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About Opes Advisors
Welcome Charlotte, NC
Posted on October 1, 2019 - 8:43 am
Opes Advisors and Flagstar Bank are pleased to announce a new home loan center that has opened in Charlotte, N.C., and will operate with a team of local home loan advisors and support staff. The office is located at 13850 Ballantyne Corporate Place, Suite 500.
Leading the team is a trio of lending experts. Ken Pack, area manager, TJ Hilton, branch manager, and Rosa Ivey, sales manager, who bring a combined 62 years of experience in the real estate and mortgage industries. Prior to joining Flagstar, Pack served as an area manager for U.S. Bank where he developed and managed relationships throughout Charlotte and greater North Carolina. Hilton also comes from U.S. Bank, most recently serving as branch manager. Ivey joined the team from Fidelity Bank where she served as a vice president of production for nearly two years.
"I think I speak for all of us in saying we welcomed the opportunity to join a company that is a national leader in home lending," Pack said. "Flagstar has been in business for more than 30 years; it has a powerful lineup of products, including VA and FHA loans, and niche products like loans for professionals. Plus, it can offer clients the security of dealing with one of the country's largest federal savings banks. We look forward to helping our residents make one of the most important financial decisions in their lives."
About Flagstar
Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: FBC) is an $20.2 billion savings and loan holding company headquartered in Troy, Mich. Flagstar Bank, FSB, provides commercial, small business, and consumer banking services through 160 branches in Michigan, Indiana, California, Wisconsin, and Ohio. It also provides home loans through a wholesale network of brokers and correspondents in all 50 states, as well as 78 retail locations in 21 states, representing the combined retail branches of Flagstar and its Opes Advisors mortgage division. Flagstar is a leading national originator and servicer of mortgage and other consumer loans, handling payments and record-keeping for $203 billion of loans representing 983,000 borrowers. For more information, please visit flagstar.com. Equal housing lender. Member FDIC.
Not a commitment to lend. Programs available only to qualified borrowers. Programs subject to change without notice. Underwriting terms and conditions apply. Purchase and rate/term refinance. Primary residence only. Some restrictions may apply.
Opes Advisors, a Division of Flagstar Bank | Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender
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© 2021 Opes Advisors, A Division of Flagstar Bank | NMLS 417490 | Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender


Maxwell produced an amazing 'Special Write'. What an improvement from last half-term! This is because Maxwell has worked hard to learn all his sounds. What a great effort, Maxwell!
Eloise has worked really hard this week, she has managed distractions and wrote a super story for her 'Special Write', showing determination and concentration. Well done, Eloise!
Connie has been a 'Christmas Nativity Superstar'. She has stepped in for a friend who has been away this week and not only said her own words, but her friends too. Well Done!
Oliver has worked hard to make the right choices this week and persevered with using excellent suspense language in his writing. Well done!
Ollie, we have been so thrilled and proud to see you engrossed in your reading this week, even taking out a book to read in your break time! Keep enjoying!
Tom was focussed and motivated during our 'Special Write' this week. He worked hard on his story and presented it beautifully. Great work!
Sienna has put a huge amount of effort into her work this term. She has focussed on the right things and has made great progress. Well Done!
Year 4 were amazing and very controlled when trying 'table top table tennis' in the classroom this week. a first for them and Mrs Press! Well done year 4.


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Chris Brown Opens Up About Rihanna's Assault: 'I Was Thinking About Suicide'
By Rojon April 18, 2016
Chris Brown has opened up about Rihanna's assault in his new documentary called Welcome To My life. The 26 year old singer revealed he went from being America's most loved person to a public enemy number and how he thought about suicide after the incident happened.
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Speaking in the trailer for the new documentary, he said: "I went from being on top of the world, number one songs, being kind of like America's sweetheart, to being public enemy number one.
RELATED: "I Played The Piano In A Bum Short" – Simi Says (Photo)
"I felt like a f***ing monster. I was thinking about suicide and everything else. I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating. I just was getting high."
American singers such as Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris talked about how anger got the best of him.
RELATED: Mikel Obi's Adorable Twin Daughter Caught Invading The Fridge For Food (Photo)
Chris Brown's mum, Joyce Hawkins, also talked about the incident. "That was the worst day of my life and probably his life…I felt like I was going to lose my child." She said
Linda Ikeji Brags On Her Blog That She Won The War after Wizkid Photo'd With The Police Commissioner
Osas Ighodaro Loved Up With Husband, Gbenro Ajibade |Photo
Blackface Apologizes To 2Baba After Their Out-Of-Court Settlement

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Mobile commerce is growing at nearly three times the rate of overall e-commerce, according to a research by PayPal and Ipsos.
From 2013-2016, the multi-country average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for mobile commerce is projected at 42 percent, compared to 13 percent for overall ecommerce including mobile commerce.
The research, which investigated the mobile shopping habits of more than 17,500 consumers in 22 countries, also reveals insights on mobile shopping behavior, barriers and growth markets.
As a percentage of global online spend, mobile commerce is still relatively small. Smartphone purchases are driving 9% of online spend and purchases made on tablets account for only 5% of online spend.
Interestingly, the prevalence of mobile shopping is quite significant. A third (33%) of online shoppers surveyed report having purchased something via smartphone in the past 12 months, and 20% report making a purchase via tablet. The surge in smartphone commerce is being driven by young adults. A global average of 59% of smartphone shoppers are between 18-34 years old, compared to 44% of total online shoppers.
China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates dominate in smartphone commerce.
Globally, 64% of smartphone shoppers have purchased via an app and 52% have purchased via browser. Among those who have used both platforms, apps are typically preferred (47% prefer to shop through an app).


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A whole kitchen transform may be very expensive and for some, the price is what retains them from doing a transform. A superior reworking agency will assist a house owner obtain the design they want within the confines of their funds. Professionals: Time or material financial savings the contractor experiences on the job are handed on to the home-owner. It is also vital to say that loo reworking tasks can assist to increase a home's worth.
In addition to giving you additional space for storing, the lavatory cupboards may also be composed of lengthy-lasting, high-quality wood, a step above the generic particle board that compose inventory vanities and cupboards. In the current times, the housing market has made it very expensive to do be doing bathtub refinishing, especially replacement of your total bathroom.
Home renovations and transforming requires loads of time, endurance and energy. After completing an intake, Bridges' Resource Specialist, Jake, asked if Shauna was accustomed to the ReStore He explained that it's a dwelling enchancment retailer that sells new and used furnishings, appliances and building supplies at low prices with all proceeds supporting Lakes Space Habitat for Humanity's work constructing houses for native households.
Yes it may be chilly outside during the winter months, however if you happen to dwell in a state where you do not receive extreme snow; you'll be able to nonetheless do some creative outdoor projects and save a substantial sum of money right now of year.
Not all loos may be lavish spaces with whirlpool tubs and two separate vanities. If it's important to take away or grind down old bricks to leave a clean floor on which to lay new tile, you may find yourself with dust all over your own home if you happen to don't use caution. To get started, I eliminated the previous mantel, tore out all of the tile and disconnected the fireplace from the gasoline line (after turning off the main gasoline line after all).
It's the same mortar used for making use of the stone to the wall, except that I colored it utilizing Quikret Cement Colour It's a little un-nerving to pour some neon orange colored water into your cement mix and anticipate it to come out brown… but it did.
Whether or not you might be planning to construct a hearth, go for a fireplace makeover of an present one this web page can help you plan an important points; the look and financial savings! For those who love your own home's fire but want to make it recent and up to date, you may want to consider hiring knowledgeable to finish a hearth restoration. Additionally, from a design standpoint, what we really wished was a double-sided hearth (see-by way of) so that the fireplace may very well be enjoyed from the other side of the wall in the library.


they established along the way.
In 1989 Marrgululu was the first artist from Ramingining to produce a large bark for the Kluge Ruhe Collection, an important collection of Aboriginal Art commissioned by the University of Virginia in the United States. By producing the first major painting of a exceptional standard, Marrgalulu was instrumental in setting a high precedent for the other artists involved in this prestigious project.
Djon Mundine, a respected curator and author on indigenous Australian art describes the Australian landscape as being "full of signs", a comment which also applies to Margululu's artwork perfectly.
Marrgalulu has not only mastered the traditional medium of bark painting, but, in collaboration with printmaker Theo Tremblay, produces stunning contemporary prints.
Andrew Marrgalulu was one of the key artists to participate in the first print workshops at Milingimbi, held in 1996, where he modified his traditional designs to suite this new medium, successfully refining and exploring new possibilities. He responded particularly well to lithography. The shift from painting to making fine art prints proved less of an issue for him than his desire to maintain his cultural traditions through his artwork.
In 1997 Marrgalulu was one of the artists who participated in a series of workshops held in Ramingining, by Theo Tremblay, during which they produced an important series of prints called 'The Ramingining Print Suite'. This suite was based on the Wagilag Sisters' creation story and represented a unique collaboration by celebrated Aboriginal artists. Margululu was also commissioned to produce a painting for the Federal Airports Corporation which is on permanent display at Darwin airport.
Subjects are Yarrpany (Dhuwa moiety honey). catfish, bream fish, Mewal honey spirit, sea snake, water goanna.
Kluge Ruhe Collection, Charlottesville, USA .
1983 Australian Perspecta, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
1987 Bark Paintings from Ramingining, Birukmarri Gallery, Perth, WA.
1990 Ramingining Art, Birukmarri Gallery, Fremantle.
1992 Art of the Spirit, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
NT News, 27/12/1993, p. 6.
1983, Australian Perspecta 1983, A Biennial Survey of Contemporary Australian Art, exhib. cat., Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.


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Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany
Germany articles
Written by our Germany specialists, our travel articles are designed to give you a closer insight into Germany, along with our top recommendations on what to do and where to go.
- Format -Best books on…Best of...Destination reportSpecial featuresTravel news
Undiscovered Europe
Europe is a firm favourite with travellers, and it may seem that there's nowhere left to discover. That, however, is simply untrue. Venture off-the-beaten-track, and you'll be rewarded with a wealth of undiscovered destinations, each with their own rich and idiosyncratic culture, history and custom…
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – a cabin guide
Don't know your twin cabins from your grand suites? Product manager Andy Austen takes a closer look at the different cabin types on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to make sure you select the one that's right for you.
Top Five Cruise Holidays for 2018
Our specialists have put together the ultimate in cruise inspiration, from Greek island hopping in style to an exploration cruise into the glacial wilds of Alaska. As always, it's all based on first-hand knowledge.
British Airways announces cheaper Day Tripper fares
British Airways has launched a series of 'affordable day trip' tickets for passengers wanting to explore a popular city destination in Europe for a day and then fly back, giving them the longest away day possible without the added cost of an overnight stay.
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If you're planning ahead for summer, June and July are superb months for travelling, with a wealth of holiday experiences on offer around the world.
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Europe is awash with excellent city break options. Use a short break to explore a city's history and culture and immerse yourself in its daily routines to get a flavour of life in these extraordinary destinations. Whether you're after iconic attractions, art, architecture or a vibrant atmospher…


Big Hairy Audacious Mother Monster & The Future of Nursing Goals.
I've been thinking about Lady Gaga lately. En route to class the other day, I rode past her ad for the Roseland Ballroom shows posted on a construction wall. The quote caught me: "I'm Lady Gaga, a singer/songwriter, you're going to know me one day." Said to a random street photographer in 2008, the ad shows the original photo. Damn, that's prophetic, I thought.
Or was it? I brought up the sighting in class, during a discussion on Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs), a business concept championed by James Collins and Jerry Porras, detailed in their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. The way I understand it, BHAGs are huge, mind-blowing, semi-delusional goals that unify and push organizations towards a very specific finish line. As specified by Collins and Porras, BHAGs are aligned, audacious, articulate and arduous – the harder they are, the more worthy. For example, Twitter's BHAG: "To be the pulse of the planet." No explanation necessary.
Is Lady Gaga's quote a BHAG? An especially hairy one, if you ask me.
Later in the week, I met with some nursing superstars. These women have literally changed the nursing world with their influence and work; they are the Lady Gaga's of the profession. In our conversation, where I meekly let out a few peeps of my BHAG, one of them asked me how I saw the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report used at the bedside. Huh? In seven years as a bedside nurse, I've never heard a single colleague mention the publication. I hadn't learned about it until grad school, and, admittedly, seldom referenced it in life, much less clinical practice.
The IOM report is a lengthy, but freely available publication written by a billion health policy experts in 2011 to discuss, as its title suggests, the future of the American nursing profession. In it, the IOM details some really audacious, hairy goals, like, "Nurses should be full partners with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States," and more specific goals, like, "Increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020." My favorite, and one that I consider while shaping my own career focus, says that nurses – all nurses – should be well-read, deeply politically convicted, and maintain the skills to not only evaluate policy, but create it. Bam! That's a BHAG if I ever saw one.
On further reflection, I realized that the IOM report is just one, huge, super hairy BHAG. Its got some pretty audacious and high-reaching, exciting goals. It labels clear finish lines (although, let's be honest, a nurse's work is never really done), and aims to get the nursing profession charged up about what we could possibly do. The question posed to me in my nursing discussion was valid, convicting, even: Why aren't we [nurses, hospitals, legislators] using the IOM report to guide our practice every day?!
Gut-level reaction when re-reading the IOM goals: these policy makers must be on crack! These goals will never be reached for nursing, not in this country. But then, I thought about Lady Gaga's quote and the questions I asked in my BHAG class: Isn't every BHAG, or desire for fame, or sky-high goal, just a tad bit delusional at its core? I mean, if Lady Gaga had made the same claim in '08, and remained Stefani Germanotta, that quote would be meaningless delusion, right? My prof's perfectly driving response? "People tend to achieve what they set for themselves; you miss every basket you don't take." In other words, I dare you to try.
Well, nurses. Maybe it's time we start realigning ourselves with the BHAGs set before us. We can begin by asking ourselves some tough questions: Are we trying to change nursing so that we can be better off, or so that our patients will have the care they deserve? Are we reaching for the floor or the sky? Do we want to keep complaining at work, or do we want to fill the media with our well-articulated words and BHAGs? Becoming Lady Gaga was no doubt arduous, as is achieving IOM's goals. She'll likely always be a facet of some form of pop culture, but I'm sure her influence will subside in coming years. Nursing has been around for centuries, and our influence can either flourish fantastically, or become stagnant.
Let's be big, hairy, audacious fame monster nurses. Go get your IOM BHAG manual; our future is bright.


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Q: Issue with dynamic SQL to get JSON properties as columns when JSON is NULL I am trying to select JSON properties as column. The properties that needs to be selected are stored in some other table
CREATE TABLE [Templates](
    [ID] [int] NOT NULL,
    [Template] [nvarchar](max)
)

INSERT INTO Templates(ID,Template)
VALUES
(1,'{"FirstName":"foo"}'),
(2,'{"FirstName":"joe","LastName":"dow"}'),
(3,'{"LastName":"smith","Address":"1234 Test Drive"}'),
(4,NULL)

Declare @SQL NVARCHAR(max)

--For brevity purpose i am hardcoding these property names. In reality column names will come from another table
DECLARE @properties NVARCHAR(max) = '[Address],[FirstName],[LastName]'

Set @SQL  = '
Select '+ @properties +'
 From  (
        Select T.ID
              ,j.[Key]
              ,j.[Value]
         From  Templates T
         Cross Apply OpenJSON(T.Template) AS j
       ) src
Pivot ( max(value) for [Key] in ('+ @properties +') ) pvt
'
Exec(@SQL)

SQL Fiddle
The code above is mostly working except for the Last row where Template is NULL. (ID = 4)
Expected: The query should return 4 rows and for the last row, all columns should be null except ID.

A: CROSS APPLY requires rows to be returned, however, Cross Apply OpenJSON(NULL) AS j returns no rows. Use OUTER APPLY:
' ...
OUTER APPLY OpenJSON(T.Template) AS j
...'

EXEC sp_executesql @SQL;

Note I also use sp_executesql as you can't parametrise EXEC (@SQL)
db<>fiddle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Chandrashekhar (Shammi Kapoor) or Shekhar as he is called now, belongs to an aristrocratic family, who believe laughter is a sign of belonging to the lower class, and as a result laughter is not encouraged in the household, run by Shekhar's domineering mom (Lalita Pawar). In this household the only one who dares to laugh and enjoy life is Shekhar's sister Mala (Shashikala), who also dares to love Jeevan (Anoop Kumar). Things change when their mom finds out about Mala's indiscretions, and she asks Shekhar to take her away from their home, to distant and scenic Kashmir, for awhile. She also instructs Shekhar to arrange to get married to a girl from a princely family. When Shekhar escorts Mala out of town, and on reaching Kashmir, he meets up with beautiful Rajkumari (Saira Banoo), and after being stranded with her for a night during a snowstorm, he realizes what he has been missing, and becomes a care-free man in love. This change is welcomed by Mala, but not by his mother. To make matters worse, Rajkumari does not belong to a princely family, and Shekhar knows that his mom will never approve of his marriage with Rajkumari. This movie is known as the first movie of Saira Banoo.


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Olivia Newton-John's 'Grease' outfit sells for $405,700
Reuters Sun, 03 Nov 2019 Sun, 03 Nov 2019
Olivia Newton-John performs the 'You're the One That I Want' duet in 'Grease' with John Travolta dressed in the famous black outfit. Image: Paramount/Everett
FILE PHOTO: Cast members John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John dance at a 40th anniversary screening of "Grease" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., August 15, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
Los Angeles: Olivia Newton-John's tight black pants and leather jacket from the movie "Grease" sold for $405,700 at a Beverly Hills auction on Saturday, more than double the expected price, Julien's Auctions said.
The outfit that marked the transition of Newton-John's character in the 1978 musical from demure high schooler to sexy Sandy was among 500 items for sale to help raise money for the performer's cancer treatment center in Australia.
@gigihadid
A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj) on Oct 28, 2019 at 1:16pm PDT
The infamous pants worn by Newton-John for the "You're the One That I Want" duet with John Travolta were so tight that she had to be sewn into them to film the scene, and were sold with a broken zipper. The buyers for the pants and jacket were not revealed.
The auction raised $2.4 million in total, with many items related to the movie going for many times over estimates, Julien's said.
A "Grease" poster signed by Newton-John, Travolta and other cast members sold for $64,000, compared to an estimate of $1,000. The pink lace gown the actress wore to the movie premiere in Los Angeles went for $18,750. A custom Pink Ladies jacket given to the actress by the cast and crew fetched $50,000, 25 times its original estimate.
The British-born, Australian-raised 71-year-old singer and actress said earlier this year that she was battling breast cancer for a third time since first being diagnosed in 1992.
After her first bout with cancer, she helped set up the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, which aims to support the mind as well as the body.
All of the proceeds from the "Grease" jacket and pants will benefit the center, as well as a portion of all the other items sold on Saturday.


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Three basic facts Congress must understand about Big Tech
Andy Yen July 24, 2020
Wednesday, July 29, is an important day for the future of the Internet. At noon local time in Washington, DC, the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google will appear virtually before US lawmakers who are investigating their companies for illegal anticompetitive practices.
But there is a big risk that legislators will once again miss the point about what's really at stake. The conversation has typically centered around exorbitant app store fees and political bias. While these are important issues, they unfortunately miss the core points which the Big Tech monopolies should really be challenged on.
The tech companies and their high-powered lobbyists are hoping the hearing will be a relatively painless exercise — a way to show concern but otherwise continue their exploitative and monopolistic practices. Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before the US Senate in 2018 shows how badly such a hearing could go, with confused senators asking questions like, How does Facebook make money? ("Senator, we sell ads," Zuckerberg replied.)
Latest: Four misleading claims Big Tech CEOs told Congress(new window)
In recent years, the European Commission has taken a leading role in challenging abusive and anticompetitive behavior from Big Tech companies, and Congress can and should take a page from the European Commission's playbook. As the world's largest encrypted email service, we champion a new way of doing business online which is directly in competition with many of the tech giants. Our model puts user privacy first, returns control over online data to the user, and puts people ahead of advertisers. As such, we have been ordered to provide information for the European Commission investigation and asked to submit a briefing to the US House Committee on the Judiciary, which is conducting Wednesday's hearing. We are very familiar with how Big Tech attempts to distract, detract, and entrap those seeking to investigate their anticompetitive practices.
While Wednesday's congressional testimony is sure to feature plenty of gaslighting, denials, and outright attempts to obfuscate the issue, there are three inescapable facts about Big Tech antitrust that must be highlighted.
1. Antitrust is really about privacy
Some of Wednesday's testimony will likely focus on the 30% tax that Apple and Google skim off the top of every in-app transaction on the mobile platforms they control. We have already written about this issue in detail(new window). It is essentially a form of extortion that companies must pay if they want to stay in business, and this exploitative practice is also currently the subject of a European Commission investigation, thanks in part to a complaint filed by Spotify.
But the 30% fee is actually a tax on privacy, which is much worse than most people realize and has far-reaching implications for the Internet.
Today, there are two primary business models online:
One is the advertising-based business model of companies such as Google and Facebook. In this model, services are provided for free, but in exchange, these companies abuse user privacy and exploit personal data in order to make money, either through advertising or by selling access to users to third parties. This model is exploitative, invades user privacy, and puts the fundamental interest of users behind the interest of advertisers and other exploiters of private data. This model has also given rise to harmful data scandals, Cambridge Analytica being the most prominent example.
An alternative model is the freemium subscription model utilized by services like Proton Mail. In this model, basic services are also provided for free, but premium features require a paid subscription, and the revenue from paid subscriptions is used to subsidize the free product. This model encourages companies to protect privacy because the revenues do not come from packaging and reselling user data and access to the highest bidder. In other words, companies are incentivized to put people first.
What Apple and Google's 30% fee on subscriptions does is discriminate between these two types of companies on their mobile platforms. Privacy-protecting, subscription-based companies are hit with a 30% fee, while companies using the invasive, ad-based business model are not similarly penalized.
This is a massive handicap for companies that protect users' personal data. When Google forces subscription services to pay a 30% fee, they are harming competitors to their own ad-based business model, thereby reinforcing their own market dominance.
App stores are not the only playing field that Big Tech has tilted in their favor. Their monopolies have infiltrated every corner of the Internet, from the search engines we use to the whole mobile ecosystem of Android and iOS, which dominate hardware sales and require phones to be shipped with their own apps pre-installed.
The end result is that by intentionally creating an ecosystem which favors the ad-based business model, online privacy is being systematically dismantled, to the detriment of Internet users.
2. The issue is not price, but choice
Many opponents of antitrust actions say the government should not be able to tell private companies what they can charge for services. The argument is that government regulation of pricing will undermine the market economy.
However, the problem with Apple and Google's app stores is not actually the 30% fees (despite the fact that they are exploitative and unjustified). The problem is really the lack of choice — in this case, choice in payment method.
Apple and Google force developers to conduct all mobile transactions through their own in-app payment system (subject to 30% fees) or the app gets banned (i.e., put out of business). By enforcing a monopoly over mobile payments within their app stores, they can effectively charge whatever they want.
If there were other options permitted for iOS and Android in-app payments, real competition would be allowed to occur, and very likely, payment fees would drop to a much lower level.
In other words, the "price" would be set by supply and demand, based on market dynamics. So, far from undermining the market economy, antitrust action to permit competition actually serves to safeguard the market economy and ensure that it functions properly.
The principle similarly extends beyond mobile in-app payments. Today, iOS and Android drive users toward favored web browsers, search engines, and mail apps through defaults and steering. For instance, on iOS, Safari is the default browser and it is impossible to change it, and on Android a full suite of Google services come bundled. If consumers truly had an opportunity to select which services they want instead of just getting the bundled defaults, it is highly likely that many would pick options which are better for privacy.
The Big Tech companies understand this, and they are seeking to focus the debate on price as opposed to choice. For example, on July 22, Apple released a "study(new window)" attempting to demonstrate that its 30% fees are not excessive.
These arguments are distractions designed to keep the narrative focused on the size of the commission rather than the larger question of whether policies and rules preventing consumer choice constitute illegal antitrust violations. Congress would do well not to fall into this well-laid trap.
3. Tech monopolies cause real damage
Consumers suffer the greatest harm from the Big Tech monopolies. The most obvious damage is the cost of the exorbitant fees, which are inevitably passed on to consumers. Unless companies have an uncommonly large 30% profit margin, some costs must be passed on to consumers, and there are numerous examples of this, such as Tinder and Proton Mail, which charge higher prices on mobile in order to compensate for these fees.
The true cost, however, goes beyond the monetary. By forcing virtually all subscription services to hand over 30% of revenue, the entire mobile developer ecosystem is deprived of funds which otherwise could be invested in innovation, leading ultimately to worse products for users.
But perhaps worst of all, by constructing ecosystems which strongly favor privacy-invading services at the expense of services which put user privacy first, consumers are ultimately hurt by having far less privacy online. There are many powerful reasons why privacy matters(new window), including to preserve freedom of expression and to stop oppression from authoritarian governments.
One reason for the importance of privacy that even members of Congress should appreciate is that better data protections would reduce the cost of data breaches(new window) and would streamline regulations, which in the US are currently a mess(new window) and expensive for businesses to comply with.
How Congress can act
It is essential to restore competition and choice to the technology marketplace. While Big Tech has led many innovations, it has equally smothered pioneering new companies, particularly in the realm of privacy.
This may be Congress's big chance to take antitrust actions that safeguard the market economy in the interest of the people they represent. On Wednesday, they must not only ask tough questions — they must ask the correct questions based on a genuine understanding of the stakes. They must do their research and not waste time with softball questions, as their Senate colleagues have done in the past.
We also strongly encourage the US to follow Europe's lead and work on legislative solutions to regulate technology gatekeepers in ways that promote widespread prosperity. The European Union proposed new legislation, the Digital Markets Act(new window), to check Big Tech's growing power.
In the US, it will likely be necessary to update existing antitrust legislation, which dates back to the 1890s, for the digital age to address new challenges of the 21st century (the Electronic Frontier Foundation has explained(new window) some of the considerations in this regard).
Big Tech is holding back the Internet. But by opening the door for new ideas to break through and thrive, we can build a digital space that protects the rights and freedom of all people.
The Proton Team
UPDATE July 27, 2020: This article was updated to after the congressional hearing with the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google was rescheduled for noon, Wednesday, July 29. The hearing was delayed to allow members of Congress to pay their respects to Rep. John Lewis, who passed away on July 17.
UPDATE Jan. 26, 2021: This article now includes information on the EU's Digital Markets Act.
You can get a free secure email account from Proton Mail here(new window).
Feel free to share your feedback and questions with us via our official social media channels on Twitter(new window) and Reddit(new window).
Andy is the founder and CEO of Proton. He is a long-time advocate for privacy rights and has spoken at TED, Web Summit, and the United Nations about online privacy issues. Previously, Andy was a research scientist at CERN and has a PhD in particle physics from Harvard University.


A 250 fixed-seat auditorium equipped with permanently installed audio-visual and video-conferencing equipment including wall mounted cameras and speakers. Audiences will enjoy high-definition visual content displayed on three side-by-side projection screens located at the front of the over 350 square metre room. Audience members can also interact easily using a push-to-talk microphone located at every seat. Speakers can present with ease using a fully equipped podium and confidence monitors.
Overlooking Bay Street, the Gallery beautifully demonstrates the architectural excellence and collaborative ideals of the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning. With flexible seating options, lounge areas and inviting decor, the Gallery provides an attractive and welcoming environment, excellent for networking events, receptions, exhibits and social functions.
A 56 fixed-seat seminar room suitable for both local and distance learning opportunities equipped with permanently installed audio-visual and video-conferencing equipment including LCD displays, wall mounted cameras, and push-to-talk microphones for all audience members.
Three 75 seat classrooms (two of which are divisible into two smaller rooms for up to 35 people) suitable for both local and distance learning opportunities. These flexible learning spaces feature video-conferencing capabilities and display visual content on a high-definition projection screen and an LCD monitor found at opposite ends of the divisible rooms.
*Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located in the main lobby, 2nd floor and 3rd floor of the Learning Concourse. AEDs are available for public use and have proven to significantly increase the chances of survival for adults who have experienced sudden cardiac arrest.


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Bridget Rian Longs For Community in the Afterlife With Evocative New Single "Trailer Park Cemetery"
Interviews | Playing Nashville | Premieres
Cillea Houghton
Photo Credit: Libby Danforth
In the midst of our conversation, Bridget Rian makes it a point to note that her Enneagram number is a four, signifying a fear of not accomplishing anything of substance during one's time on earth or not being remembered after they pass on. Rian channels that fear into her haunting song, "Trailer Park Cemetery," premiering exclusively with Audiofemme.
Rian was on a road trip through rural Florida en route to a historic property that housed several Native American artifacts when along the way, she drove past a cemetery in the middle of a trailer park that immediately captured her interest. "I remember thinking how different it was. This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, but I love it," Rian recalls, describing the cemetery as both "spooky" and "cool." Coincidentally, she was reading a mystery novel at the time, about a group of teenagers who escaped to a cemetery as their chosen hangout spot. "It reminded me of my childhood and how I literally ran through cemeteries with my friends," she says. Rian turned this vision into song months later, while sitting in her Nashville home. As the concept for "Trailer Park Cemetery" materialized, the young singer immediately put her thoughts on paper.
"Thinking about the afterlife and the unknown, I think the scariest for me would be that nothing exists, that it's just over, and you don't get any second chance," the New York native explains of the song's meaning. "There's an aspect of me wanting to stay young forever in the song. I have this fear of being forgotten or a fear of death where it's comforting to think that people would live that close, or kids would come and hang out and my body wouldn't be alone."
She begins by gently pulling the listener in with a soft acoustic guitar, setting the scene of a trailer park set alongside a dirt road between tall oaks and pine trees, brought to life by community-oriented people greeting one another from their front porches.
"I don't want peace and quiet/It's overrated anyway/I'll take loud voices over silence any day/I don't ask for much/But to choose where my body lays," Rian sings; she'd prefer to be laid to rest in a place where life constantly surrounds her, counteracting her fear of silence and keeping her youthful spirit alive.
The wise songwriter brings this notion to life through the chorus, which finds her surrounded by community even in death, symbolized by neon lights, the above ground pool next door and the littered beer cans that lay by her tombstone, left there by the young people partying in the cemetery like she and her friends once did. "The chorus is the part where I express that I want to be there forever. It's direct imagery of people that were there," she describes. "I don't want to be laying on my death bed and thinking 'I should have done that.' I am a worrier, and I don't want that to stop me. That's a big fear, that I'm going to look back and miss out. Even if I'm dead and looking back at the people partying in my cemetery, I don't want to be like 'I wish I did that.'"
"Trailer Park Cemetery" is featured on Rian's upcoming debut EP, Talking to Ghosts, set for release on July 9. It finds her exploring spirits from the past, whether it's a loved one who has died, a past version of herself, or the ghosts that lie in "Trailer Park Cemetery." "I know that there are people out there who have done weird stuff like party in cemeteries, and I hope that it makes people feel seen. I also want people to not take for granted the life around them," Rian remarks when asked how she hopes "Trailer Park Cemetery" impacts listeners. "I like to call it my personality song. This is me. I'm kind of weird, but here it is. I think it goes down to the core of my personality."
Follow Bridget Rian on Instagram and Facebook for ongoing updates.
A proud native of Cape Cod, MA, Cillea is currently a freelance writer based in Nashville. In between covering all aspects of country music and the Nashville community, she tries to find time to pursue her many passions.
Bridget Rian • indie pop • nashville • TRACK PREMIERE
La Luz Embrace Their Glorious Weirdness on Self-Titled Fourth Album
by Cat Woods
RSVP HERE: Ember Knight Releases CHERYL, livestreams via Youtube + MORE
Tanya Tucker's Revival on Full Display at Sold-Out Ryman Show
by Cillea Houghton


The number of resources available to medical students studying a degree in medicine is growing exponentially. In addition to traditional learning resources such as lectures and textbooks, students are increasingly using e-learning tools like commercially available question banks to supplement their learning. Student preference for learning resources has not been described in detail, and a better understanding of the tools perceived to be useful could provide essential information to medical educators when designing and implementing medical curricula.
We invited 1083 undergraduate and postgraduate medical students from two major Australian universities to complete an online survey. Questions asked students to indicate the frequency with which they use various types of resources when learning new material or when revising previous content.
Approximately one third (32.3%, N = 350) of invited participants completed the survey, and of those who responded, the gender distribution was even with a median age of 25 years. Making written notes and reading textbooks were the most frequently utilized resources for learning new material. Online or downloaded question banks were the most frequently used resource for revision. In addition to the use of traditional learning tools, the majority of students report using a variety of e-learning tools including online teaching videos (92%, n = 322) and question banks (90.6%, n = 317).
Despite the trend towards e-learning, traditional resources like attendance at face-to-face lectures remain the most popular for learning new material. The increasing use of question banks raises potential issues of poor alignment to medical school curricula. With the advantages of exam technique practice, time efficiency and multiplatform availability, their popularity is likely to continue. Evaluation of existing question banks is required to facilitate appropriate integration into the curricula, with equitable access for all students.
In the last decade, there has been a rapid expansion of educational resources available for medical students. As well as traditional resources such as lectures, textbooks and tutorials, students are increasingly accessing mobile technology and online tools for learning [1, 2], collectively referred to as e-learning tools. The concept of blended learning, incorporating both e-learning and traditional learning tools, is well established . Currently there is little evidence available to indicate which educational resources medical students prefer to use while completing their degrees.
Reports of the proportion of students who use smartphones for learning medicine are variable. Between 64 and 98% of students have been reported to own a smartphone [1, 4–7] and the numbers are increasing. In a 2013 cross-sectional study in Birmingham, 87% of students reported using smartphones but only 70% found them useful in aiding their medical education . Another study in Leipzig found that only 32.4% of students were using medical apps on their smartphone . A systematic review of survey articles discussing smartphone apps found only 11 were aimed at medical students, possibly explaining the low uptake of apps for study purposes . Only four years later, a simple search for "medical student app" in the iPhone App store yields a staggering 726 results , including diagnostic tools, anatomy handbooks, surgical simulators, lab values, drug references and multiple choice questions covering a range of topics..
Students are also utilizing a multitude of other online resources. A recent survey in Illinois of students in their final two years of medical school found students using online tools including Google docs, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and Wikipedia for study purposes . In a survey of Welsh medical students, 70% report using 'Meducation', an online learning tool consisting of videos, problem based learning cases, tutorials and quizzes .
Question banks have also emerged as a popular online learning tool. There are several commercially available question banks for medical students and doctors in training, including: 'Passmedicine', 'PasTest', 'OnExamination', 'Examdoctor' and 'NEJM knowledge +'. Each has between 1500 and 6500 practice questions in the form of single best answer or extended matching questions, accompanied by practice exams, quizzes, images and feedback. Students are able to track their own progress over time and often compare their results with other students. They are used by students studying for the United States Medical Licensing Examination , and associated with improved rates of passing the Emergency Medicine certification examinations in the United States . In these contexts, students are using the question banks to revise and practice exam technique for specific examinations. It is also possible that students are using question banks more broadly than this, for example, to learn new information for the first time. Harris and colleagues, generated a question bank of student-written multiple choice questions and made them available online to medical students at Cardiff University . They found a significant uptake, with 600 students using the resource within a three month trial period. It is not currently known, however, what proportion of students use commercial online question banks and for what purpose: revision or learning new information.
Gender differences in the acceptance and use of e-learning have previously been explored. In comparison to females, males have been reported to be more likely to consider e-learning easy to use, useful and efficient . However, a study of first year medical students in Austria found no significant gender difference in attitudes towards e-learning . A systematic review of gender and learning in surgery found no significant difference in the uptake of e-learning resources . It is important to clarify if there is a gender difference in the uptake of new medical education resources to avoid inadvertent gender bias in medical education.
Reported in-person lecture attendance by medical students is also inconsistent. Some argue that lecture attendance is in decline [19, 20], with many students opting to watch recorded lectures online in their own time. One survey of medical students studying molecular biology found 97.9% wanted to be able to access recorded lectures . At Harvard Medical School, a survey of first and second year students reported that 57.2% of students attend lectures, whilst 29.9% watch them online . Another survey of 190 medical students from New York University reported that 80% of students attend lectures and 20% use mainly online or computer based learning . Lecture attendance may vary between institutions, depending on their importance and frequency within the curriculum, quality of lecturers and the content, whether they are available online or if attendance is compulsory. If students are no longer routinely attending lectures, medical educators may need to shift their focus to newer technologies.
Further clarity in how today's medical students learn is necessary for three key reasons. Firstly, without knowing which of the multitude of resources are being utilised, medical schools are at risk of falling out of touch with their students' educational needs. Secondly, to ensure consistent delivery of quality education, the most popular resources need to be identified so that their quality and relevance to university curricula can be evaluated. Finally, so that universities can more effectively allocate resources to develop education tools that students are likely to use. This study sought to assess today's medical students' preference for educational resources; to investigate, if this preference shifts when learning new materials, or when revising; and if students' preference for educational resources are related to their age, previous educational exposure or future career aspirations.
The study was conducted in June 2015 at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Both universities are located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The University of Sydney offers a four-year graduate entry medical program. The University of New South Wales offers a six-year undergraduate medical program. At the time of the study, participants from both universities were in their final two years of study. Most of their teaching occurred at hospital-based clinical schools, within the clinical environment. Assessment methods at both universities included a combination of clinical and written examinations.
All (n = 1083) penultimate and final year medical students from The University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, Australia, were invited to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire hosted on SurveyMonkey.
Students were invited to participate in the study via an email sent from their respective university administrators in June 2015. Two reminder emails were then sent at two week intervals and the survey was closed after a total of six weeks. No remittance or reward was offered to students for participating in the study.
Demographic information was collected including age, gender, level of previous degree undertaken and future career aspirations.
Survey scales employed ordinal measures of self-reported use of resources (Never = 1, Rarely = 2, Occasionally = 3, Sometimes = 4, Often = 5, Mostly = 6, Always = 7). A Wilcoxon Signed Ranked Test was employed to assess if a difference in preference for a particular resource was indicated between learning new content and revision. A Principal Components Analysis was undertaken to investigate whether clusters exist within students' preference for resources.
The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study (Project No.: 2015/179).
In total, 350/1083 (32%) of students completed the survey, with a mean respondent age of 25.6 (Range 18 to 30+ years). The gender distribution was even, with male (n = 173, 50%) and female (n = 174, 50%) students responding to the survey. Of the respondents, 46.3% of students were in their penultimate year (n = 162), 53.7% were in their final year (n = 188), 65.2% reported to have completed a previous degree while 34.7% were completing their first degree. Around 1% of respondents reported not owning a smart phone (Yes 98.9%, No 1.1%).
Students' uptake of resources ranged between individuals reporting low use on most items to those reporting high use on most items. The uptake of resources was calculated by converting items of the Likert scale to 0–7 point, where 0 represented "never" and 7 represented "always". The distribution of responses are summarized in Fig. 1. Frequency was calculated from a conversion of the Likert scale to numerical values. The distribution of the frequency of self-reported resources uptake appears to be similar when learning new content and revising old materials.
Figure 2 shows the distribution of terms used by students to indicate the rates of uptake of the common learning resources and tools, when learning new material.
The learning resources where high-use responses were the most common choice (Always or Mostly) included "Attending lectures in Person" (Mostly 24.5%, Always 21.4%), "Using downloaded online question banks" (Mostly 24%, Always 16.9%) and "Using medical apps" (Mostly 24.6%, Always 22.9%). The most common response did not include any of the low-use (Never or rarely) options. The most common rate of use for the remaining resources were: "watching lectures online" - sometimes (24%); "reading text books" – often (27.7%); consulting medical literature – sometimes (30.2%); watching online teaching videos – sometimes (25.4%); "using interactive online materials" sometimes (26%) and "attending group tutorials" often (22%).
Figure 3 shows the distribution of terms used by students to indicate the rates of uptake of the common resources and tools, when revising old material. The learning resources where high-use responses were the most common choice (Always or Mostly) included "Use of downloadable online question banks" (Mostly 22%, Always 29.4%), "using medical apps" (Mostly 18.3%, Always 5.1%) and "revising written notes" (Mostly 21.4%, Always 28%). The most common response for the low-use (Never or rarely) options was reported only for "attending lectures in person" (Never 18%, Rarely 19.4%). The most common rate of use for the remaining resources were: "watching lectures online" - sometimes (15.7%); "reading text books" – often (26.3%); consulting medical literature – sometimes (22.6%); watching online teaching videos – sometimes (23.4%); "using interactive online materials" sometimes (23%) and "attending group tutorials" sometimes (20.9%).
A Wilcoxon Signed rank test revealed a statistically significant difference between the frequencies with which students indicate using the following resources: (i) attending lectures;(ii) watching lectures online; (iii) consulting medical literature; (iv) watching online videos; (v) using online or downloaded question banks; (vi) using interactive online materials and (vii) attending small group tutorials. The effect size and direction of use preference is summarized in Table 1.
As students use all resources for both revision and learning, a comparison of the frequency of use of each educational resource was undertaken, demonstrating that students attend lectures in person, watch lectures online, attend small group tutorials and consult medical literature significantly more frequently for the purpose of learning new material than they do for revision (see Table 2). Students use question banks and other online interactive materials significantly more frequently for the purpose of revision than they do when learning new material (see Table 2).
A principal components analysis (PCA) was undertaken to assess whether particular preferences for resources showed clustering. Twenty six items were included in the analysis, suitability of the data was confirmed with Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (0.664) and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (p < 0.001). PCA revealed the presence of four components with Eigen Values above the recommended cut off point of 1, however the inspection of the scree plot revealed only two of the factors to be above the clear break point (Catell, 1966). The two retained components account for 30.5% of the variance in the data; component 1 contributing to 17.9% and component 2 to 12.5% of the variance. Oblim rotation technique produced a solution with strong loading by most of the items loading to only one of the components and a correlation effect between the two components (r = 0.57). The clustering into the components indicate that age, gender, career aspirations and completion of a previous degree was not related to the preferred use of learning materials. As illustrated in Table 2, PCA also revealed clustering occurred along the on-line and off-line differentiation of resources with component one containing online resources and component 2 containing off-line resource, please refer Table 2 for detail.
This study sought to explore today's medical students' use of educational resources for learning new materials and for revision. The majority of students reported using medical apps, question banks, online interactive resources and online lectures, as well as traditional learning resources. However, their preference for use was dependent upon whether students were seeking to revise or learn new information. Results indicate that the use of question banks is the most popular resource. However, traditional educational formats, including attendance at lectures and tutorials remain the most popular resource for learning new knowledge.
The results indicate that student reporting of the use of resources cluster around whether the resource is online or not. Our results indicate that students likely use online resources similarly, independent of whether it is for revision or leaning of new content. New media and mobile technology has fundamentally changed the way medical students learn new material and consolidate this knowledge. Mobile technology in medical education is now mainstream . This is almost certainly a reflection of the depths to which these new technologies have been incorporated in to our everyday social, emotional and professional lives. Masters et al. explain the uptake of mobile technologies in the context of "learner-centred" educational theory. Learners now engage teaching tools for the specific outcome of becoming a doctor rather than a more teacher-centred approach of previous generations . As a result, students are more self-directed and have greater independence in their learning. Patel et al., reported that resident medical officers perceive mobile learning as an efficient use of their time , a result which can likely be extrapolated to medical students. Online resources that can be accessed on multiple platforms are also convenient and provide instant access to information in any setting. For example, using mobile technology, students can look up reference material on a ward round or test their knowledge on the bus on the way home. This facilitates opportunistic learning, which may be of particular importance to those juggling work, family life and study commitments. Recent developments in education technology have seen increasingly more "serious games" being developed for teaching medicine, successfully employing the concept of fun in learning . Online interactive and mobile learning tools may be popular as they are more engaging than traditional teaching tools, with cross-over entertainment appeal to the gaming generation. Online, interactive and mobile learning technologies are easily accessible and convenient for on-the-go, learner-centred medical students and their widespread use is likely to continue to grow.
Our results indicate that question banks have emerged as the most popular revision tool and the most widely used overall e-learning resource. They are used most frequently for revision but also for learning new material. The only other published data on the topic of online questions banks identified a similarly high prevalence of use (82%), an almost universally positive attitude towards online question banks, and a high adoption of a student-developed and university-sponsored online question bank . We hypothesise a number of factors contribute to their popularity, that could be incorporated into novel educational tools. The popularity of question banks for revision may be as a result of the 'testing effect'. Repeat testing has been shown to improve retention of information as it engages the student in active learning and recall as well as providing a platform for feedback, which improves learning [26, 27]. The immediate feedback also allows students to identify knowledge gaps. Many questions banks also provide high-quality, referenced content explaining why a particular answer is right or wrong. The commercially available question banks provide a score for each section of questions answered, compared with the learner's previous attempts and with the average scores of their colleagues. This makes answering the questions more like a game with a top score that needs to be beaten. The exposure to high volumes of single best answer questions also allows students to practice exam technique.
The widespread use of question banks by medical students raises two main questions: are they effective and if so, are they available to all students? The majority of question banks are made available on a subscription basis. They have presumably been designed to match students' perceived needs and to maximise commercial viability. Commercially available question banks have not been thoroughly evaluated in terms of efficacy or quality, and may not align with university curricula or current best practice. Their widespread use suggests that universities should consider formally evaluating popular question banks or develop their own curriculum-focused banks. The possibility of contracting private sector providers with this task is also available. Harris et al. have published their experience developing a framework for a student-authored, clinician reviewed question bank . They achieved a high degree of participation and utilisation in a population of students with a high pre-intervention prevalence of question bank use. With a shift towards commercial resources universities need to take seriously the task of ensuring equitable access to the highest quality and most relevant resources across age, gender, and discipline.
Traditional resources such as attending lectures in person, making written notes and reading textbooks remain, the most utilized resources for learning new material. Although attending lectures or watching them online were identified as the least utilised resource for revision, medical schools should continue to focus on delivering high quality lectures for the purpose of students learning new material. While our results did not identify gender as a determinant of online or off-line resources, others have reported a gender bias in student preference for learning styles. Mehmood et al. studied the personality traits and gender of medical students and found that men were significantly more 'impulsive sensation seeking', .
Students' self-reported age clustered with responses describing the use of off-line resources. This finding may be confounded by the inclusion of a combination of undergraduate and graduate entry medical programs in our study. Unfortunately, our ethics committee approval for this study did not allow for direct comparison between participating medical schools. Students aspiring to a career in 'general practice' or 'other' were also less likely to attend small group tutorials, which may be a reflection of age, as they tended to be older than their peers.
The response rate for the study was 32%. It is possible that students who respond to an online survey are more likely to use online learning materials than those who do not. However, both medical schools use online learning management systems and online assignment submission, so it is likely that most students are comfortable with using online platforms.
Inclusion of participants from two different universities potentially weakens this study, as the lecture programs, online resources and assessments will differ between universities which may influence the learning resource preferences of students. Furthermore, the ethics committee approval for this study did not allow for direct comparison between universities and we were therefore not able to draw comparisons between the graduate entry program at the University of Sydney and the undergraduate program at the University of New South Wales.
This was a quantitative study, and use of qualitative data collection and analysis may have provided a deeper understanding of students' responses.
This study sought to gain a better understanding of medical students' preferences for use of existing resources when learning new material, and undertaking revision. Question banks have emerged as a popular learning and revision resource, which are as yet unevaluated by educational institutions. Factor analysis revealed that students describe the use of online resources and the uptake of off-line learning tools in two separate clusters, indicating that the online/offline nature of the material plays an important role in determining their preference for use in both revision and the learning of new materials. An increased understanding of students' preferences may assist medical educators in design and implementation of medical curricula that is aligned with student needs.
The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the students who took the time to participate in the study.
Datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article. Additional data at the level of students is not available as per confidentiality agreements approved by the Human Research Ethics Committees.
LW and JB contributed to the study design, data collection, data analysis and drafting of the manuscript. LW, JB, JEH, AB contributed to the writing and critical review of the manuscript. EK contributed to the statistical data analysis, and writing and critical review of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study. Completion of the survey was assumed as consent to participate in the study.
Annette Burgess is a member of the Editorial Board for BMC Medical Education.


Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. With some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 569,700 (mid-2015 est.) and it is one of the eight largest regional English cities that make up the Core Cities Group. Sheffield is the third largest English district by population. The metropolitan population of Sheffield is 1,569,000.
The city has a long sporting heritage, and is home to the world's oldest football club, Sheffield F.C. Games between the two professional clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, are known as the Steel City derby. The city is also home to the World Snooker Championship.
Sheffield is located at 53°23′N 1°28′W. It lies directly beside Rotherham, from which it is separated largely by the M1 motorway. Although Barnsley Metropolitan Borough also borders Sheffield to the north, the town itself is a few miles further away. The southern and western borders of the city are shared with Derbyshire; in the first half of the 20th century Sheffield extended its borders south into Derbyshire, annexing a number of villages, including Totley, Dore and the area now known as Mosborough Townships. Directly to the west of the city are the Peak District National Park and the Pennine hill range, while the lowlands of the South Yorkshire Coalfield lie to the east.
Sheffield also has a very wide variety of habitat, comparing favourably with any city in the United Kingdom: urban, parkland and woodland, agricultural and arable land, moors, meadows and freshwater-based habitats. There are six areas within the city that are designated as sites of special scientific interest. The present city boundaries were set in 1974 (with slight modification in 1994), when the former county borough of Sheffield merged with Stocksbridge Urban District and two parishes from the Wortley Rural District. This area includes a significant part of the countryside surrounding the main urban region. Roughly a third of Sheffield lies in the Peak District National Park. No other English city included parts of a national park within its boundary, until the creation in March 2010 of the South Downs National Park, part of which lies within Brighton and Hove.
Sheffield has two universities, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. The two combined bring about 60,000 students to the city every year. Sheffield University was established in 1897 as University College Sheffield and became the University of Sheffield in 1905.
Sheffield has three main further education providers, The Sheffield College, Longley Park Sixth Form College and Chapeltown Academy. The Sheffield College is organised on a federal basis and was originally created from the merger of six colleges around the city, since reduced to just four: Sheffield City (formerly Castle) near the city centre, Hillsborough, serving the north of the city and Norton and Peaks to the south. Sheffield made the shortlist for the first city to be designated UK City of Culture, but in July 2010 it was announced that Derry had been selected. The Sheffield Walk of Fame in the City Centre honours famous Sheffield residents past and present in a similar way to the Hollywood version. Sheffield also had its own Ferris Wheel known as the Wheel of Sheffield, located atop Fargate shopping precinct. The Wheel was dismantled in October 2010 and moved to London's Hyde Park. Heeley City Farm and Graves Park are home to Sheffield's two farm animal collections, both of which are fully open to the public.


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Q: ng2-file-upload is not working with angular 6 I am wroking with ng2-file-upload package in angular 6.
I had my backend in PHP.
I am able to select file but when I try to click on upload getting this error:
Failed to load [api url]: Response to preflight request doesn't pass
access control check: The value of the 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin'
header in the response must not be the wildcard '*' when the request's
credentials mode is 'include'. Origin 'http://localhost:4200' is
therefore not allowed access. The credentials mode of requests
initiated by the XMLHttpRequest is controlled by the withCredentials
attribute.

Added Header to my API
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin','http://localhost:4200/');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Methods', 'POST');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Headers', 'X-Requested-With,content-type');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Credentials', true);

Still have the same problem.
Thanks.

A: You can add these instead of what you are using
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Methods: POST, GET, OPTIONS, PUT, PATCH');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Origin, Content-Type, X-Auth-Token , Authorization');
header('Access-Control-Max-Age: 1728000');

preflight option request is rejected as you are not allowing that method.


"As I'm sure you're aware, politicians in Lansing have begun their lame duck efforts to weaken democracy and harm Michiganders. Legislation is moving quickly to gut the paid sick leave and minimum wage initiatives, in addition to attacks on labor unions, workers, women's health, the environment, recreational marijuana, and much more. They're also stripping powers of the incoming Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General.
AFT has produced a form letter that you can send to your representatives to oppose two pending House bills that will weaken K-12 public-sector unions. Please follow this link to learn about the bills and send a letter.
Previous Previous post: Defend workers during Lame Duck!


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Gadgets March 28, 2014 posted by Nigel
University of Sheffield successfully flies a disposable 3D printed drone [Scary Skies]
A team from the University of Sheffield in the UK has successfully flown a UAV (aka drone) which was built entirely using a 3D printer. The aircraft, built in the college's Advanced Materials Research Centre, is made up of just nine parts, many of which snap together without needing fixings.
The simplified design of the drone means it can currently be built in less than 24 hours, using ABS plastic on a Fortus 900 fused deposition modeling printer.
The trick in keeping the manufacturing time down was in using a new kind of design which minimized the need for the printer to do additional work on support elements of the craft, mostly because the design team made sure to create an aircraft which was very 3D printer friendly from the beginning.
As you can see from the test flight video below, the UAV manages to fly extremely well under radio control, and even has an on-board camera for added effect. The drone has a wingspan of 1.5 metres and weighs under 2 kg.
Now imagine the future when they can roll one of these off the printer every 10 minutes and you'll see why this sort of thing has implications far beyond a short test flight on a blustery Yorkshire moor.


When I saw this dental office, I liked their phrase, but I had to look twice at their constructed visual aid.
At first I thought it was to shed rain off each side so that it wouldn't drip on patients' heads, but when I looked more closely, I saw that it was not mounted to the wall. It sticks out.
Do you think that whoever installed the "frowny face" put it in upside down on purpose because they hate dentists? Or did they simply fail to read the instructions... "These ends up?"
I don't know who built this heart out of colored stones or why, but it's fitting to post here because today is my 37th anniversary. Happy Anniversary, Bob. If I live to be 94 and you live to be 96, we could have 37 more. What do you think?


1141 / J66a Postage Due, 1917, 30¢ deep claret (Scott J66a), top block of 4 with imprint, o.g., left stamps never hinged / right stamps previously hinged, a beautiful position block with tremendous rich color, Fine to Very Fine, with 2018 P.F. certificate.
1142 J75 Postage Due, 1930, 30¢ carmine (Scott J75), o.g., never hinged, gorgeous well centered example with brilliant color, Extremely Fine.
1143 J76 Postage Due, 1930, 50¢ carmine (Scott J76), o.g., never hinged, exceedingly fresh example of this tough stamp, with breathtaking color, Very Fine, with 2002 P.S.E. certificate.
1144 K1-K3 Offices in China, 1919, 2¢ on 1¢ green, 4¢ on 2¢ rose, and 6¢ on 3¢ violet (Scott K1-K3), o.g., never hinged, beautiful trio of the lower value Shanghai overprints; extremely fresh condition, Very Fine, K1 with 2003 P.S.E. certificate; K2 with copy of 1994 P.F.C. for block; and K3 with 2016 A.P.S. certificate.
1145 / K1 Offices in China, 1919, 2¢ on 1¢ green (Scott K1), top margin plate block of 6, o.g., lightly hinged (4 stamps never hinged), several choice singles; incredible color, Very Fine to Extremely Fine.
1146 K4 Offices in China, 1919, 8¢ on 4¢ brown (Scott K4), o.g., never hinged, wonderful example with nicely balanced margins; elusive when found so choice, Extremely Fine, with 2006 P.S.E. certificate graded XF 90.
1147 K5 Offices in China, 1919, 10¢ on 5¢ blue (Scott K5), o.g., never hinged, terrific bottom margin single with awesome color printed on lily white paper; very pretty, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate graded VF-XF 85.
1148 K5 Offices in China, 1919, 10¢ on 5¢ blue (Scott K5), o.g., never hinged, brilliant color and clear impression, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with photocopy of 2018 P.F. certificate for pair.
1149 K6 Offices in China, 1919, 12¢ on 6¢ red orange (Scott K6), o.g., never hinged, wide margins and exquisite color; among the most appealing examples imaginable, Extremely Fine, with photocopy of 2010 P.S.E. certificate for block/4 from which it came; bottom right stamp.
1150 K7 Offices in China, 1919, 14¢ on 7¢ black (Scott K7), o.g., never hinged, impressive top quality example with wonderful color of great intensity, Extremely Fine, with 2011 P.F. certificate graded XF 90.
1151 K8 Offices in China, 1919, 16¢ on 8¢ olive bister (Scott K8), o.g., never hinged, wonderfully fresh and choice example in a marvelous state of preservation; dazzling color and beautiful centering; this stamp has it all, Extremely Fine to Superb, with 2016 P.S.A.G. certificate for block/4, from which it came - top left stamp.
1152 K8 Offices in China, 1919, 16¢ on 8¢ olive bister (Scott K8), o.g., never hinged, premium example with lively rich color, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with 2006 P.S.E. certificate graded VF-XF 85.
1153 K10 Offices in China, 1919, 20¢ on 10¢ orange yellow (Scott K10), interesting shift of the overprint towards the left side of the stamp, o.g., never hinged, handsome example with beautiful centering and deep rich color, Extremely Fine, with 2005 P.S.E. certificate graded XF 90.
1154 K14 Offices in China, 1919, 60¢ on 30¢ orange red (Scott K14), o.g., never hinged, bold prooflike color; a beautiful example in immaculate mint condition, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with 2004 P.S.E. certificate graded VF-XF 85.
1155 K15 Offices in China, 1919, $1 on 50¢ light violet (Scott K15), o.g., previously hinged, nicely centered; brilliant color printed on lily white paper, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with 2018 P.F. certificate.
1156 K15 Offices in China, 1919, $1 on 50¢ light violet (Scott K15), o.g., barest trace of hinge (appears never hinged), fabulous deep rich color and sharp detailed impression, Extremely Fine, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate graded XF 90.
1157 K15 Offices in China, 1919, $1 on 50¢ light violet (Scott K15), o.g., previously hinged, extremely well centered stamp with bold prooflike color; much nicer than the conservatively graded certificate would indicate, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, with 2015 P.S.E. certificate graded VF-XF 85.
1158 K15 Offices in China, 1919, $1 on 50¢ light violet (Scott K15), o.g., lightly hinged, handsome example with lively bright color, Very Fine.
1159 K16 Offices in China, 1919, $2 on $1 violet brown (Scott K16), o.g., never hinged, absolutely gorgeous high quality example in a pristine state of preservation; as fresh and choice as the very first day it was issued 100 years ago, Very Fine, with 2010 P.F. certificate graded VF 80.
1160 K17 Offices in China, 1922, 2¢ on 1¢ green (Scott K17), o.g., never hinged, lovely rich shade; a pristine mint stamp, Very Fine, with 2012 P.S.A.G. certificate.


Once even the subtle level has crossed we tend to reach the state of Prakriti . People might have experienced stages given in 1.44 and 1.45 during meditations though for a very brief period of time. Where we feel we entered into some area which is totally non-explainable. Basically, it is moving from conscious state (Savitarka sampatti) to subconsciousness ( Nivitarka sampatti ) and then the stage of unconsciousness and then cross that stage too in the final one.


Japanese investment giant and Ripple partner SBI Holdings (SBI) has invested $15 million in the blockchain smart card wallet producer Tangem, through its subsidiary SBI Crypto Investment Ltd.
The Swiss-based fintech company Tangem introduced its "smart banknote" for digital assets last May. Billed as the world's first physical manifestation of digital assets, Tangem notes allow users to carry crypto or any other digital assets by enabling off–chain physical transactions to give crypto a cash-like quality. Like cash, a note is controlled by the person who holds it. By handing over the physical card, transactions are immediately validated and completed with zero fees.
The first million Tangem Notes entered circulation in 2018, with a wider rollout planned for this year through vending machines, ATMs, money exchangers and more retail outlets.
Kitao is well-known in the crypto and Ripple communities. Speaking at the Japanese Blockchain Conference in Tokyo in 2018, Kitao said he believes that crypto will fuel the next big economic boom in Japan.
SBI first invested in the blockchain tech company Ripple in 2016, and the two companies jointly own and operate SBI Ripple Asia. As one of the biggest blockchain players in Asia, SBI has built an internet–based financial ecosystem as it expands its digital asset-related ventures to generate mass crypto adoption.
SBI's crypto exchange VCTRADE began accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP deposits in December.
Market trading is set to begin in March, which will make VCTRADE the first bank-backed, fully licensed cryptocurrency exchange for Japanese residents. The exchange will pair its digital assets directly with the Japanese yen.


text:
Q: How to guarantee a clean install of macOS Mojave from an external USB drive I recently received some Mac Mini's (2014 2.8 i5 16GB RAM) purchased online which came installed with El Capitain.  I was concerned that the there could be a root kit installed on these second-hand refurbished machines.  So I wanted to do a clean install of the OS.  I followed instructions (https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/macos-sierra-clean-install/) to create a bootable version of Sierra and restarted the machine with the option and reinstalled the OS from the USB disk.
To my surprise, when the system restarted after the "clean" install, the user that was created before the "clean" install was still there and so was all their user preferences and applications installed.
Is this normal for a "clean" install from USB?  What prevents a re-seller from installing a root kit in the user's directory that may include a cron, or even another sub-system that would still be there after this "clean" install?

A: Like Allan said in his comment that step specifically says

Once the USB drive has booted, select "Disk Utility" from the Utilities window, choose your Mac's startup drive from the list, and click "Erase".

This is one of the most vital steps in the process of a clean install. It COMPLETELY wipes the target drive of all information previously there. If you don't do that all you are doing is reinstalling macOS right over top of what is already there leaving everything that was on the hard drive still there.
If you do that there will be nothing left, no users, 3rd party apps, malware, etc.


On our trip to northern Argentina we had a chance to travel a lot with bicycles and so the bici bug hit us and we realized traveling by bike is not just healthy, cheap and ecological, but also a lot of fun and allows you to connect to a place in a completely different way.
Biking culture and ecotourism in Buenos Aires has become more popular in recent years, and it's appeal continues to build momentum. So, when we recently returned to Buenos Aires, we were very excited to get on a bici and spend a whole day touring the city with Biking Buenos Aires (BBA).
When you're traveling by foot around Buenos Aires, the city seems so large, but a ride through the barrios on a bici shrinks the city for a day and you get to see and experience much more in less time.
BBA promotes the two-wheel lifestyle and offers a variety of unique and interactive one-day cycling tours in English. (Spanish, Dutch and German are also offered but as private tours only). Their 5 sightseeing tour routes include: 1. Buenos Aires street art-themed tour in collaboration with Graffitimundo that promotes the city's urban street art and its artists; 2. Heart city tour (South City); 3. The ultimate City Tour (North & South); 4. Parks & Plazas Signature Tour (North City); 5. Arts in ArchitecTour.
We wanted to see the city from north to south and explore as much as possible, so we took the 'Ultimate City Tour'- A full day (7 hours) tour of both the north and south areas of the city. The tour offers a chance to take in and enjoy Buenos Aires sightseeings, neighborhoods, nature, culture, architectural beauties, urban landscapes and folklore … so of course we couldn't resist!
We took the tour on a sunny Sunday morning, so there was almost no traffic and and since the city is relatively flat and has almost no hills, it was a relaxing and fun ride!
The tour began at the meeting point in the San Telmo neighborhood. We were so lucky to have the tour with our guide Jonah, also known as the King of Candy Quests and Questions. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires (so called Porteño), so it was interesting to explore and understand the city from his eyes and learn from him about the backgrounds and contrasts of the different areas we came across. Besides English and Spanish, Jonah also speaks Hebrew, which was an extra pleasant surprise for us! After we had a safety talk and a group introduction, we were ready to begin our adventure with our comfy new beach cruisers.
While leading us through the city, Jonah kept the tour intriguing and engaging by adding in lots of humor and energy. He of course shared his extensive cultural and historical knowledge of the neighborhoods and sightseeing, and basically kept us thinking and laughing throughout the whole day. Jonah was certainly the best guide we could ask for!
First, we rode through the streets of San Telmo and stopped at Lezama park, located at the border of La Boca. We came across the beautiful El Monumento a la cordialidad argentino – a friendship monument Uruguay gave to the city of Buenos Aires.
Then we stop at the Boca Juniors Stadium and from there we went to the famous Caminito in La Boca, where the art market takes place on the weekends. We stopped here to enjoy the tango culture of the barrio and explore the colorfully painted houses and the many artisan goods. As we soaked in the sights, Jonah served us (and also showed us how to make) some traditional yerba mate along with dulce de leche and classic Don Satur sweet biscuits, which are the traditional Argentine combination with a fresh brewed yerba mate.
After La Boca , we went to Puerto Madero to enjoy the fresh air by the riverfront and to see La Puente de la Mujer (the Women's Bridge). It was interesting to see the contrast between the new modern skyscrapers versus the old British colonial structures.
We went to Rio de la Plata for a short rest and then rolled through the surroundings of the city's breezy ecological reserve.
We stopped for lunch and had delicious bondiola and choripan sandwiches from the kiosk parillas on Costanera. Jonah gave us a few surprises along the way, but of course I won't give away all his secrets. However, one of the best surprises was at this lunch: fernet mixed with cola, which is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in Argentina.
We had a stop at the beautiful Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, and then we headed to the famous elegant Recoleta Cemetery where Evita's tomb amongst many other historical figures are buried. Just outside the cemetery, we stopped for a walk around Plaza Francia where the artisan market takes place on Sundays.
After just a few more blocks we arrived to the Statue of General Jose de San Martin, Argentina's National Hero. This is where we took our group photo to "officially" mark this amazing day.
And finally we cycled to Plaza de Mayo, the famous political center of Argentina, and the most important historical site in Buenos Aires used for ceremonies, rallies, and protests.
After covering 26 km ride we were exhausted but happy, although pretty sad the tour was over!
Biking through this colourful, complex and fast-paced city was an exciting adventure. Although we've been in Buenos Aires in the past, our tour with BBA introduced us to new parts of the city that we'd never seen before.
Biking Buenos Aires offers visitors a unique chance to absorb and discover the city's landscape, sounds, smells, and rhythms. Whether you've just arrived at Buenos Aires for the first time or been traveling here for a while, this tour is simply not to be missed!
*Special thanks to Lucas Bois for his inspiring photography.


Who ever thought you could turn a tomato cage into a lighted outdoor Christmas tree? I used the battery operated lights from my website (you can find them here), and some tomato cages I had in my garage to make beautiful outdoor Christmas decorations. I think it's one of my favorite DIYs ever!


Single appliance Security Checkup (gateway + management on same appliance)?
Between the Gateway, Management, and SmartEvent, quite a lot is going on with the appliance.
The Security Checkup report tries to balance this, showing you some (but not all) details.
In some situations, even in the default condition, you may need to shut down/disconnect the mirror port to allow SmartEvent to correlate all the events and/or run the report.
I assume you can modify the number of rows shown in the report, but that will obviously require more time to generate said report.


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BusinessTechnology
EU clears Dell's $67 billion purchase of EMC
by John Howard February 29, 2016, 9:49 am 459 Views
The European Commission has approved Dell Inc's planned $67 billion purchase of data storage company EMC Corp.
The massive technology merger was first announced in October 2015. If approved the merger would be the largest in the technology industry sector.
Dell says the merger would allow it to better compete with the likes of Cisco Systems Inc, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard in cloud computing, mobility and cyber security.
The European Commission approved the deal while noting that even with the massive purchase, the combined company would still only control a moderate market share in external enterprises storage systems.
The EU said EMC's VMare, which has a strong foothold in virtualization, would not gain enough power to push out competitors.
EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: "Given the strategic importance of the data storage sector, I am pleased that we have been able to approve Dell's multi-billion dollar takeover of EMC within a short space of time while making sure that there would be no adverse effects on customers."
DellEMCEuropean CommissionMergers and Acquisitions
Written by John Howard
John Howard is the Business Editor at BusinessPundit.com. He is an avid watcher of markets, a wallflower of retail, and a fan of disruptive businesses that utilize technology and unique ideas to form brilliant new ways of doing business.
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Heads up if you have an iPhone!!!
Did someone lose a bet?
More "Road Rangers" are being added to I-95.
Should 911 dispatchers be considered "public safety personnel"?
"The Angel Fund" is an awesome way to help those in need!
Heads up. New school bell schedule.


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District Court Decision Casts Doubt on Planned Revisions to USEPA's Municipal Stormwater Regulatory Program
A recent decision from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that the Clean Water Act (CWA) does not authorize USEPA to regulate stormwater volume, or "flow," as a surrogate measure for individual pollutants such as sediment contained in municipal stormwater runoff. The decision may cause difficulties for USEPA's planned revisions to its municipal stormwater regulatory program, which have been
expected to focus on reducing stormwater pollution from areas of new development and redevelopment by setting restrictions for pollutants via a surrogate measure such as runoff volume or impervious surface area.
In April of 2011, USEPA established a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for a small tributary of the Potomac River located in Fairfax County, Virginia, which limited the allowable rate of stormwater runoff in the watershed to 681.8 cubic feet per acre-day. The TMDL was designed to regulate the amount of sediment entering the creek, because USEPA believed that sediment was the primary cause of impairment to the biological community in the creek. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Virginia Department of Transportation challenged USEPA's action on the basis that USEPA did not have the statutory authority to regulate flow as a "surrogate" for the actual pollutant – sediment – that was causing the water quality impairment.
However, in its January 3, 2013 decision, the District Court held that "stormwater runoff is not a pollutant, so USEPA is not authorized to regulate it via a TMDL." The Court also noted that, although USEPA had previously issued thousands of TMDLs for sediment nationwide, it had tried the novel approach of regulating "flow" in only four instances—all of which were challenged in court. This decision marks the first time a federal court has squarely addressed USEPA's attempt to regulate stormwater volume directly under the CWA.
When USEPA developed its original "Phase I" municipal stormwater regulations in 1990, it included a requirement for large cities to develop controls to reduce the discharge of pollutants from storm sewers that receive discharges from areas of new development and redevelopment. The "Phase II" regulations promulgated in 1999 required smaller cities to develop similar programs for new development or redevelopment projects covering one acre or more. In "guidance," USEPA suggested that such programs should "attempt to maintain pre-development runoff conditions" and "minimize impervious surfaces," but the rule itself did not dictate any specific requirements, and the preamble recognized that "land use planning is within the authority of local governments."
In 2006, however, USEPA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a comprehensive review of its stormwater program. The final 2008 NRC Report found that the conversion of land to urban and suburban use and resulting alterations in stormwater flows had profoundly degraded water quality and habitat in urban streams. The report suggested that, although the CWA ostensibly regulates only the discharge of "pollutants," using increases in flow in urban watersheds as a "proxy" seems a "reasonable interpretation of the statute." Drawing upon the recommendations in the NRC Report, USEPA announced its intention to move forward with a nationwide rulemaking to address stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment, stating that it planned to take "final action" on the new requirements no later than November 2012.
USEPA's plans to change the focus of its municipal stormwater regulatory program drew extensive comments from the regulated community, many of which expressed concern about USEPA's attempt to enact regulations that are not based on actual pollutant discharges, but on "surrogates". They pointed out that recent court decisions had made it clear that USEPA only has the authority to regulate "actual" discharges of pollutants from point sources, and not "potential" discharges. USEPA, itself, encountered difficulty in preparing a meaningful estimate of the
costs and benefits of its anticipated regulatory changes. Given these difficulties, the agency was forced to extend its deadline for issuing the proposed and final regulations several times, with the proposed rule now expected by June 10, 2013 and final action by December 10, 2014.
Nevertheless, the potential impact of the new regulations is already clear in the municipal stormwater permit issued to the District of Columbia by EPA Region 3 on September 30, 2011. Touted as being a model for other cities, the permit requires the District to ensure that all new development projects over 5,000 square feet will achieve on-site retention of 1.2" of rain from a 24-hour storm, and to establish a program to "retrofit" 18 million square feet (413 acres) of existing impervious surfaces over the 5-year permit term (including 1.5 million square feet located in transportation rights of way). "Retrofit" is defined as improvement in a previously developed area that results in reduced stormwater discharge volumes and pollutant loads.
Similarly, USEPA's new agenda was reflected in an informal guidance memorandum released in November 2010, which suggested that when state and federal permitting authorities are developing TMDLs and Wasteload Allocations (WLAs) for stormwater sources, "it may be suitable to establish a numeric target for a surrogate pollutant parameter, such as stormwater flow volume or impervious cover, that would be expected to attain water quality standards." The memorandum also stated that, because it is "difficult" to identify a specific pollutant (or pollutants)
causing water quality impairments, using a surrogate parameter in developing WLAs for waters impaired by stormwater sources may be an "appropriate approach" for restoring such waterbodies.[7]
The District Court's decision, however, throws the legal authority for this entire regulatory approach into doubt. USEPA currently projects that its final rule will include some form of retention-based performance standard to reduce pollutant loads from the increased volume and velocity of stormwater discharges at newly developed and redeveloped sites, and that it may also include requirements for retrofiting of existing impervious surfaces. This opinion, however, forcefully states that USEPA may not regulate something over which it has no statutorily granted power (nonpollutants) as a "proxy" for something over which it is granted power (pollutants). Since the CWA prohibits only "the discharge of a pollutant," and requires municipal stormwater permits "to reduce the discharge of pollutants," USEPA's plans to establish nationwide standards for reductions in stormwater flow or impervious surface area are certain to be challenged in the courts. It remains to be seen if USEPA will seek appellate review of this decision or attempt to find another legal rationale for its new regulatory program.
Tags: Flow, Stormwater