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Willmott Dixon's secures Oxford leisure decarbonisation programme
Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Oxford City Council to deliver an extensive decarbonisation programme, which will see four of the city's leisure centres reduce their emissions by converting from fossil fuels to water and air source heat pumps.
With leisure centres making up around 40 per cent of the council's building carbon emissions, the change will significantly reduce their carbon output.
Procured using the SCF framework, the upgrades will form a key part of the council's plan to be Zero Carbon across its own estate and operations by 2030. The project will oversee the installation of water and air source heat pumps at four leisure facilities; Ferry Leisure Centre, Leys Pool and Leisure Centre, Barton Leisure Centre and Hinksey Outdoor Pool.
Councillor Mary Clarkson, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: "This is a very exciting project to secure the future of our leisure centres as we move towards a low-carbon future. We know how important our leisure centres are for physical and mental health, consequently we are working closely with our contractors to minimise the disruption and the impact on the local area."
Richard Poulter, managing director from Willmott Dixon's Central South region said: "The programme is close to our heart and through our own 2030 'Now or Never' Sustainability strategy, we have committed to achieving net zero operational carbon on all our new buildings and major refurbishments within the next decade. We look forward to assisting our customer on their own journey to Net Zero."
James Wright, framework manager at SCF, said:"SCF is extremely proud to have played a key role in the procurement for this important decarbonisation programme. Reducing carbon emissions is a key challenge for the industry and it is great to see our contractors and clients working collaboratively on their way to achieving net zero."
The project marks the latest collaboration between Willmott Dixon and Oxford City Council. Breaking ground in September, the team are onsite at Lucy Faithfull House, a flagship Oxford housing scheme that will form part of the 'Oxford Needs Homes' development programme. The company are also working with St Peter's College at the University of Oxford to deliver two Passive House Institute Low Energy Building Standard accommodation blocks, providing 54 bedrooms for the college's students.
The SCF is a public sector construction framework helping other public sector organisations with the procurement of their construction projects.
It has delivered just under £7 billion worth of combined construction schemes, establishing it as a leading procurement framework.
Landscaping products business Stonemarket moves into offices above Deeley Group in Coventry
English Football League launches new environmental accreditation scheme with Gloucestershire's Forest Green Rovers
Have your say in Gloucestershire's Net Zero journey
GFirst LEP and The Growth Hub have launched a survey and new support for…


Worth reading, a point well made by Seth Godin in his post The end of misogyny?
I hope he's right. Good riddance.
I'm sorry to say, misogyny is still alive and well. But leave it to men to think that it has gone. When have you ever experienced misogyny to know if it's gone or not?
I'm sorry, I certainly didn't mean to say or even imply that misogyny is gone or isn't a problem.
I quoted Seth Godin saying it "may be changing" and "what is now becoming clear is that many of the people in your market won't stand for it any longer." I said that I hope he's right. And I do.
You're right, I have never experienced misogyny in my life. I'm a man. But I've been married 38 years and I'm father to four daughters and grandfather to one granddaughter, which makes me very aware of the problem. Tim.


Let me start off by saying that I'm aware this blog has been absent of any comic book commentary lately, and there won't be any in this post either. Sorry. All I can say is that the name of the blog is "Superheroes, etc." and consider the blog - at least until this semester ends - firmly lodged in "etc."
That said, I really miss comic books. Even if I could afford to buy any new graphic novels, I don't have the time to read them. I'm in the middle of Small World by David Lodge (for the same course that subjected me to The Waste Land, and it's a surprising and welcome change from the course material so far - surprising because, even though it's a very funny and engaging read, in a lot of ways it's based on The Waste Land) and the previously mentioned Northrop Frye theoretical text The Secular Scripture, and have a paper due on both the Monday after next. Following hard on Spring Break (officially starting next Monday, but starting Friday for me since I don't have any Friday classes) will be Possession: A Romance by A.S. Bryant. For another course, I've just finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and will probably have to re-read it for a paper later this month. My final research paper for the class will likely be on Rudyard Kipling's Kim, and that will probably necessitate another re-reading.
I wanted to do the research paper on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and thought I might be able to pull it off because of all the post-colonial stuff we've been covering in that course, but unfortunately I don't think it's an option. My professor has specified that he wants our work in our final research paper to focus on reading criticism about a specific text and trying to highlight what isn't mentioned in that criticism, and so far I haven't been able to find any academic, peer-reviewed stuff on The League. If I remember correctly, the only stuff I've found on Alan Moore at all covered either Watchmen, From Hell, or both. Oh, and apparently a previous English honors student at my school did their thesis on Promethea. I should read that (the thesis, not the series, though I should read the rest of that, too - I've got the first two books).
I miss Lone Wolf and Cub and Tom Strong and ElfQuest and Seven Soldiers. I've tried cracking open the Absolute edition of Watchmen my girlfriend gave me for Christmas and haven't yet had the time to get past the first chapter. I hate going to comic book news sites, review sites, and blogs; and reading about an endless stream of new books and old books I haven't gotten a chance to pick up, and not having the time or money to check any of them out. I hate driving past my local comic shop every night and not having the time or money to stop in and pick something up, even if it wasn't always closed by the time I zoom past it.
If you've only read the first two trades of Promethea, then you're in for a treat, it gets a lot more meta in book three and continues off in the rest of the series.
Also Tom Strong has ended as of last week, due to the disputes concerning the V for Vendetta crap.
Just wanted to say, I never claimed Guardian wouldn't be noble, but that it was another example of a black super-hero who got paid for what he did like Luke Cage, Josiah Power, and Skyrocket. And that the relatively small number of black super-heroes, vs. the number who did what they did for money, was a little troubling in that it seemed like black heroes were being portrayed as a whole as being less altruistic than white heroes. In his first movie, Blade beat up a cop, stole his watch, and complained that it was a fake. I mean, damn.
And really that one time I singled out Guardian was because Seven Soldiers: Guardian #1 issue came out the same time I was first thinking about that stuff, so it was more of a coincidence than anything.
And, while I only read the first two issues of that mini (though I hope to read the rest once I pick up the trade), I always got the impression that eventually he would find out something nasty about the guy he was working for, quit, and became a super-hero all on his own.
Oh no, I'm not accusing you of purposely misrepresenting him, I'm just saying that he changes a lot throughout the book.


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Matt Mahoney signs with Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Former Sacramento Republic defender finds new home.
By Alicia Rodriguez Dec 23, 2020, 4:31pm PST
Share All sharing options for: Matt Mahoney signs with Colorado Springs Switchbacks
Joseph de Ocampo
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC announced this week they have signed defender Matt Mahoney. The player most recently played the last two seasons at Sacramento Republic FC, where he played 32 games.
At Colorado Springs, Mahoney will be reunited with Brendan Burke, his coach at his club prior to Republic FC, Bethlehem Steel.
Sacramento Republic, of course, decided to part ways with Mahoney in the offseason. He got playing time, both as a starter and off the bench, and could play across the backline, but it appeared he was not going to be a primary option under head coach Mark Briggs.
2020 Sacramento Republic player postmortem: Matt Mahoney
So I think this is a good move for Mahoney. He'll likely be in line for more time as a starter in Colorado Springs, and with that club building a new stadium expected to open next season and the club stepping up their game in terms of signings this offseason, if Sac Republic get to play outside a West Coast regional group next year, don't be surprised if Switchbacks FC are a player in the Western Conference again. Good luck to Matt (except when playing Sacramento)!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The January transfer window is now in full swing and deals are progressing from the speculation and rumour stage to the point where more concrete transfers are being agreed.
Clubs across the continent are looking to strengthen their sides ahead of the business end of the season where league titles are decided and Europe's cup competitions reach the knockout stages.
We are monitoring all the completed January deals involving the top clubs in Europe, and here we look at some which might be close to being added to this list.
United have cooled their interest in Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenković since José Mourinho left the club last month. (ESPN).
Josh Maja could be on his way to North London after the young attacker rejected a new deal at Sunderland. (talkSPORT).
READ MORE: JANUARY TRANSFER TRACKER – EVERY COMPLETED DEAL!


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Q: Basic C Pointers For some reason when I try to compile this code in the C program it is giving me back an error. I am trying to print out the actual memory address of variable x. If anyone knows I would appreciate it!
Code:
    int x = 7;
    printf("x is %d\n", x);

    x = 14;
    printf("x is %d\n", x);

    int *aptrx = malloc(sizeof(int));
    aptrx = &x;

    printf("aptrx is %x\n", aptrx);

Error:
*pointer.c:12:29: error: format specifies type 'unsigned int' but the argument has type* 'int \*' [-Werror,-Wformat]

A: You do not need to have this line in your code if you just want to print the address of x.
int *aptrx = malloc(sizeof(int));

You do not need to allocate memory whenever you create a pointer variable. If you want to point to an existing variable, which you want in this case, you can simply do
int *aptrx = &x;

Then try to print the address using below line using the format specifier %p.
printf("aptrx is %p\n", aptrx);

A: You are having an error because the format expects an unsigned int but the argument is an int *.
The manual for printf says about the %x conversion specifier:

The unsigned int argument is converted [...] to unsigned hexadecimal (x and X)
  notation.

If you want to print a pointer, you can use the %p conversion specifier.

The void * pointer argument is printed in hexadecimal (as if  by %#x
  or %#lx).

Like this:
printf("aptrx is %p\n", aptrx);

A: It's not necessary to allocate memory dynamically to create a pointer variable.
int *aptrx = malloc(sizeof(int)); //unnecessary

Simply, create a pointer variable just like any other variable
int *aptrx = &x;

To print out the value of the pointer (i.e. address of x), use the format specifier %p or %u:
printf("aptrx is %p\n", aptrx);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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10 September 2000, Season Intro | 14 January 2001, Huntly Speedway | 10 February 2001, Huntly Speedway | 18 February 2001, Kihikihi Speedway | 3 March 2001, Huntly Speedway | 15 March 2001, Season End
14 January 2001, Huntly Speedway
Waikato Ltd Saloon Champ's
Finally, after a lot of bloody hard work, I'm ready to go racing for this season. A complete rebuild over winter, dragged on into the summer, due to me being out of work for 6 months (bloody redundancy!). I have changed the car from a Monza to a Corvette. Special and huge thanks to Greg and his team at Waikato Sandblasting Services for the paint job and assistance. Car looks heaps better and even has the approval of my "harshest critic", my dear wife Kylee.
Last nights meeting was the Waikato Limited Saloon Champs, at Huntly Speedway. There were 28 cars on show from Auckland, Rotorua, Stratford, Hawkes Bay and, of course, Huntly. I was in group 1. I drew grid 8 in the first qualifying heat.
I got a good start and was holding my place on a very fast and drivey track surface. On the third lap a car was spun in front of me and went to the infield. I managed to avoid this incident, but on the next straight was confronted by this car coming back onto the track inside me. I objected to this maneuver and from that point I was racing on 100% adrenaline and 0% brain. On the next lap an Auckland car tried to pass me on the inside when I was sure I was on the pole line. I obviously didn't back off and at the corner we had a "racing incident" which saw us both end up on the infield. I had damage to the LF suspension, had lost my new left hand side door panel and cut my LF tyre. "I WAS PISSED OFF!!!" But that happens in motor racing.
That was us out for the night , but I was very happy with how the car was performing. Still underpowered compared to the top cars and their "million dollar engines", but still able to hold my own with the rest.
In our grid for the start of the first (& only)
race I had for the night.
I've got 4 weeks, or so, before the next meeting at Huntly, so plenty of time for repairs. Special thanks to my crewman, Ivan, for his work in getting the car back together at the track. What a bitch of a night???
Next meeting 9 February, see ya there ...?


A Member (or eligible for membership) of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons RCVS. Applicants must be an MRCVS by the date the residency starts but preferably by the date of the application and interview. You must organise and pay for this yourself.
The University of Bristol has a legal responsibility to ensure that all students are entitled to study in the UK. You should check with the UK Border Agency whether you would be eligible to study in the UK.
Non-EU citizens are welcome to apply for any Residency. We are keen to find the best candidates regardless of their nationality. Funding models for these posts are however weighted towards EU citizens, so when candidates are equal, Residencies will be offered to EU citizens.
How do I put in my application?
You will need to submit an application via HOBSONS.
Our advertised Residency positions are listed under "Residencies / Masters in Veterinary Science " . A list of subject specialisations appear towards the end of the application form - please ensure you select the discipline you are applying for.
A personal statement explaining why you would like to undertake the specialisation you are applying for. Please see essential ATTRIBUTES AND QUALIFICATIONS for the discipline you are interested in.
2 confidential references. Please note that it is your responsibility to contact your referees and arrange for references to be provided. These should be on letter headed paper, contain the signature of the referee and should be scanned and uploaded with your Hobsons application. If we don't receive your references by the closing date, your application may not be processed.
Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive an email acknowledgment. If you do not receive an acknowledgement the application has not been submitted. It is advisable to submit your application early as applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
You must be able to communicate clearly in English, both verbally and in writing. If English is not your first language you must take an IELTS (Academic) test. We require 7.5 in IELTS (Academic) with no element below 7.0. A certified copy of your IELTS test result should be submitted with your application. Applications that do not satisfy these criteria may not be considered for shortlisting.
Shortlisted candidates who do not send a copy of the IELTS test results by the deadline of 1st February will not be made a offer and the place will instead be offered to candidates who have met the School's English language requirements by this date. It is advised that applicants arrange to take the IELTS exam as soon as possible due to limited availability.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend interviews during the above dates. We endeavour to inform those who have been short listed for interview, at least 2 weeks before the interview date. The interview typically lasts 20-30 minutes. It is designed to test the applicant's understanding of the role and function of a resident, and their motivation for pursuing a residency. Further details will be provided to short-listed candidates as part of the interview process.
The Residencies are highly competitive and, regrettably, this inevitably means that many good applicants are not successful. If you are unsuccessful you may re-apply the following year but you should contact the appropriate programme director before doing so. The names of the current programme directors are listed under the individual disciplines.


Everything we see, everything that captures our view is perishable, volatile. Now an image is in our retina, now disappears, replaced by another one.
We get so much information that makes difficult to discriminate what to choose , what we want to keep.
I have always asked myself where do the beautiful images we contemplate through our lives go?I have always asked myself if would be possible to store them, avoiding our memory to betray and forget them.
The first time I hold in my hands my father´s camera a Praktica LTL 3, I understood that the small black box provided with lenses could do the miracle: retain the images, retain the moments, preserve intact a landscape, a gesture, a glance.
I consider photography as an emotion holder, and I confess myself being a passionate about the mountains´beauty, the athletes´effort, the art of the musicians I photograph in concerts, anything that deserves to be kept intact as time passes by.
Keep a moment. Share a moment. We are fortunate to be able to do so.


After meeting her husband at SDSU, Amy moved to Doland so Nik could pursue his passion of farming with his family. Originally from Sioux Falls, Amy was reluctant to move, but after living in rural South Dakota since 2009, she is thankful for the sense of community Doland offers. According to Amy, people truly care for one another. Once at a gift shop in a neighboring rural town, the clerks volunteered to watch her infant son while she shopped. They were more than happy to get their "grandma fix." Perhaps cliché, but Amy believes rural communities are a great place to raise a family.
In addition to her work at BASEC, Amy is a member of the Emmanuel Mennonite Church, Doland Community Foundation, Doland Revolving Loan Board, and President of the Doland Community Daycare Board. She continues her involvement with the Chi Omega Women's Fraternity, serving as the state recruitment information chair. In her free time, Amy loves cooking, baking, crafting and anything found on Pinterest.


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National Pepperoni Pizza Day
annually on September 20th
#NationalPepperoniPizzaDay
#PepperoniPizzaDay
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/September/pepperoni-pizza-day.htm
https://www.history.com/news/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages
https://www.statista.com/statistics/260473/americans-favorite-pizza-topping/
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/pepperoni-pizza-topping-history#
Multiple surveys have shown pepperoni to be the favorite pizza topping of Americans, and over a third of the pizzas in the country are topped with it. So it comes as no surprise that there is a National Pepperoni Pizza Day.
Pepperoni takes its name from "peperoni"—with one "p"—an Italian name for a pepper. In Italy, what Americans call pepperoni is known as "salame piccante"—spicy salami. Pepperoni is a dried sausage made of a mixture of pork, beef, and spices, often including peppers. The name pepperoni began being used following World War I, primarily in Italian-American communities. At this time, pepperoni was primarily used as an appetizer, eaten on cured meat plates.
Pizza began becoming popular in America after World War II, and the first evidence of pepperoni on pizza dates to 1950. It gained in popularity at the same time that chain pizza restaurants were proliferating—Pizza Hut opened in 1958 and Dominoes opened in 1960. Pepperoni was easy to supply and transport long distances, and could easily be mass produced. It does not need to hang as long as many other types of meat: it may be ready in one to three weeks, while other meats, such as capicola, may take months to be ready, making them impractical for pizza.
Pizza itself has a long history. Pie-shaped flatbreads with toppings were first eaten in Naples in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. At the time, this coastal city was not part of Italy, but its own kingdom. The working poor, or lazzaroni, lived outside or in small homes, and needed cheap food. Pizza consisted of flatbread with toppings such as tomatoes, garlic, cheese, oil, or anchovies, and it was sold by street vendors and informal restaurants, and eaten for any meal. Pizza didn't end up becoming popular in the rest of Italy until the 1940s.
It was in the United States, where Neapolitans immigrated to, that pizza gained in popularity. The first pizzeria in the United States was Lombardi's, which was started in New York City in 1905. Lombardi's is still in business, and although it is in a new location, the original oven is still in use. Neapolitans brought pizza to many other cities, including Trenton, New Haven, St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston. Pizza became popular all over the country, especially following World War II. Many styles of crusts and different toppings became popular in different regions. Eventually, pizza made its way back to Italy, as well as to other parts of the world.
How to Observe National Pepperoni Pizza Day
Celebrate the day by eating pepperoni pizza! Eat it at a pizzeria, perhaps at a place that has one of the best pepperoni pizzas in the country. Some local and chain pizzerias offer deals on the day, so keep an eye out. You could also make a frozen pepperoni pizza at home, or make a homemade pizza.
National Gibberish Day
National Punch Day
National String Cheese Day


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Conservative Clarion Call: Lending To Minorities Is A "Disaster"
Isaiah Poole 2008-09-27
27 Sep 2008 Isaiah Poole
Why does Neil Cavuto still have a job on the Fox News Channel?
He should be sitting on the porch of some villa in Argentina, where he would probably stew over how he became the latest casualty of political correctness. Instead, he blithely slanders people of color and beyond some progressive circles it's greeted with a collective shrug — or worse.
In an interview on his show on Sept. 18 with Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., Cavuto blamed excessive lending to "minorities" for the financial meltdown on Wall Street. (Rick Perlstein at OurFuture.org has the video, plus a scathing critique.) He asked if Becerra and other members of Congress weren't complicit and "irresponsible" for "pushing for more minority lending and more expanded lending to folks who heretofore couldn't get mortgages." Referring to mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, now placed in receivership by the feds, Cavuto said, "I'm just saying, I don't remember a clarion call that said, 'Fannie and Freddie are a disaster. Loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster.'"
The assertion that a $700 billion Wall Street bailout became necessary, even in part, because financial institutions were catering to black people is deeply offensive and profoundly false. Yet it is not just the blather of an insensitive, right-wing cable talk host. It is part of a systematic campaign on the part of the right and the financial services industry to get out from under one of the few laws on the books that addresses discrimination in lending.
The Community Reinvestment Act was passed in 1977 in response to longstanding patterns of racial discrimination by the mortgage industry. Before passage of the act, it was common for bankers to maintain maps that often used actual red lines to demarcate neighborhoods — invariably predominately African-American — where they would not make loans, regardless of the credit-worthiness of the applicant. The lack of investment invariably locked these neighborhoods in a financial death-spiral; the less willing banks were to make loans in these neighborhoods, the more they decayed and became more of a credit risk.
What the CRA did was mandate that financial institutions demonstrate that they were working to "meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered consistent with the safe and sound operation of such institutions." It did not mandate lower credit standards for historically underserved neighborhoods, but it did rate financial institutions on the basis of how well they served those communities. These ratings were taken into account when banks sought permission to expand or merge.
People who know better have chosen to present a wildly exaggerated, and fundamentally racist, interpretation of what the CRA does. One of the most blatant examples appeared recently in an Investors Business Daily editorial: "The Carter-era Community Reinvestment Act forced banks to lend to uncreditworthy borrowers, mostly in minority areas. Age-old standards of banking prudence got thrown out the window. In their place came harsh new regulations requiring banks not only to lend to uncreditworthy borrowers, but to do so on the basis of race."
A milder version of the canard is being peddled this week by syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer: The CRA, he writes, "led to tremendous pressure on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — who in turn pressured banks and other lenders — to extend mortgages to people who were borrowing over their heads."
But earlier this year a Federal Reserve Board report did not point to the CRA as a significant player in the mortgage crisis. In fact, the report said, "overall mortgage loans to borrowers in lower-income neighborhoods by CRA covered institutions in their CRA assessment areas has increased from 13.4 percent of their assessment area mortgage loans in 1994 to 16.2 percent in 2006 … Further, Federal Reserve research suggests that CRA covered institutions have been able to extend such loans profitably and that the performance of such loans is about the same as that of other mortgage loans."
The real crime lies in such reports as one done in 2007 by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, which found that in 2005 African Americans were at least twice as likely to receive high-cost (in other words, subprime) loans as whites at the same income level in 171 metropolitan statistical areas. That's not the law forcing business behavior. That's business behavior in defiance of the law.
One of the institutions that has an "outstanding" CRA rating is Bank of America, which was healthy enough this year to swallow up the distressed mortgage lender Countrywide and the investment bank Merrill Lynch. Aggressive courtship of people of color communities clearly has not weakened Bank of America. But conservatives aren't about to let the facts get in the way of a good story—you know, the one about the big, liberal federal government telling defenseless firms that they have to do business with shiftless "minorities," then file reams of paper to bureaucrats in Washington to prove they did it. Wouldn't it be so much better if Wall Street were left alone to do what it wants, without the federal government telling financial institutions what to do?
Conservatives show no sign of dropping this issue. But neither are grassroots housing activists. One bill (H.R. 1289), sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, would broaden the scope of the CRA to include financial institutions not currently covered by the law and would undo dilutions of the law that have taken place under President Bush. That bill hasn't moved very far this year, but it's a safe bet it will resurface in the next Congress.
As Congress struggles to figure out how to clean up the financial system mess, a growing consensus is emerging that a Wall Street bailout must be accompanied by a Main Street bailout. A Main Street bailout, moreover, will be ineffectual if it only addresses one side of the street. But the misguided belief that those who live on the "good" (read: "white") side of the street don't have a vested interest in equity and fairness for those on the "bad" (read: "black" and "brown") side of the street is a hardy perennial.
For those who cling to that ethos, Neil Cavuto is their unabashed spokesman, on the network where race-baiting is part of the "fair and balanced" menu. Which explains why he's still on the air.
Stripping Sarah to Her Qualifications
Google Comes Out Against Prop. 8: "Chilling And Discriminatory Effect...On Many Of Our Employees"
Isaiah Poole
Isaiah J. Poole is the executive editor of OurFuture.org, the website of Campaign for America's Future. He has been a journalist for more than 25 years, most recently at Congressional Quarterly, where he covered congressional leadership and tracked major bills through Congress. During his mostly Washington-based career he has written articles on topics ranging from presidential politics to pop culture. He is also a founding member of the Washington Association of Black Journalists and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. He is a native Washingtonian.


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Home/Astrology/How the 3 double astrological signs find balance
How the 3 double astrological signs find balance
Johnnie Gross May 11, 2021 Astrology Leave a comment 88 Views
reo do you end up with duality issues? A back and forth nature? You can be one of the double astrological signs. These are zodiac signs that have duality issues. Gemini, Pisces and Libra "sort of."
I know, I know, what's more back and forth than Libra "sort of"? But Stephanie Gailing, astrologer and author of The Complete Guide to Astrological Self-Care points out that duality issues are often linked to zodiac symbols.
As Gailing points out, Gemini and Pisces are mutable signs, which means they are flexible, adaptive, and resemble chameleons. Associated with twin identities (Gemini is "the twins" and Pisces is "the twin fish"), this type of nature exudes an inconsistent, two-minded nature that outwardly can be flaky or erratic. Libra also has duality issues, although it is less of a personality and more of weighing the scales in the same way.
There is also an argument that Sagittarius is a double sign, due to a flying nature, and a two-body form (a centaur). Where I call BS is this: the Sagittarius world traveler is always about to go from one place to another, not Between one place or another. Likewise, Capricorn has the two-body form of a mermaid goat, and nobody is more stable and determined than a Capricorn. All of your friends in Cap are in finance and have dated the same person since college. It's like that.
So, for the purposes of this discussion, we define dual astrological signs as signs that deal with struggles of mental, emotional, and even spiritual duality conflicts, as indicated by their zodiac symbols. Below we share how each of them can find peace in unity.
The 3 dual astrological signs (-ish) and how each one achieves balance
"An air sign, Gemini is so interested in a wide variety of subjects that they are portrayed not by one person but by two," says Gailing. "Gemini like a little bit of this and a little bit of that."
She compares Gemini's personality to that of someone who can't choose between ice cream cones. If you asked the zodiac signs if they preferred chocolate or vanilla ice cream, most would be able to choose a flavor, no problem. But Gemini really loves both and really switches between the two. The best way to honor their love for each other, says Gailing, is to order the Gentle Whirlpool.
"Instead of separating and owning only a part of themselves, their mission is to synthesize, embrace duality and see how it leads to wholeness," says Gailing. "Gemini reminds you that although they are two sides of a coin, they are actually the same coin."
How does Gemini achieve balance: According to Gailing. Gemini feel more whole when they don't need to feel pressured to choose. Instead of limiting yourself to one path, allow yourself to love it and that, against that or this. You are allowed to have two separate groups of friends, two modes of transportation, two hobbies. You are also allowed to merge your two loved ones and enjoy your metaphorical service.
"By expanding your options, you will see yourself as someone who is purposeful rather than someone who is fickle, which Gemini often feels like when they feel pressured to swim one lane," says Gailing.
If you look at most of the Pisces fish illustrations, you will notice something interesting. Instead of swimming happily towards a current, they turned around in opposite directions.
"The two fish which are linked together by a rope, but which swim in opposite directions," explains Gailing. "It reflects the mission of Pisces of spiritual incarnation, integrating the spiritual and material worlds. That is the point – although in the pursuit of this there are many times Pisces can be torn between fantasy and reality; they must remain really present so as not to confuse the two.
As someone who has lived with a Pisces bestie for four years, this nature manifests itself in a very funny way. A Pisces will arrive at the scene as the wisest and most intuitive mystic in your group of friends … then date someone who has been arrested for stealing a television because "he has good eyes." I love you all, but there is such a thing as being too idealistic.
How does Pisces achieve balance: Gailing is a Pisces Sun herself, and she's found ways to stay grounded. In fact, take inspiration from your Earth sign friends and literally anchor you. She says to honor both spirit and nature, the numinous and the mundane.
"Bring the soul to earth – channel your art, your interests, your desire to help others and / or your urge to experience universal love in a project, your job or your daily routines," says Gailing.
So you have options on what that means to you, but maybe it means boosting your creative talents with a Coursera course and seeing if that opens up a career path. Or maybe you can start charging for these tarot card readings instead of giving them to every friend of a friend in crisis. You'll understand, Pisces, put that third eye to work!
"Libra is all about weighing and measuring in the pursuit of equality, justice, harmony and beauty," says Gailing. "It's different from the dual nature of Gemini and Pisces where the emphasis is on integration; with Libra, it's more about balance and fairness. "
Libra is also very focused on relationships (she rules the 7th house of partnerships) and teaches what we can learn by dancing with one another. Gailing points out that with Libra it's never just about 'me' but 'me + you', which comes down to the theme of two. technically be considered a double sign, but we can see a double theme inherent in its symbol of the scales and its two pans. And since nobody is more about balance, we will also tip this sign.
How does Libra achieve balance: "The trick for Libra is to balance the 'me' and the 'you', not to compromise too much when it comes to their desire for peace in the environment, "says Gailing. "Instead of just focusing on equality and fairness for others, make sure you include yourself in the equation of what balance, harmony and justice mean."
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text:
Q: How To Use Hyperlinks With Spaces In a Hyperlink Column Of A List I created a new SP 2010 List of Hyperlinks using the SP2010 Hyperlinks List Template.  It works so long as the hyperlinks/URL contains no spaces.  When viewing the list one can click on any link and be taken to the specified URL.  When the hyperlink contains a space such as is the case with some network directories like \\FileServer\Manuals\Docs & Guides\ The SP list considers the hyperlink to be only the part up until the first space.  When viewing the list and clicking on an entry with a space in the URL you are taken to the incorrect location.  How di I get the URL column of the SP210 List to treaty to full hyperlink as the hyperlink and not just the portion up until the first space?
How can I add the below URL/Hyperlink to the list so that when someone is viewing the list and they click on the hyperlink they will be taken to the location listed below?
\\FileServer\Manuals\Docs & Guides\

A: You can try to replace the space with %20
so your link should look like this:
\FileServer\Manuals\Docs%20&%20Guides\

In c#:
"someString".Replace(" ", "%20");

I do the same with normal URL and it works like a charm.
cheers Jürgen

A: For your url I would recommend removing the space or %20 you can use this that iv just made. pass the url string that you need to remove and it will return the url string without any spaces :)
    public static string RemoveURLSpaces(string url)
    {
        url = url.Replace(" ", "");

        return url;
    }


Nancy Davenport's work has been exhibited at a variety of venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, the National Gallery of Canada, the Liverpool Biennial, the Istanbul Biennial, the Sao Paulo Biennial and the Triennial of Photography & Video at the International Center of Photography in NY. She has been the recipient of several awards including the Rome Prize, the Mellon Foundation Humanities+Urbanism+Design (H+U+D) research award and the Warhol Foundation Art Writers Grant. Her photographs have appeared in numerous publications including Artforum, October Magazine, Frieze Magazine, The New York Times, BLIND SPOT and "Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography" (Phaidon Press). Her recent book entitled "RENOVATION" was published by Cabinet Books, NY.


text:
Q: JavaDoc в JAR из Android module В проекте есть Android Module хочу сделать JAR вместе с JavaDoc.
Получаю JAR таким способом. В gradle модуля прописываю код и в терминале вызываю gradlew makejar. Получаю на выходе JAR файл, но он почему-то без JavaDoc, хотя для каждого метода он прописан. Как сделать JAR в Android Studio чтобы в нем был JavaDoc?
task clearJar(type: Delete) {
    delete 'build/outputs/lib-' +     "${versionMajor}.${versionMinor}.${versionPatch}" + '.jar'
}

task makeJar(type: Copy) {
    from('build/intermediates/bundles/release/')
    into('build/outputs/')
    include('classes.jar')
    rename('classes.jar', 'lib-' + "${versionMajor}.${versionMinor}.${versionPatch}" + '.jar')
}

makeJar.dependsOn(clearJar, build)

A: Вопервых вы не совсем верно создаёте jar файл. Лучше делать так:
android.libraryVariants.all { variant ->
    def name = variant.buildType.name
    if (name.equals(com.android.builder.core.BuilderConstants.DEBUG)) {
        return; // Skip debug builds.
    }
    def task = project.tasks.create "jar${name.capitalize()}", Jar
    task.dependsOn variant.javaCompile
    task.from variant.javaCompile.destinationDir
    task.exclude '**/BuildConfig.class'
    artifact task
}

Теперь что бы создать jar библиотеку надо выполнить команду ./gradlew jarRelease
Теперь что касается включения жавадоков, если вы хотите что бы разработчик использующий вашу либу мог открыть ваши классы и видеть их оригинальное содержимое и JavaDoc комментарии, то вам нужно включить в библиотеку исходники:
android.libraryVariants.all { variant ->
    def name = variant.buildType.name
    if (name.equals(com.android.builder.core.BuilderConstants.DEBUG)) {
        return; // Skip debug builds.
    }
    def task = project.tasks.create "jar${name.capitalize()}", Jar
    task.dependsOn variant.javaCompile
    task.from variant.javaCompile.destinationDir, android.sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs
    task.exclude '**/BuildConfig.class'
    artifact task
}

По идее этого достаточно, если же вы хотите добавить в библиотек именно JavaDoc, то есть html странички с описаниями ваших классов и методов, то вам нужно дописать ещё немного:
afterEvaluate {
    javadoc.classpath += files(android.libraryVariants.collect { variant ->
        variant.javaCompile.classpath.files
    })
}

task javadoc(type: Javadoc) {
    source = android.sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs
    exclude '**/BuildConfig.java'
    exclude '**/R.java'

    classpath += project.files(android.getBootClasspath().join(File.pathSeparator))
    options {
        links "http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/"
        linksOffline "http://d.android.com/reference", "${android.sdkDirectory}/docs/reference"
    }
    failOnError false
}

android.libraryVariants.all { variant ->
    def name = variant.buildType.name
    if (name.equals(com.android.builder.core.BuilderConstants.DEBUG)) {
        return; // Skip debug builds.
    }
    def task = project.tasks.create "jar${name.capitalize()}", Jar
    task.dependsOn variant.javaCompile, javadoc
    task.from variant.javaCompile.destinationDir, android.sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs, javadoc.destinationDir
    task.exclude '**/BuildConfig.class'
    artifact task
}

Но пихать всё в один jar не лучший вариант. Лучше сделать отдельные jar: с кодом, с исходниками и с жавадоками. А затем распространять их через мавен. Для того что бы опебликовать всё это в локальном мавен репозитории (~/.m2) надо добавить в build.gradle:
buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.github.dcendents:android-maven-plugin:1.2'
    }
}

apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
apply plugin: 'maven'
apply plugin: 'maven-publish'

android {
    // оставляем этот раздел как у вас уже есть
}

dependencies {
    // ваши зависимости
}

task sourcesJar(type: Jar) {
    from android.sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs
    classifier = 'sources'
}

afterEvaluate {
    javadoc.classpath += files(android.libraryVariants.collect { variant ->
        variant.javaCompile.classpath.files
    })
}

task javadoc(type: Javadoc) {
    source = android.sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs
    exclude '**/BuildConfig.java'
    exclude '**/R.java'

    classpath += project.files(android.getBootClasspath().join(File.pathSeparator))
    options {
        links "http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/"
        linksOffline "http://d.android.com/reference", "${android.sdkDirectory}/docs/reference"
    }
    failOnError false
}

task javadocJar(type: Jar, dependsOn: javadoc) {
    classifier = 'javadoc'
    from javadoc.destinationDir
}

artifacts {
    archives sourcesJar, javadocJar
}

publishing {
    publications {
        mavenJava(MavenPublication) {
            artifact sourcesJar
            artifact javadocJar

            android.libraryVariants.all { variant ->
                def name = variant.buildType.name
                if (name.equals(com.android.builder.core.BuilderConstants.DEBUG)) {
                    return; // Skip debug builds.
                }
                def task = project.tasks.create "jar${name.capitalize()}", Jar
                task.dependsOn variant.javaCompile
                task.from variant.javaCompile.destinationDir
                task.exclude '**/BuildConfig.class'
                artifact task
            }
        }
    }
}

Версию и группу я обычно указываю в gradle.properties файле:
group=net.{your name}.{lib name or group name}
version=1.2.3

Всё, запускаем ./gradlew publishToMavenLocal и по окончании выполнения в папке ~/.m2 увидим ваш пакет.
Теперь вы можете использовать вашу библиотеку в других ваших проектах добавив в build.gradle:
repositories {
    mavenLocal()
}

dependencies {
    compile 'net.{your name}.{lib name or group name}:{lib name}:{lib version}'
}

PS: а вы кстати уверены что вам нужно создавать jar а не aar библиотеку? Если у вас в библеотеке есть ресурсы (всё что в папке res), то они на сколько я помню не попадут в jar ибо у андройда свой формат ресурсов и распространяются они вроде только в aar библиотеках. Но в этом я не уверен, я публиковал только библиотеку без ресурсов.


text:
Helmets off, hats on
BYDaniel Roberts
January 25, 2013, 11:36 PM UTC
FORTUNE — In a September advertisement, New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks says into his phone, "I don't care about the money." He then asks the person on the other end of the line, "How many football caps they offering?"
The commercial was for New Era, which was embarking on its first season as the official on-field cap of the NFL. (It will thus also be the exclusive on-field cap at the Pro Bowl this weekend.) Later on in the same ad, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears, telling a colleague in a ten-gallon: "Ditch the hat, son. We only wear football caps now." But what's a "football cap?" Don't football players wear… helmets?
They do, but not when they're sitting on the sidelines. And the scores of coaches, trainers, and injured players on those sidelines don't wear helmets either; many of them have always worn hats. From this season forward, those hats must be New Era caps. If an assistant coach were to don, say, an Under Armour hat on the field during a game, he'd get fined. Snarky sports outlets like Deadspin have ridiculed the fines that the league so zealously doles out. (Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was fined for wearing Adidas gear to a press conference, instead of apparel by official outfitter Nike). For New Era, the deal was a big coup. When Reebok lost its exclusive with the NFL to Nike, it opened the door for New Era to become the league's on-field cap king.
The cap-maker, headquartered in Buffalo, NY, was already the official hat outfitter of Major League Baseball. But now that New Era is wrapping up its inaugural season as the same partner for the NFL, company president Pete Augustine is ready to declare it a success. "By our unofficial calculations," he says, "the average number of people on the sidelines wearing hats, including coaches and players, was about 15 per team last year. This year we're seeing more like 30." Augustine adds that certain players who didn't often wear hats now do, which may mean they dig the New Era options. He cites Tom Brady as an example: the New England Patriots captain, who is Under Armour-sponsored, placed tape over the Swoosh on his league-mandated Nike gear. But all winter he has had no issue pulling on New Era's knit beanie, with its visible logo, as soon as he heads to the sidelines.
MORE: The man who dressed Michelle Obama
The company's annual revenue is around $700 million, which puts New Era slightly below half the size of Under Armour in terms of sales. The hat-maker has grown more than 43% since 2010, and did not have any down year during the recession. The company has opened new offices in far-flung areas like Australia and Korea (its largest areas of sale outside the U.S. are the U.K. and Japan), and is up to 1,300 employees globally. In other words, it is doing many things right.
So, in the wake of grabbing such a major contract, what can a cap-maker do to innovate and build? For starters, New Era has begun to expand beyond headwear. It just launched a backpack line, and also sells belts, wallets, and other accessories. These new products are geared toward what New Era calls "the uniform of the youth," which Augustine defines as "basically our hat on a kid that's wearing denim, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and sneakers."
But caps make up 90% of New Era's business. "Moving into other areas won't be easy," says Matt Powell, analyst for SportsOneSource, "but they have tremendous brand equity." That brand equity comes, Powell says, from the fact that for years, New Era has "done a wonderful job maintaining a premium position in the market. Highest retails and best quality products." New Era has 66% share of the U.S. licensed cap market, and its closest competitor isn't a fellow cap-maker, but Adidas, which has 15%. Third is cap-maker Twins, with nearly 6%.
New Era also keeps creating new hat lines, since it cannot rely solely on the NFL exposure. (After all, Powell says that grabbing the official sideline deal is "not a big deal to anyone anymore.") In timing with the new baseball season, the company will launch Diamond Era, an updated take on the 59fifty line: lighter material with better performance than the old cap, Augustine says.
And it has deftly used celebrities and humor in its ad campaigns. In addition to football faces like Nicks and Jerry Jones, in 2011 New Era released a series of TV spots about rivalries, with Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski (Yankees vs. Red Sox) and then in 2012 with Craig Robinson and Nick Offerman (White Sox vs. Cubs).
MORE: 2012 sports endorsement stars (And 2013 prospects)
In additional videos just released this month on YouTube, rappers like The Game, and Big Boi of OutKast, discuss their new records while sitting in a New Era store. "New Era, man, has always been a fixture," The Game says in his spot. "I kind of remember when New Era took over MLB… I'm rocking with them." Featuring guys like these two is wise, as it hearkens back to rappers like Jay-Z sporting Yankee hats, which has enormously boosted the company's cred. ("Since this is a New Era, got a fresh new hat," Jay-Z raps in "The Prelude.") The way Augustine sees it, thanks to Jay-Z the Yankees symbol "is considered a classic American logo. There are people out there in the world who want our cap that wouldn't be able to pick Derek Jeter out of a police lineup." (A Red Sox fan may not love the theory that the Yankees logo represents America, but nonetheless, Yankees hats are New Era's best-selling team item by far, in any sport; the company sold 617,000 of the on-field style alone in 2012.)
Michael Burch, a 31-year-old who works in marketing and has a giant hat collection, says that only a tiny handful of his 40 caps are not New Era. He sees New Era as "the authority on fitted hats." The only issue with owning that title? Trends come and go. In the early 90s, the cool hat for young men was a classic double-bar college hat—by cap-maker The Game—with plastic snaps in back. Now the fitted, flat-brimmed cap is king, but if that changes, New Era will need to adjust quickly. (Five-panel hats by labels like Supreme, for example, are very popular of late.) And as Burch acknowledges, "New Era is definitely playing into the main audience consumer, who right now wants a flat brim, as opposed to trying to get back the guys who liked the script hats back in the day."
Still, if hat-heads like Burch are any indication, New Era, for the time being, has both the size and the cred: "I'm actually disappointed when a hat I want is made by Mitchell & Ness or, god forbid, Zephyr," he says.
If the smaller players in the cap business hope to cut into 92-year-old New Era's market share, they'll need to come up with the next big trend in urban headwear, or adopt equally clever advertising strategies. A commercial with someone like Beyoncé probably wouldn't hurt right now.


1) I would like to bring in as shareholders of the company both my wife and children. At the same time I, together with my wife, still want to keep control of the company's operations. What can I do?
Your question is two fold and I shall try to answer both.
First…there are two ways to go about increasing the share capital and allotting shares to your wife and children. This can be done either by the transfer from you of existing shares or else by increasing the company's share capital and allotting these to the wife and children.
The first option would be a private agreement between you and the wife and children and no cash need be injected into the company.
For the second option, since the company is issuing new shares, there must be some form of compensation. In your case you stated that you did not wish to inject cash. Then perhaps these shares can be paid for by converting some existing loan that you have with your company. This would first need to be loaned or granted to the wife and children through a private agreement and then capitalized into share capital.
To retain control of the company affairs, there are various ways to go about it. Such include the allocation of preference shares to the children or to a different class of ordinary shares with non-voting rights.


text:
United States: CFPB Announces Rules Governing Investigations
by Loeb & Loeb'S Financial Reform Task Force (Los Angeles)
Shortly before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revealed the details of its first enforcement action, a $210 million settlement with Capital One Bank on July 18, 2012, the Bureau announced that it had adopted broad rules outlining how it will investigate potential violations of consumer financial laws and regulations. These rules, which are expressly modeled on procedures that have been utilized previously by the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other bank regulators, have eight major components:
1. Non-Public with a Caveat. Although CFPB investigations are generally non-public, they may be conducted jointly with other state and federal regulators. Regulated entities undoubtedly are concerned that information provided to the CFPB could be shared with states' attorneys general and eventually find its way to plaintiffs' lawyers and fuel class action litigation.
2. CIDs. The basic tool used by the CFPB will be the "Civil Investigative Demand" or CID, a form of subpoena to require testimony, documents, responses to written questions, or other materials. CIDs must specify (a) the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation under investigation, (b) applicable law, (c) enforcement staff involved, (d) instructions for dealing with ESI (electronically stored information), and (e) the deadline for response, typically 30 days from issuance.
3. "Meet and Confer" Procedures. Within 10 days after receiving a CID, the recipient must "meet and confer" with CFPB staff if the recipient wishes to discuss potential modifications. The recipient's basic strategies in this meeting will be to specify the portions of the CID that pose a special burden, quantify the nature of that burden, and propose alternative means of trying to address the subject matter covered by the problematic requests. Though not expressly addressed in the rules, standard procedures in other regulatory investigations dictate that recipients should also promptly issue a document retention notice and suspend any automatic deletion of ESI.
4. Petitions to Modify or Set Aside. Within 20 days after receiving a CID, recipients may file a petition to modify or set aside the CID, addressing subjects discussed at the meet and confer but not resolved to the recipient's satisfaction. The CFPB rules expressly disfavor extensions to that 20-day deadline, making early and active negotiations crucial. Once filed, however, a petition to modify automatically stays the deadline for responding to the CID, pending a ruling. CFPB staff may respond to the petition without sharing that response with the petitioner and, ultimately, the CFPB's director resolves the issue. The rules contain no provisions for judicial review of the director's decision, leaving petitioners with no alternative apart from refusing to produce the required information and raising the objections in response to a subsequent CFPB motion seeking a court order to enforce the CID. One caveat is that the rules provide that the petitions are part of the public record unless the CFPB determines otherwise based on a showing of good cause at the time the petition is filed.
5. Privilege Issues. Rather than raising privilege issues through a petition to modify, recipients must identify any documents withheld on grounds of privilege in a "privilege log." Inadvertent disclosure of privileged information results in no waiver of the underlying privileges, provided the recipient took reasonable steps in the first place to prevent the disclosure and to rectify the error once discovered, including notifying the CFPB investigator, who must return, sequester or destroy the inadvertently produced materials.
6. Counsel's Role; Limited Rights to Object. While recipients may have counsel present for on-the-record testimony, the opportunity to confer with counsel and for counsel to make objections is limited to situations in which a "constitutional or other legal right or privilege, including the privilege against self-incrimination," is at stake. To the inevitable frustration of many parties and counsel, objections that a subject is beyond the scope of the investigation or otherwise irrelevant purportedly will not be permitted. Counsel may request, however, that the examiner permit the witness to clarify responses, and the witness may review and make changes to the transcript.
7. CID Enforcement. If a recipient fails to comply with a CID, the CFPB may initiate federal district court enforcement proceedings in the district where the subject resides, is found or transacts business. The Bureau may seek contempt or "other appropriate relief" where a court order enforcing a CID has been violated.
8. Notice of Potential Violations. If the CFPB decides to take enforcement action following an investigation, it may provide a "discretionary" notice of potential violations and allow a written response. The objective of this process is to give potential enforcement targets an opportunity to present their arguments and be heard before an action is formally approved or commenced. That opportunity for notice may be denied, however, in cases of ongoing fraud or in which the CFPB perceives a need to act quickly. The CFPB brings enforcement actions for violations in administrative proceedings or in state or federal court, and may also refer investigations to other federal, state or foreign agencies.
As the agency vested with primary authority to enforce federal consumer financial laws, the CFPB has broad enforcement powers, including the ability to collect civil money penalties ranging from up to $5,000 per day for "first tier" violations to $25,000 per day for reckless violations, and $1 million per day for knowing violations. The Bureau may also seek a range of other remedies, including rescission of contracts, refund of money, return of real property, restitution, disgorgement of profits or other compensation for unjust enrichment, damages, public notification of the violation, and "conduct" restrictions (i.e., future limits on the target's activities or functions). It has no criminal authority, but is required to notify the U.S. Attorney General if it finds evidence of criminal violations.
The expansive scope of the CFPB's jurisdiction and powers warrants that companies identify and promptly address areas of potential exposure through internal risk assessment, compliance procedures and training programs. Although the nature of a company's business and risk profile will dictate its specific compliance approaches, the CFPB has consistently made clear that its analysis will start (and likely end) with customer complaint data, and all regulated entities should be improving their systems for collecting, analyzing and responding to customer complaints.
Loeb & Loeb'S Financial Reform Task Force
United States Consumer Protection Consumer Law
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text:
Lawn Care & Grass Cutting
The mowdown on grass cutting
By Jules MacIntyre
A brief history of the lawn mowers of yesterday, today and tomorrow
Once only the provenance of the wealthy, the garden lawn emerged as a seventeenth century status symbol amongst wealthy landowners using local workers to keep the grass around their country houses cropped with scythes, the original tool for lawn cutting that we've proudly adopted as part of our Green Reaper logo. While a long way from the immaculate stripes of today's well-tended suburban garden, it was the start of a trend that has become part of British vernacular, with mowing a weekly ritual of simple pleasure that is a welcome contrast to our sedentary, desk-bound lives. And while making this connection to a more pastoral existence seems timeless, the machines that we now use to mow our lawns have certainly developed over nearly two hundred years. Here we trace the fascinating history of the lawn mower, looking at not only how different types of mower came about but what the future holds with even more environmentally-friendly ways to keep your grass greener over the next decade.
Patented during the height of summer on August 31st 1830, the lawn mower was a British invention by Edwin Beard Budding who claimed it was "a new combination and application of machinery for the purpose of cropping or shearing the vegetable surface of lawns, grass-plants and pleasure grounds". Ironically, it was the industrial revolution that led to the conception of a grass-cutting machine as Budding was a mechanic looking after the equipment in the local mills, and specifically cross-cutters used in textile manufacture which he then repurposed. Made of wrought iron, his first mower was pushed from behind with gear wheels transmitting power from the rear roller to the knives on the cutting cylinder, with a further roller raised or lowered to alter the height of cut and the clippings thrown forward into a rudimentary tray.
Although cruder in appearance, Budding's invention was in many ways not dissimilar to today's timeless cylinder push mowers, such as our ever-popular AL-KO 38.1 HM Premium which at £119 is both easy to manoeuvre and gentle on the lawn while being compact to store with a fold away aluminium handlebar. The AL-KO illustrates that if you want an environmentally-friendly option for a smaller lawn, a basic lawn mower can still be brilliant.
For the next seventy odd years, the use of lawn mowers grew at pace with many different types of machines made with varying degrees of success – including the first steam powered machine designed by James Sumner's Leyland Steam Motor Company which later became synonymous with the British car industry. It was at the start of the twentieth century though, that the step-change to petrol mowers occurred and took lawn mowing to a new level of ease and efficiency. After Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies of Ipswich produced the first combustion engine mower in 1902, many manufacturers started to compete with ever better models and production soared post WW1.
Today petrol still has its advantages as it enables bigger mowers with definitive power to cut through tough grass in any weather conditions for hours at a time. Our best sellers at The Green Reaper include all different kinds of fuel-driven machines to suit every budget. For example, from just £300 you can choose one of the machines in the hand-pushed Cobra RM range, all featuring rear rollers to produce the classic 'striped lawn' look and perfect for the changing conditions of the British lawn, with the blade powered by a choice of Cobra's own brand engines, as well as ones from well-established manufacturers such as Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Kohler and Subaru.
It is also a petrol engine (the Honda GXV390 four-stroke) that drives the most rugged of machines such as our Little Wonder Hydro BRC-26 field & brush mower, designed to cut through overgrown vegetation with ease and featuring a unique automatic transmission with a variable, clutchless speed selection up to 4.2mph so you can cut your own path, at your own pace.
Most of our best-sellers for domestic lawn-cutting also benefit from technology first developed in the 1950's which saw the introduction of the rotary blade as opposed to a cylinder cutter. Essentially, a high-speed horizontal blade spins at speed, cutting the grass through impact with slightly raised edges to deliver a continuous airflow and suction that 'chops' the grass before delivering it to a rear collection box. Perfectly suited to all shapes and sizes of mower, a rotary blade is always used on our bigger 'ride on' mowers for larger lawns, due to its efficiency, such as our ever popular Lawnflite Optima MiniRider 76 RDHE (image shows 76 RDE) that perfectly suits the 'step up' to a sit-on with a compact design, electric start, automatic transmission, five cutting heights and a floating deck that allows you to get closer to edges.
Undoubtedly, we should also mention the electric mower revolution that began some fifty-plus years ago with brand such as the classic 1970's Flymo 'hover' mower based on hovercraft technology. Using a fan so that the mower effectively 'floats' above the grass, it is a design that continues today with the self-mulching Cobra AirMow 51 80V and arguably it is still the best way to deal with undulating gardens or slopes effectively. The AirMow is also the world's first cordless 'hover' mower available in the UK, reflecting how much the electric mower market has now moved on from plugging in a lead and the constant vigilance associated with it, whatever type of mower you choose. Indeed, the advantages of the latest lithium batteries for mowers are many fold, including being smaller, lighter, quicker to charge and longer lasting.
We particularly like the way in which manufacturers such as Greenworks ensure that many of their machines come with 2 x 24v batteries to not only power the mower but be interchangeable with their strimmers, chainsaws and hedge trimmers. And if you want even more power, The T3 Awards which recognise category innovation has just voted the Greenworks GD60LM46SP mower a top buy for not only its good looks, long-life steel cutting deck and brushless motor, but the mower's big 60V battery power that provides the endurance to tackle tough tasks in the garden with petrol-matching performance.
So what's next in the evolution of the lawn mower? Well perhaps the future has already arrived with the new generation of grass-cutting machines taking robotic form which in theory means that you'll never need to worry about mowing the lawn again. Sit back and relax with the ultimate mowing status symbol such as one of the machines in the Cobra Mowbot range.
Sleek, stylish and even available in a range of customisable colours such as camouflage and floral, the Mowbots use Bluetooth technology so you can control the 'little and often' mowing technique it uses, or return it to its base station from your phone or tablet. Why not check out this mowing vision with a video that introduces how the Mowbots work, and the programming you'll need to do before this permanent feature of your garden becomes your AI lawn-mowing friend.
We hope you've enjoyed learning more about mowers and how they have evolved since the first hand-cut lawns of the privileged few. With more options for lawn mowing than ever before, we think that the grass may really be greener on the other side. Why not have a look at our latest range and find out for yourself whether it's time to upgrade your machine. After all, as a wise gardener once said "A beautiful lawn doesn't happen by itself".
Posted in Gardening and Lawn Care & Grass Cutting
How green is your grass?
The eco-friendly guide to a lawn that you and nature will love
From Pimm's on the lawn after a lazy Summer afternoon, to the hum of the mower and smell of freshly cut grass, there's nothing like a lush green space as the centrepiece of your garden. These days though, we increasingly appreciate that good gardening is also about the husbandry of native insects and minimising our carbon footprint. So can we still define the 'perfect' lawn as neatly manicured stripes, reminiscent of a Wimbledon court, which often takes chemicals to maintain? Lawn care has now entered a new era, and at The Green Reaper, we've got some easy and eco-friendly ways to keep your grass green in every sense of the word.
Lawns can have a positive environmental impact
Although they've sometimes had a bit of a bad rap environmentally, a lawn is a positive on many counts. For example, unlike paving or hard surfaces, grass actually absorbs both carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide while producing oxygen as 'clean' air with an average-sized lawn providing enough for a family. It also reduces erosion from storm water runoff and traps harmful dust and particles. Urban areas with lots of trees and grass also tend to be cooler as well as reducing noise and benefitting our well-being.
To mow or not to mow?
There can be no doubt that mowing less is a good idea for a number of eco reasons. By letting your grass grow a little longer, the blade will be bigger and the photosynthesis that takes place and feeds the roots will be increased. Secondly, the shade of longer blades both protects the soil underneath from drying out and means that ever-present weeds are not exposed to sunlight that helps them grow. And even if you can't resist your weekly mow, just make sure that you keep your height adjustment at a reasonable level so as not to 'shave' the grass which will then be desperate to grow back and use up valuable nutrients from the roots to do so.
Another great idea is to support insects in Spring and Summer is to join the re-wilding revolution and create a section of the lawn which you don't mow at all. This still allows you to have practical areas for child-play or pure aesthetics, while creating your own mini-meadow of wildflowers which often grow naturally in patches left to their own devices. Daises, speedwell, buttercups, clover and even cowslips are just some of the delightful possibilities when we change to a less controlling approach. At the end of Summer, ideally in September, just cut the wild patches down to a few centimetres and remove the debris or clippings so that tough wild grasses don't take over.
Feeding, weeding and watering
Perhaps one of the simplest but most significant ways to make your lawn care more eco-friendly is the kind of feed and weed killer you choose. We are huge fans of the Viano range which is totally organic and available from The Green Reaper as a slow-release fertiliser and moss killer called Mo Bacter which improves the soil as well as feeding the grass. Endorsed by the RHS, it doesn't leave the black debris of dead moss (as this eaten by the bacteria within the product), is animal-safe, will not harm borders or stain patios and even eliminates the need for scarifying post-treatment.
As our summers seem to get hotter, another concern is often the amount of water required to keep a lawn looking green. If you want to maintain your regular watering routine, why not invest in a water butt which now come in a more pleasing designs and will actually be a feature in your garden. Our favourites are from Owl Hall and include ones with modern styling as well as a more traditional barrel effect with a 250 or 500 litre capacity. Buying a water butt pump will enables you to water the grass more easily and Hozelock do a sturdy and cost-effective range.
Equally though, there is the simple option of not watering as much on the basis that brown grass is simply dormant and will come back to life with the inevitable arrival of rain. Even watering deeply once a week is, in fact, far more beneficial for your grass than a blitz with the sprinkler every day, as it gets moisture deep into the roots, especially if done in the early morning when temperatures are lower.
Push mowing for a cleaner cut
Now let's turn our attention to choosing a mower with greener credentials. There's actually a good range of more environmentally-friendly options these days. If you have a small to medium lawn, then there's always the option of a hand-propelled push mower which have come a long way since your Dad walked one up and down the garden in his drainpipes. Now lighter and often with stay-sharp titanium blades, they cut the grass cleanly and save on fuel as well as being free from maintenance such as oil or spark plug changes. Plus you'll be keeping fit while mowing in noise-free peace, listening to the birds early on a Sunday morning rather than upsetting the neighbours with the roar of a rotary. Some push mowers, such as the classically shaped Webb, have a grass collection box while others just distribute the clippings back on to the lawn where they act as a mulch, restoring nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium back into the lawn. And if stripes are still all-important, just choose one with a cylinder.
Charge of the battery brigade
Cordless and lithium battery-operated mowers offer another alternative to fossil-fuelled machines, especially for medium or even larger gardens. While batteries still need charging, the latest lithium-ion ones last much longer and the electricity we all use to charge them is increasingly coming from more renewable sources such as wind. Because model range is so extensive, a good rule of thumb is to choose one with a battery running time that covers how long it takes you to mow the grass. For example, if takes under 15 minutes to mow your small lawn, opt for one with battery power of 2.5Ah (amp hours), while average lawns that take around 30 mins to mow need a 4 or 5Ah battery. Finally, a big lawn space that takes you over 45 mins to cut, ideally needs a 7.5Ah version. A great all-round mower that we recommend is the zero emissions GreenWorks 48V Push Cordless Lawn Mower that comes with two on board 2Ah batteries that double the power, a twin charger and extra environmental credentials by having a mulching option as well as a bag, so you can redistribute clippings and add nutrients back in into the lawn.
Minimise your carbon footprint
Even major players in the petrol mower market such as Hyundai are starting to take their carbon footprint seriously, planting a young sapling with every power product bought in 2020, towards their overall target of 100,000 trees. There's no reason why all of us can't put something back environmentally and planting trees is one of the easiest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and releasing oxygen back into the air. So with your more eco-friendly lawn, why not create an area shaded from the Summer sun, sitting under some newly-planted native alders, bird cherry, crab apple or dogwoods with a mowed path between your trees and wildflower patches. Sounds absolutely idyllic doesn't it?
There are so many options to create a more eco-friendly lawn that the grass really is greener if we make even a small effort. As no less a figure than Francis Bacon, the English statesman and philosopher, once said 'nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn'. There is indeed a unique beauty to a lawn and looked after with a little more thought means it will not only look just as lovely but you'll be caring for the environment too.


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Key Role of Women...
Key Role of Women in Agriculture and Rural Areas
May 10, 2022 | Farm Viability News
Image Credit: NUI Galway Rural Studies Centre
The NRN team in the Rural Studies Centre at NUI Galway are key advocates for women in agriculture and rural areas at regional, national, EU and global level through their research, teaching and community outreach activities.
Dr Maura Farrell recently spoke to the Irish Examiner and Irish Farmers Journal about key opportunities and challenges facing women involved in the agri-food sector, and shared her thoughts on Teagasc's recently published Gender Equality Plan.
Source: NUI Galway Rural Studies Centre


Meaning 'little crusts' in Italian, Crostini are small pieces of toasted bread with a bitesize topping. Although today they are thought of as posh party canapés, their origins are a lot more humble. Crostini dates all the way back to Medieval Italy and was peasant food, for the poor whose entire meal was so meagre it fit onto a small slice of bread.
While I don't suggest returning to such scant time, these pepper & garlic crostini would make an excellent starter for a celebratory dinner or finger food to pass out at a party.
Chop the peppers and peel the garlic, then roast in the oven for fifteen minutes.
Slice the baguettes into 26 pieces, and put the ends to one side.
Coat both sides of each slice of bread in avocado oil.
Toast under the grill for two minutes on both sides.
Blitz the garlic in a food processor, along with the chives and cream cheese.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over one side of each toast slice.
Top with the roasted peppers, and then place under the grill again for another two minutes.


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Q: Error al hacer una consulta SQL Tengo un pequeño problema con una consulta, estoy tratando de sumar las cantidades que existen en mi tabla detalle_ventas, lo que quiero hacer es sumar las cantidades que tengan el mismo producto_id y la misma fecha de vencimiento.
Ejemplo:
id_producto | fecha_vencimiento | Total
============|===================|========
1           | 2018-05-03        | 100
------------|-------------------|---------
1           | 2018-12-05        | 150
------------|-------------------|---------
2           | 2017-07-09        | 30

Hice esta consulta:
SELECT producto_id, fecha_vencimiento, SUM(cantidad) as cantidad FROM detalle_ventas WHERE fecha_vencimiento = fecha_vencimiento and producto_id = producto_id

Pero esta me SUMA todas las cantidades que hay en mi base de datos y no las separa como en el ejemplo.
id_producto | fecha_vencimiento | Total
============|===================|========
2           | 2018-05-03        | 280

A: Para el funcionamiento que deseas, a tú consulta le hace falta un agrupamiento GROUP:
SELECT producto_id, fecha_vencimiento, SUM(cantidad) as cantidad FROM detalle_ventas GROUP BY producto_id, fecha_vencimiento


Home Tags Posts tagged with "My Photo Lite"
With this application you can create your passport photos directly from your device.
Few and intuitive steps and you can print, save or share your photos for documents and passport.
Do not necessary great knowledge of photography world, you can use this app if you are inexperienced or photographer.
# Save time and money.
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# Customizable photo id dimension.
# Photographic paper most used, A4, A5, A6, 13×18, 3½x5¼ and many others, in centimeters or inches.
# Adjust the print margins.
# Set the resolution of the image (dpi).
# Set the printer paper's direction (portrait or landscape).
# Print, save or export only the photos you need, from single photo up to 14.
# Set contrast, brightness and saturation of your images.
# Check the print settings with the ruler printed on the side of the passport photos.


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Solar Physics (FS)
Although located at 150 million kilometers from Earth, the Sun is in our immediate neighborhood compared with all other stars. The observation of the Sun along the decades has provided amazingly detailed views of the structure and day-to-day life of a star; the high-resolution observations achieved from Earth and space in recent years, in particular, have facilitated reaching deep theoretical insights concerning the structure and evolution of stellar atmospheres and interiors.
The Sun constitutes a physics laboratory where the complex interactions between the matter (atoms, electrons and ions, or molecules) and the magnetic field can be studied in conditions difficult to reach in devices on Earth. Of particular interest for the public are the spectacular phenomena displayed by its atmosphere, its role in generating the magnetized clouds that, after traversing the interplanetary space, can impact on Earth's magnetosphere and lead to the potentially dangerous solar storms, and the mysteries of the solar interior. Understanding of all those phenomena is gained by a combination of refined theoretical methods and direct or indirect observation using leading-edge technologies.
The solar physics group at the IAC enjoys a leadership position in different branches of solar research in the world. This is exemplified by the award of four large research grants by the European Research Council in the past years to researchers of the group, by its leading role in the European Solar Telescope project, and by its participation in other international networks and instrument projects. Globally, the group combines theoretical methods (magneto-fluid dynamics and plasma physics, radiation transfer), including 3D numerical radiation-MHD modeling, and state-of-the-art observational and diagnostic techniques, to achieve deep understanding of what constitutes and drives the structure and activity of our star.
State - Any -In progressClosed
Sort by Start yearEnd yearTitle
The Whole Sun Project: Untangling the complex physical mechanisms behind our eruptive star and its twins
The Sun is a magnetically active star with violent eruptions that can hit Earth´s magnetosphere and cause important perturbations in our technology-dependent society. The objective of the Whole Sun project is to tackle in a coherent way for the first time key questions in Solar Physics that involve as a whole the solar interior and the atmosphere
Moreno Insertis
PI2FA - Partial Ionisation: Two-Fluid Approach
Pi2FA aims at the development of new methods for investigating the magnetism in the outer layers of the solar atmosphere, the chromosphere. The objective is to understand the processes that make the chromosphere have so high temperatures.
Elena Khomenko
POLMAG - Polarized Radiation Diagnostics for Exploring the Magnetism of the Outer Solar Atmosphere
POLMAG aims at a true breakthrough in the development and application of polarized radiation diagnostic methods for exploring the magnetic fields of the chromosphere, transition region and corona of the Sun.
Trujillo Bueno
Magnetism, Polarization and Radiative Transfer in Astrophysics
Magnetic fields pervade all astrophysical plasmas and govern most of the variability in the Universe at intermediate time scales. They are present in stars across the whole Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, in galaxies, and even perhaps in the intergalactic medium. Polarized light provides the most reliable source of information at our disposal for the
Tanausú del
Pino Alemán
Numerical Simulation of Astrophysical Processes
The general aim of this project is the investigation of astrophysical processes through the use of stateoftheart numerical codes on massively parallel computers. More specifically, the research in many astrophysical fields requires an understanding of gas dynamical, magnetic, radiative transfer and gravitational phenomena not accessible to
Solar and Stellar Magnetism
Magnetic fields are at the base of star formation and stellar structure and evolution. When stars are born, magnetic fields brake the rotation during the collapse of the mollecular cloud. In the end of the life of a star, magnetic fields can play a key role in the form of the strong winds that lead to the last stages of stellar evolution. During
Felipe García
Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)
Stellar & Interstellar Physics (FEEI)
The Milky Way and the Local Group (MWLG)
Formation & Evolution of Galaxies (FYEG)
Cosmology & Astroparticles (CYA, CTA)
Singular projects


text:
Varje landskap har ett antal symboler som skall vara speciella för just den delen av Sverige.

Landskapstrollsländorna är utvalda av Trollsländeföreningen som är en del av Sveriges Entomologiska förening år 2022.

Referenser

Externa länkar

 Trollsländeföreningen (Sveriges Entomologiska förening)

Trollsländor

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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KOREAS: TIME TO DEVELOP THE DIALOGUE
Carlo Trezza ● 24 June 2019
President Trump's decision to open a dialogue with the "arch-enemy" Kim Jong-un was a good intuition and a bold political move. But, as in the case of his meetings with Putin and his attempt to renegotiate the JCPOA with Iran, his performance as "super negotiator" has not produced tangible results. During their first meeting in Singapore the two leaders did agree upon a statement indicating their shared objective of a "lasting and robust peace regime in the Korean Peninsula", Kim's "unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization" and Trump's commitment to provide the DPRK with undefined security guarantees. Their second meeting in Hanoi however, was a fiasco: the two leaders were unable to reach any common language, not even a reaffirmation of the understanding previously reached in Singapore. Evidently, their teams had not made – or wanted to make – the necessary preparatory homework. As a result the DPRK found itself unprepared for a US proposed deal based on a single grand comprehensive bargain.
These results are disappointing especially if compared to the parallel inter-Korean dialogue initiated by South Korean President Moon Jae-in after his election in 2017. This dialogue was the resumption of the "Sunshine policy" originally initiated twenty years earlier by South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. Moon's approach received an unexpected positive response by Kim Jong-un. The historic declaration signed by the two Korean leaders in April 2018 at Panmunjom opened the way to what could become a full reconciliation.
It addresses not only the nuclear issues but also matters such as the cessation of hostile acts at the borders, confidence-building measures, institutional military to military and people to people contacts that go beyond whatever had been achieved in the past. The declaration also deals with the inevitable problem of a never achieved peace treaty in the Korean Peninsula and a possible settlement of the maritime Northern Limit Line border that has been the cause of frequent frictions and incidents. Its text also mentions the prospect (that might be seen with concern by some regional players) of a unified Korea with 80 million inhabitants.
The two Korean leaders met again on the eve of Kim's meeting with Trump in Singapore, but further progress came especially at a third summit taking place in Pyöngyang in September 2018. On this occasion the two Korean leaders announced a common bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games, the dismantlement of a DPRK missile engine testing site and possibly of the North's nuclear facilities at Yöngbyön. More importantly, the two defence ministers signed a Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) calling for the removal of landmines, guard posts, weapons, and military personnel from their common border. The CMA also contains provisions to prevent military incidents on land, sea and air: similar arrangements have not been reached so far in Europe between NATO and the Russian Federation, but just 12 NATO member states and Russia on a bilateral level. Both the Pyöngyang declaration and the Comprehensive Military Agreement have been ratified and are legally binding for the Republic of Korea.
It is regrettable that the inter-Korean and the US-DPRK processes are not evolving at the same pace and are not based on the same conceptual approach. The step-by-step approach, starting with what is easy, adopted in the North-South bilateral dialogue has brought substantial results and has become the main pillar of the present normalisation process. The same cannot be said about the DPRK-US dialogue. The US approach, aiming at one single grand deal ("go big or go home"), proves less successful.
Unfortunately the two processes cannot evolve independently: the present reconciliation between the two Koreas can hardly survive if the US and the DPRK return to the "fire and fury" confrontation of the past years.
In launching their reconciliation at Panmunjom, the two Korean leaders"agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula": the international community must take this appeal seriously; friends and allies of the US and South Korea in Europe must not lose this opportunity.
Europe, although geographically distant, has a primary interest in the peace and stability in Asia and the Republic of Korea has become, along with China, India and Japan, a strategic partner of the EU. The ties between European countries and the then unified Kingdom of Korea go back to the 19th century. Europe has gained valuable experience and credibility in supporting the "Sunshine Policy", stablishing diplomatic relations with the DPRK in 2000 and in contributing to the relief of the enormous electrical power deficit of the DPRK (the Korean peninsula Energy Development Organization- KEDO initiative). At the time Italy was at the forefront of this opening by the EU.
Until now friends and allies of Washington, have been asked to support the US "maximum pressure" policy to bring the DPRK to the negotiating table. They did so by intensifying sanctions and lowering the level of their diplomatic ties with the DPRK. Now that a dual-track dialogue has started and the prospect of possible solutions appears on the horizon, the time has come for friends and allies of the US and the Republic of Korea to start offering some concrete signs of encouragement. Easing some of the sanctions (especially those which are an impediment to the inter-Korean dialogue) and slowly upgrading their diplomatic relations would be the first appropriate steps.
Carlo Trezza – member of the Nato Defense College Foundation Scientific Committee. European Leadership Network coordinator for Italy. He was Italy's Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, as well as Italian Ambassador for Disarmament and Non-proliferation in Geneva, Chairman of the Missile Technology Control Regime and of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board for Disarmament Matters in New York.


Al Kline, President of the South Texas Watercolor Society, will do a demo on Saturday, June 15, 2019 entitled, "Simplifying the Watercolor Process," which will include a lecture and demonstration on sketching, composition and painting a watercolor. The quarterly Watercolor Society of South Texas meeting will be one hour before the demo at 1:00 p.m. (and less than an hour long). The demo and lecture will occur from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Anyone interested in the demonstration is welcome to attend the meeting as well. Donations to the Port Aransas Art Center and/or the Watercolor Society of South Texas are welcome.
Time | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (demo and lecture) – open to the public.


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Start-up Brain Biosciences advances compact PET scanner
By Wayne Forrest, AuntMinnie.com staff writer
January 23, 2014 -- Start-up firm Brain Biosciences is hoping to ride the wave of interest in PET scanning for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases by commercializing CerePET, a portable PET scanner designed to offer more cost-effective neuroimaging than whole-body scanners.
Brain Biosciences was first buoyed by a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) soon after the company's inception in early 2013.
In the words of co-founder David Beylin, CerePET went from "zero to a working system in about eight months." CerePET is still an investigational device and not yet cleared for clinical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The rapid development of CerePET is due in part to its creators' experience in PET technology. Beylin was an early employee of PET developer Naviscan. He and his Brain Biosciences colleagues served as the technical team that developed Naviscan's positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner.
The CerePET prototype weighs approximately 50 lb, so it can be carried from room to room as needed. Image courtesy of Brain Biosciences.
"We learned a lot about making a very small, totally mobile PET system," Beylin said.
After investors moved Naviscan to the West Coast, Beylin and his colleagues chose to stay on the East Coast and create Brain Biosciences.
"As the neurological PET imaging market began to develop, we decided to get together and just go for it," he said.
CerePET technology
During a presentation at the RSNA 2013 conference, Beylin noted that current PET scanner technology relies on large whole-body systems designed for oncology.
PET instrumentation is "increasingly complex and expensive," he said in Chicago, and the use of whole-body PET for amyloid imaging, which is being used to investigate Alzheimer's disease and dementia, is "not economically sensible."
"Less-expensive, high-performance PET devices optimized for neuroimaging are needed," he said.
CerePET's design is fairly straightforward. The device features crystals made from lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) technology, a bore diameter of 25 cm, and a 20-cm axial field-of-view.
The scanner has a head-support system that fits on a standard examination bed and is designed so that the scanner gantry does not obstruct the patient's line of sight. The configuration helps patients with claustrophobia and those with neurological or psychiatric conditions who feel the need to be in visual contact with a caregiver or healthcare staff member at all times, Beylin said.
Preclinical work with phantoms showed that the system is capable of spatial resolution of 2 mm to 3 mm across the field-of-view, energy resolution of less than 13% for all detector blocks, and more than 15% image uniformity. Quantitative accuracy was also better than 10% after calculating attenuation correction.
Commercialization plans
Brain Biosciences plans to target radiologists for the system, given that there are more than 8,000 MRI centers accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and even more facilities with access to a CT scanner that have no access to PET.
"Brain MRI is standard workup for dementia, so in that sense [imaging centers] should be offering PET scanning services as well," Beylin said. "We think we can deliver these systems economically. Given that it is a mobile system, one system could be used in multiple offices."
Brain Biosciences has set the groundwork to bring CerePET to human trials by midyear. The company is also interested in collaborating with others developing neuroimaging PET agents and offering the technology for multicenter clinical trials.
"We think [CerePET] will be of great interest to neuro researchers because now they have to compete with oncologists to get access to a PET scanner," he added.
Amyloid imaging
PET imaging for dementia began with the Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) radiopharmaceutical, which highlighted beta-amyloid deposits in regions of the brain associated with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Things took a step forward in April 2012, when Eli Lilly and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals received FDA clearance for Amyvid (florbetapir), which binds to amyloid plaques. In October 2013, the FDA cleared GE Healthcare's Vizamyl (flutemetamol) for use with PET imaging of the brain in adults being evaluated for Alzheimer's and dementia.
Several other amyloid imaging agents are currently being developed, including F-18 florbetaben by Piramal Imaging.
"With the advent of amyloid imaging, it is becoming clear that new neuroimaging agents will be approved, and that could create a good commercial trajectory for the company," Beylin said. "You have to be patient with new technology like amyloid imaging, because it will take time for reimbursement to happen, and it will take time for the medical community to start using it. But this is a very useful tool."
As part of its NIMH grant, the company is scheduled to begin a clinical study before the end of this year at Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix.


September 9th / 7:45 a.m. - 6 p.m.
The family-friendly, experiential fitness and wellness event, benefiting No Kid Hungry, will include a variety of interactive workout experiences, fitness adventures and nutritional workshops led by dozens of Chicago's best trainers, yogis and healthy eating experts.
Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the gate for adults, $15 for kids 7-13, and free for kids six and under. For every ticket purchased, Strength in the City will donate $5 to No Kid Hungry to aid in providing kids with healthy meals across the country.