-metal hydride), which are the current state-of-the-art in rechargeable battery technology.
The previous generation technology, Nickel-Cadmium, is still in use, being manufactured and sold. However, Ni-MH technology is superior in several ways:
• Ni-MH rechargeable batteries do not suffer from the Ni-Cd 'memory effect', thus allowing a far greater number of charge/discharge cycles before the rechargeable battery's performance declines.
• Ni-MH technology is more environmentally friendly because it avoids introducing highly toxic Cadmium from Ni-Cd cells into household waste.
Rechargeable batteries are ideal for high drain devices that use a lot of power, such as digital cameras or camcorders. But they should never be used in smoke detectors and won't work that well in other low drain devices. Here's why: Primary batteries have a much greater ability to retain their charge when not used, or when only a trickle charge is drawn from the battery. But rechargeable batteries lose some of their power every day, whether they are in a device or not.
As in many other aspects of life, for watch batteries size matters. They come in about 60 different sizes, but are all button cells and designed to pack as much energy as possible into the smallest space possible.
Current watch batteries nearly all use silver oxide battery technology because that is most efficient when squeezing the last bit of electricity into a confined space for storage. This also means that watch batteries are all rated at 1.55V and differ primarily in their physical dimensions. Of course, a large watch battery will also be able to store more electricity, and will thus be rated at a higher capacity.
Over time, the watch industry has added new features such as background lighting or audible alarms to watches. Some even feature calculators, digital diaries or other functions. This has lead to the development of additional 'high drain' versions of watch batteries to feed the extra requirement for power. In the IEC 'standard' battery designation convention, the low drain or normal version of the watch battery will end with the letter 'W', while the high drain version would end in 'SW'. A common watch battery is the SR44W (or the SR44SW for the high drain version). Because both versions have the same voltage and same physical dimensions, it is perfectly safe to use the high drain version instead of the regular version. Using the regular battery in a high drain watch will however mean that you'll have to change the battery much earlier. This interchangeability has actually led a number of watch battery manufacturers to drop the low drain version, and only produce the high drain version. When replacing your watch battery, it is useful to know that there isn't a reason for alarm when you're fitting a battery that has a different designation, just because you are upgrading to the high drain version.
Until a few years ago, several watch batteries used mercury technology. This has now been phased out for environmental reasons. Mercury is highly toxic, and there is no reasonable way to safely extract and recycle the mercury in watch batteries. For most watches, there will be a suitable replacement battery that uses silver oxide technology with the same physical dimensions. Mercury button cells did however operate with a nominal 1.35V, rather than the 1.55V of a silver oxide watch battery.
• Rechargeable zinc-air has emerged from its research and development phase and is now in the early stages of commercialization.
• Differs from other rechargeable battery systems by extracting oxygen molecules required for electricity-producing chemical reactions directly from air.
• The air electrode absorbs oxygen to generate electrical current on discharge and expels oxygen during battery recharge.
• On discharge, oxygen is brought into the cell, so there's no need to enclose a heavy metal oxidizer.
• Runtime exceeds other types by far
• Higher energy density, power output, and less charge time than any other battery.
• Able to power a laptop computer for over 8 hours.
Battery Labels
There is no universal standard for labelling batteries. This is a continuous source of confusion for consumers looking to replace a battery. Most manufacturers use their own labelling or designation system, which sometimes is similar to others, but not necessarily.
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC, http://www.iec.ch/) has proposed a standard battery designation system that provides at least some clues as to which batteries it refers to. There are two variants of this standard:
Variant 1
The battery designation has five elements:
1. One digit for the number of cells connected in series.
2. One letter to denote the electrochemical system.
3. One letter to denote shape (R=Round, P=Not Round).
4. Two or three digits as a unique physical dimension designation.
5. One or two letters as designation modifiers.
The electrochemical system is identified by the following:
L – 'Alkaline'
S – 'Silver Oxide'
C – 'Lithium/MnO2'
B – 'Lithium/CF'
For example, an 'LR44' cell uses alkaline technology (L), is round (R), and has a unique dimension identifier of 44 (11.6mm diameter, 5.4mm height). Or an 'SR44W', which uses silver oxide technology (S), is also round (R), has the same physical dimensions (44), and a modifier of 'W' to denote the 'high drain' variant, as opposed to the SR44SW which is the 'low drain' variant.
The battery designation is as above, except that the physical dimension designation (element 4) is replaced by:
4a. Two-digit code denoting the maximum diameter.
4b. Two-digit code denoting the maximum height.
For example, a 'CR2032' cell uses Lithium/MnO2 technology (C), is round (R), has a maximum diameter of 20mm (20), and a maximum height of 3.2mm (32).
As indicated, not everyone sticks to these standards. The CR2032 cell is also called a DL2032 (by Duracell, no less). The SR44W has many names, including '357', 'V357', 'D357H', '228', 'J', '280-62', 'SB-B9', 'SR1154' and probably others. Competent battery suppliers (such as Battery Force at http://www.battery-force.co.uk) make finding the right battery a lot easier by maintaining cross-reference databases of all of the various codes a particular battery can have.
Battery Data
Cell Type Shape Height Diameter
Cylindrical 42.5mm 8.3mm
Cylindrical 44.5mm 10.5mm
Rectangular 48.5mm 33.5 x 9.2 mm
Cylindrical 29.35mm 11.95mm
Rectangular 48.5mm 26.5 x 17.5mm
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All You Need To Know About Online Schooling UK
What Are The Options For Online Schooling From Home In The UK? When we hear the word 'education' most of us are automatically programmed to consider a traditional school setting, complete with...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Edith Allen Perry (September 11, 1916 – May 17, 1989), also known as Mom Perry, was an American activist for LGBT rights, and mother of Troy Perry, founder and moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Early life
Edith Allen was born in Jasper, Florida, the daughter of William T. Allen and Georgia W. Driggers Allen.

Activism and honors
Perry helped her eldest son Troy Perry when he launched the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles in 1968 as a welcoming religious community for LGBT people. "All I know and need to know is that Troy is my son and I love him", she told a Los Angeles newspaper in 1970. In 1969, she co-founded a parents' organization with another mother, Vi Anderson. Perry appeared with her son and his partner in parades and rallies through the 1970s and 1980s, including the first Pride Parade, in Los Angeles in 1970. She appeared on the "Human Rights Train" in 1977, the first gay rights organization float to appear in the Hollywood Santa Claus Lane Parade. In 1980, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Christopher Street West, a Los Angeles gay pride organization. She wrote the foreword to her son's memoir, The Lord is my Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay (1972). He dedicated a later memoir, Don't Be Afraid Anymore (1990) to her memory.

Personal life and legacy
Edith Allen married at least four times. In 1940, she married Troy Perry Sr., a bootlegger, as her second husband; they had five sons together before he died in a car accident while being chased by police in 1952. She remarried a few months later, but soon divorced her third husband. She died from cancer in Los Angeles in 1989, aged 72 years. For her work, she was described by Chris Glaser as "a saint in the cause of lesbian and gay Christians."

The Edith Allen Perry Chapel at the Metropolitan Community Church's visitors' center in Los Angeles is named for her, as is the denomination's Edith Allen Perry Award, for parents or family members who are exemplary allies.

Edith Allen Perry Award
Recipients of the Edith Allen Perry Award have included Betty DeGeneres (1999), Marian Schoenwether and Barbara Chase Wilson (2007), the family of James Byrd (2010), Linda Brock of Canada (2005), Edafe Okporo, a refugee from Nigeria (2021), and Nan McGregor (2003) and Rev. June Norris (1997) of Australia.

References

1916 births
1989 deaths
People from Jasper, Florida
Metropolitan Community Churches
American LGBT rights activists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This magnificent family home offers you the comfort of knowing it has been constructed with a specific and unique Gary Pidd design brief, encompassing every aspect of the prime position on which it commands.
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Renowned Church Road Winery and The Mission Estate are just a short distance away, as are the Lance Leikis Reserve and the adjoining Sugarloaf Reserve which offer another aspect of the diverse views in the area. Zoned for great schooling and less than five minutes to Taradale Village the location is premium.
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Alex Galindo is the Office Manager for CSA Management, Inc. Her responsibilities encompass many aspects of our business, including record keeping, preparing payroll, controlling correspondence, participating in special projects and supervising the maintenance staff. She is responsible for the smooth operation of the day-to-day business of the company, works closely with the company owner, president and property managers to meet the company's equipment, and organizational needs. Her incredible organization and customer service skills keep our team running efficiently. She is the friendly voice that our customers have grown so accustomed to hearing when calling in to our office. She takes great pleasure in making sure they are each taken care of.
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Philosophy | By Branch/Doctrine | By Historical Period | By Movement/School | By Individual Philosopher
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Moral Universalism
Introduction | Criticisms of Moral Absolutism
Introduction Back to Top
Moral Universalism is the meta-ethical position that there is a universal ethic which applies to all people, regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexuality or other distinguishing feature, and all the time. A universal ethic is a moral system that applies universally to all of humanity, and thus transcends culture and personal whim. The source or justification of this system is variously claimed to be human nature, a shared vulnerability to suffering, the demands of universal reason, common themes among existing moral codes, or the mandates of religion.
It is the opposite of Moral Relativism, the position that moral propositions do not reflect objective and/or universal moral truths, but instead make claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances. It is related to, but not the same as, Moral Realism (the position that certain acts are objectively right or wrong, independent of human opinion), and to Moral Absolutism (the belief that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are right or wrong, regardless of the context of the act). To some extent, (particularly if the universal ethic is considered to be derived or inferred from what is common among existing moral codes), it can be seen as a compromise between Moral Absolutism and Moral Realism.
The ancient Greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics believed in a kind of Universalism, opposing the Moral Relativism of the Sophists, as did Immanuel Kant (especially in his theory of the Categorical Imperative), John Locke, John Stuart Mill and Ayn Rand (1905 - 1982).
Many religions, including Christianity and Islam, have morally universalist positions, and regard their system of morality as having been set by a deity, and therefore absolute, universal, perfect and unchangeable. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations can be seen as an example of global efforts to bring a universalist, equal and common moral justice to all people, and Moral Universalism is, at least in part, the basis for modern human rights, and an integral part of any Humanist philosophy.
Criticisms of Moral Universalism Back to Top
Criticisms of Moral Universalism are similar to those of Moral Absolutism:
How do we come to know what the universal morals are? For morals to be truly universal and absolute, they would have to have a universally unquestioned source, interpretation and authority, which critics claim is an impossibility.
The sheer diversity of moral opinions which exists between societies (and even within societies) in the world today suggests that there cannot be a single universal morality.
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Welcome to BIKEternity where you can realize your bicycling dreams.
Our need to share the joy of cycling with others has led us to plan and organize logistics for day excursion rides, weekend overnights, week-long trips, and cross country trips. While on a bike tour, the world unfolds in ways that you never expect but that you appreciate and savor long after you're back home. The bicycle is a wonderful transportation device and discovery machine that can move you from place to place without making you feel like you've skipped anything in-between.
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Jackson Women's Health Organization asked judge to declare the OB-GYN requirement as an unconstitutional burden to abortion access. He declined.
A federal judge is upholding part of a Mississippi law that says doctors who perform abortions must be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology.
The 2012 law also says doctors doing abortions must have hospital admitting privileges. However, U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan blocked Mississippi from enforcing that portion of the law in 2012 after the state's only abortion clinic sued.
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Texas admitting-privileges law and declined to consider an appeal from Mississippi. The admitting-privileges portion remains blocked.
The Mississippi clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, asked Jordan to declare the OB-GYN requirement as an unconstitutional burden to abortion access. On Thursday, Jordan declined to do that. The judge said he's not convinced that the clinic can't find board-certified or board-eligible OB-GYNs.
Hillary Schneller is attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the clinic. She said Friday that Mississippi is the only state that has the OB-GYN requirement.
"It will continue, as we argued, to restrict access to abortion in Mississippi," Schneller said.
She said the OB-GYN requirement removes "a huge number of qualified physicians" who have had training in performing abortions and could otherwise possibly do the procedures.
Asked if the clinic will appeal Jordan's ruling, Schneller said: "We are thinking through our next steps."
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who signed the 2012 law, praised the judge's latest ruling.
"In 2016, Mississippi State Department of Health data show that almost 2,600 abortions were performed at the state's only clinic in Jackson. That is heartbreaking," Bryant said Friday on Twitter. "This common-sense, pro-life law will help us make our state the safest place in America for an unborn child."
State attorneys said in defending the OB-GYN requirement that a physician must complete a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology to become board-certified or board-eligible.
Jordan wrote that because of this, he rejects opinions by plaintiffs' experts who testified the OB-GYN requirement provided no benefit to women seeking abortions. He added, though, that the provision in the 2012 law was no stronger than what had existed in a previous law.
Bryant is expected to sign a bill into law on Monday that could set the nation's tightest restriction on abortions. House Bill 1510 would ban most abortions after 15 weeks gestation. Diane Derzis, who owns Jackson Women's Health Organization, has said she will sue to try to block the ban.
The state's Democratic attorney general, Jim Hood, said it would be hard to defend the law.


The sequel to the 1988 Coming To America film is steadily picking up steam with snapshots of the cast—namely Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall—popping up on social media. Recently, Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who worked on Marvel's Black Panther, was pictured with Murphy, presumably hinting that she's going to helm the reel's wardrobe.
While other details are still being kept under wraps, one spectator hopes that the makeup of the cast will reflect those from the continent. According to TMZ, Akon suggested that the sequel cast African actors and comedians this time around. He also commended the production for enlisting Carter's expertise.
"I love the fact that they're using the Black Panther concept because Black Panther opened up a whole other avenue for people to want to be educated more on Africa," the Senegal native said. The "Mama Africa" singer then continued to explain why the film's follow-up should enlist African comedians and actors.
"One thing I would recommend though, make sure to put, and I don't know, I haven't seen the casting yet, but I would recommend them cast some African comedians and African actors because the film, in Africa as you know the film industry is huge," he said. "It's one of the biggest in the world, so to expose some of those actors and comedians, you have to. There's no way you could do Coming To America without adding somebody like Michael Blackson who's African and one of the most funniest African comedians out there and he's well known in America so this is a way to really merge the two cultures together with African Americans and Africans can really do something on a huge scale."
Directed by John Landis, the film follows Zamunda's Prince Akeem Joffer's (Eddie Murphy) quest in Queens, New York to find his "queen to be." Throughout his journey, he and his right-hand man Semi (Arsenio Hall) encounter obstacles that slow down the process of Akeem's goal. The comedy also stars James Earl Jones, John Amos, Shari Headley and more.


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必要なもの> CFW導入済みPSP; CWCheat( 上の Download CWCheat をクリック) CFWのバージョンが最新でない場合は、 コチラから バージョンに合う CWCheat を DL してください。 < 導入方法> 1 、 DL したファイルを解凍し、 出てきたフォルダの中の INSTALL/ seplugins/ cwcheat を ms0: / PSP/ seplugins にコピーします。. Auf der E3 zeigte Sony eine überarbeitete PlayStation Portable. September unter dem Namen PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite veröffentlicht.


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Soccer-Arsenal aim to rock Brighton in year-ender as title race hots up
Posted by Reuters | Dec 29, 2022 | One America News Network | 0 |
https://www.oann.com/sports/soccer-arsenal-aim-to-rock/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=soccer-arsenal-aim-to-rock
By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) – A year that began dismally for Arsenal will end with the Gunners travelling to Brighton and Hove Albion with a first Premier League title for almost 20 years becoming a tantalising possibility.
The contrast could not be greater as they prepare for their New Year's Eve assignment on the south coast.
Mikel Arteta's team began this year by going five games without a victory in all competitions, crashing out of the League Cup, FA Cup and losing ground in the race to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Fast forward 12 months and Arsenal go into their final fixture of 2022 with a five-point lead at the top of the table having won eight of their last nine league games.
Even the six-week shutdown for the Qatar World Cup failed to stall Arsenal's progress and this week's 3-1 win over West Ham United showed that even without the injured Gabriel Jesus they are equipped to sustain their title tilt.
The coming weeks, with fixtures coming fast, will test Asrenal's resolve. Brighton, in seventh place, will be no pushovers and next up is high-flying Newcastle United and games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
There is a steely resolve about Arsenal, however, and their full back Oleksandr Zinchenko, no stranger to title action with Manchester City, is confident they have what it takes.
"We have such a great group of people. We have this feeling of togetherness," he told Arsenal's website.
Brighton took four points off Arsenal last season and also knocked them out of the League Cup in November so Arteta will be well aware of the test his table-toppers face on Saturday.
"It is going to be a big, big test against that team and we had better be ready," the Spaniard said.
By the time Arsenal kick off, their lead may have been reduced to two points with second-placed Manchester City hosting struggling Everton earlier in the day's programme.
City returned to action on Wednesday night with a 3-1 defeat of Leeds United with Erling Haaland's double taking him to 20 goals in only 14 games since joining from Borussia Dortmund.
Third-placed Newcastle, seven points behind Arsenal, will seek a seventh successive league win when they take on Leeds United at home on Saturday.
With fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur not playing until New Year's Day at home to Aston Villa, rejuvenated Manchester United can move into the top four in Saturday's early kickoff at third-from-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The year's last round of Premier League fixtures kick off on Friday evening with sixth-placed Liverpool hosting Leicester City and West Ham United hoping to snap a run of four successive league defeats as they welcome Brentford.
West Ham's defeat by Arsenal was part of a woeful return to action for the teams near the bottom of the table, with only Wolves of the bottom six picking up points.
Things do not get any easier for the strugglers either with second-from-bottom Nottingham Forest facing Chelsea on Sunday and Southampton at Fulham.
(Additional reporting by Adam Millington, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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Pedrosa Blog: Looking forward to the German GP
In his latest boxrepsol.com Dani Pedrosa talks fans, the Tour de France and looks ahead to the German GP.
Tags MotoGP, 2016, GoPro MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND, Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, Blog
This week, we'll be tackling this race right before the summer break. We'll be making our way to Sachsenring tomorrow, and the technicians and I want to check out the setting to better understand how to improve performance as it's a track I know well.
You can't take your eyes off preparation...
To be honest, having so much free time between races makes it difficult to stay focused on racing. You can't take your eyes off preparation. The upside is that you have time off to be at home and enjoy the good weather.
This weekend a fan came to visit me who lives 100kms from my house. He came over with his dad and rang the doorbell. He said that he'd wanted to meet me for a long time and it was a great surprise. It's deeply touching when you see that people support you and encourage you in that way.
I don't want to end this week's post without mentioning the Tour de France cyclists after the day they had last Sunday. This year is tight although Chris Froome is still the favourite after getting the yellow jersey going through the Pyrenees.
When the fans make ring the clock! Nice way to start the day! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/t16NKPPuit
— Dani Pedrosa (@26_DaniPedrosa) July 10, 2016
I'd like to send my best to Alberto Contador who had to abandon the race, and "Purito" for his great career in this sport. He announced his retirement and it's been a pleasure to enjoy his pride and dedication these last few years. He's a great example for everybody.
The Alps are coming up so good luck to all the cyclists. And for the fans, keep enjoying the great show they're putting on for us!
Question of the week, from Nicolets:
Hi Dani. If you could repeat a circuit in 2017, which would it be? Thanks!
Hi Nicolets,
The circuit I'd most like to see on next year's calendar is Laguna Seca, one of my favourites.
Mid-Season Review: Valentino Rossi
At the halfway point of the 2016 MotoGP™ season we take a look at Valentino Rossi's year so far…
Germany, Valentino Rossi, Rider Review, Key Moments, Mid-Season Review
MotoGP Rewind: A recap of the #GermanGP
Germany, Marc Marquez
Off-Track: #GermanGP
Dovi charges to Ducati's 100th podium
Germany, Andrea Dovizioso, Video News
Matthew Birt
Who could have predicted that?
The last two MotoGP™ World Championship races have been anything but predictable, Marquez proving he has an old head on young shoulders.
Germany, #GermanGP
Overtake Analysis: Memorable passes at the #GermanGP
Germany, Overtakes
Crash Analysis: #GermanGP


Almost Impossible Description: Skillfully navigate through each level without hitting any walls or objects. Get the cash and get to the checkpoint before time runs out!
Send the devil back to hell. Now with more level of exciting fun.


Unified taxes are a very important concept to understand when structuring your estate plan. The concept of unified taxes is really pretty easy, but most people don't know how it works. Federal estate taxes and federal gift taxes are definitely two different taxes, but they are "unified." Gift taxes are assessed on assets that are transferred during an individual's (donor's) life. Estate taxes are assessed upon the assets that are transferred after an individual dies. The IRS counts the total assets given during life and after death together in order to determine the total value of your estate and what tax may be due on it.
In the old days, gift taxes were assessed on each gift and the donor had to pay the tax. Then the laws created a "de minimus" gift exclusion (called the "annual exclusion"), which says that a small gift made in a specific year won't be considered a gift for gift tax purposes. The annual exclusion started out low and has gone up over the years until now it is about $14,000.
You can give each of any number of persons assets up to $14,000 each year, and you don't even have to report those gifts to the IRS. Be careful, though, or you could get in trouble. If you make out a check for $14,000 and the IRS then asks the question, "Did you give the person a Christmas gift?", that Christmas gift would put you over the annual exclusion amount. It would count toward your unified taxes AND the receiver would have to pay taxes on their gains as well. So be careful in your gifting.
Amounts over the annual exclusion amount are subject to the gift tax. You need to report those gifts to the IRS. People don't do the reporting they are supposed to do, and they don't report the gifts to the IRS. Yes, that's a problem, but it usually isn't done intentionally. According to the IRS, gifts are made in ways that you never thought of. For example, when you put your son's name on the brokerage account so that he could control the account while you were out of the country, you made a gift to your son. If it is just you and the son on the account, you gave him half the account.
Though a tax is calculated and payable on any gift over the annual exclusion amount, money is seldom actually paid by the donor to the IRS. The IRS gives everyone a unified gift and estate tax credit. It is called a unified credit because the credit can be used to pay gift taxes incurred during a person's life, or the credit can be applied to pay estate taxes on assets transferred at the person's death. If part of the credit is used to pay gift taxes incurred during a person's life, then that much less credit will be available to pay estate taxes when the person dies.
At a person's death, the federal government taxes all assets that pass from the deceased person's estate to his or her heirs. The tax is calculated and payable on all property passing at death, but the credit can be used to offset that tax. You (or your estate) won't have to pay anything until you have used up your credit that counts toward gift and/or estate taxes.
The IRS gives you enough credit to pay the gift and estate tax on property valued up to $5.45 million as of 2016. The amount of funny money (tax credit aka unified credit) you get goes up each year based upon an increase tied to the cost of living.
Married persons each get their own $5.45 million. Whatever portion of the credit is unused after the first spouse dies can be transferred to the other spouse. If the applicable portability laws are carefully followed, the couple will receive a total credit that would cover the transfer, either by gift or estate, of assets up to $10.9 million. Note that if positive actions are not taken, anything left over from the first spouse's tax credit will be lost. The remaining spouse will only be able to take advantage of their own $5.45 million.
Most people and married couples have an estate that totals less than $5.45 million, so the taxes aren't usually an issue. However, it is good to understand the unified gift and estate tax – the unified taxes – and take advantage of the full unified credit that you are entitled to.
I used your material to craft my will, power of attorney, medial power of attorney, living will, and put my property, car and bank accounts into a trust. I took everything to a lawyer, who was quite amused that I could do it. He only had a few changes which involved language used in Texas (and probably not anywhere else).
My questions: I gave, as a gift, a cruise to my son & family (4) and daughter (1) this past year. From your article, it sounds like I need to declare it on my income tax. Is this true? Can this be used as a deduction on my income tax?
My insurance policies also have named beneficiaries.
Since my estate is not over $1M, I am assuming that the estate and income taxes will not apply? Is this correct?
With a gift, you are allowed to give $14,000 a year per person. If you gave your kids a really nice cruise worth over $14,000 each then you would need to file a gift tax return form. If the cruise was under $14,000 each then you don't have to do a thing. You are not going to be able to deduct it since it is a personal expense.
Since your estate is under $1 million you don't have to worry about estate taxes since they only apply if your estate is over $5.45 million.


(THUNDER BAY, ON) – Late last evening the Thunder Bay Police Service responded to a call for service on the 200 block of Sequoia Drive.
Police swarmed the unit around 9:00 pm, a resident in the area tells us, and they were also searching the area with cruisers and spotlights.
At least one person was taken into custody and and at least one person was sent to hospital in an ambulance.
Thunder Bay Police Service and Superior North EMS responded to the scene.
Police are still holding the scene this morning, with two police cruisers present. This leads us to believe that something significant happened.
Police received several calls for a disturbance outside a residence on the 200 block of Sequoia Drive just after 8:30 p.m. on September 25, 2108.
When patrol officers arrived they spoke to a female who reported that she had attended the residence to pick up another female from the residence.
When the female got into the vehicle, a male from the residence approached the car and smashed the driver's side window and dragged the passenger female back into the residence.
Police breached the door in order to check on the welfare of the female. They located a male hiding in an upstairs bedroom. He was uncooperative with officers and was eventually taken into custody.
They located the female unharmed in the basement of the dwelling.
Andrew Goddard was charged with the kidnapping of a person a few years back, but the charges were withdrawn by the Crown Attorney due to the witnesses being too frieghtened to testify in court.
Its just one thing after another lately.
Its like everyone's settling their grievances before the cold hits and they go into hibernation.


text:
Chris:
Yes I think you are exactly right. And if you found Sorley "romantic" I too found it that way, but also with the current bevy of writings on General Petraeus (Ricks, Robinson, Kagan, et al)which are "romatic" in the extreme.
Agree with your point on the Cohen/Gooch book. I would only add that in wars of counterinsurgency, which are really area security missions, higher ranking generals dont matter nearly as much as the literature makes them out to matter. I mean it is not like one of these Coin generals turns his army right or left, and if it is the wrong direction, there is immediate and observable effects from such decsions.
I too found Lewis Sorley's biography a bit too "romantic."
But then, isn't the way we record history overly oriented on the generals and admirals? Haven't we created a "romance of leadership" that helps inculcate rather polemic (heroic<-->failure) stories that feed a mythology?
This is why I really enjoyed Eliot A. Cohen & John Gooch "Military Misfortunes" in that they concentrated their analyses more on institutional / organizational systematic issues. This should be a must reading in staff/war college education.
p.s. Google-scholar the seminal article by JR Meindl, SB Ehrlich, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1985, "The Romance of Leadership. Pretty compelling argument that we have a cultural affinity to attribute failures and successes to the idea of leadership.
Look the fact that the President of the United States and his National Security Advisor seriously considered relieving Abrams from command during the Easter Offensive (and for building frustration with him from the year prior) and that both saw a significant problem with drinking with the man is an important set of historical points that need to be revealed and considered.
Was Lee's health at the Battle of Gettysburg a matter of historical importance? You bet it was especially since it kept him grounded and stationary for almost all of day 2 of the battle. Or what about Napoleon's health at Borodino which because he was sick caused him to stay in his tent all day. In each of these two cases the health of these two generals kept them from performing as they had in previous battles.
Building on Zens post, everybody has foibles, flaws, quirks, and elements of contemptibility within us; that is human nature. Most of it only warrants a sentence or two or in a footnote in histories. Although I agree wit Carl's and Publius's point with regard to Nixon in that Jeffrey Kimball's work on him shows the possibility of personality disorders. John Paul Vann for example had a bevy of Vietnamese mistresses during his time in Nam and a dysfunctional family life back in the US, but that didnt necessarily affect his performance. With regard to Abrams, and even accepting Ken's personal impression of the man which is important but certainly must be seen as relative to the many other dots of evidence, there is enough to suggest that Abram's alcohol problem may have affected his ability to command. There is evidence, at least at this point mostly anecdotal, that Abrams did not get out nearly as much as Westmoreland did and was pretty much holed up in his hooch by early afternoon. The President and National Security advisor thought so, and not just in the heat of the moment of the Easter Offensive but years later both felt it important to mention these things in their memoirs.
The turning of Abrams after his death and the fall of Saigon into the savior general of Vietnam is really not about the Vietnam War per say at all, but of the American Army after Vietnam, and the refighting of the war by certain veterans who fought it, but in the better war telling, this time winning it. It to be sure is a moving yarn of failure, then reinvention, then victory, but it does not come close to representing any reasonable account of historical truth.
If we would have had batteries of balanced histories and biographies on Abrams then these sorts of things would have come out, been discussed and interpreted and so on. But the hagiographies by Sorley and a few others (Nagl partially in his book and Krepinevich too) never bring these facts out, so in a sense there is a hole, and a big one, in the literature on Abrams.
There is no such thing as "objectivity" in the writing of history; all historians bring their own subjectivity to their research and analysis. But what I have seen over the years as a practicing historian is that when folks dont like a certain historians interpretation or use of sources he is labeled a "revisionist" or worse accused of having an "agenda." But the fact of the matter is that all good history is revisionist by nature, if it wasnt history would stay the same and never change, no new sources would be considered and new interpretations offered. I am sorry that Carls use of primary sources, and his interpretations of them, and mine to boot, go against the way some remember personally the war, but good history moves forward and is not stuck in a block of concrete.
These historical facts about Abrams may be disagreeable to certain memories of the war, may appear as a smear campaign against a great general, may seem to carry an "agenda" with them, but they are important and need to be considered as we improve our understanding of the historical record on Abrams and the final years of the Vietnam War.
zenpundit
Publius needs to read more primary historical sources.
FDR was every bit as "contemptible" in regard to his private conversations as was Nixon, if not moreso. Unlike Nixon, FDR so loved salacious gossip that he had J. Edgar Hoover brief him personally on the foibles of his underlings, including Ike's alleged dalliance with Kay Summersby, which Roosevelt gleefully passed on over cocktails to others. FDR spied on Eleanor Roosevelt's supposed relationships with men and women in her circle. Then there's the antics of Lyndon Johnson and JFK, not all of which have come to light yet, but reading the Caro trilogy on Johnson is more than enough to disabuse anybody of the idea that Richard Nixon was unique in his unpleasant character flaws.
Sigh. Once more into the breach. The 11:45 PM Anon is moi.
Dumb on my part, forgot to sign in -- but it gives me a chance to add that Publius is correct as usual. I've lived under 13 Presidents in my life time. Johnson beat Nixon out for last place and pathetic worst -- but just barely..
Carl Prine:
"...I just find it odd that with so many biographies out about him no one has discussed the fact that the man running MACV might have had a drinking problem."
That's easy and really not at all odd. First, in the Army before John Wickham was Chief of Staff and destroyed the Club system while purging alcohol and creating an Army that has a bad tendency to turn folks into 'holier than thou' types (competitive systems do that...), most serving persons, officer and enlisted drank a fair amount. Thus Abrams drinking was, at that time, totally unremarkable in the true sense of the word..
Having met him and talked to him several times Including at about the time he took over as ComUSMacCV in Viet Nam and when he was the Chief of Staff, I don't think he had a drinking problem though he obviously drank -- the capillaries always give us away... ;)
Secondly, only in the past ten to fifteen years has the penchant for publicly denigrating satire and history become popular and common. The trend that started in the mid 60s coffee shops and alternative press has become quite prevalent and noticeable in mainstream commentary so as historians research today, many look for the numerous small flaws we all have and use them to play the non sequitur and strawman ploy in the process of advancing agendas. Not saying you did that, just that it is common today where it wasn't 30 plus years ago. It's also not always wrong but it is different...
It's hard to tell because two of the three sources in the room are dead, Publius.
But it seems that the CJCS also seemed to share that opinion, at least tacitly. He sure didn't dispute the issue.
I have no opinion one way or the other about Abrams. I just find it odd that with so many biographies out about him no one has discussed the fact that the man running MACV might have had a drinking problem.
I think that's a matter for real historians to suss out. And, yes, another thing that pops out reading the transcripts is what a contemptible man Dick Nixon was.
There were moments when I wondered how anyone could have volunteered to work for him. If you go to the link on my website to the documents, you will see that shortly before ordering Abrams to go "on the wagon" for the duration of the offensive he also ordered the firing of an underling who failed to get him his morning briefing from Saigon on time.
He also ensured that this was put into a permanent file, to haunt the person he didn't even know. Forever.
Fri, 07/01/2011 - 11:27pm
Richard Nixon as a primary source? Been a long time since I've seen anyone cite Mr. Nixon as a source who could be trusted in any way. Most of us who actually lived through those times kind of wish we'd never heard the name, "Nixon." The man's unfortunate legacy still haunts us.
How did Nixon knew about Abrams's drinking habits? Inasmuch as we can be fairly certain Nixon and Abrams never actually sat down and got shitfaced together (Nixon liked his booze, too), what Mr. Nixon knew about Abe's personal habits could only have come from other sources. Let's see...trusted sources for Richard Nixon. Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Bob Haldeman, John Ehrlichman. Great sources. Only two of 'em are convicted felons. Kissinger should have been jailed years ago and Haig, well, let's just say, he was not the most respected general officer ever. You can trust all of those guys. Sure.
ISTM that Carl Prine and Gian Gentile went into reading these transcripts with an agenda, namely that of proving a point that Abrams wasn't the hot shit guy of Army legend, that he was just another guy like Westmoreland. That's fine. That's the historian's game. But, c'mon guys, while you were reading these transcripts, didn't you pick up on the fact that the president of the U.S. was a paranoid megalomaniac personality? He was functionally insane by the time he left office. We don't know exactly when he went into la-la land, but we know Vietnam pushed him there. It's very hard to trust anything Nixon might have done or said in the last couple of years.
Hey, folks, believing Richard Nixon is a fool's game. He was a shady character most of his life--he got the name, "Tricky Dick" for a reason--but he actually became a criminal as president.
Yes, Abrams was a drinker. Smoker, too, as we all know. But he wasn't a criminal. And why didn't Nixon relieve him? What did Nixon make him Chief of Staff? I'll tell you why. Because Nixon was a simpering wreck who'd talk bravely around his inner circle, but who would later prove not to have the sand to actually confront someone like Abrams.
Nixon was a contemptible man.
Mark Pyruz
A look into Abrahm's medical records would be of assistance to a historian conducting research.
Cancer has debilitating effects on the body and mind. This can be exacerbated by alcoholism.
At the very least, Abrahm's quality of life during his last two years must have seen a noticeable reduction.
Of course not, who'd spread dirty rumors. Recall Lincolns' quote re: Grant's drinking...
When Abrams was CofSA, the NCOs escorting squads and platoons of their kids around Fort Myer for 'trick or treat,' always enjoyed hitting Quarter 1 -- he gave the escorts a shot of bourbon. No one complained, everyone drank it. Different world then on the drinking. People smoked cigarettes then also. ;)
The fact that Abrams wanted to hurt the logistic effort of his opponent in his AO with a potent weapon should be no surprise. The fact that he and everyone else in Viet Nam knew that even if the North was severely bombed little would change surely affected his desire to keep that bombing tactically focused. Ground guys tend to do that. Westmoreland and Abrams both IMO knew they were in a no-win situation and tried to keep as many people alive and comfortable as they could. Not to say they just went through the motions; they both did the best they could with what they had.
In fact, most of those 'revelations' shouldn't surprise anyone. Nor do they change the fact that the US government failed in Viet Nam. The failures ranged from one very poor President -- that would be Lyndon -- and two mediocre Presidents along with a National Security Adivsor slash SecState from whom I wouldn't buy a used car -- to the Army and the Euro-centric Harkins, Westmoreland -- and yes, Abrams -- and a few others...
Nor should hagiographies or other writings change anyone's attitude toward COIN which is a very questionable academic theory proven not to work for a reasonable cost -- in Viet Nam or anywhere else its been tried...


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Heart Attacks Could Be Reduced by Prescribing Statins
Scientists Modulate Metabolism to Potentiate T-cells
Home World Tornadoes hit 6 U.S. States: Several Dead and Injured
Tornadoes hit 6 U.S. States: Several Dead and Injured
Six people have died from the severe storms in southeastern Illinois on Wednesday morning. An apparent tornado destroyed the town of Harrisburg, Illinois. Over 100 more people have been injured from the twister.
Harrisburg is located 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The twister ripped through the town throwing vehicles into trees and buildings and demolishing houses and local businesses.
The severe storms hit before dawn, between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. In southwest Missouri, three people were killed during overnight storms. Cities such as Branson, Lebanon, Buffalo, Lamar and Kimberling City, Missouri were affected by the storm. Many homes around the area do not have power.
About 300 homes and 35 businesses in Harrisburg, IL have been demolished by the deadly storms. The town's hospital, The Harrisburg Medical Center received damage from the storm but is still open to treat patients and victims of the storm. A few people commented that the Harrisburg tornado is one of the worst tornadoes they have seen since the Joplin tornado.
The deadly tornado comes less than a year from the worst tornado in history that hit Joplin, Missouri last May. The tornado ripped the town in half and killed 160 people in the town. Right after the EF5 tornado struck the town about 1,300 people was listed as missing.


As a photographer in Tokyo, it is essential to have a walkabout camera. With crowded sidewalks and trains, there is no space in this city for excessive gear. Space aside, I don't have the desire or the physical strength to shlep my full frame kit across Tokyo day after day. As a photographer on the go, I chose Fujifilm's X-T1 and Fujinon glass as my everyday, around-the-city kit.
I love almost everything about the Fuji X-T1. It is nearly perfect for everyday use. Yet, the one central characteristic that I don't love about the camera body is oddly what makes it so appealing. It is just too small. Since recurring strain injuries are very common among photographers, it is hard for me to see how even a photographer with small hands can use any camera in the X-Series line without doing permanent damage.
To make the X-T1 into the ideal camera, I needed a grip that was ergonomically sound and that wouldn't break the bank. After researching my options, I decided on J.B. Camera Designs' Fuji grip, a model that is economically feasible and artistically crafted.
Access to the battery housing and tripod mount.
Fuji X-T1 locked inside of the bamboo grip.
J.B. Moore, owner of J.B. Camera Designs, has an intense love for photography. He also happens to be a skilled woodworker. The combination of these two passions makes Moore the perfect designer to craft and build artisan grips for mirrorless cameras.
Conscious of highly sustainable and renewable resources, J.B. Designs makes a line of grips out of bamboo, one of the most sustainable and renewable resources on earth. Sustainability is key. But, the material choice is also a smart due to its weight. Being light, the grip doesn't add any significant weight into your camera bag.
Though the grip is lightweight, bamboo is incredibly durable. In fact, this grip is built to spill. J.B. Designs is so confident in their product that they provide a full warranty with every model. The manufacture's confidence in the product makes photographers, in turn, trust the product. Each and every time I pull my Fuji out of the bag, I am not worried about the grip casing.
Considering functionality, the grip adds significant bulk to the X-T1. With the extra inch in front of the camera, my sausage fingers are now less likely to press mode and function buttons on the back or the front of the X-T1. More significant is the way the grip allows me to interact with the Fuji body. The product's natural bamboo texture just feels good in my hands. I have loosened my grip and now the X-T1 fits comfortably in my hands. Finally, I no longer feel like my camera is going to fall as I shoot.
The handcrafted grip has a unique look that compliments the classic Fuji black. The contrast between the warm toned bamboo and the dark metal of the Fuji X-T1 body is striking.
Arriving in a custom printed recyclable bag, the JB Camera Designs Fuji X-T1 grip is appropriately priced (under a hundred dollars) and can be ordered directly from Amazon.
Fuji X-T1 users who are having trouble keeping hold of their camera should treat themselves to this grip today.


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The concept of "jeeps" has been around for a while, and the Jeep Wrangler is one of the latest versions. Our Down-Under correspondent John Weinthal spent some time with one and describes it as a Tonka Toy for big kids. Here are the Words from Weinthal.
"For this week we will drop all serious judging criteria. The vehicle is the Jeep Wrangler - the latest interpretation of the four-wheel-drive which started the whole game way back in the Second World War. By now it serves no real purpose beyond amusing some semi-crazies who do not care who thinks of them in that light. Approach the Wrangler with all this in mind and I defy you to have anything but fun. Purposeful, practical motoring is not on the Jeep menu.
"This thing is as basic as a car can be, a veritable Tonka Toy for big kids. It has four wheels with large balloon tyres, an unstressed 130 kW, 4 litre six cylinder engine and a five speed manual gearbox in which fifth gear is very, very rarely called for.
"Power windows? This baby's windows are zippered in and sealed with Velcro. Remote locking? Forget it, there's not even central locking. You use the key for the doors and the tailgate as well as the fuel filler, glovebox and console bin. Carpets - no thanks. A steel floor with rubber mats is so much easier to hose clean after a day's fun in beach sand or muddy paddock.
"Needless to say there's no wiper for the easily scratched plastic rear window, and while the front wipers probably meet legal requirements, they are noisy as they scrape their single-speed way across the flat, fold-down windscreen.
"Of course the Jeep is a very competent and rugged off-roader. It is also a four seater with quite good room for a couple in the rear. Hood up it can feel a little claustrophobic and luggage space is sparse to put it mildly, even with the rear seat folded forward. Practicality was not a priority. There are tiny door bins and a small glove box and central cubby.
"The soft-top is extraordinarily difficult and time-consuming both to remove and to replace. To stay dry it might be best to listen to the forecast a few hours ahead and call some skilled and muscular friend to raise the roof and sidescreens should rain be headed your way. It is no wonder one seems only to see Wranglers topless on fine days. There are hardtops available but surely they defeat the entire point of this fun machine.
"It is truly difficult to imagine anyone choosing a Wrangler as their everyday car. But Wrangler rides surprisingly well and the front seats are extremely comfortable. The centre armrest and cutaway doors transform them into virtual armchairs and the steering wheel adjusts in the vertical plane ensuring a fine driving position.
"Wrangler has adequate performance on-road and there's heaps of torquey urge when the off-roading gets truly serious. The air-conditioning will rarely be used I suspect but the powerful heater could be handy on crisp evenings. The stereo is easy to use and can be played loud without too much distortion.
"For those who want to experience an original the AUD 36,000 Wrangler takes up the challenge. Auto adds AUD 2000. It is an option many would enjoy as the five-speed manual is nothing special and fifth is a joke until you are on the highway, preferably pointed downhill. (In Thailand it comes with just the three speed auto and costs around 1.6 million baht - Dr. Iain)
"Impractical, expensive and frequently a right pain to live with, Jeep's Wrangler can also be huge fun for any extrovert pair or quartet in their more carefree moments. Driven single-handed you can choose to enjoy or ignore the bemused looks from bystanders, but it's an experience best shared with friends - a right jollymobile, specially in the day-glow yellow of the review car."
(Thank you John. The last time I drove a Wrangler, the 'fun' aspect was what stayed most in the memory too. Dr. Iain.)
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked you to take a look at this photo. What was the make of this car, and what movie was this still from? The correct answer was a tricked up Ford Falcon (that's a dummy supercharger on top) and the movie was Mad Max, and that's a very young looking Mel Gibson sitting on the mudguard.
So to this week. Let's get right away from movies (but congratulations to Dusit Dave Garred who got the Mad Max question correct and first in, and who admits he knows nothing about cars, but has wasted several lifetimes in the back row of movie houses in Sydney) and this is for our American cousins who often complain they've been left out. What was the first American car to win an international sports car race? Clue - it was 2,000 km long.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Just a reminder that the Bangkok International Motor Show is on from March 26 through to April 4. This is, in my opinion, the 'real' motor show, as this is where the manufacturers showcase their cars and the concept cars of the future, not just a chance for the distributors to try and sell off the cars before the year's end. This year there are around 130 participants from 11 countries represented. By the way, there is also a good selection of motorcycles as well as accessories and 4WD off-roaders.
I must admit I am looking forward to seeing the Maybach. Anything that has a price tag of around 100 million baht had better be breathtaking. And for those not so engrossed in the actual machinery, most manufacturers have presenters with particularly nice chassis' as well!
The show hours are 12 noon until 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays. If you want to know more you can visit the website www.bangkok-motorshow.com
What did we learn from the Malaysian Grand Prix?
Well the first thing we learned in Qualifying is to never count your chickens till they're hatched. Bird Flu might get 'em - or the driver may get it all wrong like Sato (BAR) and Alonso (Renault). Up till the run that counted, all the pundits were predicting a fight between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso for pole. Their predictions were about as good as those from the turbaned gentlemen who stroll along tourist stretches telling fortunes.
The second item we learned from Qualifying is that two hours is far too long. If I can't keep concentrating or being excited by the TV, then nobody will. The two sessions to get pole are repetitive and boring, and the oaf commentator for Star Sports who gleefully shouted, "Who said Formula 1 Qualifying isn't exciting!" after Alonso spun, doesn't know what motor racing is all about. If the epitome of excitement is someone spinning, then gawdelpusall!
By the way, I also received an email from a DC fan (never mind, just keep taking the tablets, or perhaps double the dose, you'll get over it) to say "Anyway my point of writing is that you seem to not be enjoying the F1 coverage this year. Have you thought of checking out the coverage on our local cable channel? The coverage of the OZ G.P. on Sophon was coming from South Africa (I think), and used the UK channel ITV's coverage - not only did we get Martin Brundle, James Allan etc. but no adverts, which made it better viewing than what we get in the UK." Worthwhile checking out, because the blethering oafs on Star TV are hopeless.
So what did we learn from the race? Well the first thing was that Michael Schumacher is still the class act, motoring away from the pack very easily. Forget the TV twats trying to say that Montoya was going to be able to take the fight up to him. He was not.
The one engine rule for the weekend seems to have caught out more than a couple of teams. Ralf Schumacher's engine did very convincing hand grenade impersonations, as did Takuma Sato's BAR and Kimi Raikkonen (for the second race in succession). Raikkonen can no longer be called the 'iceman' after he punched a track marshal after his McLaren failed. Kimi will have to keep his disappointment in check in future.
Many others did not live up to expectations - Barichello was a very distant fourth, behind his team mate. Alonso seemed to be going well, but then faded by mid race and was never in contention. Mark Webber, after getting all the glory in Qualifying had a nightmare race. His Jaguar not selecting gears at the start, dropping him right back to the tail of the field. He pulled back up to have a coming together with Ralf Schumacher and get a puncture, then was penalised for a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and eventually spun off and could not get out of the kitty litter. A fitting end for a sh*tty day!
One driver who had a great day was Englishman Jenson Button in the BAR, coming in third for his maiden podium finish. The BAR team this year looks so much improved over last year's patchy efforts. Perhaps the money that was saved by not having the expensive Villeneuve around their necks has gone towards improving the machinery!
The next round in one week will be at the new circuit in Bahrain. Can the rest stop Schumacher? At this stage it does not look like it. So much for those who predicted that Schumacher had lost his edge over the Xmas break and was no longer motivated.


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Home > News > Cabinet and Deputy Ministers Announced, 31/5/07 [W]
Cabinet and Deputy Ministers Announced, 31/5/07 [W]
First Minister, Rhodri Morgan announced his new Cabinet on Thursday 31 May 2007. The Cabinet contains seven Ministers, as compared to nine in the last Cabinet. The First Minister also announced the appointments of four Deputy Ministers to support the work of these Ministers.
The Cabinet includes:
First Minister: Rhodri Morgan – will lead on strategy, science, Europe and Wales in the World.
Minister for Health and Social Services: Edwina Hart – NHS, public health and social services.
Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language: Carwyn Jones – Children and early years; schools; 14-19 year olds; skills; FE; HE; Welsh Language, sport and the arts.
Minister for the Economy and Transport: Dr Brian Gibbons – Economic development; transport and regeneration.
Minister for Sustainability and Rural Development: Jane Davidson – Climate change, sustainable development, environment, agriculture, energy and planning.
Minister for Social Justice and Public Service Delivery: Andrew Davies – Child poverty, housing, public service delivery, local government, the Spatial Plan and community safety.
Minister for Budget and Business: Jane Hutt – Budget, financial planning and control, Assembly business management including legislation.
The four Deputy Ministers appointed are:
Gwenda Thomas Deputy Minister to the Minister for Health and Social Services – with special responsibility for Social Services.
Huw Lewis Deputy Minister to the Minister for Economy and Transport – with special responsibility for regeneration.
Leighton Andrews Deputy Minister for Social Justice and Public Service Delivery -with special responsibility for housing.
John Griffiths Deputy Minister for Education, Culture and Welsh Language – with special responsibility for skills.
In addition to these appointments Carl Sargent has been appointed as Chief Whip and Deputy Business Minister.
Comments made by the First Minister about his new Cabinet and the appointment of the Deputy Ministers are available in the following Welsh Assembly Government press releases:
First Minister announces Cabinet for third term
New Deputy Minister's announced


Kolb Cereola Co. Brewery opened in 1919 and closed in 1933 it was open for 14 years. Items from breweries of this age tend to be more common and less valuable than some breweries. Early items can still be valuable as can rarer types of items. This listing was active during Prohibition which makes it an oddity. Some breweries were able to stay in business by producing "near-beer" which was very low alcohol, some switched over to bottling sodas or other beverages, some became Ice-houses or other related businesses. Kolb Cereola Co. Brewery was located in Bay City, MI, which only had 5 breweries, so there are not many that that were producing breweriana items. Local collectors may pay a small premium over national or general collectors because of a lack of local items.
Brewery Owner: Kolb Cereola Co.


Mix cacao, rice malt syrup, almond milk, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Place into a greased ramekin.
Push FruChocs into the middle of the mixture for a sweet surprise.
Scoop ice cream over the top and serve!


Arcturus Gin was launched in October 2017 by The Torridon hotel in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands. It gets its name from the the star 'Arcturus' which is one of the brightest in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere. Arcturus Gin is third-party distilled at the highly acclaimed Dunnet Bay Distillery (producers of Rock Rose Gin) and features local botanicals including lovage, blaeberries (also known as bilberries), rowanberries, and kelp, alongside pure Scottish loch water.
"The idea of creating a gin that was locally foraged using materials naturally found in our landscape led us to creating Arcturus."


Enhace the beauty of your outside room with our 54″ Gold Leaf hexagonal dining table with glass top.
Beautiful piece to overlook your garden or perfect in your sun room.
SKU: Abigail G54. Categories: Furniture, Gold Coast.
Enhance the beauty of your outside room with this lovely dining table that features an iron base with a gold leafed finish in a hexagonal design with a 54″ beveled glass top. Beautiful piece to overlook your garden or perfect in your sun room.