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The acrimony on increasing the debt ceiling is hitting a fevered pitch, and the likelihood of a technical default on US debt is unfortunately becoming a larger possibility each day. I wondered whether there was anything one could learn by looking at the personal financial filings of some of the people opposed to raising the ceiling and/or incorporating increased revenues in stabilizing the country. Does the way they run their portfolios match or conflict with what they are advocating at the national level? Are there direct or potential conflicts of interest?
Private spending as a window to public positions?
To do this, I pulled the financial disclosure forms of four individuals: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), and his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). I looked at their most recent filing (2009 or 2010), as well as the first year they were a member of Congress to see any major changes. All have been rather vocal opponents of larger government, increasing the debt ceiling, or of including policy changes that boost revenues, even if those changes are merely to eliminate tax breaks rather than increasing the marginal tax rate overall. All of the Members examined are Republicans, simply because the opposition to avoiding default by increasing the debt ceiling has mostly been a Republican position. Perhaps others can dig into the portfolios of some on the Democratic side of the aisle to assess whether their investment style highlights concerns as well.
To begin, it is a wonderful thing to be able to actually see the financial condition and positions of the people who govern us. While the reports (I pulled my copies from opensecrets.org) are not perfect, they do provide an important check to corruption and conflicts of interest. They tell us the assets our officials own, as these can influence what issues they view as important and how they want them to come out. The disclosure reports tell us what the Members buy or sell and when, important in evaluating potential misuse of Committee positions or insider information. Finally, they can tell us if particular Members are facing financial distress or large declines in their wealth, factors that could make them more vulnerable to improper activities. Imagine being able to see similar information for world leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Robert Mugabe, or Hosni Mubarak.
Now, on to their portfolios.
1) All four are richer than the median US family. While many citizens struggle to stay out of debt, all four had a positive net worth. Even at the low end, this was comparable to or higher than the net worth ($120k in 2007) for the median US household (see Table 720). The financial disclosure reports present only range values for each holding, resulting in an ever-larger spread between high- and low-end estimates as the number of positions increase. Thus, Rep. Bachmann has a net worth that could be a low as $112k, or as high as $1.7million, fifteen times higher. Sen. Rand Paul is in a similar situation, with a net worth spread of $129k to $1.48 million. Cantor and Ron Paul are in a different category, with net worths of $2.2 - $7.5m and $2.3 - $5.1m respectively. While certainly not on the order of wealth that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has ($183 - 295m), the four still do have more of a financial cushion to fall back upon than many Americans.
2) Despite positive net worth, all would see large financial losses following a US default. Although the technical default would initially apply only to US Treasury securities, the default is widely expected to cause severe dislocations in nearly all other asset classes. This would be similar to the meltdown in 2008, when equities large and small, domestic and foreign, all took a hit. So did bonds of nearly all types and grades. Real estate went into free fall, and illiquid partnership interests had a difficult time finding buyers at all. Even energy plummeted as the recession took a bite out of demand.
The assets held by three of the four members evaluated fall into one or more of the asset categories battered by the subprime mortgage-triggered recession. These members would be expected to see large investment declines in a Treasury default as well. Ron Paul is the most buffered (more on that below), though even precious metals fell during the last recession as gold was lumped in with other commodities and inflation risks that play a role in investing in gold declined.
It is actually a good thing for Members of Congress to see personal financial losses if they screw up though; it aligns their interests more closely with ours, and increases the chances they will work successfully to avoid defaulting.
3) Is anybody betting against the US?
I looked at their current portfolios to see whether there were any positions that would be likely to do well in the case of a default or near-default. In theory, this could generate a financial interest misaligned with the average voter.
There were a few candidates for further evaluation: shorting Treasuries, concentrated positions in precious metals, and high international holdings.
Shorting treasuries. Eric Cantor has been excoriated in a number of places (here's a link to one article on Salon) for shorting Treasury bonds. He holds between $1-15k in Proshares Trust Ultrashort 20+ year bond fund. This holding is certainly a problem, since it will do well if Treasuries do poorly. However, the WSJ points out that Cantor is also long in Treasuries in his retirement account and his spokesperson told that Journal that the short position merely hedges part of that exposure. If the Ultrashort fund moves 200% opposite the direction of Treasuries (this is its mandate), his short position is at most $30k. Even incorporating the leverage, however, his long positions in Treasuries were larger ($50-100k in Vanguard TIPS [Treasury Inflation Protected Securities] plus $1-15k in Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Fund). TIPS are likely to see declines during a default. Thus, even in the very unlikely event that a default will not spread contagion beyond the Treasury bond asset class, Cantor is a net long and will suffer more from a default than he will gain.
That said, the Ultrashort products really don't provide much of a useful long-term hedge strategy, and his position isn't large enough to provide any significant cover portfolio-wide. Further, they sure create the appearance of a conflict of interest. That appearance would turn into a real one should Cantor sell the position during a period of uncertainty at a gain. Given these factors, the position seems more trouble than it is worth.
Stocking up on precious metals. In times of great uncertainty, precious metals surge. This is happening now, and metals would most likely spike still further following a default in the world's reserve currency. Of the four Members evaluated, this outcome would mostly benefit Ron Paul. He holds large concentrated interests in a slew of mining companies and metal funds, heavily focused on gold. The largest of his positions are Agnico Eagle Mines (international gold mining, at $100-250k), AngloGold Ashanti ($100-250k); Barrick Gold ($250-500k); Eldorado Gold Corp ($50-100k), Gold Corp Inc. ($500-$1,000k), Golden Star Resources ($15-50k), IAM Gold Corp ($100-$250k), Kinross (gold, $15-50k), Mag Silver Corp ($50-100k), Newmont Mining ($250-500k), Pan American Silver ($50-100k); Silver Wheaton Corp ($50-100k), Virginia Mines ($15-50k), and many smaller positions in precious metals firms. The elder Paul also holds a number of real estate properties, and at least one fund betting on market downturns (Prudent Bear Mutual Fund, $1-15k).
While his concentrated positions in gold may derive from his ideological goals of getting rid of the Fed and shifting back to the Gold Standard rather than a desire to cash in on a US default and downturn, it is nonetheless quite plausible that he would benefit substantially from such an occurrence. (As an aside, gold mining is a nasty business; it would be interesting to know whether Paul takes any position on which firms he puts his money in; and whether he supports the "No Dirty Gold" standards).
While the economic malaise following a US default would certainly affect his real estate and mutual funds, of the four Members, Ron Paul has the greatest likelihood of being a net winner financially from the turmoil.
His son Rand has much less wealth than Ron, and is invested via widely diversified mutual funds and tax-advantaged college savings plans. He also derives income from real estate holdings.
Eric Cantor has concentrated holdings in range of natural resource firms (more on this below), but more focused on energy than in precious metals. Michele Bachmann is similar to Rand Paul with primarily diversified funds and little to gain financially from a flight to gold or economic instability.
International stocks and currencies. One might theorize that declining power of the US following a default would depress US equities, and that foreign holdings would do much better. This is overly simplistic in my view. Large US firms have substantial earnings from outside the US; and large foreign firms have substantial earnings within. Further, there is no magic firewall between US debt markets and global capital markets. The uncertainty will spread widely across asset classes. Even if foreign positions fell a bit less than US ones, they would still fall sharply, leaving the long investor worse off.
Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that three of the four Congress members evaluated have substantial global diversification (Rand Paul doesn't provide enough specifics on which mutual funds he's in to tell). There is no "Buy America" in force when it comes to their own investments. For Ron Paul, this is through a wide array of international mining operations. Of Rep. Bachmann's 13 mutual fund positions, five of them are all or largely international, including her largest mutual fund position (Capitol World Growth & Income Fund, $50-100k). Rep. Cantor owns mostly larger firms with a combined domestic and international presence, but also a couple of focused non-US funds: Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets ($1-15k) and Claymore ETF Trust 2 (investing in Chinese technology firms, $1-15k). I did not see any significant investments in foreign currencies or bonds, though positions may be embedded in some of the funds owned.
Overall, the international diversification provides Members with some protection against a weakening dollar, but is unlikely to provide shelter following a Treasury default.
4) Impediments to reforming tax subsidies. All of the four have looked unfavorably at including revenue increases in any deal to boost the debt ceiling. This includes eliminating at least some of the many distortionary tax breaks that now populate our tax code for the benefit of constituent groups or particular social objectives.
As documented in Pew's Subsidyscope project, Treasury losses through tax expenditures are now almost as large as discretionary spending (see Figure 1 below, based on GAO data). These are selective tax breaks, often politically motivated, to support specific industries or individuals. Their impact is to force higher taxes on the rest of us (or to run higher deficits if the lost revenue is not made up elsewhere), and to generate an uneven competitive playing field as some market partcipants pay lower taxes than do competitors with substitute goods or services.
Fixing these problems would have enormous fiscal and competitive benefits for the country. There are, of course, always some losers from reform. These losing firms are often large political donors, which is a key reason fixing the problems is so hard. But nearly $1 trillion in tax breaks can no longer be ignored given the fiscal situation the country is in.
Figure 1: Discretionary Outlays vs. Tax
Expenditure Estimates in Constant Dollars
($ billions)
Total Discretionary Outlays
Sum of Tax Expenditure Estimates
Source: GAO analysis of OMB budget reports on tax expenditures, FY1982-FY2009.
Note: The tax expenditure data from FY2000-FY2009 can also be found
in Pew's Tax Expenditure Database (Subsidyscope has not adjusted the estimates for inflation).
Subsidies to energy and metals industries. Both Ron Paul and Eric Cantor would suffer financially from eliminating tax breaks to energy and mining industries. Because of his skewed portfolio, I expect the costs would be larger for Paul than for Cantor. Affected provisions include percentage depletion allowances that allow tax deductiosn in excess of actual investments; antiquated rules for hardrock mining (this includes gold, silver, bauxite and uranium, among others on federal lands) land rights, royalties, and cleanup; and a slew of tax breaks for oil, gas, and ethanol.
These tax breaks are not limited to domestic producers. Percentage depletion subsidies normally apply to foreign mines if owned by a US taxpaying entity. International operations also benefit from dual capacity rules that sometimes allow royalties on energy or mineral extraction to be disguised as foreign taxes, earning a credit rather than a mere deduction from US taxes owed.
Ron Paul has few energy companies, but Cantor has quite a few single asset positions in both mining and energy: Archer Daniels Midland (ethanol and corn, $15-50k); Cameco (uranium mining, $1-15k); Consolidated Edison (power, $15-50k); Dominion (electricity and natural gas, $1-15k; one of his larger campaign donors); Georgia Power (debt, $1-15k); Newmont Mining ($15-50k), Rio Tinto (mining, $1-15k), San Juan Basin Realty Trust (oil and gas, $1-15k); Schlumberger (oil field service, $50-100k); SPDR Metals & Mining ETF ($1-15k).
These positions may be one reason why Cantor has been lukewarm at best on eliminating misguided subsidies to oil and gas. However, his exposure to real estate, particularly in Virginia, is much larger than his exposure to energy firms. So too are his family's holdings in firms for which his wife serves as a director (Domino's Pizza, $1-15k in stock, $100-250k in options; Media General, $1-15k in stock; $250-500k in deferred stock compensation).
Subsidies to mortgage interest, college funds, and retirement funds. All of the Members evaluated have benefited from at least one of these tax breaks over time. Cantor's wife works in the college fund industry, and their portfolio is peppered with 529 plans. Rand Paul also has a few. All have tax-advantaged retirement accounts; two have had residential mortgages. While these are tax breaks that I also like and benefit from, it is useful to remember that they also tend to disproportionately benefit wealthier people. When members of Congress push to cut housing support for the poor, but fight tooth and nail to protect mortgage interest deductions -- even for very expensive or second homes -- one can quickly see why ignoring the revenue side makes no sense.
Subsidies to dividends and capital gains. With positive net worth that is held not only through home ownership (a main store of wealth historically for most Americans) but in stocks as well, all four benefit from lower tax rates on stock dividends or long-term gains from selling appreciated stock positions. These tax rates can be half that paid on ordinary income.
5) Use of debt in personal finances. I was interested in how these individuals used debt in their personal lives and whether there were any disparities between personal use of debt and their positions on public debt.
Ron Paul reported no debt on his last financial disclosure form, though did carry two mortgages in 1994, his first year filing. One of those mortgages was $50-$200k, issued by Countrywide Funding Corporation. Countrywide subsequently became the poster child for improper mortgage practices, including offering VIP rates to members of Congress. (Note: there is no indication that Rep. Paul benefited from one of these sweetheart deals, however.)
Eric Cantor's debt load was 10% or less of his family assets. Michele Bachmann had two loans, a mortgage in the amount of $250-500k; and a business loan for $100-250k. This generated a debt level commensurate with 36-41% of her assets. For Rand Paul with roughly $200-500k in commercial mortgages, his debt level is 29-32% of his assets.
Comparisons with national debt are a bit tricky. Debt is approaching 100% of our GDP, but GDP is a flow-measure, not a stock of assets similar to the values included in the personal financial disclosure forms. While the share of net assets would be lower, the scale remains worrying.
Still, it is useful to note that all of the Congressional members here relied on debt at one point in their life. Further, this reliance on debt might be even more striking were we to look at their campaign finances, particularly after their first runs for Congress, rather than just their personal accounts. Clearly, they all have seen that debt can be useful; it is merely ensuring that the levels stay in control.
6) Other general thoughts on the financial disclosure forms.
Aside from making a general point about the gold standard, from a financial diversification perspective Ron Paul's portfolio structure seems insane. He's had a grand run recently with the global run-up in gold and silver prices. But if I were his family member, I'd be working hard to get him to do some serious asset diversification.
Michelle Bachmann has so many mutual funds that some of them are likely overlapping with each other in holdings or conflicting in mandates. This overlap often results in index-like returns but with active management fees. More to that point, most or all of the funds she holds seem to be actively managed rather than passive ETFs or broad index funds. The active funds have higher fees, higher tax costs from churn, and over the long-term often under-perform the very inexpensive ETFs.
Bachmann's first filing (for 2005-06) had a detailed listing of honoraria paid to both her and her spouse. These are nowhere to be seen in the most recent filing, though it would be a surprise if such engagements had stopped. All that shows up now is a single line item titled "spouse salary," with "N/A" listed for amount. This seems a large gap in the reporting framework for all Members, as only in an imaginary world would large compensation sources to a spouse have no impact on the decisions or views of the Member.
Eric Cantor's portfolio structure seems to me to be quite haphazard, with a mix of fairly large individual stock positions, mixed in with assorted funds. Most of the funds held in his first filing in 2000 were from Goldman Sachs. Quite a few Goldman funds remain today. Goldman is not normally viewed as a mutual fund leader, so the concentration there is financially puzzling. Politically, there seem to be employment and campaign ties however (Goldman was the fourth largest donor to his campaign and some of the listed investments came from a Goldman Sachs retirement plan). Also puzzling is Cantor's decision to proceed with holding fairly large individual stock positions in a domestic equity portfolio that doesn't seem fully diversified across sectors. Perhaps the positions are legacy, or part of an actively managed account where the manager believes he or she can outperform the benchmarks even on large and thoroughly researched domestic equities. Good luck with that. Under-performance is far more likely, especially after manager fees, trading costs, and taxes. The large, single positions also give a much greater perception of conflicts of interest than simply owning funds or ETFs.
Despite fairly substantial wealth, there is not much in the way of hedge funds or private equity holdings in the Holder or Ron Paul portfolios. This may make them more open to eliminating tax breaks to hedge fund manager's "carried interest", though political contributions from financial firms would obviously pressure them in the opposite direction.
There is not much clarity on the non-traded partnership and real estate holdings that many of the Members have. The dollars are sometimes quite large, but it is difficult to assess how these positions might bias Members without having further information on the deals and who else they involve.
Overall, three of the four Members evaluated are likely to suffer enough in a downturn that their interests in avoiding default are aligned with the rest of us; the fourth will probably see large losses as well in a global contagion. All benefit significantly from specific tax breaks to portfolio holdings, and this may be an impediment to their moving forward with logical and beneficial corrections to our tax expenditure budget. That would be unfortunate.
UPDATE - December 27, 2011
In addition to betting against the country with their portfolios, Congress has often been attacked for using inside information they have on firms and pending legislation to profit in their market trading. A recent review (summarized in this Boston Globe op-ed) by Andrew Eggers at the London School of Economics and Jens Hainmuller at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that if Congressmen are investing based on insider information, they are doing a poor job of it. Analyzing the entire portfolios of members, the two found that:
members of Congress generally perform no better than ordinary investors. Over the 2004-2008 period, the stock portfoio of the average member of Congress underperformed the market by 2 to 3 percent per year. Put another way, in a five year period during which the market lost around 20 percent of its value, the average Congressional portfolio lost 30 percent. Even individuals whom Schweizer1 singles our for suspicious trades would probably have been financially better off if they had replaced their stock portfolios with a passive index fund.
1Author Peter Schweizer, who argued that insider trading within Congress was widespread in his book "Throw Them All Out".
Debt ceiling
Eric Cantor
Michele Bachmann
Read more about Debt Ceilings and Personal Finances: A Look at Eric Cantor, Michele Bachmann and Ron and Rand Paul
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Visit to Jolo, Sulu
Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Headquarters
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recognized the unrelenting service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid the continuing threats of terrorism and insurgency in the country on top of the pandemic.
In a speech before the AFP officers and enlisted personnel at the Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Headquarters in Jolo, Sulu, President Duterte commended the bravery of the military in keeping public order and showing exemplary heroism in the face of danger despite losing lives in the performance of operations.
"On behalf of a grateful nation, I convey my most profound sympathies to the grieving families for they are the ones who made the ultimate sacrifices in the name of peace. For that, we will forever be grateful," he said.
"Our progress as a nation has been hindered by the insurgency and terrorism for several decades. This is the reason why I have nothing but high praises and respect for all of you who are taking the risk to deter those who disrupt the peace of our country," the President added.
He also congratulated the brave men and women of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu and the 11th Infantry Division for their efforts and determination againt the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
"Our presence here is an assurance that we will not just honor those who have perished in this tragedy. We will also do everything in our power to prevent similar acts of cowardice and violence so that people will never experience them again," President Duterte affirmed.
The Commander-in-Chief remained hopeful that in the new year, the country shall continue to eliminate terrorist groups in Sulu for good. He called on everyone to remain vigilant and cooperative in order to achieve such goal.
"With your support, I remain confident that we will prevail over the challenges that confront us. Be assured that in time, Filipino people is behind you as you secure genuine and lasting change for our motherland," he said.
The President visited Jolo, Sulu for a series of engagements that included witnessing of the ceremonial distribution of food packs to a number of beneficiaries and conferment of the Order of Lapu-Lapu with the Rank of Kamagi to several recipients from the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Philippine Navy (PN).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Enjoy the software which already pre-installed in the tab including Internet Browser, Email, Video Player, Sound Record. Audio Player, Photo Browser, , Calculator and Ebook Support. Google Play is also included for easy downloading of additional apps and games to further enhance its computing and entertainment value.
Battery life of MW0731+ is up to 12 hours of audio and MW0831 is at up to 25 hours of audio.
The price of 7 inch tablet is at Php 5,999 and the 8 inch tablet is at Php 8,999.
AOC Breeze Tablets are available at authorized retailers nationwide and distributed EA Global Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.


Ieva is the Vice President of Telenor Research, and one of the leaders of Telenor-NTNU AI-Lab – a national powerhouse for AI and Machine Learning in Norway. Previously Ieva served as a senior research scientist and advisor in Telenor, a research fellow at BI Norwegian Business School and Fox School of Business (Temple University) and a Vice-Dean of the first business university in Lithuania. Her passion lies in building collaborative communities for the digital age and promoting women and young girls in tech.


● To prolong the life of your magnet, do not clean with abrasive materials as the surface can dent ( metallic ) and scratch easily. Do not clean with liquid.
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Home Top Stories Entertainment 'KonoSuba' Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer And Everything We Know...
'KonoSuba' Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer And Everything We Know So Far
Wednesday, 21 July 2021, 12:46 EDT
The official Twitter account of the show confirms that new production is in the works. As of now, there is not much information. However, they did mention that they would be updating a follow-up report.
KonoSuba! God's Blessing upon This Wonderful World!, Kono Subarashii Sikufuku who! was a light novel series written and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. It has a manga adaptation as well as a spinoff light novel series.
Konosuba Season 3 Release Date
Konosuba Season 3 Plot
KonoSuba Season 3 Trailer
KonoSuba Season 3 Cast
The anime's Twitter page announced news of KonoSuba on the 18th of July 2021.
????????新作アニメ制作決定!????????
『この素晴らしい世界に祝福を!』新作アニメの制作が決定いたしました!
新作アニメ告知ビジュアルを公開!
続報をお楽しみにお待ちください✨#このすば pic.twitter.com/xpdyP1He81
— アニメ『このすば』公式ツイッター (@konosubaanime) July 18, 2021
Translated into English: The tweet reads "New animation production decision!" This wonderful world is blessed! The production of a new animation was decided!
"New animation announcement visual published! You can look forward to the follow-up reports.
The announcement did not specify whether this was a third KonoSuba season or a similar spin-off project, but details are expected to be revealed in the follow-up post.
Fans can rest assured, however, that KonoSuba is coming back in some form. However, they may be waiting a while since the announcement suggested that production was still only beginning.
Unless Studio Deen has been secretly working on an unexpected release, KonoSuba's third season will be the earliest.2022Possibly even later if it's a feature movie.
It will be the longest-running episode of the series. Seasons one, two, and three aired in Japan in January 2016 and 2017, respectively. Legend of Crimson is due to air in August 2019.
KonoSuba tracks Kazuma Sato, the young boy who died from a heart attack after saving his girl from an incoming truck. After his death, however, he is transported into a world similar to that of a role-playing game (RPG). He soon forms a dysfunctional team with Aqua, Megumin, the knight Darkness, and goddess Aqua.
KonoSuba Season 3, which will adapt volumes six and seven of the light fiction series, was filmed in the first two episodes.
Warning: This is a spoiler alert. These volumes depict Darkness going to marriage with a lord.
Kazuma has been living in luxury since he won against the Devil King's advances. This sparks interest from The Crown. Princess Iris asks him for help in capturing The Chivalrous Thief Chris.
Kazuma is disgraced and exiled from his trusted party after a skirmish with the Devil King's Army ends in disaster. The former gamer-turned-reincarnate will then need to clear his name and discover a wide-reaching royal conspiracy.
Season three will likely also develop the budding romance between Kazuma & Megumin which was a key focus for the 2019 movie.
The trailer for KonoSuba Season 3 will not be available for quite some time, but the trailer for Season 2 may provide some refresher.
The cast of season three is still unknown, but we anticipate the same main cast to return.
KonoSuba Season 3


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Suzuki Cup preview: Singapore facing make-or-break tournament for new national project
Tatsuma Yoshida
Chia Han Keong
·Editor
2 December 2021, 8:58 pm ·3-min read
Japanese association football player
Ikhsan Fandi (right) celebrates with Safuwan Baharudin (second from left) after the defender scored a goal against Timor-Leste at the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup. (PHOTO: Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE — New beginning or false dawn? As Singapore embarks on another bid to be good enough to qualify for the Fifa World Cup, it will be hoping for an encouraging run by the Lions at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup to rally public support for its latest national football project.
Should the Lions manage to reach the semi-finals or do even better at the premier regional tournament on home ground, then it would at least provide a shot in the arm for the moribund state of football support in the city-state, given that the Lions have failed to advance out of the group stage in the past three Cup editions.
It is sometimes hard to believe that, less than a decade ago, Singapore were at the top of Southeast Asian football after winning their fourth AFF title in 2012. Yet the ensuing years of poor head-coach hirings and lack of young talents breaking through have conspired to sink Singapore football into mediocrity.
And just when it seemed as though the Lions' finally got a promising, progressive head coach in Tatsuma Yoshida in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the affable Japanese has found it hard to impose his ideas, with training being reduced to stops and starts.
The upcoming Suzuki Cup - itself being postponed from last year due to the pandemic - would be the 47-year-old's first major tournament in his two-and-a-half-year tenure. Yet it seems at times as if he is still figuring out the best squad to carry out his brand of high-intensity football.
Wins have also been hard to come by, despite signs of the Lions playing far more enterprising football than the dour days of previous head coach V. Sundramoorthy. They are struggling with a six-match winless run leading into this Suzuki Cup, although Yoshida has pleaded for patience and calm as the losses were inflicted by nations much higher in the Fifa world rankings.
Singapore national football team coach Tatsuma Yoshida with captain Hariss Harun. (PHOTO: PictoBank/Getty Images)
Another lacklustre campaign would be disastrous
To be fair, Yoshida does not have many top-tier talents to work with. Aside from dependable captain Hariss Harun, experienced playmakers Gabriel Quak and Faris Ramli, and raw striker Ikhsan Fandi, one would be hard-pressed to name any more game changers within the Lions squad.
They should still be capable enough to negotiate their Group A opponents - Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Timor-Leste - and advance into the Suzuki Cup semi-finals, given that all their group rivals have seen their national-team developments heavily disrupted by the pandemic and, in Myanmar's case, domestic political upheavals.
And after the three recent Cup failures in which the Lions have flattered to deceive, they can ill-afford another lacklustre campaign, considering that a successful launch of their "Unleash the Roar" project could hinge on a spirited run at this tournament.
The project - a well-meaning bid to revive the state of football in Singapore, hopefully culminating in eventual qualification for the World Cup Finals - is banking on getting the support of a nation who had been massively disappointed by the failure of Goal 2010, the previous attempt to make the World Cup Finals.
It is already a tough task convincing these doubtful fans, and it will be even harder should the Lions crash out of the Suzuki Cup group stage on home soil. And with little support and enthusiasm, the project could be in danger of suffering a stillbirth.
So the pressure is undoubtedly on Yoshida, Hariss and the rest of the Lions to show the public that it is worthwhile in having faith in them. For the sake of the sport's future in the country, Singapore have to find progress and success at this Suzuki Cup.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Man with history of housebreaking went into flat to steal money, drank from Coke can
Nepal starts giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
Nepal began giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots on Monday as coronavirus infections surged due to the spread of the Omicron variant, officials said. The booster shots will be restricted to frontline workers for one week from Monday, the Health Ministry said, after which they'll be offered to people 60 and older. "The booster shots will be given to those people who have completed six months after getting a second vaccine dose," the government said in a statement.
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Why Muay Thai Should Be Your Go-To Exercise For Weight Loss
Muay Thai is the type of martial arts that helps you reach your fitness goals in record time. But it takes consistency, effort, and exciting full-body workouts.
Rafael Nadal launched his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title Monday in blistering fashion -- a far cry from his "ugly" predicament one month ago and recent injury problems.
Fiji PM undergoes cardiac surgery, to be out of office for weeks
Fiji's veteran prime minister has undergone urgent cardiovascular surgery in Australia and is not expected to return to office until late February, the government announced in a late-night press conference Saturday.
The man who held four people hostage at a Texas synagogue was identified by US authorities as a British citizen Sunday while UK police later arrested two teens over an attack that President Joe Biden called an "act of terror."
A man who wanted to steal money to repay his loans broke into a house and drank from a can of Coca Cola taken from a fridge as he was thirsty.


After a local press meeting at AMDA Okayama office, AMDA coordinator has left Okayama train station at 10:07 in the morning. He will fly to Haiti from Narita Airport in Tokyo in the evening. According to AMDA Haiti AMDA might provide medical and relief good distribution in the townships of Miragoane in Nippes and Saint Louis du Sud and Aquin city in Aquin. Further update will be provided once AMDA coordinator meeta with AMDA Chapter chairperson and together access the local needs on the 9th and 10th of October.


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The Horizontal Leader
For centuries now, we have all been brought up with a certain image of the leader: be it the swashbuckling Alexander the Great, the charismatic Kennedy or even the iconic Jack Welch from the world of business. Leadership and Leaders are defined by their 'verticality', commander in chief of a huge army or the chief executive of a large organization. The size of their armies, the size of their organizations, their successes on the battlefield or in boardroom have become popular folklore. We read about them, see them on the TV or even pay to hear them talk. We come out feeling pumped, full of testosterone, ready to emulate them- to win, conquer and become, hopefully, another icon.
Something has changed in the 21st century that makes me question this definition of a leader. As the world gets flatter and faster, there are three changes that challenge the assumptions that made those leaders of the yesteryear appear in our bookracks.
First, the notion that we can conquer, control or even command the world or its people. In a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous) world, no one person can feel in-charge… we are constantly responding, reacting, reshaping to stay current.
Secondly, the world is so connected, it has grown smaller and bigger at the same time. Information is no longer privy to a few; it is a commodity. Also there is so much out there and there are so many ways to interpret it that one person cannot know it all, however much a genius that person maybe.
Thirdly, as every human being feels that he or she needs to be treated like a 'person', the notion of 'I say – you do', 'I think – you execute', is gone. Equality, equity and inclusiveness have become values that allow for individuality and no one likes to be 'commanded' anymore!
In other words, the world has gone flat and for me, this means that the world, at least the world of business, has gone horizontal. You hear new words that define a leader these days – authenticity, humility, listening, empowering, inspiring, etc. Consider how different this is from driving, commanding, authoritative, hard-charging and so on. We are suddenly in a different paradigm of leadership.
So how do we re frame our minds to the notion of the horizontal leader?
First, the horizontal leader is less about the size of an organization and more about the size of impact the person makes. We have been used to lofty titles and office sizes based on how large our organizations and teams were. That, in the new world, is not necessarily leadership; it is more 'positionship'. Instead, it is about the size of impact you are making. The new leader is an impact maker, a game-changer, and we recognize them for the disruption they have created. Leadership is about getting things done, not about the number of followers you have.
Secondly, the horizontal leader does not lead downward (since they don't necessarily have the big organization), they lead 'outward', i.e., they are less concerned about the position of a leader and more by the influence and impact they have. Therefore some of them may even choose not to lead the organization in the traditional sense of the word. They focus on their biggest and best strengths which may be creating enormous value but in a non-traditional way.
Thirdly, such leaders are more connectors, and less commanders. Connectors comes from connecting the dots among the various eco-systems and making sense out of it… then using this understanding to propel the organization in a new direction. Again, in a world of uncertainty, such folks develop an instinct for the future that allows the organization to push ahead of the curve.
Finally, for some reason, such people are high on the trust scale. They create a circle of trust around them. People follow them because they are genuine and human, vulnerable and imperfect, yet purposeful and risk-taking. They don't stand out because of who they are, they stand out because of what they do. They may not go out to be a leader, but they develop followers and hence they, by default, become leaders.
A vertical leader moves one-way: up and down; a horizontal leader moves in all directions. It is best practiced through outcomes you create, the trust you engender, the purpose you crystallize, and sometimes your ability to be a good follower. Leadership in this notion, is not a given, or a fixed attribute, but a state of mind and character.
Take a minute to reflect the potential implications of this shift, if you believe what I am saying. Who, then, are hi-potentials in a horizontal world? How then do we train people to be horizontal leaders? What does it mean for career paths which seem to lead upwards?
What kind of a leader are you? A 'vertical' one or a 'horizontal' one?
By Raghu Krishnamoorthy – [VP- Human Resources at GE Healthcare]


An old high school friend made fun of me the other day for having a bunch of dry "oooh this is what I'm working on now" entries -- thanks Jacqueline :P! Though, I know I'm guilty as charged, sometimes I just am that obsessed with what I'm working on, but most often, I'm at the same place Jeff was at a couple weeks ago, and just don't know what to write about!
So in the spirit of continuous improvement, let me know what you want to hear about from the perspective of a rising senior (!!!!!) at Olin!
In the meanwhile, I can't believe I already sat through Olin's second commencement, which was beautiful, classy, and yet very Olin. Congratulations to Olin College's second class, woo!
I really like that commencement, both last year and this year, has been not just a seniors-and-families event, but something that a considerable number of students in other classes, as well as all our faculty and staff are excited about -- one of the things I love about having a small, close community. While I'm always excited to see Olin grow and evolve, I hope we never outgrow being able to have a lot of inter-class interaction.
Conor Frackleton ('08), one of the junior class reps. helps us get an early start on fund raising for senior activities next year.
Me, Robin Maslowski ('07) and Angela Sharer ('09) are excited to see the sun finally come out after the ceremony. Picture taken on Angela's camera.
Olin really teaches us to do something different with our diplomas.


text:
\section{The fit procedure of the SiPM calibration spectrum}
\label{Fit}

To calibrate the SiPM, it is illuminated by the flashes produced by LED.
A typical SiPM response spectrum is shown in Fig.~\ref{ADC}a.
This histogram is fit to the convolution ($R$) of the pedestal spectrum ($B$)
obtained with the random trigger when the
LED is off and the SiPM response function to the LED flash ($L$) which will be described later.
To model the SiPM response it is very convenient to use the Fourier transform.
It will be denoted in the following by $^{\mathrm{F}}$ superscript.
The Fourier transform of the convolution of $B$ and $L$ is the product
$R^{\mathrm{F}}=B^{\mathrm{F}} L^{\mathrm{F}}$. Assuming the stability of LED and the pure Poisson distribution of
the photons detected by
SiPM, $L^{\mathrm{F}}$ can be modelled as
$$ L^{\mathrm{F}} = \sum_{n=0}^{+\infty} \frac{e^{-\mu}\mu^n}{n!}(P^{\mathrm{F}})^n = \exp \{\mu(P^{\mathrm{F}} - 1)\},$$
where $P^{\mathrm{F}}$ is the Fourier transform of the response to exactly {\em one photon},
$\mu$ is the
average number of photons detected by the SiPM. We use the fact that the response to
$n$ photons is $n$ convolutions of $P$ and thus has a Fourier transform $(P^{\mathrm{F}})^n$.
Due to the interpixel cross-talk one photon can fire more than one pixel. To describe this effect
we approximate $P^{\mathrm{F}}$ by
$$ P^{\mathrm{F}} = \frac{Q^{\mathrm{F}} + \epsilon (Q^{\mathrm{F}})^2 + \epsilon^2 (Q^{\mathrm{F}})^3 + \ldots + \epsilon^{k-1} (Q^{\mathrm{F}})^k
+ \ldots}{1 + \epsilon + \epsilon^2 + \ldots + \epsilon^{k-1} + \ldots} =
Q^{\mathrm{F}}\frac{1-\epsilon}{1-\epsilon Q^{\mathrm{F}}},$$
where $\epsilon$ describes the cross-talk probability,
$Q^{\mathrm{F}}$ is the Fourier transform of the SiPM signal distribution when exactly
{\it one\/} random {\it pixel\/} is fired.
The probability that one initial photon fires $k$ pixels drops proportionally to $\epsilon^{k-1}$. This is
described by the term $\epsilon^{k-1} (Q^{\mathrm{F}})^k$ in the enumerator. Denominator normalizes the
$P$ distribution to one.
The average number of pixels fired by one photon is
$\frac{1+2\epsilon+3\epsilon^2+\ldots+k\epsilon^{k-1}+\ldots}{1+\epsilon+\epsilon^2+\ldots}=$
$(1-\epsilon)\cdot\frac{d(\epsilon+\epsilon^2+\epsilon^3+\ldots)}{d\epsilon}=$$1/(1-\epsilon)$.
As an approximation of $Q$ the normal or log-normal distribution is taken.
The former depends on two parameters: the width $\sigma$ and the position of the maximum $\Delta$.
The latter is the distribution of the variable whose logarithm is normally distributed:
$Q_{\rm log-n}(x, \sigma, \Delta, \eta) =
\frac{\eta}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma\sigma_0}\exp(-\frac{\ln^2(1-\eta(x-\Delta)/\sigma)}{2\sigma_0^2}-\frac{\sigma_0^2}{2})$,
where $\sigma_0 = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\ln 2}}\sinh^{-1}(\sqrt{2\ln 2}\eta)$.
$\Delta$ is again position of the maximum
and $\eta$ is the additional asymmetry parameter.
Due to asymmetry, $\Delta$ can be different from the average signal of one pixel, i.e. the mean of the $Q$
distribution \mbox{$<\!\!x_Q\!\!>\ne \Delta$}.

If $Q$, $B$ and $R$ functions are normalized so that they have unit integrals, the resulting
formula for the Fourier transform of the fit function is
$$ N \cdot R^{\mathrm{F}} = N \cdot B^{\mathrm{F}} \exp\{\mu\frac{Q^{\mathrm{F}}-1}{1-\epsilon Q^{\mathrm{F}}}\},$$
where $N$ is the total number of entries in the histogram.
It is found that such a fit function can describe
large variety of LED spectra for different SiPMs, bias voltages and LED intensities.

Using this formula one can calculate the mean and the second central moment (variance)
of the modelled response function.
To calculate the mean one should multiply the average number of detected photons $\mu$
by the average response to one photon and add pedestal: \mbox{$<\!\!R\!\!> = \mu <\!\!x_Q\!\!> /(1-\epsilon) +
<\!\!B\!\!>$}. The second central moment can be written as
$\rm{var}(R) = \int L(x)\,x^2\,dx - \left(\int L(x)\,x\,dx\right)^2\ + \rm{var}(B)$.
The variance of $L$ distribution can be found using derivatives
of $L^{\mathrm{F}}$: it is proportional to
$- {L^{\mathrm F}}''(0) + {L^{\mathrm F}}'(0)^2 $.
For the normal distribution of $Q$ the calculation gives
$$\rm{var}(R) = \mu\left[ \Delta^2 \frac{1+\epsilon}{(1-\epsilon)^2} + \frac{(\sigma/\Delta)^2}{1-\epsilon}\right]
 + \rm{var}(B) .$$
The first term in the brackets shows how the variance increases with the cross-talk. The influence of
$\sigma$ through the second term is usually much smaller.
Using the {\it measured} SiPM calibration spectrum $R_{\rm data}$ one can calculate
\mbox{$<\!\!R_{\rm data}\!\!>$} and \mbox{$\rm{var}(R_{\rm data})$} and use
the formulae above to constrain $\mu, \Delta$ and $\epsilon$.
On the other hand $\Delta$ can be determined from the spectral power distribution $|R_{\rm data}^F|^2$,
where $|R_{\rm data}^F|$ is the absolute value of $R_{\rm data}$ Fourier transform. It has a maximum
at the harmonic with the period $\Delta$. $|R_{\rm data}^F|^2$ can be viewed as a Fourier transform of the
autocorrelation function $\int R(x+y) R(x) \, dx$. Since the statistical fluctuations in different bins
($x$ and $x+y$) of the SiPM response spectrum are not correlated, their contribution to the
autocorrelation function is small, and they do not produce harmonic in the
$|R_{\rm data}^F|^2$ power spectrum comparable in magnitude with the main harmonic with period $\Delta$.
This is similar to the Fourier decomposition of the white noise where two signals at different times
($x$ and $x+y$) are not correlated.
Thus abscissa of the point in the spectral power spectrum where $|R_{\rm data}^F|^2$ reaches the maximum
allows one to measure $\Delta$. The ordinate can be used to find $\sigma$, since
it is equal to $\exp\left(2\mu(\xi-1)/(1-\epsilon\xi)\right)$ where
$\xi=\exp\left(-2\left( \pi\sigma / \Delta\right)^2\right)$.
Here the Fourier transform is defined as $R^F(f) = \int R(x)\,\exp^{-2\pi i\,f x}\,dx$, i.e. with the normalization
similar to the Fast Fourier Transform algorithms.
In this way one can determine all 4
parameters $\mu,\ \epsilon,\ \Delta$ and $\sigma$ from $<\!\!R_{\rm data}\!\!>$, $\rm{var}(R_{\rm data})$
and $|R_{\rm data}^F|^2_{\rm max}$ even without fit. Usually this already gives a good accuracy.
To achieve even better description of the calibration data one needs to make a fit where these numbers can be
used as initial fit parameters.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


UC Contents: compact and detailed tables of contents; shows you what to say to call up any section or subsection of the UC manual in a single step. Download the full table of contents.
UC Task Tours: 36 practical tours that walk you through common tasks including sending email; accessing any file, folder or Web site; controlling your music player; navigating documents; cutting and pasting with the UC Clipboard files; and efficiently using programs like Word, Writer, Excel and PowerPoint. Compare UC steps to keyboard/mouse steps.


For my senior collection, I am drawing from a deeply personal source. I have suffered from anxiety and bouts of depression for nearly the past decade, which have gotten increasingly difficult since starting college. I have decided to make my struggles into my art and express myself to the fullest extent that I am able. Fashion has always been my release. Clothes are my comfort. In my collection, I am exploring the concept of making my of anxiety and depression into a tangible form through clothing. I will be using many surface design techniques, such as textile design, embroidery, and distressing. I will also be using silhouette manipulation in my fashion designs. Additionally, I will be working with unconventional materials, such as chain, to convey my theme.


10.12.10 New study says more autism cases found in children who had jaundice as newborns.
A new study out of Denmark suggests that newborn full-term babies who have jaundice may have a higher risk of developing autism than other infants, The Associated Press reports.
The findings, published online by the journal Pediatrics, emphasize that additional extensive research is necessary to establish a firm link between the two conditions and that parents should not worry, AP says. In fact, the study's results don't show whether jaundice actually causes autism, only that the two are often together.
Jaundice causes the skin to turn yellow because of high levels of a substance called bilirubin, according to our Fit Pregnancy health experts. Approximately 60 percent of full-term babies and 80 percent of preemies have jaundice, and are cured with simple measures and turn out fine, experts say.
The Danish study of nearly 734,000 children born between 1994 and 2004 found that babies with jaundice were 67 percent more likely than other babies to be diagnosed with autism, AP reports. The risk was even higher for babies born between October and March.
If you suspect your baby has jaundice, contact your health care provider. Treatments usually involve placing your baby under an ultraviolet light, extra fluids and a few minutes in sunshine a day.


text:
Contesting
From Amateur-radio-wiki
Revision as of 17:27, 10 November 2009 by Carlb (Talk | contribs) (→Contesting Calendars)
Related Wiki pages: ARDF, Awards and Certificates, Field day, What is a DX cluster?, International Events, Logging, DX devoted sites, DXCC
This page has been copied - with modification - from Wikipedia, under the terms of GPL. The original, fully referenced Wikipedia page can be found here.
Contesting (also known as radiosport) is a competitive activity pursued by amateur radio operators. In a contest, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, seeks to contact as many other amateur radio stations as possible in a given period of time and exchange information. Rules for each competition define the amateur radio Bands, the mode of communication that may be used, and the kind of information that must be exchanged. The contacts made during the contest contribute to a score by which stations are ranked. Contest sponsors publish the results in magazines and on web sites.
Contesting grew out of other amateur radio activities in the 1920s and 1930s. As transoceanic communications with amateur radio became more common, competitions were formed to challenge stations to make as many contacts as possible with amateur radio stations in other countries. Contests were also formed to provide opportunities for amateur radio operators to practice their message handling skills, used for routine or emergency communications across long distances. Over time, the number and variety of radio contests has increased, and many amateur radio operators today pursue the sport as their primary amateur radio activity.
There is no international authority or governance organization for this sport. Each competition is sponsored separately and has its own set of rules. Contest rules do not necessarily require entrants to comply with voluntary international band plans. Participants must, however, adhere to the amateur radio regulations of the country in which they are located. Because radio contests take place using amateur radio, competitors are generally forbidden by their national amateur radio regulations from being compensated financially for their activity. High levels of amateur radio contest activity, and contesters failing to comply with international band plans, can result in friction between contest participants and other amateur radio users of the same radio spectrum.
1 Contesting basics
2 Types of contests
3 History of contesting
4 Contesting activity
5 Station locations
6 Typical contest exchange
7 Logs and log checking
8 Results and awards
9 Contesting Calendars
10 Contesting Links
Contesting basics
Radio contests are principally sponsored by amateur radio societies, radio clubs, or radio enthusiast magazines. These organizations publish the rules for the event, collect the operational logs from all stations that operate in the event, cross-check the logs to generate a score for each station, and then publish the results in a magazine, in a society journal, or on a web site. Because the competitions are between stations licensed in the Amateur Radio Service (with the exception of certain contests which sponsor awards for shortwave listeners), which prohibits the use of radio frequencies for pecuniary interests, there are no professional radio contests or professional contesters, and any awards granted by the contest sponsors are typically limited to paper certificates, plaques, or trophies.
During a radio contest, each station attempts to establish two-way contact with other licensed amateur radio stations and exchange information specific to that contest. The information exchanged could include a RST signal report, a name, the state or province in which the station is located, the geographic zone in which the station is located, the Maidenhead grid locator in which the station is located, the age of the operator, or an incrementing serial number. For each contact, the radio operator must correctly receive the call sign of the other station, as well as the information in the "exchange", and record this data, along with the time of the contact and the band or frequency that was used to make the contact, in a log.
A contest score is computed based on a formula defined for that contest. A typical formula assigns some number of points for each contact, and a "multiplier" based on some aspect of the exchanged information. The rules for most contests held on the Very High Frequency (VHF) amateur radio bands in North America assign a new multiplier for each new Maidenhead grid locator in the log, rewarding the competitors that make contacts with other stations in the most locations. Many High frequency (HF) contests reward stations with a new multiplier for contacts with stations in each country - often based on the "entities" listed on the DXCC country list maintained by the American Radio Relay League ("ARRL"). Depending on the rules for a particular contest, each multiplier may count once on each radio band or only once during the contest, regardless of the radio band on which the multiplier was first earned. The points earned for each contact can be a fixed amount per contact, or can vary based on a geographical relationship such as whether or not the communications crossed a continental or political boundary. Some contests, such as the Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge, award points that are scaled to the distance separating the two stations. Most contests held in Europe on the VHF and microwave bands award 1 point per kilometre of distance between the stations making each contact.
After they are received by the contest sponsor, logs are checked for accuracy. Points can be deducted or credit or multipliers lost if there are errors in the log data for a given contact. Depending on the scoring formula used, the resulting scores of any particular contest can be either a small number of points or in the millions of points. Most contests offer multiple entry categories, and declare winners in each category. Some contests also declare regional winners for specific geographic subdivisions, such as continents, countries, U.S. states, or Canadian provinces.
The most common entry category is the single operator category and variations thereof, in which only one individual operates a radio station for the entire duration of the contest. Subdivisions of the single operator category are often made based on the highest power output levels used during the contest, such as a QRP category for single operator stations using no more than five watts output power, or a High Power category that allows stations to transmit with as much output power as their license permits. Multi-operator categories allow for teams of individuals to operate from a single station, and may either allow for a single radio transmitter or several to be in use simultaneously on different amateur radio bands. Many contests also offer team or club competitions in which the scores of multiple radio stations are combined and ranked.
Types of contests
A wide variety of amateur radio contests are sponsored every year. Contest sponsors have crafted competitive events that serve to promote a variety of interests and appeal to diverse audiences. Radio contests typically take place on weekends or local weeknight evenings, and can last from a few hours to forty-eight hours in duration. The rules of each contest will specify which stations are eligible for participation, the radio frequency bands on which they may operate, the communications Modes they may employ, and the specific time period during which they may make contacts for the contest.
The rules of a contest will indicate which stations are eligible to participate in the competition, and which other amateur radio stations they may contact. Some contests restrict participation to stations in a particular geographic area, such as a continent or country. Contests like the European HF Championship aim to foster competition between stations located in one particular part of the world, specifically Europe. There are contests in which any amateur radio station worldwide may participate and make contact with any other stations for contest credit. The CQ World Wide DX Contest permits stations to contact other stations anywhere else on the planet, and attracts tens of thousands of participating stations each year. In large contests the number of people taking part is a significant percentage of radio amateurs active on the HF bands, although they in themselves are a small percentage of the total amateurs in the world.
There are regional contests that invite all stations around the world to participate, but restrict which stations each competitor may contact. For example, Japanese stations in the Japan International DX Contest (sponsored by Five Nine magazine) may only contact other stations located outside of Japan and vice versa. There are also contests that limit participation to just the stations located in a particular continent or country, even though those stations may work any other station for points.
All contests use one or more amateur radio bands on which competing stations may make two-way contacts. HF contests use one or more of the 160 meter, 80 Meter, 40 Meter, 20 Meter, 15 Meter, and 10 Meter bands. VHF contests use all the amateur radio bands above 50 MHz. Some contests permit activity on all HF or all VHF bands, and may offer points for contacts and multipliers on each band. Other contests may permit activity on all bands but restrict stations to making only one contact with each other station, regardless of band, or may limit multipliers to once per contest instead of once per band. Most VHF contests in North America are similar to the ARRL June VHF QSO Party, and allow contacts on all the amateur radio bands 50 MHz or higher in frequency. Most VHF contests in the United Kingdom, however, are restricted to one amateur radio band at a time.
Contests exist for enthusiasts of all modes. Some contests are restricted to just CW emissions using the Morse code for communications, some are restricted to telephony modes and spoken communications, and some employ digital emissions modes such as RTTY or PSK31. Many popular contests are offered on two separate weekends, one for CW and one for telephony, with all the same rules. The CQ World Wide WPX Contest, for example, is held as a phone-only competition one weekend in March, and a CW-only competition one weekend in May. Some contests, especially those restricted to a single radio frequency band, allow the competing stations to use several different emissions modes. VHF contests typically permit any mode of emission, including some specialty digital modes designed specifically for use on those bands. As with the other variations in contest rules and participation structure, some contest stations and operators choose to specialize in contests on certain modes and may not participate seriously in contests on other modes. Large, worldwide contests on the HF bands can be scheduled for up to forty-eight hours in duration. Typically, these large worldwide contests run from 0000 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Saturday morning until the end of 2359 UTC Sunday evening. Regional and smaller contests often are scheduled for a shorter duration, with twenty-four hours, twelve hours, and four hours being common variations.
Many contests employ a concept of "off time" in which a station may operate only a portion of the available time. For example, the ARRL November Sweepstakes is thirty hours long, but each station may be on the air for no more than twenty-four out of the thirty hours. The off-time requirement forces competitive stations to decide when to be on the air making contacts and when to be off the air, and adds a significant element of strategy to the competition. Although common in the 1930s, only a small number of contests today take place over multiple weekends. These competitions are called "cumulative" contests, and are generally limited to the microwave frequency bands. Short "sprint" contests lasting only a few hours have been popular among contesters that prefer a fast-paced environment, or who cannot devote an entire weekend to a radio contest. A unique feature of the North American Sprint contest is that the operator is required to change frequency after every other contact, introducing another operational skills challenge. Whatever the length of the contest, the top operators are frequently those that can best maintain focus on the tasks of contest operating throughout the event.
The wide variety of contests attracts a large variety of contesters and contest stations. The rules and structure of a particular contest can determine the strategies used by competitors to maximize the number of contacts made and multipliers earned. Some stations and operators specialize in certain contests, and either rarely operate in others, or compete in them with less seriousness. As with other sports, contest rules evolve over time, and rule changes are one of the primary sources of controversy in the sport. The lack of a central governing body, the constantly evolving technological environment and the tendency of major contests to monopolise some parts of the frequencies allocated to radio amateurs, also contribute to debates about acceptable behaviour and use of equipment.
History of contesting
The origin of contesting can be traced to the Trans-Atlantic Tests of the early 1920s, when amateur radio operators first attempted to establish long distance radiocommunications across the Atlantic Ocean on the short wave amateur radio frequencies. Even after the first two-way communications between North America and Europe were established in 1923, these tests continued to be annual events at which more and more stations were successful in establishing two-way contacts over greater and greater distances. In 1927, the American Radio Relay League, which had been principal in organizing and publicizing these tests, proposed a new format for the annual event, encouraging stations to make as many two-way contacts with stations in other countries as possible. The 1928 International Relay Party, as the event was renamed, was the first organized amateur radio contest. The International Relay Party was an immediate success, and was sponsored annually by the ARRL from 1927 through 1935. In 1936, the contest name changed to the ARRL International DX Contest, the name under which it is known today.
To complement the burst of activity and interest being generated in DX (distance) communications by the popularity of the International Relay Parties, the ARRL adopted a competitive operating format for events designed for non-international contacts. The first ARRL All-Sections Sweepstakes Contest was started in 1930. The Sweepstakes required a more complicated exchange of information for each two-way contact that was adapted from the message header structure used by the National Traffic System. The competition was immediately popular, both with those operators active in the NTS who participated as an opportunity to gauge the merits of their station and operating skills, and among those for whom the competitive excitement of the event was the primary attraction. The contest, sponsored annually by the ARRL, became known as the ARRL November Sweepstakes in 1962
Another important innovation in early contesting was the development of field day operating events. The earliest known organized field day activity was held in Great Britain in 1930, and was soon emulated by small events through Europe and North America. The first ARRL International Field Day was held in July, 1933, and publicized through the ARRL's membership journal QST. Field day events were promoted as an opportunity for radio amateurs to operate from portable locations, in environments that simulate what might be encountered during emergency or disaster relief situations. Field day events have traditionally carried the same general operating and scoring structures as other contests, but the emphasis on emergency readiness and capability has historically outweighed the competitive nature of these events.
Modern contests draw upon the heritage of DX communications, traffic handling, and communications readiness. Since 1928, the number and variety of competitive amateur radio operating events have increased. In 1934, contests were sponsored by radio societies in Australia, Canada, Poland, and Spain, and the ARRL sponsored a new contest specifically for the ten meter amateur radio band. By the end of 1937, contests were also being sponsored in Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, and New Zealand. The first VHF contest was the ARRL VHF Sweepstakes held in 1948 and the first RTTY contest was sponsored by the RTTY Society of Southern California in 1957. The first publication dedicated exclusively to the sport, the National Contest Journa], began circulation in the United States in 1973. Recognizing the vitality and maturity of the sport, CQ Amateur Radio magazine established the Contest Hall of Fame in 1986. By the turn of the century, contesting had become an established world wide sport, with tens of thousands of active competitors, connected not just through their on air activities, but with specialist web sites, journals, and conventions.
Without a single world wide organizing body or authority for the sport, there has never been a world ranking system by which contesters could compare themselves. The vast differences contesters face in the locations from which they operate contests, and the effect that location has on both radio propagation and the proximity to major populations of amateur radio operators also conspired to make comparisons of the top performers in the sport difficult. The first World Radiosport Team Championship event was held in July, 1990 in Seattle, Washington, USA, and was an effort to overcome some of these issues by inviting the top contesters from around the world to operate a single contest from similar stations in one compact geographic area. Twenty-two teams of two operators each represented fifteen countries, and included some top competitors from the Soviet Union and nations of the former Eastern Bloc for whom the trip was their first to a western nation. Subsequent WRTC events have been held in 1996 (San Francisco, California), 2000 (Bled, Slovenia), 2002 )Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland), and 2006 (Florianópolis, Brazil). The closest thing to a world championship in the sport of contesting, WRTC 2010 will take place in Moscow, Russia,
Contesting activity
The scale of activity varies from contest to contest. The largest contests are the annual DX contests that allow world wide participation. Many of these DX contests have been held annually for fifty years or more, and have devoted followings. Newer contests, those that intentionally restrict participation based on geography, and those that are shorter in duration tend to have fewer participating stations and attract more specialized operators and teams. Over time, contests that fail to attract enough entrants will be abandoned by their sponsor, and new contests will be proposed and sponsored to meet the evolving interests of amateur radio operators.
In a specialised contest in the microwave frequency bands, where only a handful of radio amateurs have the technical skills to construct the necessary equipment, a few contacts just a few kilometers away may be enough to win. In the most popular VHF contests, a well-equipped station in a densely populated region like Central Europe can make over 1,000 contacts on 2 Meters in twenty-four hours. In the CQ World Wide DX Contest, the world's largest HF contest, leading multi-operator stations on phone and CW can make up to 25,000 contacts in a forty-eight hour period, while even single operators with world-class stations in rare locations have been known to exceed 10,000 contacts, an average of over three per minute, every minute. Over 30,000 amateur radio operators participated in the phone weekend of the 2000 CQ World Wide DX Contest, and the top-scoring single operator station that year, located in the Galápagos Islands, made over 9,000 contacts. Other HF contests are not as large, and some specialty events, such as those for QRP enthusiasts, can attract no more than a few dozen competitors.
Station locations
The geographic location of a station can impact its potential performance in radio contests. In almost all contests it helps to be in a rare location close to a major population center. Because the scoring formula in most contests uses the number of different locations contacted (such as countries, states or Maidenhead grid locator as a multiplier, contacts with stations in rare locations are in high demand. In contests on the VHF and higher frequency bands, having a location at a high altitude with unobstructed line of sight in all directions is also a major advantage. With range limited to around 1000 kilometers in normal radio propagation conditions, a location on high ground close to a major metropolitan area is an often unbeatable advantage in VHF contests. In the large international HF DX contests, stations in the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, close to Europe and eastern North America with their high densities of active contest stations, are frequently the winners. Aruba, Curaçao, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira Island, coastal Morocco and the islands of Trinidad and Tobago have been the sites of some of the most famous radio contesting victories in the large world wide contests. Competition between stations in large countries, such as Canada, Russia, or the United States can be greatly affected by the geographic locations of each station. Because of these variations, some stations may specialize in only those contests where they are not at a disadvantage, or may measure their own success against only nearby rivals.
Many radio amateurs are happy to contest from home, often with relatively low output power and simple antennas. Some of these operators at modest home stations operate competitively and others are simply on the air to give away some points to serious stations or to chase some unusual propagation. More serious radio contesters will spend significant sums of money and invest a lot of time building a potentially winning station, whether at home, a local mountain top, or in a distant country. Operators without the financial resources to build their own station establish relationships with those that do and "guest operate" at other stations during contests. Contesting is often combined with a DX-pedition, where amateur radio operators travel to a location where amateur radio activity is infrequent or uncommon.
Several contests are designed to encourage outdoor operations, and are known as field days. The motivating purpose of these events is to prepare operators for emergency readiness, but many enjoy the fun of operating in the most basic of circumstances. The rules for most field day events require or strongly incent participating stations to use generator or battery power, and temporary antennas This can create a more level playing field, as all stations are constructed in a similar manner.
Typical contest exchange
Contacts between stations in a contest are often brief. A typical exchange between two stations on voice — in this case between a station in England and one in New Zealand in the CQ World Wide DX Contest — might proceed as follows:
Station 1: CQ contest Mike Two Whiskey, Mike Two Whiskey, contest.
(Station M2W is soliciting a contact in the contest)
Station 2: Zulu Lima Six Quebec Hotel
(The station calling, ZL6QH, gives only his callsign. No more information is needed.)
Station 1: ZL6QH 59 14 (said as "five nine one four").
(M2W confirms the ZL6QH call sign, sends a signal report of 59, and is in Zone 14 (Western Europe).)
Station 2: Thanks 59 32 (said as "five nine three two").
(ZL6QH confirms reception of M2W's exchange, sends a signal report of 59, and is in Zone 32 (South Pacific).)
Station 1: Thanks Mike Two Whiskey
(M2W confirms ZL6QH's exchange, is now listening for new stations.)
On Morse code, suitable well-known abbreviations are used to keep the contact as brief as possible. Skilled contesters can maintain a "rate" over four contacts per minute on Morse code, or up to eight contacts per minute on voice during peak propagation periods, using this short format. The peak rate of contacts that can be made during contests that employ longer exchanges with more information that must be sent, received, and acknowledged, will be necessarily lower.
Logs and log checking
Most serious competitive stations log their contest contacts using contest logging software, although some continue to use paper and pencil. There are many different software logging programs written specifically for radio contesting. Computer logging programs can handle many additional duties besides simply recording the log data; they can keep a running score based upon the formula of the contest, track which available multipliers have been "worked" and which have not, and provide the operator with visual clues about how many contacts are being made on which bands. Some contest software even provide a means to control the station equipment via computer, retrieve data from the radio and send pre-recorded morse code, voice or digital messages. After the conclusion of a contest, each station must submit its operational log to the contest sponsor. Many sponsors accept logs by e-mail, by upload on web sites, or even by postal mail.
Once a contest sponsor receives all the logs from the competitors, the logs undergo a process known as "cross-checking." In cross-checking, the contest sponsor will match up the contacts recorded in the logs and look for errors or omissions. Most contests enforce stiff points penalties for inaccuracies in the log, which means that the need for speed in operation must be balanced against the requirement for accuracy. It is not uncommon for a station to lead in points at the end of the contest, but slip behind a more accurate competitor after the cross-checking process has assessed penalties. Some contest sponsors provide custom log checking reports to participating stations that offer details about the errors in their log and how they were penalized.CQ World Wide Contest Committee (2003). Guide to CQWW DX-Contest UBN and NIL Reports.
Results and awards
Most contests are sponsored by organizations that either publish a membership journal, or sell a radio enthusiast magazine as their business. The results of radio contest events are printed in these publications, and often include an article describing the event and highlighting the victors. Contest results articles might also include photographs of radio stations and operators in the contest, and a detailed listing of the scores of every participating station. In addition to publication in magazines and journals, many contest sponsors also publish results on web sites, often in a format similar to that found in print. Some contest sponsors offer the raw score results data in a format that enables searching or other data analysis. The American Radio Relay League, for example, offers this raw line score data to any of its members, and offers the summary report of the winners and the line score data in a non-searchable format to anyone through their web site. ARRL Contest Results.
Because radio contests take place using amateur radio, competitors are forbidden by regulation from being compensated financially for their activity. This international regulatory restriction of the Amateur Radio Service precludes the development of a professional sport. In addition to the recognition of their peers, winners in radio contests do, however, often receive paper certificates, wooden plaques, trophies, engraved gavels, or medals in recognition of their achievements. Some contests provide trophies of nominal economic value that highlight their local agricultural or cultural heritage, such as smoked salmon (for the Washington State Salmon Run contest) or a Twisted Oak bottle of wine (for the California QSO Party).
Contesting Calendars
ARRL contest calendar
VK Contest Club calendar of Australian contests
Contesting Calendar from WA7BNM. Contains calendars, rules and contact details for contests.
Contest Club Ontario calendar
CQ Contest Calendar Contests sponsored by CQ
International Contest Calendar from SM3CER
Contesting Links
Contesting.com A massive resource for contesters and anyone interested in finding out more.
Contesting wiki
WWYC World Wide Young Contesters
HF Contesting - Good Practices, Interpretations and Suggestions, ARRL, 18 Aug 2008
Operating procedures
Operation Callsigns and ITU prefixes * Codes and Alphabets * Modes * Morse code * Nets * UK licensing * Terminology
DX and Contesting Awards and Certificates * DXCC * DX cluster * Field day * Gridsquares * Logging * QSL and QSL Bureaus * Records - Distance
Emergencies Emergency Frequencies * ARES * IRESC * SATERN * Weather spotting
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Utilities Beacons (/B) and Time Beacons
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Nine men swore to protect all the roads leading into Jerusalem so that pilgrims could get to the sacred sites peacefully – just nine men!
Council of Troyes – turning point for the Templars?
It does seem unusual that the order didn't grow at all in its first decade. And yet, at the Council of Troyes in 1129, both Pope Honorius and the Patriarch of Jerusalem showered praise on the Templars and allowed them to wear a white mantle. Later they began to sew red crosses on to the front of these mantles.
With support from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux – who was a leading cleric of the time but also related to one of the founder Templars and from the same part of France – the order developed its own rule book. Money was pumped into the order through bequests by rich nobles. By 1170, there were 300 knights and "countless" Templar sergeants (a lower rank that could not wear the coveted white mantle).
The mystery though is why the order appeared to stand still in its first decade and yet suddenly expand at an incredible pace after 1129 – both in terms of members and wealth. Why did the King of Jerusalem give nine knights with bold claims control of the Temple of Solomon? And why were Popes so willing to make the Templars answerable only to themselves and to no king, prince or bishop – something that would come to generate intense hatred towards the Knights Templar.
As some would believe the original Templars discovered the old King Solomon's treasure buried hundreds of feet underground in the Temple of Solomon to hide it from raiders 600 years before. Apart from a huge store of gold and gems taken from Africa the Ark of the Covenant was also found there containing mysterious ancient secrets to immortal life and possibly with the ten tablets of the Ten Commandments. There is no doubt that when the Templars eventually left Jerusalem they took with them an immense treasure but it may be the mysterious secrets, nowadays said to be known by very high level Freemasons, that gave them their political and religious powers for many years after until their rout by King Phillip of France. The treasures and their secrets were taken in 18 boats to Roslyn in Scotland and from there to Nova Scotia (New Scotland) in Canada and buried where they are said to have been flooded by the sea.


Masala nachos are Indian version of nachos. It is prepared with wheat flour and some Indian spices, cut into the nachos shape and fried in Oil. It tastes delicious and very crispy. Masala nachos are great tea time snacks. I love to have them with ketchup or with cream cheese dip. Today I am sharing recipe of home made delicious and crispy nachos, follow my simple recipe to make one for your kids and family.
Nachos are invented in Mexico and popular all over the word. Traditional nachos prepared with fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers. Over the time there are lots of variation invented, according to the culture and food preferences of the people.
In India Nacho are gaining popularity and they are served in lots of restaurants, food chains and cafe. I had my first nacho in movie theatre and absolutely loved them. There are lots of restaurant served delicious varieties of nachos. I have tried many variations and my favourite one is grande chicken nachos. This freshly made nachos platter has crispy corn tortilla topped with shredded grilled chicken, black beans, cheese, sauce, sour cream and jalapeño.
This Mexican cuisine famous all over the world, because the recipe travel all over the world there are lots of variation invented with food preference of people around the world. Generally loaded nachos consist of tortilla chips and varieties of topping. Nachos are available with veg and non veg topping. Loaded nachos commonly topped with onion, olives, beans, meat, jalapeño, pickles, sour cream, sauces, salsa, cheese etc.
Some of famous variation which I have tried , barbecue nachos, they are served with barbecue sauce. Cheese nachos served with varieties of cheese and poutine nachos served with gravy. You can make your own version by adding your favourite toppings on nachos bowl.
Masala nachos commonly served as snacks. I love to have them in evening as a tea time snacks. They are also available in packets and great as munching snacks, baked version of nachos also gaining popularity because of its less oil content. Nachos platter can have as main course dish, it is huge nachos tray loaded with lots of good tuff like with veggie, meat and topping.
Masala nachos as they are fried item and prepared with wheat flour you can store them up to 10-15 days into an airtight container.
Masala nachos are quick recipe can be prepare under 20 minutes. Main ingredient used in making of masala nachos are wheat flour, coriander powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala and salt.
For making masala nachos first step is to knead a perfect dough to get crispy and delicious nachos. we are looking soft dough for making them crispy. In a mixing bowl add wheat flour and spices. I am also adding little bit oil, it will give perfect texture to nachos. Add water and knead a soft dough. Cover the dough and let it sit for 10 minutes.
When dough turn soft, take small portion and roll it thin. If it is difficult to roll apply some oil on the rolling pin. When you have thin circle start cutting it, into 8 pieces ( move pizza cutter vertical then horizontal later diagonally). Prick it all over by using fork it prevent forming any bubble in nacho while frying.
Another important step fry them into the right temperature. Oil should be moderately hot. To check the temperature drop small piece of dough into the oil, if it slowly come on the surface means oil is good for frying. Fry nachos on low-medium heat until turn golden brown.
Take them out on paper towel to soak any excess oil, serve nachos with ketchup or any dip. You can store them in air tight container.
Dough should be soft. If it is difficult to roll use oil instead of flour.
Fry nachos on low-medium heat, as they are very thin and high heat can burn them easily.
You can topped them with veggie like onion, tomato or with sauce.
For more healthier version you can bake nachos at 200 degree celsius for 15 minutes.
Checkout more snacks recipe from my kitchen, click on the link to get detailed recipe.
Masala nachos are super delicious and crispy snacks. Nachos are the great tea time snacks. I am giving some twist to traditional mexican nachos and preparing desi version with wheat flour and some indian spices.
In a mixing bowl add wheat flour.
Add spices salt, coriander powder, chaat masala and red chilli powder.
Add oil and mix all ingredient well.
Add little water at a time and knead a soft dough. Cover and leave it for 10 minutes.
Divide kneaded dough to equal parts, take one part and start rolling it.
If needed use little oil to roll it. Roll it into a thin circle.
By using pizza cutter or sharp knife cut rolled dough into 8 equal pieces as shown in picture(nachos shape).
By using fork prick it all over, it will prevent to form any air bubble while frying.
Heat oil in pan, slid nachos into the oil and fry it on low-medium heat.
Continuously stir and rotate nachos, so they can cook evenly from all the sides.
When turn golden brown remove from oil.
Place nachos on paper towel to soak excess oil.
Nachos are ready. Serve with ketchup or any dip.
Take small portion, roll between your palm and gently flatten it.
If needed use little oil for rolling, roll it thin into a big circle.
By using pizza cutter or sharp knife cut rolled dough into 8 pieces as shown in picture (nachos shape).
Heat oil in pan, gently pickup sliced nachos and slid into the oil. Fry it on low-medium heat.
When they turn golden brown remove from oil. Shake off excess oil.


1955 Trianon VSOP Vintage Armagnac 1955 (70cl). This wonderful armagnac makes an ideal gift for someone born in 1955. This vintage Armagnac is shipped in a deluxe silk lined wooden presentation box with four wine accessories (corkscrew, wine pourer, drip stopper & wine thermometer) [worth £17.99].
1955 Trianon VSOP Vintage Armagnac 1955 (70cl). This wonderful armagnac makes an ideal gift for someone born in 1955. This vintage Armagnac is shipped in a deluxe silk lined wooden presentation box with four wine accessories (corkscrew, wine pourer, drip stopper & wine thermometer) [worth £17.99]. . . . .


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NFL: 3 Ways Browns QB Baker Mayfield Has Regressed in 2019
by Zack Willis on October 20, 2019
The Cleveland Browns have been the most disappointing team in the NFL to start the season. After setting hopes high with the acquisitions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, quarterback Baker Mayfield and company have underachieved. While many thought that Mayfield's second season could only be bolstered by the presence of his superstar receiving core, the season has been nothing short of a disaster for him.
While fans can try to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong for Mayfield's season, it's a collection of regressions, four in particular, that have added up and made for a disappointing season.
Baker Mayfield's completion percentage
Mayfield was not breaking records during his rookie season, but at 63.8%, he was finding his target enough to get some results. Mayfield was able to run the offense and find his guys without much hesitation. With a greater receiving core and another year under his belt, it was not unfair to expect him to come out and hit his targets at a higher clip, especially when two of those targets are known for turning even the most questionable passes into completions.
Instead, Mayfield has seen a major drop in his completion percentage, connecting on just 56.6% of his passes. That must be kept in mind when going over his other struggles this season.
Touchdowns down, interceptions up
Mayfield had a respectable rookie season with the Browns, throwing for 27 touchdowns on the year. Put up against only 14 interceptions, and it was a good foundation to build off of. This year, however, the touchdowns are way down, and the interceptions are way up. Mayfield has only thrown five touchdowns through six games and 11 interceptions.
No NFL quarterback should ever have fewer touchdowns than interceptions, especially when they have two of the greatest wide receivers in the game receiving his passes. Mayfield's interception percentage has nearly doubled, going up from 2.9% last year to 5.6% this year, and his accuracy has been in question all season.
Some of the blame could go to his receivers, but both Landry and Beckham have a history of catching passes from quarterbacks who have struggled with accuracy. When it becomes a season-long trend, one has to begin to wonder if Mayfield is to blame.
Baker Mayfield's total yardage is down
Baker Mayfield hangs his head as he walks off the field. | Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Another troubling aspect of Mayfield's season is the fact that Mayfield's yardage is down. During his rookie campaign, Mayfield passed for 7.7 yards per attempt and 266.1 yards per game. With an offense that can cover the entire field and keep the entire defense on its toes, this should have gone way up, but it is trending in the wrong direction.
This season, Mayfield is only throwing for 7.6 yards per attempt and 249 yards per game. All of this has come together to dip his quarterback rating from 93.7 to 66. If the Browns want to turn their season around, Mayfield has to lead it. Beckham, Landry, and the rest of the offense need a quarterback that they can rely on, and Mayfield hasn't proven that he can do that.
Can Baker Mayfield salvage his season?
Every quarterback has gone through struggles. While Mayfield's season is going about as poorly as somebody can imagine, there is time for a turnaround. A couple of monstrous games that help propel both the record and the overall numbers could get the team rolling as they enter the season. The season is young, but he needs to start now if he wants to salvage something from it.
Baker Mayfield came into the league with a lot of pressure on him following a legendary college career. Part of cementing one's legacy as a legend, however, is the ability to overcome adversity. If Mayfield can play 10 games at a star level, this early hiccup will not be remembered. If he cannot turn the corner, however, it could be a long road up to stardom.
Tags: Baker Mayfield Cleveland Browns


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A.	A "facility" includes all the components of a power plant located on the site and may also include new interconnecting electric power lines and natural gas fuel pipelines. For example, a natural gas-fired facility would include a natural gas pipeline to bring fuel to the facility; a boiler to create steam; a turbine to be rotated by the steam; an electric generator to be turned by the turbine; a cooling system; exhaust stacks; various buildings to house the components; employee areas; back-up fuel storage tanks; ancillary equipment, parking and storage areas; an electric substation including transformers; and a transmission line to carry the electricity out to the grid. A wind-power facility would include wind turbines on towers with integrated electric generators; electric collection lines; access roads; an electric switchyard and substation including transformers; meteorological towers; and a transmission line to carry the electricity out to the grid.
A.	The Siting Board is a governmental entity of New York State organized within the New York State Department of Public Service. The Siting Board was established primarily to review applications and to issue or deny certificates authorizing the construction and operation of major electric generating facilities. When the Siting Board is reviewing an original application for a certificate, it consists of five permanent members and two ad hoc public members. The five permanent members of the Siting Board also have additional responsibilities to promulgate regulations for the implementation of Article 10, and they have jurisdiction with respect to the amendment, suspension or revocation of a certificate.
A.	"Ad hoc" is a Latin term meaning "for this special purpose". Two ad hoc members will be appointed for the special purpose of providing a local voice in each proceeding conducted to consider specific individual applications for certificates. Each facility application will have its own associated ad hoc members.
A.	One is appointed by the President Pro Tem (Majority Leader) of the New York State Senate and one is appointed by the Speaker of the New York State Assembly from a list of candidates submitted to them. The list of candidates is to be submitted within fifteen days of receipt of notification of the pre-application preliminary scoping statement. In the event that the President Pro Tem of the Senate or the Speaker of the Assembly does not appoint one of the candidates within thirty days of receiving the list, the Governor shall appoint the ad hoc member(s) from the list of candidates. In the event that one or both of the ad hoc public members have not been appointed within forty-five days, a majority of persons named to the Siting Board shall constitute a quorum.


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Home TV Shows The Ranch Season 4 (Part 6) – Renewed, Cast, Updates and Release...
The Ranch Season 4 (Part 6) – Renewed, Cast, Updates and Release Date
Kartik
The American comedy web series is coming back with The Ranch Season 4 to add fun and laughter in our life. This series has defied all as it was not expected for another season and here it is with The Ranch Part 6 / Season 4. The Ranch debuted on Netflix in 2016. Since then it has been a prior source of Light-hearted comedy and Amusement for its viewers. The series revolves around two brothers Colt and Rooster, Their Ranch father Beau, his divorced wife Maggie and a local bar owner. The series is set in Garrison, Colorado a fictitious small town.
New Updates About The Ranch Season 4
Debra Winger on her appearance on Tuesday's Watch What Happens Live, gave away some news and updates about The Ranch Season 4. Debra told to host Andy Cohen The Ranch is back for another Season. She also said that this is going to be a 20 episode season. The actress also added that she may or may not be seen in this Season.
However, Deadline reported that Debra would make multiple appearances in Part 6 of The Ranch. The Ranch is the first Comedy Series of Netflix that got a 20 episode order and divided into two parts.
The Cast Of The Ranch Season 4
The Cast of The Ranch Part 6 will consist of regular cast and some Guest Stars.
Ashton Kutcher will continue to play the character of Colt Reagan Bennett. Colt is a former college football star who got mixed success. Colt returns to his hometown after a fifteen-year absence. He finally stays to help his older brother and father on their family ranch.
Sam Elliott will pursue as Beau Roosevelt Bennett, Colt and Rooster's father, and Maggie's Ex-husband. Beau is a Vietnam War Veteran. Since after returning from the war Beau has worked the ranch.
Elisha Cuthbert will be seen again as Abigail "Abby" Phillips-Bennett. Abby is a Garrison High School history teacher and Colt's current wife.
Dax Shepard will be joining the cast of The Ranch Season 4. He will be added as a recurring guest star in The Ranch Part 6. The actor will continue to recur as the fate of his Fox comedy pilot "Bless This Mess" is not yet decided.
The Co-Lead of The Ranch Danny Masterson who played the character of Jameson "Rooster" Ford Bennett and Colt's older brother has exited out of the show. This is due to recent Sexual Misconduct accusation against Danny Masterson.
Debra Winger who plays the character of Margaret "Maggie" Bennett, Colt and Rooster's mother, Beau's Ex-wife and owner of Maggie's will not be seen regularly in The Ranch Season 4. However, she might make multiple appearances in this Season.
Release Date for The Ranch Season 4
This comedy web series on Netflix has acquired a massive fan base. The heartthrob Ashton Kutcher has spread his magic as usual, and the characters are loved all around the globe. This family drama, relationship dilemma, and the ranch business adds all the elements of fun and happiness in this situational comedy. Fans can't wait to see another season of their favorite series.
Netflix has announced any dates for the premiere of The Ranch Season 4 yet. But according to the recent hints given by Debra Winger, we can expect to see the Season 4 of The Ranch anytime soon. Surely, makers will not want to keep their fans waiting for a long time.
*Netflix has announced release date of The Ranch Part 6*
The American comedy series The Ranch has won hearts all over the world. The series has quite a fan base, and its characters are eye candy for them. Everyone is eagerly waiting for The Ranch Season 4 (Part 6) where this dysfunctional family deals with further situations, which will make their viewers laugh their hearts out.
Queer Eye Season 4: Who Are The Heroes? Everything Fans Need To Know
Euphoria Season 2: Israeli Series Renewed, Zendaya's Character, Release Date
Joe Blow
PLEEEEZE BRING BACK ROOSTER!!! IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME WITHOUT HIM!!!!!