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Posted inLife
Documentary "Paris to Pittsburgh"sends the message that America is not walking away from climate action
by National Geographic December 4, 2018 December 4, 2018
New York, NY, December 43, 2018 – On the heels of the alarming federal report on climate change, mayors, activists and environmentally conscious celebrities will stand with Michael R. Bloomberg this week for nationwide screenings of Bloomberg Philanthropies newest environmental documentary PARIS TO PITTSBURGH. As world leaders come together again on December 3rd in Poland for the COP24 (Conference of Parties) to discuss ambitious action against climate change, one country will be notably absent: the United States. However, PARIS TO PITTSBURGH sends the message that America is not walking away from climate action.
This evening, six U.S. cities will simultaneously screen the film – many with their mayors introducing the film – in an effort to boost the national conversation about the imperative of cities, states and citizens seeking ways to combat climate change. Audiences in the cities of Charleston, Des Moines, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Orlando will see PARIS TO PITTSBURGH ahead of the film's global release on December 12 at 9pm ET/PT on National Geographic. Des Moines will screen the film on December 4 and additional screenings are scheduled in Puerto Rico, London and during COP24 in Poland.
Named Inc. Magazine's best business documentary of 2018, PARIS TO PITTSBURGH focuses on the incredible action individuals, communities, businesses and local governments in the U.S. have undertaken to combat the threat of climate change in their own backyards in the wake of the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. The film explores the very real social and economic effects of climate change-fueled disasters – from America's heartland to the nation's coastlines and the island of Puerto Rico. The premise of the documentary is based on a Twitter response from Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto to President Trump the moment he pulled out of the Paris Agreement.
With devastating fires and hurricanes occurring with more frequency as the planet warms; the new federal report in which 300 scientists warn of the financial devastation and innumerable lives at risk as a result of climate change if more isn't done soon; and a national debate raging over the United States' energy future, the film poignantly captures what's at stake for communities around the country and their commitment to effecting real change in reducing carbon emissions.
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and former Mayor of New York City, said: "With Washington asleep at the switch, local governments, states, businesses, and citizens from across the political spectrum are taking steps to tackle climate change and build a bright future for our country. This film tells their stories – and it drives home the message that fighting climate change makes our economy stronger, creates jobs, and saves lives by cleaning the air we breathe. We need more leadership from Washington on climate change, but Americans aren't waiting around for it."
Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Networks, said: "National Geographic has a 130-year legacy of inspiring people to care about the planet. On the heels of the recent federal report on climate change, we believe it is more critical than ever to create a global conversation about climate and to provide people with tangible ways they can help make a difference. For us, it is not enough to just create this type of important, thought-provoking content. We need to be equally committed to ensuring it reaches the widest audience possible; thus, we hope that the nationwide screenings of PARIS TO PITTSBURGH will be a catalyst that drives continued and much-needed awareness."
Rhea Suh, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said: "America's cities are committed to winning the fight against climate change. They are watching floods, drought and wildfires impact their residents. They know investing in clean energy will not only help avoid the worst impacts, but boost local economies and create jobs. And they aren't waiting for Washington to act. This film shows the inspiring work already happening in cities across the country to keep our climate promise to rest of the world and give our children hope for a better future."
Attendees expected to join Bloomberg and Suh at various screenings include Edward Norton, Alan Alda, Mariska Harigtay, Peter Hermann, Walt Disney Chairman and NRDC Board Chair Alan Horn, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Zero Hour's Iris Fen Gillingham and Jamie Margolin, Katherine Oliver, Joe Berlinger, Emmy Award winning directors Michael Bonfiglio and Sidney Beaumont, Radical Media's Jon Kamen and Frank Scherma, and many more.
To show its support for PARIS TO PITTSBURGH, America's beloved folk band, The Avett Brothers, recorded for the film its own iconic take of Woody Guthrie's anthem "This Land is Your Land," whose message continues to resonate today. The film is narrated by Emmy-Award winning actress Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
For more information: visitParistoPittsburgh.com.
PARIS TO PITTSBURGH is produced by the Academy Award and Emmy-winning production company RadicalMedia, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies. The film is co- directed by Emmy Award winner Sidney Beaumont and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Michael Bonfiglio. Beaumont also produced the film. Executive Producers are Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger, Jon Kamen and Katherine Oliver. Co-producers are Lindsay Firestone and Katie Dunn. Antha Williams of the Bloomberg Philanthropies environment program served as a consulting producer.
Follow for updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter@ParisPittsburgh or visitParistoPittsburgh.com and visit National Geographic Education for educational resources focusing on coal and other sources of energy.


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Dicoryphe noronhae är en trollhasselart som beskrevs av Louis René Tulasne. Dicoryphe noronhae ingår i släktet Dicoryphe och familjen trollhasselfamiljen. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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Social Worker Allied Jobs in Puyallup, Washington
Are you a professional in the Social Worker field and want a travel allied job in Puyallup, Washington area? If so, trustaff can connect you with jobs that are a great fit. We are looking for experienced, caring Social Worker allied to fill jobs throughout the country. Whatever your location need, you can keep working as a health professional in the city and state of your choice.
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Travel and work as a Social Worker in the great state of Washington. Nicknamed The Evergreen State, Washington is known for gorgeous summers, beautiful forests, the Space Needle, Starbucks and the Pikes Place Market. Home to world-class hospitals such as University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital in Spokane and Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington ensures you'll be working among some of the best healthcare professionals in the country. Check out old growth forests, lush rainforests and the Puget Sound on your own time and discover why travel placements can feel like a true adventure!
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Herp Report: Things that make you go hmmmm...
Tue, April 20 2010 at 11:30
Some unusual and amazing findings came to light recently, from odd reproductions to new species and information on extinct species. Here are a few interesting tidbits that will make you go HMMM.
From the New York Times, here is a little bit of something old:
Here is a quick paleontology quiz. Which group of animals included large, air-breathing predators up to 50 feet long that bore live young, dominated their world for more than 100 million years and were ultimately exterminated by an asteroid 65 million years ago?
Did you say dinosaurs? Sorry, wrong answer. But it was a trickier question than it may have appeared.
And the title of the year goes to the stories about Lee Grismar's new discovery in Vietnam, "Lesbian lizards, psychedelic geckos discovered," from The Press Enterprise:
After a grueling two-week expedition to Malaysia last August with his son, a budding herpetologist, they discovered two new species: lesbian lizards and psychedelic geckos, both natives of South Vietnam.
Got your attention? Grismer, who lives in Temecula, grins impishly during an interview at the college lab he shares with his 7-year-old half-blind pit bull, Tank. Grismer still is as passionate about "herping," as he calls it, as he was when as a toddler he began nabbing lizards.
The lesbian, or asexual lizards, are 18 inches long and produce perfect clones. The mature females arouse one another and pretend to mate, which causes them to ovulate and lay eggs. The spectacular 5-inch psychedelic geckos seem to be painted fluorescent lavender, orange and yellow and glow in the dark.
And wrapping up with the something new, another fruit-eating monitor species has been unearthed in the Philippines according to this BBC News report. Looks like it's time to get Daniel Bennett back here to tell us what he knows:
Why the new massive lizard has remained undiscovered by scientists until now is a mystery, especially as many biologists work in the northern Philippines.
The researchers say it may be because the lizard is naturally reclusive, being a highly secretive animal that never leaves the forest or crosses open country.
It could also be because few scientific expeditions have characterised the reptiles living in the Sierra Madre forests.
The new species of monitor lives at least 150km away from its nearest relative, another lizard called V. olivaceus, which also lives in trees and eats fruit.
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The New York Times' David Gonzalez Discusses the Libraries' Budget Challenges and Dysfunctional City Funding Process
THE NEW YORK TIMES — You can always tell what time of year it is by the array of books that greet visitors to the Sheepshead Bay branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. These days, volumes on women's suffrage, the Constitution and democracy occupy a place of honor in anticipation of Election Day.
"We have educational talks to remind the community about the privilege of voting," said Svetlana Negrimovskaya, the branch supervisor. "We explain to them how so many people went through hardship to get the right to vote."
Granted, the people who pack this library know from hardship. Many, including Ms. Negrimovskaya, come from the former Soviet Union. Many others are from China or Latin America. There is a smattering of Albanians, Poles and Pakistanis. Just a year ago, they were all reeling from the flooding, blackouts and stress wrought by Hurricane Sandy. To them, this boxy, plain library was a haven when it reopened three months after the storm to offer books, Internet access and even counseling.
Now if only the candidates who will win next week's general election would take this place as seriously. Financing New York City's three public library systems is an annual set piece of political theater, where City Hall proposes reduced budgets that are deplored and haggled over until the City Council restores much of the sum. According to a report last January by the Center for an Urban Future, since 2008 the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens libraries have endured cuts of nearly $65 million.
Caring For Our Kids' Mental Health, Jewishly [podcast]
SHALOM HARTMAN INSTITUTE—December 21, 2022—What is the responsibility of Jewish leaders to address mental health in the Jewish community? Yehuda Kurtzer talks with Yael Kornfeld, campus social worker at Hunter College Hillel and a Jewish professional on the frontline of the mental health…
Want Your Giving to Make the Most Impact? Donate to Local Media
INSIDE PHILANTHROPY—December 6, 2022—Chances are, you are thinking hard about your choices this giving season. As leaders at two New York City news organizations focused on deep, impactful and useful coverage of local communities and issues, we know that many…
Protect Our Democracy. Support Local News.
NEW YORK TIMES—November 29, 2022—Take Greg Smith, a reporter for a local nonprofit news organization in New York called The City, which I have donated to. At 5 p.m. on the Friday before Labor Day, he got a text from a source at New York's public housing authority. The drinking water in a large public housing complex in Manhattan had tested positive for arsenic, and city officials had known about it for two weeks. It was only after Smith asked the housing authority and City Hall for comment on his scoop that the city hustled to provide bottled water to the thousands of tenants living in the complex...
73% of NYC high schools don't have a newspaper. Efforts are growing to fill in the gaps.
CHALKBEAT NEW YORK—November 23, 2022—Emely Ou Feng dreams of being an investigative journalist one day. But the 16-year-old hasn't had many opportunities to pursue that goal at school for a simple reason: Her Brooklyn campus doesn't have a student newspaper.…
Jewish chaplains: Leading where life happens
EJEWISH PHILANTHROPY — October 26, 2022 — The pandemic put chaplains before the public eye as the country's "spiritual first responders." Media reports shined light on their important work, more typically unseen, and on chaplaincy's evolution into a vocation that is…
The Three Vs for Voter Engagement: Validators, Volunteers and Visibility
GOTHAM GAZETTE — August 26, 2022 — In this week's late August primary, the second primary this summer in New York, voter turnout barely cracked ten percent in New York City. The first primary of the summer, in June, saw turnout drop by nearly half from…
Settlement Houses GET OUT THE VOTE! 2021 Report
UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSES—August 17, 2022—United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH) is a policy and social change organization with a mission to promote and strengthen the settlement house movement's neighborhood-based, multi-service approach to improving the lives of low- and moderate-income…
Eli Evans, 'poet laureate of Southern Jews' and influential grant-maker, dies at 85
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY— July 28, 2022 — It was the landmark 1993 handshake between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israel prime minister Yitzchak Rabin that inspired Eli Evans to invest, for the third time, in "Sesame Street." As an executive…
Eli N. Evans, z'l
The Trustees and staff of the Charles H. Revson Foundation mourn the passing of Eli N. Evans, its founding President. Through his great generosity of spirit, love of Israel and the Jewish People, profound belief in the promise of American…
Press Release: GoVoteNYC Funder Collaborative Announces $1.05 Million in Grants to Get Out the Vote
THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST— April 26, 2022 — The GoVoteNYC Fund in The New York Community Trust has announced $1.05 million in grants to 11 nonprofits for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activities. Targeting more than 2 million new and infrequent voters,…


Congratulations you are starting your 90 meetings in 90 days in stage one in this process. That is one meeting per day. Two meetings in one day and none the next is not acceptable to complete 30 in 30. No cheating, no skipping –you owe it to yourself! You will be amazed before you are halfway through that you can have a new beginning, a new feeling, a new freedom, a new happiness, a new sense of urgency as our whole attitude and out-look on life is changing. It works. It really does….if you work it!
All residents AGREE TO complete 30 meetings in 30 days. That is one meeting or more per day, signed on your meeting verification sheet. Two meetings one day and none the next is not acceptable to complete a 30 meeting in 30 day program. The beginning of your 90 in 90.
All residents AGREE TO be gratefully employed having a full time job in order to move to the next phase.
All residents AGREE TO be on property by 11:00 PM, Monday through Sunday. All residents AGREE TO notify the Staff of any change in schedule directly affecting the rules and curfews.
All residents AGREE TO get a sponsor with-in 14 days of acceptance.
All residents AGREE TO get a home group with-in 30 days of acceptance.All residents AGREE TO have a one on one progress review with Staff to complete stage 1.
All residents AGREE TO be a buddy, be responsible, be available, be helpful, and be you!!!!!!
All residents AGREE TO be current with financial obligations, up to date on your program fees.
All residents AGREE TO be on property by 11:00 PM, Sunday through Thursday and 1:30 AM Friday, Saturday and holiday evenings. Any other arrangements need advanced approval from a Staff. With the permission from the Staff you may be allowed an overnight pass.
All residents AGREE TO notify the Staff of any change in schedule directly affecting the rules and curfews.
All residents AGREE TO have a permanent sponsor at this point & time, please introduce him to the Staff.
All residents AGREE TO attend all meeting formats to expand your awareness in order to grow and change.
All residents AGREE TO set an example for the new person in the house.
All residents AGREE TO have a second, one on one progress review by the Staff on file to complete stage 2.
All residents AGREE TO completethe final 30 meetings in 30 days. This should be a comfortable habit by now.
All residents AGREE TO continue to be a buddy, a BIG buddy, give it away and always lead by example.
All residents AGREE TO be on the property by 11:00 pm Sunday through Thursday and 1:30 AM Friday, Saturday and holiday evenings. With the permission of a Staff you may be eligible for a weekend/holiday pass.
All residents AGREE TO notify Staff of any change in schedule directly affecting the rules and curfew.
All residents AGREE TO be chairing some of our house meetings and reaching out to newcomers.
Having completed phase 3 you are now in graduation stage (stage 4). ongratulations! Good job! We know this process will enable you to move forward in productive life with your new freedoms that come with graduation phase.
Stage 4 is the final stage of the empowerment process and covers the second 90 days. All 90+ day residents can continue to reinforce the new recovery tools (i.e., behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs) by mentoring the newcomers and modeling to them appropriate sober living and may become a house manager. Residents continue to participate in all of the activities set forth for the first 90 days and, if needed, focus on reconciling relationships with family members and loved ones. Specifically, the first 90 days focuses on individual coping/recovery tools and the second 90 days cultivates interpersonal skills – mostly by being of service to others.
All residents who have reached this level of recovery following this rigid process have accomplished a lot. As we embark on what we have just learned and apply it in our life we will see how our experience can benefit others. We will have been restored to sanity and we will know peace. CONGRATULATIONS!
All residents GET TO carry the message. When thehand of AA reaches out "I am responsible".
All residents GET TO lead by example, using the power of example, we show up as an example of the power.
All residents GET TO be responsible. Your curfew is of your own making, now. So be responsible.
All residents GET TO continue to grow through this process of recovery, called the 12 Steps, so long as you continue to change and practice these principles in every moment in your life.
a new joy for living.
All residents GET TO have choice back. We have found, if you choose to make recovery your number one priority than all other choices in life will be much easier to make!
The promises are beginning to show up at this point, we have a new lease on life, with a new meaning.


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Telaquana River
molybdenite; pyrite
Approximately 1.8 km north (upstream) from confluence of an unnamed southward flowing stream and the Telaquana River. This is locality 3 of Nelson and others (1985) and locality 17 of MacKevett and Holloway (1977). SW1/4NW1/4 sec. 28, T. 10 N., R. 24 W., of the Seward Meridian. Accurate to within 450 m.
Sparse disseminations of molybdenite in contact zone of granodiorite and metamorphosed volcanic sedimentary rocks related to a roof pendant with marble that is heavily iron-stained and pyritized. Three of eight rock samples collected contained Mo, one sample with 3,200 ppm Mo (Nelson and others, 1985). The occurrence coincides with NW trending faults and a NE lineament.
The granodiorite is a medium-gray, medium-grained biotite-hornblende granodiorite (Nelson and others, 1983, unit Ti16). Potassium-argon dates on biotite and hornblende from one specimen of this unit yielded ages of about 31 to 35 m.y. (Reed and Lanphere, 1972; 1973).
(-153.55426840198, 60.9303440770379)
Porphyry Mo, Low - F (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 21b)
Tertiary or younger. Potassium-argon dates on biotite and hornblende from one granodiorite specimen yielded ages of about 31 to 35 m.y. (Reed and Lanphere, 1972; 1973).
Pyritization, strong iron-staining, and chlorite-epidote alteration of granodiorite.
Three of eight rock samples collected contained Mo (one with 3,200 ppm Mo). Nelson and others (1985) reported a weak halo of anomalous zinc concentration. No geochemical values provided.
Site is in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
Cobb, E.H., and Reed, B.L., 1981, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral occurrences in the Iliamna, Lake Clark, Lime Hills, and McGrath quadrangles, Alaska; Supplement to Open-File Report 76-485; Part A, Summaries to January 1, 1981: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-1343-A, 25 p.
Cobb, E.H., and Reed, B.L., 1981, Summaries of data on and lists of references to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral occurrences in the Iliamna, Lake Clark, Lime Hills, and McGrath quadrangles, Alaska; Supplement to Open-File Report 76-485; Part B, Lists of references to Januray 1, 1981: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-1343-B, 20 p.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous mineral deposits in the western part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-F, 38 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Reed, B.L., and Lanphere, M.A., 1972, Generalized geologic map of the Alaska-Aleutian range batholith showing potassium-argon ages of the plutonic rocks: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-372, 2 sheets, scale 1:1,000,000.
Reed, B.L., and Lanphere, M.A., 1973, Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith: Geochronology, chemistry, and relation to circum-Pacific plutonism: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 84, no. 8, p. 2583-2609.
Resource Associates of Alaska, Inc., 1976, Geology and geochemistry of certain land within the Lake Clark National Park: Contract report for U.S. Bureau of Mines, Contract JO166108, 7 v.


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The Russians Aren't Coming: New Soviet Policy In Latin America
Edited by Wayne S. Smith
Lynne Rienner, 1992, 195 pp.
Reviewed by Abraham F. Lowenthal
The Russians Aren't Coming: New Soviet Policy In Latin America
These essays, presented at a November 1990 conference, were written when there still was a Soviet Union and when some analysts were still arguing that Mikhail Gorbachev's "new thinking" was a tactical respite and Soviet formulations concerning the end of world revolution but a ruse. Although developments since then have made some of the volume anachronistic and its arguments somewhat moot, the essays remain important in showing that there was never as much of a Soviet presence, influence or "threat" in the Western hemisphere as Washington policymakers said and probably genuinely believed.
More By Abraham F. Lowenthal
Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union U.S. Foreign Policy Western Hemisphere


FRISCO - There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes at FC Dallas to get the team fit and ready to take on their opponents week-in and week-out.
When the team has a successful season the head coach and the players get credited, but often overlooked are the people behind the scenes, the unsung heroes like Skylar Richards, the team's Head Athletic Trainer and Director of Sports Science.
"I look over three main domains for the club and how we really look at sports science here is really anything that is at a high level should be measured, monitored, and can be improved," Richards said in a recent interview with FCD radio voice Tyler Kern on the Sports and Entertainment podcast by MarketScale.
Richards not only works with the first team, but oversees the medical staff for the seven Boys' Academy teams as well - a total of eight teams. His main focus with FC Dallas is keeping all the players under his umbrella healthy and getting them back to 100 percent when they're not.
As we all know injuries happen, but at FC Dallas, the injury rate is one of the lowest in the league, according to Richards, which is all thanks to the work he and his staff do daily. Regardless of if its prevention or rehabilitation, Richards brings a modern approach to his process.
A big part of Richards' job is to work closely with the coaching staff to create an atmosphere in the locker room that will drive the success of the team. He worked closely with former head coach Oscar Pareja in the past five seasons, but the two of them go back further to the time they spent together with the Colorado Rapids. Without that connection and the relationship, Richards says he would not have been able to do his job to the fullest capacity.
"Without the support of Oscar Pareja these last five seasons, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Part of that, to your point, is also teaching him and letting him teach me.
Like the team and the coaches, Richards himself is a very goal-oriented person. He created his own system to keep the players healthy and show Pareja his perspective on player selection for game days.
Richards also works to monitor and maintain their strength, agility, and speed. He also goes beyond his job at FC Dallas to better the league and the sports science industry.
"I tell new and upcoming sports scientists is this - I don't mind going and getting on a podcast like this or going to conferences, and sharing all the stats and all the science that we're doing. I think that makes the whole industry better. At the same time, that's not why I keep my job, no ones expecting me to do those things, I do them because I know they're the right thing and they help me do my job," Richards said.
Listen to Richards full interview with Tyler Kern on the Sports and Entertainment podcast by MarketScale.


"I´ve always sang as far back as I can remember, writing songs in the car for my mother about my mother, about driving to the supermarket or anything that popped in to my head. I still write in the same way. Music is downloaded from the stars. When I am inside music really, I empty myself of myself and hear the song, the words already there.
I sing about life, about the human condition, about love and self-discovery. If you feel the music is familiar, it´s because the song lives in you and that´s where I found it. Love and Bliss."


Westford covered bridge is one of about l00 left in Vermont. It is one of two that were located in the town center. The "sister" bridge burned during a fire that started in a nearby creamery around 1910. An iron bridge was then built, that was taken out in the "Flood of 1927". Our bridge survived the great flood!
The bridge is a multiple kingpost truss with Burr arch, built 1837/8, it's 20′ x 97′ and weighs 40 tons. The Browns River bridge is the second oldest in the state of this arch type.
On November 22, 1836, Westford voters resolved to build "…..a single arch bridge where the old one stands near Halbert's Store (now the Westford Market), calculated to be fourteen feet wide and built on the old abutments". This new bridge was originally to be constructed by July I, 1837, at the cost not exceeding $600.
The covered bridge was used until 1965 when a steel and concrete bridge was built along side it. By l975, the then 137 year old bridge had been greatly neglected. The first Westford Historical Society was formed in July of '75 and along with help and supervision of the US Navy Seabees from the Reserve Mobil Construction Battalion 09-27 in Burlington to get the necessary repair work was done.
By 1987 the bridge was once again in need of major restoration work The Westford Historical Society was regrouped that year. The Society contracted with Milton Graton to do the restoration work. In October of that year, the bridge was moved up the hill to the Town Garage property, awaiting its restoration work. Work also needed to be done on the broken wing wall of the east abutment.
Years of applying for grants and holding fund-raisers went by. In 1991, federal grant money became available (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 "ISTEA"). Kathlyn Robie wrote the grant, which was received in 1995, and obtained the needed permits. The restoration and return of the bridge became a truly successful community effort, led by the Westford Historical Society in cooperation with the Town of Westford. The bridge work has now been completed and the bridge returned to its original site on the Cambridge Road.


Enjoy an equal mix of pristine nature and local history at Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg, Virginia. Walk 68 acres of wooded trails through unspoiled meadows and forests in the nature sanctuary. Register for the Fresh Air Kids Nature Program and other Audubon Naturalist Society courses to learn about local ecosystems, flora, and fauna. The sanctuary also features Rust Manor House, and a beautiful garden with majestic trees. Reserve Rust Manor House for your next wedding or community event. Rust Sanctuary is a partnership of the Audubon Naturalist Society and NOVA Parks.


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Q: Static nested class has access to private constructor of outer class It is stated that:

A static nested class interacts with the instance members of its outer
  class (and other classes) just like any other top-level class. In
  effect, a static nested class is behaviorally a top-level class that
  has been nested in another top-level class for packaging convenience.

So how to explain this static nested class has access to private constructor of its enclosing class?

A:
So how to explain this static nested class has access to private constructor of its enclosing class?

Because the scope and accessibility of any private member (field, constructor or method) is the complete body of its declaring class, including any nested classes.
From the Java Language Specification section 6.6.1:

if the member or constructor is declared private, then access is permitted if and only if it occurs within the body of the top level class (§7.6) that encloses the declaration of the member or constructor.

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Are we doing enough to safeguard health-care services?
Rural Homs, Malaha village, ICRC supported Mobile Health Unit. A girl receives pediatric care. CC BY-NC-ND/ICRC/P. Krzysiek
Health Care in Danger newsletter - March 2016
On 15 February, three more health-care facilities in Syria were bombed. With the sound of those explosions still ringing in our ears, we cannot say that we are doing enough. More than 60% of Syria's health-care facilities have been either damaged or destroyed since the start of the conflict. At this rate, sick and injured people will soon have nowhere left to go.
In Yemen too, more than 100 medical facilities have been attacked in the 11 months since the conflict began. The United Nations emergency relief coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, informed the Security Council on 16 February that nearly 600 health-care facilities – about 25% of the country's health services – had closed. As a result, there are now 220 fewer places to get treatment for acute malnutrition.
Syria and Yemen are not alone. The Health Care in Danger violent incidents report released in April 2015 indicates that violence against health-care workers, facilities and vehicles is widespread. Between January 2012 and December 2014, 2,398 such attacks were recorded in just 11 countries affected by armed conflict. That is over two attacks per day.
Efforts are being made to prevent this violence, including as part of the Health Care in Danger initiative, but more people and resources need to be mobilized. On 3 November 2015, one month following the bombing of the Medecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, 18 professional and humanitarian organizations involved in health care – among them the World Medical Association, the International Council of Nurses, the World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – released a joint statement on the protection of health care.
In it, they urged States, armed groups, international and local humanitarian as well as professional health-care organizations to give urgent attention to the recommendations of the Health Care in Danger initiative.
The 18 organizations expressed their concern about the number and severity of attacks against health-care workers, facilities and vehicles and raised the alarm, demanding that States take concrete action to: investigate and condemn such attacks, amend domestic legislation to better protect health-care services, train military personnel, and cooperate with humanitarian and health-care organizations to make getting health care safer for patients and improve the quality of that care.
More joint efforts need to be undertaken so that the issue is at the forefront during upcoming global events such as the World Health Assembly and the World Humanitarian Summit, and is high on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council.
A clear road map to follow
In December 2015, the States party to the Geneva Conventions gathered in Geneva for the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and adopted the resolution "Health Care in Danger: Continuing to protect the delivery of health care together".
As Alexander Breitegger explains in his article "A road map for protecting of health-care services", the resolution constitutes a strong basis for continued cooperation between States, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the health-care community and other groups.
It can be used to take concrete and practical measures on a country-by-country basis towards preventing violence against the delivery of health-care and mitigating the effects of such violence.
Joint and coordinated efforts are important, but it is also crucial for each State, organization and military or armed group to make individual contributions to safeguarding health care. In his article , Eric de Roodenbeke talks about the pledge that the International Hospital Federation made at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to improve safety in hospitals.
His organization was not alone: 35 pledges related to this topic were made individually or collectively by States, members of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and conference observers. There is still time to make a pledge (until the end of March 2016), so it is a good opportunity to ask ourselves what more we can do. And we should keep asking ourselves that question until the sound of hospital bombings is silenced.
Ali Naraghi, Project manager of Health Care in Danger, ICRC
"Five takeaways from the Health Care in Danger commissions" by Ambassador Martin Seleka, Republic of South Africa
"A road map for protecting health-care services" by Alexander Breitegger, ICRC
"Pledging to make hospitals safe havens" by Eric de Roodenbeke, IHF
Health Care in Danger is an initiative of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to make access to, and delivery of, health care safer in armed conflict or other emergencies. This initiative calls for the respect and protection of health-care workers, facilities and vehicles and the implementation of a series of recommendations and practical measures to safeguard health-care services and their humanitarian mission.
This initiative is supported by a number of partners, individuals and organisations, members of the Health Care in Danger Community of Concern.
Visit the Health Care in Danger website
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A musician tackles code

Ruby Hashes vs. JavaScript Objects

Let's discuss values

On first glance, Ruby hashes and objects in JS have obvious similarities. Both are structured as dictionaries, with the option of keys being treated symbolically, and it is easy in both cases to access (get) or mutate (set) the values.

In Ruby, hashes are but one of many kinds of core objects. Along with arrays, they are the jewels in the Ruby crown, with an incredibly rich API. Ruby makes no assumptions about the value types of hashes. They can be strings, symbols, integers, arrays, even other hashes -- but the real power lies in the fact that they can be populated by custom objects, or even a different object type for each key.

Ruby's hashes have the methods of the 'Enumerable' module mixed in, which is another source of tremendous flexibility. It permits the keys of the array to be accessed through a single command, leading to traversing, chunking, mapping, and sorting according to custom criteria.

Granted, all of these things can be done with JS objects -- and then some! -- but that is not really the point. The point is that a hash makes no assumptions about how it will be used. JS objects, on the other hand, are assumed to be the models of real-world objects, and the JS functions built into a given application are meant to act upon them to derive new data.

I'm tempted to put it this way: hashes are a means to an end, while JS objects are points of departure, forming the backbone of your application.

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Federer vs Murray Wimbledon Final – History will be made but for whom?
July 8, 2012 James Morris Wimbledon No comments
"Andy has a shot, but he's dealing with the hopes and dreams of a nation, Roger's the favourite, but anything can happen out there if Andy serves well, if he plays aggressive and goes for his shots. If he gets passive against Roger, Roger will win. Andy's going to have to take his chances. He can't just hang back against Roger and hope he misses." Pete Sampras
In a much anticipated final at the All England Club, six time Champion Roger Federer takes on the local hero Andy Murray, the winner to achieve a unique place in history…
Federer,who has already won five Wimbledon titles in a row (equalling Borg's record) combined with an additional victory in 2009, is already assured Wimbledon immortality, but a win today would mean that he would equal the seven held by the legendary Pete Sampras. It would also install the Swiss as the new world number one, a position that he has been chasing since loosing the top spot two years ago. With Nadal cutting Federer's lead to five in Grand Slam titles by winning the French open last month, a Federer win would again increase the gap to six.
While the above are truly historic, a win for Andy Murray would top this… It's been 76 years since a British man has won a Grand Slam singles title, the last man to do so (Fred Perry) commemorated with a statue outside the centre court. Federer's achievements over the last 10 years have assured his already immortal place in the game, a single Murray victory would ensure his legendary status.
With many Federer fans copying Nadals hash tag of HIS7ORY after he won a record seven French titles, Murray is going for H1STORY. So which will it be?
Fact: It will be Federer's 24th grand slam final, having won sixteen. It is Murray's 4th slam final and he is yet to secure a victory.
While Federer has clearly more experience in Slam finals, the three Murray already has will certainly stand him in good stead. Lets also not forget that Murray has had 4 years as world number 4 and is certainly no freshman. Perhaps more concern for Murray fans will be that this is his first Wimbledon final while it will be Federers 7th.
Fact: Murray has a winning head to head record against Federer, winning 8/15 meetings.
This is a good stat for the Scotsman, but he's only played Federer twice in grand slams, loosing them both in straight sets. They have only played once in the last two years that was in Dubai this year, Federer winning 7-5, 6-4.
One theme that holds true in matches between these two is that if Federer is allowed to move freely and play aggressively then it will be the Swiss who adds to his Wimbledon haul. Murray has done well when he frustrates Federer by pinning him in the backhand corner but this is easier said than done, particularly with Federer hitting his backhand so well in his last match against Djokovic.
We all know what great groundstroked Murray has but the key to his success or failure is likely to be the serve, as in the two Slam finals he has played again Federer his second serve in particular has not caused enough problems for the Swiss.
Selected Semi Final stats:
Murray Federer
64% 2nd serve points won 72%
88mph Average 2nd serve speed 102mph
60% 1st serves in 64%
40 Winners 31
12 Unforced errors 10
Murray is clearly behind on 2nd serve stats, and as Federer will return better than Tsonga, Murray fans should be very concerned here. Federer won 72% of his second serve points again Djokovic who is considered to be one of the best returners the game has ever had, while Murray only managed 64% against Tsonga. As well as placement, 2nd serve speed is also a problem for Murray as his second delivery has 16% less velocity than that of Federer's. Any less than perfectly placed second serve by Murray will be treated with disdain by Roger.
For Murray to win he need to have a huge serving day, with over 65% first serves and also take some risks on his second serve.
"The one thing I can guarantee is that I'll fight my absolute heart out. I need to give everything I have from the first point to the last." Andy Murray
Whoever wins this is going to be a massive occasion, and lets hope for a five set thriller.
About James Morris
Co editor of Stevegtennis.com with a focus on breaking news and analysis.
Williams Family surprised as Venus keeps Battling on
Oracene Price, Venus and Serena Williams' mother, has recently admitted that she is surprised at how her eldest daughter is...


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Preparing Mission: Impossible 7 shoot in Covid times
KFTV talks to Matt Spooner, Covid supervisor of Mission: Impossible 7, about maintaining health & safety on set, the benefits of filming in Norway and crowd scene difficulties
Major Hollywood blockbuster Mission: Impossible 7, starring Tom Cruise, is filming again in Norway, the UK and Poland.
Strict health and safety protocols have been put in place due to Covid-19 to ensure the production runs smoothly. Here Matt Spooner talks about his role as Covid Supervisor on the project.
What is the latest situation with filming of Mission: Impossible 7?
We were just about to start filming in Italy back in February when Covid kicked off. We have now restarted filming on the west coast of Norway.
So, Norway first then the UK?
Yeah, we have the agility to flip from one to the other. The producers are trying to make the schedule as Covid secure as possible. Norway is a safe place to film and we've got to make sure we maintain their stringent health and safety standards. [The production is renting the cruise liner MS Fridtjof Nansen to act as a hotel for the film's crew]. This has definitely provided some huge advantages. The team from the ship have been a great support.
There is a huge filming industry emerging in Norway because they've got so many different landscapes. You could conquer an entire script in Norway because there are so many different places you could shoot – rugged mountainous landscapes, beautiful green North Sea coast and various pretty cities, like Oslo. Then you've got arctic wildernesses up north. It's a very versatile country. Marvel and Bond were there last year and Mission: Impossible 6 the year before.
Tom Cruise scaling Pulpit Rock in Norway for Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Will it be difficult to manage all the action sequences under Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines?
It's easy to go down a rabbit hole with this sort of thing. The protocols are pretty straightforward in essence. Keep away from each other, wear masks, keep things clean and do routine testing. By doing those four things you set up an effective ring-fence. So, whether you're doing an action or talking heads type picture, no one version is more arduous than another in this exercise.
What about managing crowds?
Crowds is probably the ultimately difficult thing in a production because you've got the safety of the crowd and the crew to consider, and all of the initial infrastructure you need. There's also the consideration of the public health implications - you're going to have all these people together on set and then send them away again, regardless of whether they pick Covid up on your set, from the crew or one another, you can still have complications. That's going to be tricky to manage. You have to do that work responsibly. It can prove to be extremely costly and it's not been proven yet how effective it can be. So, getting bang for your buck has yet to be proven.
Are you considering the bubble approach?
We haven't adopted the bubble approach yet. We are still in conversation about the best approach. The new Jurassic World production has adopted the bubble method. All the cast are in one big bubble and have included some stunt performers in that so they can train and do those sequences in front of camera. Plus, they're all sharing accommodation. That's one way to do it. If you have a group who will regularly need to break social distancing and work without face coverings you can put them in a bubble, ring fence them from the rest of the production and make sure you maintain it. However, If someone else on the project breaks the link somewhere, visits the bubble when they're social distancing within another bubble, you've linked those two bubbles together. It can be tricky, but you just need to put a bit of thought into it. Key to it is basic stuff like communication, getting an email out to everyone, getting training to everyone to say don't go in these places, this is where a vulnerable team is working etc.
Have you got teams of Covid people on set? Have you trained some of the production staff to be Covid team members?
I am a little nervous about productions that just train someone up. I know some productions have taken that route. What we've done on Mission: Impossible is attach an extra technical Covid person as a compliance officer with a medical background – a nurse who did things for the Office for National Statistics and worked in the Nightingale hospital. So they've got a really specific Covid background. We also added in two location assistants who have gone around supporting with putting up signs, hand sanitiser refilling machines etc. Then there are a couple of additional medical people. So, in that sense I supposed it is a slightly larger team than it was previously on other Mission: Impossible films. But we haven't got a specific Covid team because we're trying to integrate everything we do into our workflow, rather than it being a separate consideration.
We have also within departments nominated an existing member of staff or crew as a departmental covid co-ordinator, and that's the person we send all the communications to for it to be distributed out to the department. That's also the person crew members call should they get unwell, which will trigger the flag system stopping them coming into work.
We've also empowered departments to take some responsibility for their decision making, so they put it in to their daily work processes. Whereas we in this central safety role have oversight of this and are making sure everything we do is according to best practice and meets the legal requirements. We audit it as well to make sure it meets Paramount standards.
Does the Covid supervisor's role vary depending on the size and type of project?
Overall, it depends what the production has in place already, as that will dictate what extra support it needs. If they've already got a very established safety department or team, then there's a chance that Covid supervisor they're looking to bring on won't need the same background. But if they don't have the in-house oversight then my recommendation is that the Covid supervisor or manager they bring in has a bit more safety experience to make sure they're doing the risk assessments properly and know how they're going to be evaluated should there be an issue.
How much power should/does a Covid supervisor have?
In my mind there shouldn't be an authority issue about it. The Covid supervisor role is about good communication and having a report line direct to the top (the people ultimately responsible for the risk) and saying to them because of the actions of x, y and z there is now a greater vulnerability for these groups of people and they need to be protected because they don't know the mistakes they're doing and therefore we need more money to train them, employ more people to support them, or we've got the wrong people on the job because they don't know how or want to follow the rules. That is sadly the case sometimes.
Has your role changed considerably?
Enormously. My official title is production safety supervisor, but my role has morphed into not only taking on a safety role, but oversight of the Covid issues, as well as an element of risk management – how are we making this production as resilient as possible against the threat of Covid.
Plus, tertiary stuff like government reaction to issues in other countries; how is the country we're working in reacting to the situations in other countries; And making sure the places you're filming in are as guaranteed as possible.
"It used to be the case you'd be well looked after by the production service providers and film commissions and kept in a bubble. But now that's not the case, public health and safety is the absolute priority. Quite rightly we play second fiddle. Trying to make your production as resilient and secure as possible against that decision-making process is a tricky business."
Yes, there's a lot to consider isn't there - logistics, travel, crew, govt rules etc?
Absolutely. The art of delegation comes into its own. There is in the film business a way that safety is built into the production and what we do, but it hasn't historically been led by the safety dept, it's been led by individual specialists in each dept (HoDs etc). Now there is a need for those safety departments to build a bit of a greater position so they can lead.
You can say you've done risk assessment for painting a particular wall, but now need to build into that how you're going to do the Covid stuff with it, and if we don't come into work tomorrow because this area goes into lockdown, how are you going to make it safe, and then how does this affect all your other protocols? Just joining the dots is a real exercise, and it's an enormous effort. But that is borne by everyone on the show. That's the only way to achieve it.
"Everyone on this production has to buy into this message and effort. Because if just one person decides to go against it and take risks outside the workplace or doesn't follow the requests made in the training sessions, the whole house of cards will fall down."
It's a difficult task, which is why we have so many layers of safety in these productions. The basic rules (as of August 10) in the UK are you don't need to wear a mask in public and try to stay at least a meter apart. But in production, it's facemasks wherever you go all the time to accommodate for others making mistakes or not following the rules. Then 2 meters at all times and the fixed team working system with further safeguards. Plus doing the routine testing is yet another way to support that. Not only does that give you an idea of how effective your safety management systems are, but also tells you if you have a reservoir of disease in there, and you can react to that. So, it's not only an auditing tool, but also a proactive measure.
Do you have to keep adapting your approach?
You have to be able to turn on a 10 pence piece and have back-up in place. It's like a weather cover system, that same model of scheduling – if we can't do this, can we do that instead? Also knowing your vulnerabilities. If we can't do something on a certain day, we've got nothing to shoot, and so make sure the budget is shored up against that. You've got to be on top of that.
What about adapting to guidelines in other countries?
My advice is that corporations should set a high standard and that way wherever they travel they're adhering to a set of best practices that exceed local requirements. It's not just about meeting legal requirements, regulations and standards, it's about protecting your business enterprise. If you set high standards, your enterprise has a far higher likelihood of seeing it through to the end.
"If you choose to go to a country where you adhere to a set of protocols that aren't as stringent as those elsewhere you run the risk of not being allowed into other countries."
What about dealing with crew from different countries?
You've got to adapt. It's all about travel corridors and exemptions provided to crew on features and high-end TV for the workplace side of things. Obviously, crew members need to maintain quarantine protocols outside of the workplace too, so they are allowed to go back and forth to identified areas.
How do you see the landscape changing in the coming months?
I would love to know the answer. What's on all our minds is as the flu season starts we have to behave responsibly. And if the advice is to all go back into lockdown, that's what we'll do. Productions have to be prepared for that. There's still a risk to life with everything going on. We need to make plans for a sudden shutdown – how quickly can we react, shut everything down and be safe.
Matt Spooner


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FinSyn Insights
Weekly insights on the markets, economy, and financial planning
SECURE Act 2.0: What You Need to Know
Financial Synergies
In the final days of 2022, Congress passed a new set of retirement rules, known as SECURE Act 2.0, designed to make it easier to contribute to retirement plans and access those funds earmarked for retirement.
The new SECURE 2.0 law is a follow-up to the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, passed in 2019.
The sweeping legislation has dozens of significant provisions, so to help you see what changes may affect you, we've broken the major provisions of the new law into four sections.
New Retirement Plan Distribution Rules
RMD age will rise to 73 in 2023. By far, one of the most critical changes was increasing the age at which owners of retirement accounts must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs). And starting in 2033, RMDs may begin at age 75. If you have already turned 72, you must continue taking distributions. But if you are turning 72 this year and have already scheduled your withdrawal, it may be appropriate to revisit your approach.
Access to funds. Plan participants can use retirement funds in an emergency without penalty or fees. For example, starting in 2024, an employee can get up to $1,000 from a retirement account for personal or family emergencies. Other emergency provisions exist for terminal illnesses and survivors of domestic abuse.
Reduced penalty. Also, starting in 2023, if you miss an RMD for some reason, the penalty tax drops to 25% from 50%. If you fix the mistake promptly, the penalty may drop to 10%.
New Retirement Plan Accumulation Rules
Catch-Up Contributions. Starting January 1, 2025, investors aged 60 through 63 can make catch-up contributions of up to $10,000 annually to workplace retirement plans. The catch-up amount for people aged 50 and older in 2023 is $7,500. However, the law applies certain stipulations to individuals earning more than $145,000 annually.
Automatic Enrollment. Beginning in 2025, the Act requires employers to enroll employees into workplace retirement plans automatically. However, employees can choose to opt-out.
Student Loan Matching. In 2024, companies can match employee student loan payments with retirement contributions. The rule change offers workers an extra incentive to save for retirement while paying off student loans.
Revised Roth IRA Rules
529 to a Roth IRA. Starting in 2024, pending certain conditions, employers can roll a 529 education savings plan into a Roth IRA. So, if your child gets a scholarship, goes to a less expensive school, or doesn't go to school, the money can get repositioned into a retirement account.
However, rollovers are subject to the annual Roth IRA contribution limit. Roth IRA distributions must meet a five-year holding requirement and occur after age 59½ to qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings. Tax-free and penalty-free withdrawals are allowed under certain other circumstances, such as the owner's death. The original Roth IRA owner is not required to take minimum annual withdrawals.
SIMPLE and SEP. From 2023 onward, employers can make Roth contributions to Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees or Simplified Employee Pensions.
Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s. The new legislation aligns the rules for Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s with Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) rules. From 2024 on, the legislation no longer requires minimum distributions from Roth Accounts in employer retirement plans.
More Highlights from SECURE Act 2.0
Support for Small Businesses. In 2023, the new law will increase the credit to help with the administrative costs of setting up a retirement plan. The credit increases to 100% from 50% for businesses with less than 50 employees. By boosting the credit, lawmakers hope to remove one of the most significant barriers for small businesses offering a workplace retirement plan.
Qualified Charitable Donations (QCD). From 2023 onward, QCD donations will adjust for inflation. The limit applies on an individual basis, so for a married couple, each person who is 70½ years old and older can make a QCD as long as it remains under the limit.
Remember that just because retirement rules have changed does not mean that adjusting your current strategy is appropriate. Each of your retirement assets plays a specific role in your overall financial strategy, so a change to one may require changing another.
Also, retirement rules can change without notice, and there is no guarantee that the treatment of specific rules will remain the same forever. Please don't hesitate to contact your financial advisor should you want to discuss this in further detail.
*This article intends to give you a broad overview of SECURE 2.0. It's not intended as a substitute for real-life financial advice. If changes are appropriate, we will outline a custom approach and work with your tax and legal professionals, if applicable.
Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors is a fee-only Financial Advisor and Wealth Management firm located in Houston, Texas. For more than thirty-five years we've been serving the financial needs of individuals, families, and businesses from around the world. Our primary goal is to Simplify Your Financial Life. Our Certified Financial Planner™ professionals and advisors combine holistic financial planning and investment management to deliver Total Wealth Management for our clients.
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is the "upload" button to post my profile photo (sitting on the cp page) on site? - Sorry to be so lame with this - I can post my photos on ebay with no trouble but on this blog, I am clueless.Thx.
What is it exactly you'd like to do? Post an avatar? The little image that shows under your nickname every time you post?
If I had known what AVATAR meant - I could have done it sooner. Sorry.


Stephanie Palmer possesses the skills, experience and insight to not only manage emergencies, but to empower and guide others in the execution of emergency operations. She is an excellent planner, helping her teams feel prepared and equipping them for success. Whether in a drill or actual emergency, Stephanie is focused, poised and precise while remaining nimble and able to consider and fulfill multiple roles. Through education, guidance and specific feedback, she has helped me grow in my role as Public Information Officer. I would highly recommend Stephanie to any organization that seeks the professionalism and expertise Stephanie provides as an emergency planning consultant.
S3P's Principal, Stephanie Palmer, has 14 years of experience in helping businesses and governments prepare for the worst. She has a results oriented approach that gets things done. Her ability to bring varied players to the table in a no-stress, no-fault environment has fostered many strong partnerships.
© S3Partnerships, 2019. All Rights Reserved.


Here is a quick breakdown of what you get.
As you will notice you get a quick start guild only so we have included for you a proper Sciphone i68 user manual and quickstart guide. Sciphone i68 25+Apps which include Google maps, Gmail, Yahoo, Msn message, webcam and lots more.
Lets face the facts that whilst the Sci-phone is a great phone they not offer any support with it and the software package is not great to say the least while this will make your phone twice as good as it is now.Our most popular touch-screen phone: the i68+ presents all the features of a modern high-end phone without the high-end price tag.
Sleek and minimalist; featuring only a single button and volume control the i68+ uses intuative, dynamic touch-screen menus that make taking calls, sending MMS, listening to music and playing games easy and more fun than ever before!
The i68+ comes with it's own built in stylus, however this is purely an optional extra as you can also operate the touch-screen using just your finger!.
Listen to your MP3 music collection or the built in FM Radio.
The i68+ allows you to run two sim cards at once, finally you can combine your work and home phone!
The i68+ mobile weighs only 95g.
Display – High-Res TFT display, 260K colors, 240 X 320 pixel resolution.
– Exclusive user interface, themes and styles.
– 3.2 inch LCD plus 3.2 inch touch screen.
– CMOS sensor, white balance and other adjustments.
– Currency Converter and plus more and more.


Bonhams Auction House of London was to auction on Tuesday, 17th December 2002 a recently discovered letter written by Cook in 1771. The estimate was GBP15,000-20,000. It was withdrawn before it appeared in the catalogue, and its future is uncertain.
A letter written by Captain James Cook informing the Admiralty of his safe return from his epic first voyage to Australia has been discovered by Bonhams auctioneers while cataloguing the contents of a Norfolk house. The previously unrecorded letter, which is of considerable significance to Cook scholars, was written aboard his ship, the Bark Endeavour in sight of the Kent coast. It is believed to be the first communication from Cook to the Admiralty from English waters after his three-year voyage.
With it is a second document, also written in painstaking copperplate handwriting, which is a bill to the Treasury for supplies purchased by Cook at the Cape of Good Hope (now Cape Town) for the sloops during his second voyage in 1776. It is estimated at £3,000-4,000.
The documents were discovered by Bonhams specialist James Glennie while he was cataloguing the contents of Brancaster Hall, on the north Norfolk coast.
It is not known how the documents came to be at Brancaster Hall but James Glennie said: "The Simms-Adams family, who own Brancaster Hall, had connections with Yorkshire and Whitby."
Can I please have an image of the letter? Thanks.


In a village named Nimbekayipura, lives an honest executive magistrate called Shiva Rudraiah, who is known to solve the problems of the villagers. However, his goodwill does not go down well with one of the village residents, Devraj. He kills Shiva to acquire the land he had donated to the villagers and spreads a rumour that Shiva has run away with his 50 crore rupees.All this while, Shiva`s son, who has been a silent spectator of everything, decides to avenge his father`s death and fulfill his dreams with wit, intelligence, and wisdom.


On Friday evening, fans of Reginald Eugene Cathey found out that the well-known character actor had passed away.
Cathey had regularly worked in Hollywood since the late 1980s.
According to TMZ, Cathey died of lung cancer surrounded by friends and family in New York.
In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Cathey opened up about his life growing up as a black man in the south, and his thoughts on the politics of the era.
In the same interview, Cathey also commented about the rise of President Donald Trump.
Reginald Cathey was 59 years old.


Look at this! #burgerporn! Why did it take me a week to get 70 likes!?
In this post I'm going to diverge from the world of food that I normally write about and have a bit of a go explaining the Instagram shadowban. Have you heard of it? It's essentially a black mark against your account that causes your engagement (likes, comments, saves) to drop dramatically and for your followers to one-by-one start deserting you.


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'People believe people like themselves': meet the shop-floor TikTok stars
Step aside Kim Kardashian and Joe Wicks, retailers are turning shop floor managers into the new influencers, as their home-spun video clips are building a huge fanbase on social media.
Marks & Spencer has Craig Field at its store in Longbridge, whose enthusiastic TikTok clip about how to use self-scanning technology went viral, garnering more than 1.3m views; at the Superdrug White Rose store in Leeds, the staff TikTok stars have more followers than the health and beauty chain's corporate account, and John Lewis's team of insiders and personal stylists is making waves on Instagram.
Brands may spend millions of pounds on mainstream advertising but these folksy, unvarnished social media clips and photos are building relationships with customers in a way glossy TV spots can't. In an age of digital takeover, they highlight the benefits of physical stores, where regular customers can feel part of the family.
Sharry Cramond, the marketing director of M&S food, says the retailer began using local social media at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when there was a demand for store-by-store updates on what was in stock and whether there were queues. Now all stores have their own Facebook page and 200 have TikTok accounts; and the company draws on the Instagram posts of a host of insiders to fuel online fashion content.
M&S gathers up to 3m views on store social media pages every week, with its stores in Yate, Bexhill and Gloucester all garnering more than 500,000 views a month. The Romford store's Halloween Thriller dance pulled in more than 300,000 views on TikTok alone.
The M&S TikTok clips began as just a way to make videos for Facebook, which is seen as a key way to communicate with M&S customers but have now taken off in their own right.
"When we set this up to tell people about pasta and toilet roll we had no idea we would be standing here today with 600 Facebook accounts," she said at the launch of M&S's Christmas ad this week.
"We are creating social media stars. People are getting famous in their own communities."
She said the accounts helped to build word of mouth in local communities, which was incredibly important for a brand. "People believe people like themselves," she said.
The trend builds on the use of staff to represent a brand in television ads, a technique tried and tested by the companies such as Asda and B&Q.
Field, who has a stand-in cardboard cut out, such was the disappointment when shopper fans couldn't take a selfie with him on days off, says the West Midlands store has made about 60 clips over the past year and he is in most of them after volunteering, with a colleague, to get involved.
Field, whose main role is in staff training, says M&S's social media team send out a weekly package of products and services they would like promoted but store teams have "a lot of freedom to presents things how we want to".
He was a bit taken by surprise by the popularity of some posts but says: "I think customers love it. It shows someone they can relate to talking about products and services and it is not too serious. It can be a bit of fun, a laugh and a joke compared to traditional advertising."
John Lewis started working with staff on social media in 2017 and there are now 366 with Instagram accounts linked to their work. The company provides social media coaching and training on how to create engaging content but the staff have full editorial control over what they post.
The retailer has a talent division, aimed at turning its most successful social media operators into influencers.
Victoria Thewlis, a personal stylist who has more than 30,000 followers on Instagram, with some of her posts being viewed millions of times, says she began with picturing potential outfits laid flat. Now she posts videos and lots of pictures of herself going about daily life with tips and responding to questions she's had from customers. "It's not all sell, sell, sell, it's about inspiration and ideas," she says. Customers are as interested in what she's wearing to work as what she's wearing on a night out. "You have to tap into your inner narcissist," she says.
The power of Instagram became particularly obvious during the pandemic when Thewlis was able to continue working online while stores were forced to close – getting virtual personal stylist appointments via her Instagram account. Now 80% of appointments in store are also from people who have seen her social media account.
"We are experts and [now] we are able to bring our help to a wider audience," she says.
Cop26: Boris Johnson lashes out at world leaders for failing to make climate pledges needed
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Tesla criticised for opening showroom in Xinjiang despite human rights abuses
UK government borrowing surges again as Covid cases soar
M&S 'believe' Christmas jumper becomes 'new uniform' for UK clergy


The aptly named 'Cheeky Turtle Neck top brings some light hearted fun to the stables. The bright print will cheer any dull winter day and what could be more true than...."I need: 4 coffee, 2 muffins, 3 horses and loads of money".
Long sleeves with contrasting wristbands. Flat-lock seam with contrast-coloured strips in parallel to the hem and on the sides. The bottom sides of the sleeves and the sides of this long-sleeved shirt are made of a melange material are visually set apart with contrasting details. This long-sleeved shirt is made of 4-way functional stretch material. It is very stretchy, dries quickly, and in transfers moisture.


Delia is currently a Partner at Newbridge Advisors LLP, specialising in project and development management. She is a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In her last role she was Head of Development at the London Legacy Development Corporation, with responsibility for major capital development projects on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Delia has over ten years' experience in the property, regeneration and finance sectors including a role as a Financial Analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada providing advice to major construction companies, government bodies and Housing Associations. Delia started her career at English Partnerships, where she completed the Graduate Development Programme after receiving an MA in Geography from the University of Edinburgh.


The scoop: It was a million-dollar event as Texas Southern University packed in more than 1600 distinguished faculty, alumni, politicians, board of regents and board of trustees members, and heavy-hitter donors for its annual 'Maroon & Gray' affair. Dr. and Mrs. Austin A. Lane welcomed the ecstatic crowd, which honored top students and outstanding alumni. The Lanes' message was clear: "Everyone needs to be dedicated to improving the University's graduation and retention rates by ensuring a secure path for the students to manage their financial challenges. The University is dedicated to producing top scholars and graduates who will deliver expertise to our city, nation and global community." The glamorous first lady of TSU, Loren Lane, worked tirelessly with her team to ensure this was an evening to remember.
As a grand start to the program, Ocean of Soul (the TSU Marching Band) entered from both sides of the massive ballroom, tunes blazing. As Ocean of Soul performed, the award-winning teams were brought in to add to the excitement: debate, women's bowling, and men's basketball. Mayor Sylvester Turner, a former professor of the university, offered heartfelt words about his love for TSU and the students. Emcees Deborah Duncan and Billy Sorrells entertained the crowd, while keynote speaker, Tamron Hall (the first African-American host of NBC's Today) took to the stage. The Honorable Rodney Ellis and The Honorable Senfronia Thompson were then bestowed Outstanding Alumni awards. The Lanes also presented Outstanding Student awards to Mr. Aaron Dallas II and Ms. Camille Mills (both of whom will benefit from the scholarship fund).
Who: Alaina Benford, Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, Argentina James Harris, Pam Ellis, Carla Lane, Linda Bell, Jacquie Fair, Christopher McClain, Rhonda Johnson, Shawnica and Sheldon Moss, District Attorney Kim Ogg, Kim Odom, Tiffany Davis, Catherine Shoppa, Rachel Henson, The Honorable Rodney Ellis, The Honorable Senfronia Thompson, and Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee.


There is so much to learn about living in south Florida. Our unique wildlife and plants are irreplaceable assets. Our water supply is in jeopardy due to careless dumping and excessive growth and water use. I believe we have a man-over-nature philosophy at work here: Dominate and crush whatever natural is in the way as opposed to using what is present as an asset.
Concerned architects can design housing on pilings with wooden walkways in the old Florida cracker style that complements the environment and does not intrude on it. They are doing this in southeast Florida and in the Stuart area now. The alternative is acres of concrete and high rises.
Tree pruning takes the same man-over-nature form. If the tree or shrub is not pruned into a recognizable geometric shape like a square, circle, triangle, or rectangle then the concrete lovers go mad until the plant is shaped as they want it. The irony of all this is the cost in dollars, unnecessary work year after year, and harm to the plant.
Q. Our tree trimmer trims the palms using tree spikes. The spikes put holes in the tree. Will this hurt the palms?
A. Spikes will harm the palms because they cannot heal wounds. The wounds provide openings for disease, termites and carpenter ants. Different palms vary in how quickly they will be affected by the damage. I would get another tree service.
Q. I always thought trees and shrubs should be pruned after blooming in the fall.
A. Gardening rules are a bit different in Florida. Up North, where plants might bloom for one to two weeks, it's common to prune them back after they bloom so next year's display is not disturbed. But here many plants bloom year-round, so they can be pruned as needed. I usually prefer pruning in June or July because there usually is cloud cover and possible scalding from the sun can be avoided. Flowering plants should never be used for hedges or foundation plantings that regularly get pruned. All the flowers get cut off and all you have left is a green bush. It is better to use Surinam cherry or Viburnum suspensum for hedges. Keep the flowering plants out in open lawn area beds where they can grow freely and not be pruned.
Q. What is the best method of pruning a tree and can you recommend a good tree trimmer?
A. Pruning on all plants can be done at any time of year in Florida. In my opinion the optimum season is at the beginning of June through August, before the main hurricane season. Do not allow any hat rackers on your property. These people stub trees back so they look like a collection of sticks. Don't hire someone who appears at your door just because he has a chain saw in his hand. Proper pruning involves cuts made almost flush with stems. Dead wood and crossing and rubbing branches are removed from the interior of the tree. When a tree is properly pruned it shouldn't even look like it has been touched. Go for drop crotch pruning. This is more expensive, but trees do not need pruning more than every five to six years, which will be a big saving. Reputable tree companies practicing the drop crotch method may be hard to find. Make sure they follow the International Arboricultural pruning standards to insure the best care for your trees. Good companies will probably be members of the International Society of Arboriculture, the National Arborist Association or some other professional association. Check Better Business Bureau recommendations.
Q. Our community landscaper just cut my 3 ½ foot tall ixoras full of bloom back to 1 foot. I feel this was the wrong time to cut them back. Can you comment on this?
A. Cutting ixora back to 1 foot in height is radical pruning and hard on the plant. Never remove more than one-third of the total green growth at one time. I normally recommend summer pruning as we usually have cloud cover. This protects the plant from sunscald and the plants recover quicker because summer is the major growing season.
Q. How long before we can remove the ropes and stakes from a newly planted tree? Can a tree be injured if a rope is looped around the trunk without some protection?
A. Trees should not be staked for more than one year. Bare rope can girdle the tree. Many new staking arrangements are available including staking straps that do minimal damage. Staking is needed only until the tree is established.
Q. Why are you so militant about not using weed trimmers?
A. I have seen and heard of many cases of tree death in the past few years from weedtrimmers. The combination of excess watering and trimmer damage set the trees up for an attack of Armillaria root rot. Wounds at the bases of the trunk can girdle young trees and provide an entry point for the spores of this fungus. This aggressive root rot causes rapid decline and death in trees once it is established. There is no control but to avoid mechanical damage and to cut back on watering. Protect the base of the trees with a permanent groundcover planting. Water no more than twice a week in winter and only if needed in the summer.
Q. Should I use a spreader sticker with my fungicide for better control?
A. Spreader sticker is a good product to use in conjunction with insecticides or fungicides. It helps the pesticide to adhere better, increasing the effectiveness of the product. Brand names include Biofilm and Lesco Spreader Sticker.
Q. You said in one of your columns that you did not know of a cleaning product that would clean mildew off shingle roofs without hurting the plants. I found a good product that works and did not damage my plants. It is called M-1 Deck and Roof Cleaner and is sold as a liquid concentrate in 1-gallon bottles. For roof cleaning I diluted it 7:1. I sprayed it on the roof with a pump type bug sprayer, let it sit for 10 minutes and washed it off with a low-pressure (1,200 psi) pressure washer. A year later my shingles still look clean, and no plants died. The label says it is biodegradable and non-poisonous. The cleaner is made by Jomaps, Inc. in Alpharetta, GA, and is available through Allied Building Products in Fort Lauderdale.
Q. I opened some 2-year-old Miracle-Gro packages. The product is moist. Is it safe to use?
A. Use it quickly. Most of these products have a short shelf life.
Q. How close should I place the mulch next to my trees and plants?
A. Mulch should always be kept way from the bark of trees and shrubs. The mulch keeps the bark wet and prevents it from breathing. This causes the bark to rot and peel off and eventually can kill the tree or shrub.
Q. Where can I get melaleuca mulch? Can I use it in all garden areas?
A. Melaleuca mulch is produced in Florida. The company, Forestry Resources, Inc., is located in Ft. Myers. It is utilizing the invasive melaleuca as a mulch product and planting bald cypress in its place. Cutting down cypress trees just for mulch strikes me as very wasteful as cypress wood is very valuable. Melaleuca mulch should last as long as cypress because the tree is durable and the wood doesn't rot easily. More landscape architects are now specifying melaleuca mulch on their projects. There have been some reports of melaleuca seed sprouting in the mulch, but this is probably on very wet sites. Sprouting is not a problem in eastern areas of Broward and Palm Beach counties where the soil is sandy and dries fast. Melaleuca normally does not germinate in dry areas.
Q. How do we keep a tree trunk from re-sprouting after its been cut down?
A. The best way is to have the stump and heart of the root system ground with a stump grinder. Certain vigorous trees resist even this treatment including bischofia, women's tongue and rough lemon. An alternative is to use a herbicide like Roundup or Kleenup on the emerging foliage from the stump and roots. Several treatments may be necessary to kill the tree, particularly if it was large.
Q. What is the procedure for gathering seeds for propagation?
A. These steps will work for most any seed.
Mark the plants you wish to keep for seed. Look for good qualities such as good health.
Plant only one variety or strain. If you are using other varieties, keep them at least 100 feet apart to avoid cross-pollination.
Let seed ripen on the plant as long as possible before collecting it. Seed capsules usually are brown when ripe. The pods will be brittle and should split easily.
Clean the seed by rubbing it against pieces of wire screening. Various sizes of mesh should be saved for different seed sizes. Seed and chaff will separate by the rubbing process.
Store seed in a cool, dry place in a covered airtight container.
Test for germination by placing about 30 seeds on blotting paper or raw cotton in a shallow dish. Keep the paper or cotton moist to hasten germination, but do not let the seed remain in water. Keep the seeds warm and dark. When they germinate note how long it took and the percentage of viable seed that you have. If the seed is moldy it is no good.
Q. I want to take cuttings and root them. How do I do it?.
A. Most cuttings from plants can be rooted in the following manner. Cut a 5 to 6- inch shoot at a 45-degree angle. Remove the lower leaves. Dip the cutting in Root- tone and plant in a pot filled with a well draining potting soil. Place outside under a tree in the shade, and the cutting should root in a few months. Let it grow to some size before planting it in a permanent location.
Another way to root plants is to try layering the plant. Take a lower branch and scrape the bark off the underside of the branch where it can touch the ground. Put a Root tone hormone on the wound area. Then put soil over the wounded branch area and hold it down with a brick or stone. Make sure the wounded area makes positive contact with the ground. Check in a few months to see if roots have formed. Recover the rooted branch with soil and then after allowing about another six months for root growth, cut it off and replant it if the layering operation is successful.
A. Getting ready for a hurricane is mainly common sense. You probably will be evacuated if you live near the ocean or on one of the barrier islands. I would have a good tree company check my trees and shrubs for problem areas. They should remove branches that overhang your roof. Dead wood and crossing branches should be removed from the tree interior. The tree should be opened up to allow air to pass through. Coconuts should be removed, as they can become bowling balls in a storm. Old fronds can be removed if hey are below the horizontal line on the palm. Upward angled fronds should be allowed to remain. Do not allow tree workers to climb palms with spikes…they can puncture the soft stems of palms like royals and cause rot to occur in the center of the palm stem. Palms cannot heal over puncture wounds like regular trees and shrubs. Put away all potential missiles like lawn furniture, tools, trashcans, etc. Prune shrubbery so it does not rub against the building or screening.
Q. We are having our house tented for termite extermination. Will the gases kill my plants?
A. Yes. The gases can kill houseplants so move these outdoors to a shady place away from the house. Make sure the tent is draped behind the foundation plantings so they are not killed.
Q. Every year we get assessed for tree trimming at our condominium. Is it a law that trees have to be trimmed each year?
A. According to Becker and Poliakoff P.A., a firm specializing in condominium law, there is no state regulation requiring that trees be cut every year in a condominium setting. If trees are properly pruned using the drop crotch method, they can go at least five to six years between pruning jobs. If trees are creating a specific problem such as excessive fruit drop and staining, bad root systems, brittle wood, or other problems, it would be cheaper to remove the tree and replace it with something less invasive and more appropriate to the location.


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Products October 20, 2011
Spark Institute Updates Lifetime Income Standards Document
October 20, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The SPARK Institute released a new version of its information sharing standards and data layouts for lifetime income solutions that are used in retirement plans.
Tara Cantore
The document, "Data Layouts for Retirement Income Solutions (Version 1.01)," is posted on The SPARK Institute Web site at http://www.sparkinstitute.org/comments-and-materials.php and is available at no cost. The SPARK Institute will also maintain a Q&A section on its Web site to address technical questions that may arise as the standards are adopted. Questions about the data layouts should be submitted by e-mail to lifetimeincome@sparkinstitute.org.
"In response to requests and recommendations from companies that are implementing the 'Data Layouts for Retirement Income Solutions' we made certain technical changes and clarifications," said Larry Goldbrum, general counsel. "The data layouts, originally issued in September 2010, make it easier and more cost effective for record keepers and insurance carriers to make retirement income solutions available to plan participants. "The changes are relatively minor and we do not anticipate having to make other changes in the near future," he added.
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