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Ted Emch, Pioneer High School computer science teacher
August 26, 2020 AAPS News Editor "Exceptional" profiles, Features, High School News, Latest news
Pioneer computer science teacher wins Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
By Jo Mathis/AAPS District News Editor
Pioneer High School math teacher Theodore Emch has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)—the country's highest honor for teachers of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science.
Below is the video from the EASE Awards Ceremony, with an introduction is the first three minutes. At 30:25-30:30, Emch and his family are seen in the upper right-hand corner as his name is read:
Pioneer mathematics teacher Don Zekany says Emch is an incredible educator on two points.
"First, the way that Ted connects with his students is awesome," says Zekany. "He has an incredible amount of knowledge and he is able to transfer that knowledge to his students. Secondly, Ted inspires his students to work "beyond" their potential. The student work that comes out of his class is just incredible. He is truly an excellent educator and well-deserving of the award."
The award-winning teachers will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation and a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in professional development activities and network with fellow STEM educators from across the nation.
Theodore (Ted) Emch, the eldest son of Don and Donna Emch of Detroit, Michigan, has been an Ann Arbor Public Schools teacher since he was 24 years old and fresh out of college. Growing up in Burnsville, Minnesota and Brighton, Michigan, he discovered at a young age that he enjoyed teaching through the work he did tutoring his younger sister. He and his brother and sister attended Apple Valley Schools and Brighton Area Schools.
After graduating eighth of 389 students at Brighton High School in 1991, Emch enrolled at Eastern Michigan University on a Presidential Scholarship. He graduated summa cum laude in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and went on to do graduate work at the University of Michigan and EMU, graduating with a master's in physical science education in 1998.
Emch began teaching at Community High School in 1997 before moving to Tappan Middle School to teach physical science for 10 years. In 2007, he moved again to teach physical science and chemistry at Pioneer. During his time at Pioneer, student interest in computer science grew, and Emch now teaches computer science courses full-time.
The program at Pioneer has grown to include multiple coding courses, including a course in mobile app development.
"I'm excited to try new things and I think we are all hoping that students will be excited to return to learning, knowing that they might have to work a little bit harder than usual to stay focused and engaged."
Ted Emch
Emch lives in Ypsilanti with his wife Victoria and five children ranging in ages from three to 19. He enjoys boating, fitness activities and weight training, and has studied organ in the School of Music & Dance at EMU. In addition to his work teaching at Pioneer High School, Emch serves as the staff organist at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Ann Arbor and has performed on the organ in recitals at various local churches over the years.
How do you feel about the changes for the upcoming school year?
It's definitely a challenge that will require us to be creative and find new ways to engage students. This is uncharted territory; connecting with students and forming relationships is something we teachers do very naturally in-person, but many of us feel lost in a foreign land when thinking about how to cultivate the relationships that motivate learning through a limited, virtual environment. I'm excited to try new things and I think we are all hoping that students will be excited to return to learning, knowing that they might have to work a little bit harder than usual to stay focused and engaged. I know we have many supports that we are putting in place so that all students, regardless of background, can be successful learners in this mode. Of course, we are all looking forward to the moment we can be together in the building again! We'll never again take "school" for granted after this challenging time ends.
How does computer science compare to other subjects as far as teaching virtually?
Computer science perhaps lends itself more easily to virtual learning than other subjects because you are already on a computer when you are coding.
Does anything worry you about virtual learning?
I worry about how challenging it might be to make sure that students don't get burned out spending several hours a day in front of a virtual learning environment, and having enough time to prepare the lessons and materials for both synchronous and asynchronous online consumption by students. It takes a long time because we are building multiple strategies into our lessons to increase cultural relevancy, and support students at all levels.
How did you react to learning you received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching?
I was very humbled. It was my third time being nominated and going through the submission process, so I felt like I had a couple of practice rounds before this one. I was so delighted that the selection committee found interest in computer science teaching and pedagogy.
What were you like in high school?
I was that introverted kid who didn't say much until people said something to me. I sometimes found it hard to relate to students who were more outgoing and social, so I spent a lot of time trying (too hard, at times) to be likeable by as many peer groups as I could. I remember very well the social pressures of high school and the extent to which those peer relationships matter to high school students! I think in my role as a teacher today I recognize the continued emphasis on relationships and I try to help students feel valued and comfortable being their genuine selves, and not trying too hard to please others.
When and why did you decide to become a computer science teacher?
Jump back ten years ago … I was teaching chemistry and physics at the time, and there was a knock at my classroom door. Kevin Hudson (assistant principal) told me that there was student and parent interest in a computer science course at Pioneer. HR had informed him that I had a computer science degree and endorsement, and so he told me I'd be teaching a CS course the following year! Surprise! I was stunned because I had never been able to find a teaching job in my original undergraduate area, and hadn't written a line of code for almost 15 years. All of a sudden, there it was – the chance to teach what I had always hoped to teach. From there, the program continued growing and so each successive year I taught less and less in the science department and eventually became full-time CS.
When you recall your first year of teaching, what memories stand out?
The biggest one was how much fun it was to finally be an important part of the students' academic lives (I was at Community High School and we were on first-name bases) and how hard it was to say goodbye to them at the end of the year. I wasn't prepared for that. Over the years teachers learn to roll with the fact that each year they start over with a new group of kids, pouring themselves into them for a year, only to say goodbye as those kids move on while the teacher starts again the next year.
What's the best compliment anyone could give you?
That I reflect the love of God to people. Accepting, supporting, strengthening, and tough when needed. Being in a public school setting and never mentioning God in any way, this would only happen because of my actions, so it is my goal to treat everyone as God sees them. I think the world needs this love more than ever today.
In your 24 years in AAPS, what's the most important thing you've learned about teaching? About learning?
There are too many lessons I've learned during that time to even begin to list. The first three years, you learn much more than you could ever teach the kids. Then, you start to hone your craft. Some key ideas: it's critical to inspire before you demand, focus on how you act more than what you say, when you run out of patience then rely on kindness, help kids learn to become accountable/responsible especially when this means they won't like you, and that you have an impact that is MUCH greater than you realize.
What's the craziest thing that's ever happened in your classroom?
There are many crazy things that have happened! Lots of great science experiments that end up providing "unexpected" results, and spontaneous humorous situations that every teacher gets to experience. One time I had taken one of my 8th grade elective classes on an exclusive field trip to the Ford Nuclear Reactor on UM's north campus as part of our unit on nuclear energy, and I had a student who was so interested that, although he was not in that class, he sneaked out of school anyway and rode his skateboard all the way from Tappan to north campus, then somehow worked his way past the building security (telling them he was "with my class") to come and see the reactor.
I was literally shocked when he showed up, deep inside the building, where we were being briefed in a conference room. Needless to say, there was a conversation later that included the building principal!
Who would you like to thank in your pathway to becoming a master teacher?
I'd like to thank all of the 8th grade staff at Tappan for helping me when I was a new teacher—especially Elaine Richmond, and Gary Court, the building principal at that time—for really helping me become a better teacher and a better person in so many ways during my time there.
If you could know the definitive answer to any one question, what would that question be?
"Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing in life?"
If you could talk to your teenage self, what would you say?
Relax! Everything happens for a reason. Be patient; be who you are and not who you think people want you to be.
What is the most rewarding part of teaching?
There are many rewards! To name a few: getting to see a student succeed when they were otherwise struggling, getting to see a student find a new passion they never knew they had, having a student remember you after many years and write you an email to thank you for your influence.
What do you wish everyone realized about the work of a teacher?
That most teachers really work hard. They lose sleep at night worrying about their students. They invest in their students physically, emotionally, and sometimes even financially. That tough love is hard but sometimes necessary. That teaching is the profession that creates all other professions; teaching is a dignified and very valuable calling to society.
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Q: How can I find / record the IP of a machine I SSH'd in from on, from the remote machine? Is there a way I can log my logins on the remote machine when I SSH in to said remote machine? Though I'd only occasionally have a use for this, there are times when it'd be pretty handy (e.g. scp'ing a file back to my local machine, when the remote path is particularly long)?
The machine(s) in question are running Ubuntu.

A: You may find last -a useful for this. Your accesses will also be logged in /var/log/auth.log (but by IP).

A: whitequark@hagalaz:~$ ssh dagaz
Linux dagaz 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP Thu Sep 16 19:35:51 UTC 2010 i686
<skip>
whitequark@dagaz:~$ env | grep SSH
SSH_CLIENT=192.168.2.198 38427 22
SSH_TTY=/dev/pts/1
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh-omfqnn7365/agent.7365
SSH_CONNECTION=192.168.2.198 38427 192.168.2.10 22
whitequark@dagaz:~$

The host can be extracted with following bashism:
$ echo ${SSH_CLIENT%% *}
192.168.2.198

or using sed, if you like:
$ sed -e "s/ .*$//" <<<$SSH_CLIENT
192.168.2.198

A: Try who am i though i don't have a machine to test from.  I often use this to set DISPLAY.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Collector Shows
Collector Stories
Fraud Issues
Odd Collectibles
What Sells Best?
Grading Cards
Vintage Card Sets
Auction Previews
Autograph News
For SCD Writer Jim Hawkins in Line for a Big Honor
Former SCD scribe Jim Hawkins has been a fixture of the Detroit Tigers sports beats for decades. He is now nominated for the 2013 J.G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tom Bartsch
As I write this, I am hours away from boarding a plane to Baltimore for the National Sports Collectors Convention, of which you'll find a comprehensive wrap-up in the next issue of SCD (Sept. 7) from a quartet of SCD contributors, along with updates online through.
Leading up to the event, there has been a steady stream of news related to the National, along with big items on display at the show that will be offered at auction this fall and the federal indictments of some big names in the hobby.
However, there was another news tidbits I wanted to share here that I think would interest SCD readers.
The news quite an honor for former SCD columnist Jim Hawkins. (Eye of the Hawk was his column name). Hawkins has been named as one of three finalists for the 2013 J.G. Taylor Spink Award, which is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers Association of America to its members. Winners are recognized in a wing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
While Hawkins worked with the Wilmington News Journal and Baltimore Evening Sun, he is best known for covering the Detroit Tigers for the Detroit Free Press and other newspapers.
Hawkins, who was also involved in the sports memorabilia business, penned books on Al Kaline, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and Augusta National, among other topics.
Hawkins now lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., and works part-time for MLB.com.
Mickey Mantle card sells for all-time record
By Dave Strege
Top Selling Cards
A look back at 2020 card auctions
By Larry Canale
Grey Flannel highlights 'major league sports' in winter auction
By SCD Newswire
CSG card-grading service ready to launch in February
Father and son build massive Kobe Bryant collection
Lelands founder Joshua Leland Evans dies
Clean Sweep kicks of '21 with Major Auction
A look back at 2020, a year we'll never forget
Pandemic creates surge in sports card sales on eBay

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home About Media Centre Worldpay Scoops Fintech Deal of the Year 2018 at...
Worldpay Scoops Fintech Deal of the Year 2018 at TMT M&A Awards
LONDON and CINCINNATI, December 5, 2018 – Worldpay Inc. (NYSE: WP; LSE: WPY) a global leader in the payment technology industry, was recently awarded EMEA Fintech Deal of the Year 2018 at the TMT Finance M&A Awards ceremony held in London. Now in their fifth year, the TMT M&A Awards have become the global industry benchmark, recognizing outstanding deal making, advisory, financing and leadership activity in telecoms, media and technology.
Vantiv, Inc. completed its acquisition and subsequent merger with UK-listed Worldpay Group plc for £8bn in January 2018, valuing the combined business at £22.2bn. The deal was advised by Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Centerview Partners.
The combination of the two companies has created a leading payments provider, uniquely equipped to power global integrated omni-commerce. Processing more than 40 billion transactions annually through more than 300 payment types across 146 countries and 126 currencies, Worldpay, Inc. is helping merchants to navigate the increasingly complex global payments landscape and enabling clients to access new geographies and markets.
Mark Heimbouch, President and Chief Operating Officer of Worldpay, Inc. said: "We are honored to receive the Fintech Deal of the Year Award, which highlights the hard work and dedication of our teams who have brought together the new Worldpay creating a global leader in payments.
"With the rise of global eCommerce expected to surpass $4.6 trillion globally by 20221, the payments industry is changing fast and that creates opportunity for Worldpay. Our global footprint and an innovative integrated technology platform, as well as the complementary capabilities of the newly combined company have made us the global partner of choice for merchants looking to streamline their payments strategy."
Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP; LSE: WPY) is a leading payments technology company with unique capability to power global omni-commerce. With an integrated technology platform, Worldpay offers a comprehensive suite of products and services, delivered globally through a single provider. Worldpay processes over 40 billion transactions annually, supporting more than 300 payment types across 146 countries and 126 currencies. The company is focused on expanding into high-growth markets and customer segments, including global eCommerce, integrated payments and B2B. Visit us at worldpay.com.
1 Worldpay Global Payments Report 2018
Worldpay, Inc.
Claire Hardy, Siobhan Acha Derrington
PR@worldpay.com
Rebecca Mansfield, Golin
rmansfield@golin.com
+ 44 (0) 20 067 0855


The Sower - 16"x20" - This painting was inspired by the parable of the sower. Caught up the whirlpool of our busy lives, we can often be distracted from the consequences of our actions. Could there be a natural poetic justice to the cause and effect of our actions? What we sow is indeed what we reap.- I am sorry that this painting has been sold - Please do get in touch if you would be interested in a limited edition print of this image.
Reflection - 20"x24" - This painting encapsulates the joy of reflection illustrates the importance that it has in our lives. Almost every event in our lives can look quite different when we reflect on it and our future is determined by the actions taken as a result.
The lock - 6'x8' - Inspired by my love of water this painting considers the sweep of time and of fortune, past, present and future.- This painting is currently on loan to a private collector. - Please do get in touch if you would like further details.
Lime and Lemons - 10"x14" - Oil on board. I was inspired by the sweeping patterns of the fabric that echoed the shape of the lemons in many different planes across the painting. I often paint my frames with the colours from my palette ensuring pinpoint colour accuracy that cannot be achieved any other way.
Available for sale - £500 - free UK delivery.
After the storm - 120cmx120cm - Oil on Canvas. A couple on London Bridge inhale freshness and hope of renewal in the aftermath of a storm. The subtle balance of warm and cool light is what interested me most when painting this picture.
Available for sale - £700 - free UK delivery.
Self portrait - 12"x12" - Oil on Canvas. The image is blurred and distorted through a fabulous antique looking glass in my studio through which you can also see the reflection of the still life.
Available for sale - £450 - free UK delivery .


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Titusville - Grand circle route through Merritt Island
He sat on the piling just behind Fleetwing, never stirred when I took the picture
My radar display started acting up (typical boat problem...) where 1/4 of the display showed horizontal lines instead of the radar return showing boats, coast, etc. It has to be some driver chip for the screen display but there's nothing I can replace, it has to be sent back to Raymarine. Calling them I was told to send it in for an estimate to their repair shop in Nashua, NH. So off I went to the post office (no FedEx or UPS nearby) to use Priority Mail (flat rate, no weight charge as long as it's under 70 lbs) but the largest box they offered in Priority Mail was 1/2 inch too small! That put me into a box I had to pay for (you don't pay for the Priority Mail box) and I also had to buy bubble wrap (the kind you throw away when at home), strapping tape and labels. So because of the 1/2 inch, I had to shell out about $30 more dollars at least.
A vulture at Merritt Island, likewise bold, they are use to people
So now the radar display is on its way to Nashua for Raymarine repair. I'm due to get an estimate first before repair commences so I'll be waiting with baited breath for that call. It ought to be inexpensive to replace one chip but then it's boat electronics and you can usually multiply by 10x if not 100x over a reasonable charge.
Many flowers around
For the rest of the day we thought we'd explore north of Titusville and visit the Haulover Canal bridge. It's a narrow spit of land connecting Merritt Island with the mainland which was later dug out for the canal. It now has a bridge that raises for boat traffic. It's a hot spot for manatees and much wildlife. But then we have about 20 manatees in the Titusville marina so we can get better photos locally.
Home again (the boat), I left Ann and Hoolie off and headed back to Enterprise to return the car. It's due to turn warmer the rest of the week with temps into the low 80's, nice.
How do these nut-jobs find you, and why do they need to rant here??


I hear so many positive things from you, my current or former (or future, hopefully!) clients, and I've realized that it's all in there - in each and every kind review left by so many of you, you have shared with me the secret source of your happiness with my services & photographs. I just haven't been seeing it until now.
Do I think real-life/documentary photography is for everyone? Actually YES! I do. I am completely committed to the idea that the world is my studio, and that all the best pictures are unposed.
So, for instance, I realize that imagining having a photographer (me!) coming in to your home, or following your family to the playground, or to the mall, or going bowling with you, at this very specific moment, might sound a bit daunting and anxiety-provoking.
It might just make you want to run for the hills, right?
No one should be pressured into having real life photographs of them and their real lives. Sometimes you want to escape real life - right? This is why we read romance novels, or watch rom-coms.
"I will have to clean my house, and what if she comes in and JUDGES me and my house and my kids? And what if none of us know what to do, or how to act, and everyone is just all awkward and the whole thing goes down the drain?"
To be honest, I have the same feelings when inviting people to my house. I live in a dingy old farmhouse (think shanty, not cattle ranch), about which I have total insecurities. FOR SURE.
��Guilty secret that is not so much a secret: I have read over 100 contemporary romance novels in the last three years. (For every ten such books, I read a "serious" book, so I can feel somewhat redeemed.) Let's face it, the romance novels are a whole different kind of release from the pressures of everyday life. Bonus is that I don't have to deal with my shanty-house.
SOO.... Here's the thing. Here is what I have been starting to realize lately about my photography.
It struck me that it is all there! It always was. I listened to your words and felt their kindness, and yet only now am I realizing that the resounding message ("Viara has a way of making people comfortable") also is your way of telling me what is the biggest reason - over and above having beautiful photographs - that you put your trust in a photographer.
You put your trust in me because I try hard to dissipate any feelings of discomfort you might have.
This was a surprise to me. It shouldn't have been, but it was!
I realized I have been doing a poor job of telling you - prospective families - about this.
Without tooting my own horn, I haven't told you how GENUINELY happy I am to be with you, and to meet you and your kids, and to spend time with you, and how I will NEVER judge you or your house or whatever, because.... I have three kids and two dogs and three cats and a bunch of farm animals, and a busy life, and some days we all feel like we're juggling way too many plates or balls or whatever, and they will all just drop, and ... phew.
I KNOW what busy life is all about.
My Dutch landlord in Rotterdam was an elderly lady, who had raised three children as well. She told me on numerous occasions, while observing my children trampling all over remnants of our back garden that it is impossible to have a perfect home with young children.
Because of this, I will be right at home in your busy house.
And, because I am so drawn to escapist, hopeful themes in my own life, I seem to create images that offer a kind of refreshing 'look' at your own life. I find epic moments EVERYWHERE, indoors, in cluttered rooms, in dark basements or bright dining rooms. The whole world presents opportunities for joy and hope and EPIC-NESS everywhere!
I focus on the best things in your life, and show them to you, so that you will see that you have nothing to worry about. That you are doing it JUST RIGHT. That there is NOTHING you need to change.
I keep talking about the extraordinary.
The truth is, the best moments in our lives are ORDINARY. By their standard definition, they are, anyway.
But trust me when I say that in that blur of events that constitutes your every day, there are clustered so many gems that it is quite astounding we frequently miss them.
The ORDINARY is actually EXTRAORDINARY.
And I want to show you, and I will never ever judge.
Now tell me, if you've been holding off on booking a session - did I hit on the reason why you've been holding off?
Or if you've had a session with me - did you initially have those same hesitations?
Please tell me, so that I can continue to reach out with images of joy.
I welcome ALL your words of wisdom and feedback, as I try to make sure I am doing right by you.


***All dance classes are drop off classes.
Tap N Toe wants to set the Dancers up for Success! This is a drop off program. Parents do not sit in on the class. This is too distracting to the students. Parents are welcome to watch from outside the room or run errands. Students are more focused and confident after several classes and excited to show their parents what they have already accomplished after a few weeks……..we are super excited to show off the dancers improvements too.
Our Twinkle Babies, and Twinkle Star program is ADORABLE! This is a drop off program starting at age 2.5. "Twinkle Bear" is a Teddy Bear that accompanies the dancers to dance class. This sweet bear is the perfect companion on the first day of classes for our Twinkle Babies and Twinkle Stars. Twinkle Bear continues to be a perfect friend to join class up to age 6.
Students may also choose to purchase a Twinkle Bears with matching outfit. But it is not necessary! Purchasing a Twinkle Bear is optional and can be done from our Merchandise Tab.
"ShowSTARS" are Tap N Toe Dancers that are age 7-13. These classes are 50 minute classes that focus on one discipline. These classes are challenging for our dancers in a very, very motivating and outgoing environment!!! Older children ages 7-13 LOVE these classes because of the high dance energy and large amount of dance skills they will gain.
Yes, I Want a 7- Day Unlimited Pass!


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COVID Vaccination Rates Stalling in U.S. | Healthiest Communities Wellness Information
Only a calendar year in the past, folks ended up waiting around in traces down the block to get a COVID-19 vaccine, obsessively refreshing internet internet pages to find a time to routine a shot and posting photos of their Band-aided deltoids as soon as they obtained a person.
But as the U.S. nears obtaining 4 out of 5 people today at the very least partly vaccinated versus COVID-19, vaccination premiums have plateaued, with very little modify in the percentages of individuals who have gotten their primary photographs around the past two months.
Progress in the country's partial vaccination level has slowed substantially given that December, according to info from the Facilities for Ailment Manage and Prevention and the nonpartisan data heart USAFacts. The share of folks in the U.S. who had acquired at least just one dose grew by only 50 % a share level concerning Feb. 28 and March 28, and by only seven-tenths of a issue from March 28 to April 28. The full vaccination price grew by likewise little quantities.
In distinction, the partial vaccination level shot up by just about 15 factors in April of past yr, the exact thirty day period absolutely everyone 16 and more mature grew to become qualified for a shot. There ended up additional tiny bumps of about 3 to 4 details in August and December, information from the CDC and USAFacts demonstrates.
Even though the extensive the greater part of the populace is vaccinated, all those who continue to be unvaccinated might be unlikely to modify their sights now. What's more, a majority of the populace has not nonetheless gotten a booster shot, which is recommended for most vaccine-suitable age teams.
All round, 78% of the populace experienced gained at the very least just one vaccine dose, 66% of folks ended up absolutely vaccinated, and 46% of all those absolutely vaccinated had gotten a booster or more dose as of Might 2, in accordance to the CDC.
Given that the COVID wave fueled by the omicron variant started to fade, nonetheless, the urgency to get vaccinated would seem to have pale from people's minds as nicely. Pandemic restrictions are loosening, with mask mandates lifted for several colleges, indoor spaces and community transportation like airplanes. According to a Kaiser Family members Basis poll carried out in March, 41% of grown ups stated they'd in essence returned to the regular activities they did before the pandemic or that they'd never improved their routines to start off with, though an supplemental 42% claimed they'd returned to at the very least some pre-pandemic pursuits.
"There's a typical inclination to feel like we are out of the pandemic," says Dr. Italo Brown, an emergency home health practitioner at Stanford Healthcare facility in California.
Vaccines have assisted control the pandemic's severity, and Brown notes that COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been trending down for weeks. Nonetheless, circumstance costs have not long ago started out to increase yet again, and the Northeast in distinct has noticed high COVID-19 community amounts of late, as judged by a CDC resource incorporating cases, hospitalizations and inpatient beds employed by COVID patients.
In Brown's check out, the pandemic isn't about – the country is merely in an intermission just before an additional act.
"The concentrate is now pivoting in direction of individuals residual signs like lengthy COVID," Brown claims. There is continue to inadequate knowledge of how to treat extensive COVID and what causes some people to create debilitating indicators like overall body aches, exhaustion and brain fog even months soon after an initial coronavirus an infection.
In the meantime, out of additional than 3,100 counties across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, only 86 saw their share of folks with a entire system of COVID vaccine improve by more than 1 proportion stage from March 29 to April 28. But there have been some communities that did succeed in notably bumping up their vaccination fees, together with Brooks County in Texas (up 9.3 details to 71.8% with a total program), San Diego County in California (up 5.9 details to 76%) and Oglala Lakota County in South Dakota (up 3.7 points to 79.4%).
Booster shot strategies fared somewhat much better over-all, as 660 counties were being able to up their booster prices by a lot more than a percentage point. The state of New Hampshire, in specific, has witnessed a strengthen in booster photographs, as 9 out of the Granite State's 10 counties saw their boosted premiums go up extra than 6 share factors.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor and vaccine qualified at the Baylor Faculty of Medicine, suggests there has to be a additional urgent emphasis on booster photographs, as the defense afforded by vaccines fades in excess of time.
"We've not genuinely articulated why it can be definitely critical to get a booster," Hotez suggests, noting that new coronavirus variants are probable to arise in the coming months.
What's more, he factors out, even just keeping at the recent degree of original vaccination is not very good enough. As a lot more time passes without men and women having boosted and their capability to struggle off a COVID an infection wanes, the vaccination level is correctly dropping.
"This level is no for a longer period adequate for the reason that of waning immunity," Hotez suggests. "So we have to prevent even currently being complacent."
Health NewsCommunities, COVID, Healthiest, information, Rates, Stalling, Vaccination, wellness
How Health and fitness Treatment Suppliers Can Use Foods To Take care of Disease – Foods Tank
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music for everybody


When you want to get behind the wheel of a vehicle that you can rely on, you can choose one of the used cars for sale at Serra Honda Grandville. We know that it can be difficult to find the model that has all the features that you need, but we strive to keep it as simple as we can. Our pre-owned car inventory is always available online for you to start your search but visiting our pre-owned Honda dealership near Grand Rapids will give you the opportunity to get a test drive in any of our impressive models.
Our experts look forward to showing you all of our options to find the one that matches your style and meets your needs. Used cars, trucks, and SUVs for sale near Wyoming, MI need to be reliable, and our service professionals inspect each one to make sure they are in the best condition - mechanically and cosmetically - before you buy it.
The used cars for sale at our dealership in Grandville, MI include top models from a variety of manufacturers, including Honda, Ford, Mazda, Chevrolet, Subaru, and Volkswagen so that we can offer the vehicles that will meet unique needs of our customers. No matter if you are looking for an efficient used car, powerful truck, or spacious SUV near Kentwood, MI, we are sure that we can find the perfect one.
We Look Forward to Seeing You at Our Honda Dealership in Grandville, MI Soon!
Our team works to break the stereotype set by other dealerships, helping you through every step of the process to ease stress from your life. We will gladly take your current vehicle as a used car trade in, help with your financing, and keep your vehicle in the best condition throughout your time as owner.
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We're big on things that deliver—especially when they pull it off in the most discreet way possible. The Razer lfrit is an in-ear headset and broadcaster-grade mic packaged to be the perfect unobtrusive broadcasting solution. It's the all-in-one streaming upgrade you never knew you needed, until now.
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text:
How do you know if a geometric series converges?
What does the ratio test tell you about the convergence of a geometric series?
What is the ratio test for convergence?
How do you test the convergence of a series?
Does a geometric series converge or diverge?
Do geometric series converge absolutely?
Can ratio test be used for geometric series?
Is ratio test only for geometric series?
Can ratio test be used for alternating series?
Does the series 1 ln n converge?
Which among the following test is useful to examine the convergence of alternating series?
When to use the ratio test?
What is the limit test for convergence?
What is ratio test?
What is convergence ratio?
In fact, we can tell if an infinite geometric series converges based simply on the value of r. When |r| < 1, the series converges. When |r| ≥ 1, the series diverges. This means it only makes sense to find sums for the convergent series since divergent ones have sums that are infinitely large.
So the ratio test tells us that the geometric series converges for |r|<1, and diverges for |r|>1, which is exactly what we get by using the formula n∑k=1ark=a(1−rn+11−r).
The ratio test states that: if L < 1 then the series converges absolutely; if L > 1 then the series is divergent; if L = 1 or the limit fails to exist, then the test is inconclusive, because there exist both convergent and divergent series that satisfy this case.
Ratio test This is also known as d'Alembert's criterion. If r < 1, then the series is absolutely convergent. If r > 1, then the series diverges. If r = 1, the ratio test is inconclusive, and the series may converge or diverge.
Geometric Series. These are identical series and will have identical values, provided they converge of course.
The geometric series provides a basic comparison series for this test. Since it converges for x < 1, we may conclude that a series for which the ratio of successive terms is always at most x for some x value with x < 1, will absolutely converge. This statement defines the ratio test for absolute convergence.
The basic result that can be used to compare series to geometric series is the ratio test. Essentially it generalizes the basic fact about geometric series (they converge as long as the ratio has magnitude less than 1) to series where the ratio of successive terms is not constant, but does approach some limit.
The ratio test is a most useful test for series convergence. It caries over intuition from geometric series to more general series. Learn more about it here.
Well, if you have an Alternating series, you can use the alternating series test to see if it converges. If it does, then try applying the Ratio Test i.e. take the absolute value of the series. If it also converges, then the series is absolutely convergent, a stronger form of convergence.
Answer: Since ln n ≤ n for n ≥ 2, we have 1/ ln n ≥ 1/n, so the series diverges by comparison with the harmonic series, ∑ 1/n.
The alternating series test (also known as the Leibniz test), is type of series test used to determine the convergence of series that alternate. Keep in mind that the test does not tell whether the series diverges.
Ratio test is one of the tests used to determine the convergence or divergence of infinite series. You can even use the ratio test to find the radius and interval of convergence of power series! Many students have problems of which test to use when trying to find whether the series converges or diverges.
In mathematics, the limit comparison test (LCT) (in contrast with the related direct comparison test) is a method of testing for the convergence of an infinite series.
In mathematics, the ratio test is a test (or "criterion") for the convergence of a series where each term is a real or complex number and an is nonzero when n is large. The test was first published by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and is sometimes known as d'Alembert's ratio test or as the Cauchy ratio test.
convergence ratio. [kən′vər·jəns 'rā·shō] (optics) The ratio of the tangent of the angle between a meridional ray and the optical axis after it passes through an optical system to the tangent of the angle between the ray and the axis before it passes through the system.
What is the best way to thank God?
How much does it cost to rent a limo for prom?


text:
Q: JavaFX anchor doesn't extend to the entire scene I have this code:
package javafxapplication9;

import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.beans.property.*;
import javafx.beans.value.*;
import javafx.collections.*;
import javafx.event.EventHandler;
import javafx.scene.*;
import javafx.scene.input.MouseEvent;
import javafx.scene.layout.StackPane;
import javafx.scene.paint.Color;
import javafx.scene.shape.*;
import javafx.stage.Stage;

public class JavaFXApplication9 extends Application {
StackPane pane;
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { launch(args); }

@Override public void start(final Stage stage) throws Exception {
Polygon triangle = createStartingTriangle();
 pane=new StackPane();

Group root = new Group();
root.getChildren().add(triangle);
root.getChildren().addAll(createControlAnchorsFor(triangle.getPoints()));
pane.getChildren().add(root);
pane.setPrefWidth(600);
pane.setPrefHeight(600);
stage.setTitle("Triangle Manipulation Sample");
stage.setScene(
  new Scene(
    pane,
    400, 400, Color.ALICEBLUE
  )
);
stage.show();
}

// creates a triangle.
private Polygon createStartingTriangle() {
Polygon triangle = new Polygon();

triangle.getPoints().setAll(
  100d, 100d,
  150d, 50d,
  250d, 150d
);

triangle.setStroke(Color.FORESTGREEN);
triangle.setStrokeWidth(4);
triangle.setStrokeLineCap(StrokeLineCap.ROUND);
triangle.setFill(Color.CORNSILK.deriveColor(0, 1.2, 1, 0.6));

return triangle;
}

private ObservableList<Anchor> createControlAnchorsFor(final ObservableList<Double>  points) {
ObservableList<Anchor> anchors = FXCollections.observableArrayList();

for (int i = 0; i < points.size(); i+=2) {
  final int idx = i;

  DoubleProperty xProperty = new SimpleDoubleProperty(points.get(i));
  DoubleProperty yProperty = new SimpleDoubleProperty(points.get(i + 1));

  xProperty.addListener(new ChangeListener<Number>() {
    @Override public void changed(ObservableValue<? extends Number> ov, Number oldX, Number x) {
      points.set(idx, (double) x);
    }
  });

  yProperty.addListener(new ChangeListener<Number>() {
    @Override public void changed(ObservableValue<? extends Number> ov, Number oldY, Number y) {
      points.set(idx + 1, (double) y);
    }
  });
  Anchor an=new Anchor(Color.GOLD, xProperty, yProperty,pane);
  anchors.add(an);
}

return anchors;

}
 class Anchor extends Circle {
 Anchor(Color color, DoubleProperty x, DoubleProperty y,StackPane pane) {
  super(x.get(), y.get(), 10);
  setFill(color.deriveColor(1, 1, 1, 0.5));
  setStroke(color);
  setStrokeWidth(2);
  setStrokeType(StrokeType.OUTSIDE);

  x.bind(centerXProperty());
  y.bind(centerYProperty());
  enableDrag();
}

// make a node movable by dragging it around with the mouse.
private void enableDrag() {
  final Delta dragDelta = new Delta();
  setOnMousePressed(new EventHandler<MouseEvent>() {
    @Override public void handle(MouseEvent mouseEvent) {
      // record a delta distance for the drag and drop operation.
      dragDelta.x = getCenterX() - mouseEvent.getX();
      dragDelta.y = getCenterY() - mouseEvent.getY();
      pane.setCursor(Cursor.MOVE);
    }
  });
  setOnMouseReleased(new EventHandler<MouseEvent>() {
    @Override public void handle(MouseEvent mouseEvent) {
      pane.setCursor(Cursor.HAND);
    }
  });
  setOnMouseDragged(new EventHandler<MouseEvent>() {
    @Override public void handle(MouseEvent mouseEvent) {
      double newX = mouseEvent.getX() + dragDelta.x;
      if (newX > 0 && newX < pane.getWidth()) {
        setCenterX(newX);
      }
      double newY = mouseEvent.getY() + dragDelta.y;
      if (newY > 0 && newY < pane.getHeight()) {
        setCenterY(newY);
      }
    }
  });
  setOnMouseEntered(new EventHandler<MouseEvent>() {
    @Override public void handle(MouseEvent mouseEvent) {
      if (!mouseEvent.isPrimaryButtonDown()) {
        pane.setCursor(Cursor.HAND);
      }
    }
  });
  setOnMouseExited(new EventHandler<MouseEvent>() {
    @Override public void handle(MouseEvent mouseEvent) {
      if (!mouseEvent.isPrimaryButtonDown()) {
        pane.setCursor(Cursor.DEFAULT);
      }
    }
  });
}

// records relative x and y co-ordinates.
private class Delta { double x, y; }
 }
}

The problem is that I can't move the edges of the triangle all the way to the top of the scene.
 If I don't use a stackPane,only a scene it works well but I need the Stack Pane because the next thing I want to do is to save the triangle as an image and use the image as background.Every time I will save a new triangle,it;s image will overlap with the others.Any sugestion is welcomed.Thank you.

A: At First I wantet to say NICE PROGRAM ;-)
And now to your problem, this problem is easy to fix. ;-)
Just use an AnchorPane and not a Group.
Here is the code:
@Override
public void start(final Stage stage) throws Exception {
    Polygon triangle = createStartingTriangle();
    pane = new StackPane();

    //Use an AnchorPane instead of a Group ;)
    AnchorPane ap = new AnchorPane();
    ap.getChildren().add(triangle);
    ap.getChildren().addAll(createControlAnchorsFor(triangle.getPoints()));
    pane.getChildren().add(ap);
    pane.setPrefWidth(600);
    pane.setPrefHeight(600);
    stage.setTitle("Triangle Manipulation Sample");
    stage.setScene(
            new Scene(
            pane,
            400, 400, Color.ALICEBLUE));
    stage.show();
}


No Place Like Home by Sharon O'Donnell | MotherhoodLater.com - World's leading website, eZine and community for midlife moms.
My husband and I have lived in the same house for 29 years now. We almost moved to a bigger house outside the city limits back in 1998 but decided against it. I even wrote an article about this housing decision for one of my regular columns for our local newspaper, and I came across a copy of it a few weeks ago. I had to laugh when I read about our oldest son, then 6, telling us that if we moved he would keep coming back to visit the people who moved into our house. I'd forgotten about that.
Our oldest is now 27 and living in DC with a steady girlfriend, our middle one is 24 and engaged to his long-time girlfriend, and our youngest is 18 and a senior in high school who will be going off to college three hours away in August. This is the empty nest they told me about. It had seemed so far away. Since my oldest and youngest sons are nine years apart, I've had at least one child at home since 1991, and the realization of how much my life and routine will be changing has hit me harder than I thought it would. It's not sad, but it is bittersweet.
And as I look ahead and think about wanting my sons and their girlfriends/wives and later families to come back to visit us, I've felt almost a panic to provide a house that's a bit more roomy for family gatherings. I'd also love to have an extra full bathroom for everybody should they be at home all at one time. My husband and I have looked at open houses and even had a realtor friend of ours to come out and give us an appraisal on our house. Yet, just as happened in 1998, the more we look, the more we feel that perhaps we should stay at home and add on. Our house backs up to the greenway, which is really nice with some privacy in the back yard. It's convenient to the main highway and the airport, and yet you can walk to restaurants. Sure, it's down a hill, and yes, it doesn't have a laundry room, which is something I've dreamed about for decades.
But now as the house empties, I find that I want that gathering room and extra bathroom more than I want the laundry room. Or storage space. Or a bigger walk-in closet that doesn't give me claustrophobia. I know a lot of people with an empty nest downsize, and I can see how that might be appealing. Yet, I don't want to downsize. We never really upsized as many people have done. We've looked at about 15 or so beautiful houses, and it is tempting to move, but I just can't bring myself to do it. One of the main reasons is that this is the home we raised our boys in, and there are so many memories here. I know people say that we would take the memories with us, but I'd still like to stay if we can. So we've been considering plans to renovate and build on since we have the space to do so. I guess if I'm going to have an empty nest, then I still at least want the nest.
This stage of life involves a lot of changes and decisions. It has been more stressful than I'd anticipated. Of course, I'm happy that my boys are doing well and are building their own lives successfully. Still, I know I'll miss them, and I want to make sure I build a place for them to come home to that is comfortable. When a woman is pregnant and is near her due date, sometimes she starts cleaning her house by instinct to prepare for the baby; this is called 'nesting'. I think what I'm going through is similar to that. The new mother is preparing to bring her baby into the world, while I'm preparing to let them go — but still finding a way to bring them back from time to time.


CEDAR CITY — When most people think of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, three things forming the foundation of the pyramid come to mind: food, shelter and clothing. Without securing these basic needs, Maslow proposed, humans will struggle to move on to the higher levels, such as belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Viewed in this way, Cedar City resident Ray Daughton provides a service that helps people better themselves – although his modesty would never allow him to say as much.
Daughton started working construction in 1989 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He said he heard about that first framing job through a family member, but he wasn't given any breaks.
Since then, Daughton has been involved in every aspect of homebuilding at one point or another, from foundations to roofs.
He has worked on everything from apartment complexes to award-winning homes. He has built a ward meeting house for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the middle of winter in the coldest place in the western United States. And he has done the finish carpentry on a multimillion-dollar home in the middle of summer on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu.
Currently, Daughton is the foreman for Ekker Design Build, a company he has been working for since February 1997. Admittedly, most of the projects he has been working on recently have been higher-end homes, not necessarily just fulfilling the basic needs of living. These are houses that appeal to a sense of aesthetics. But for Daughton, a man who lives modestly himself, he said he enjoys the challenge.
"I like it better than building the same thing everyone else is building," he said.
An example of this is Ekker Design Build's most recent project on Leigh Hill in Cedar City, where his crew had to build a 9-foot cantilever on the second level that would support part of the master bedroom and a deck (seen above in progress).
A cantilever is an overhanging structure popularized by architect Frank Lloyd Wright that doesn't require any external bracing. An example familiar to Cedar City residents is the suspended northwest corner of the new Southern Utah Museum of Art in Cedar City. It's a structural feat that requires more than just typical stick framing.
However, the Leigh Hill home isn't necessarily the most interesting one Daughton has worked on. He speaks fondly of the house they built for Anne Marie Gardner, a local artist, collector and former board president of Friends of the Braithwaite Gallery (now Friends of SUMA).
The awards in question were from the 2000 Parade of Homes, when the house won awards for architectural design, interior design and quality of construction. The house also represented some firsts for Daughton.
While he doesn't mind working with tile, Daughton's favorite part of working construction is doing finish carpentry, the final touches that transform a house into a home.
His skills in this department were put to the test in 2003 when Ekker flew Daughton and a small crew over to Hawaii to work on a home.
This was no small feat, as Daughton's crew had to mill rough-hewn boards of teak wood into the polished pieces of trim that would go throughout the house. To do this, they set up a miniworkshop in the garage of the house, complete with saws, a heavy-duty benchtop planer and barrel sander.
It's obvious from talking with Daughton that this was a very difficult job, but something else that is obvious is the pride he takes not only in his work but also pleasing his employer. He said this is actually one of his favorite parts of the job.
He's come a long way. He's invaluable. … There's nothing he has said, 'I don't think I can do this.' He's always tried. We've had to reverse a few times and do a few things over, but the thing about Ray is that he's proven time and time again that I can trust him with pretty much anything.
This is an attribute that Ekker said he believes is very valuable in a person and that is also hard to find.
This symbiotic relationship is important in the construction business, Ekker said, where very often things can quickly go bad or not the way you had hoped. In these instances, he said, Daughton has again proved his value.


text:
Survey: PM repels most Sg Besar youth, but a third support BN
Keeping Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in power or the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) were not reasons to vote for BN, said about half of the youths polled in Sungai Besar.
A total 47.4 percent answered 'no' when asked if BN should be retained in Sungai Besar because of Najib's leadership.
Similarly, 44.7 percent replied in the negative when asked if BN should win in Sungai Besar because "BN gave BR1M to defend the people".
This is according to a survey done by research house Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) on 522 voters, of which 190 are aged 21 to 40.
"Respondents largely felt that subsidies should not be politicised and is a responsibility of any national leader.
"Various negative issues involving Najib also affected youth perspective and eroded Umno's credibility in their eyes," IDE said in a statement.
IDE is a Selangor-government funded institute.
However, the results also showed that BN has support from at least a third of the respondents.
A total 30 percent said BN should win in Sungai Besar because of Najib while 37.4 percent stated that BN should succeed because of BR1M.
The remainder of those surveyed were unsure if Najib or BR1M are reasons why BN should win in Sungai Besar.
IDE said of the youths surveyed, 41.1 percent support BN, 47.9 percent support Pakatan Harapan while 11.1 percent do not support any party.
BN's Budiman Mohd Zohdi faces PAS' Dr Rani Osman and Parti Amanah Negara's Azhar Abdul Shukur at the polls on Saturday.
The parliamentary constituency was won by BN's Noriah Kasnon with less than one percent of total votes in the last general election.
Noriah died in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak on May 5, while campaigning in the state polls.
sungaibesar


Knowing the breeding history of ewes and ewe lambs is crucial to maintain the long-term productivity of the flock.
Craig Forsyth, runs a flock of Charollias and Suffolk breeding ewes, in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. Ensuring he has a clear record of lambing performance, prolificacy and maternal traits is a vital tool for flock management, and the overall system he is running.
"We retain 80% of our ewe lambs, and therefore we need to ensure the information flow is as detailed and accurate as it can be, to continue to improve the genetics and performance of the flock.
"Electronic identification (EID) makes a big difference in ensuring we retain high performing animals. But, we don't tag lambs until five to six weeks of age.
This year, Mr Forsyth has used Nettex Promark marker spray for the first time and has seen notable differences in the durability of spray marks. "Promark has dried quickly on ewes and lambs, and the colours have remained vibrant and visible. It's definitely standing the test of time.
"I've also noticed that the marker isn't irritating the lambs. With Charollias we're virtually spraying onto the skin when they're young, so this is an important consideration for us," he adds.
Mr Forsyth has also used Nettex Promark marker spray to mark ewes at scanning. "Again, ensuring scanning marks are long-lasting at this stage is extremely important to guarantee we get nutrition right in the run-up to lambing.
"Nettex Promark has been a good tool for us this season and will make sure we can successfully cross reference all lambs back to the ewe, while continuing to improve flock performance," says Mr Forsyth.


A successful recovery and return to work involves a number of individuals, and the best outcomes are achieved when everyone works together. Here's a quick rundown of the different parties who are likely to have an important role to play in your patient's recovery journey.
review your patient's recovery and injury management progress.
Your patient has a critical role to play in their own recovery and return to work. Research shows that injured workers achieve better outcomes when they are supported to return to work and encouraged to take responsibility – or self-manage – their recovery.
working collaboratively with workplace rehabilitation providers (WRPs) where WRPs have been engaged to support their recovery and return to work.
Read about injury management strategies you can use to engage and empower your patient, including making referrals to workplace rehabilitation providers. Also, refer your patient to the WorkCover WA website, which is full of useful information for injured workers.
Your patient's employer has a central role to play in supporting your patient immediately after their injury and through their recovery and return to work.
signs a certificate of capacity indicating that the worker has total capacity to return to work, but for some reason is not able to return to the position held immediately prior to the injury.
developing a return to work program in collaboration with you and your patient.
Please refer employers to the WorkCover WA website for more information about their rights and responsibilities.
manage workers' claims – this includes helping employers meet their injury management and return-to-work obligations process claim related payments.
representing the employer through the conciliation and arbitration process when disputes occur.
You can find out more about the role of insurers and access a list of approved insurers on the WorkCover WA website.
Workplace rehabilitation providers (WRPs) often play a key role in the recovery and return-to-work journey, and are particularly useful if your patient's return to work program isn't progressing as planned.
WRPs include a range of health professionals, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists, who will typically help you, your patient and your patient's employer develop and implement a return to work program. WRP professionals can help you identify and address the physical, psychological and workplace barriers that may prevent your patient returning to work.
Find out more about WRPs and how to make referrals to workplace rehabilitation providers.


text:
Co-operative Bank Plc Prosper Facebook
Market data distribution Personal finance
Prosper and Forbes tap Facebook; Co-op Bank joins MySpace
US person-to-person lending platform Prosper and business news provider Forbes have both developed virtual applications designed for users of online social networking site Facebook. Meanwhile in the UK the Cooperative Bank has launched its own profile on MySpace.
Prosper has built a virutal application, called Fantasy Banker, using Facebook Platform, a development system that enables companies to integrate applications and gain access to Facebook's 24 million users.
To play Fantasy Banker, users install the application on their Facebook profile. A mini scoreboard appears with a list of playing friends and each player starts with 100 points to bet on real-life, real-time loan listings on the Prosper Web site. When the listings players pick get funded, they earn points. If their picks don't fund, they lose their bet and points wagered.
Jonathan Russell, Prosper engineer and principal developer of Fantasy Banker, says: "It's a socially engaging and financially educational way for friends on Facebook to get acquainted with person-to-person lending."
Prosper's move comes as it faces competition from Californian start-up Lending Club, which has launched a new P2P service on Facebook. The company's Web site explains: "Lending Club is an online lending community where people can borrow and lend money, bypass the banks, and get better rates. By working together, members can borrow money more easily and at a better rate than they would get from a bank, or invest in a pool of loans at higher rates than those served by savings accounts or CDs."
Business news provider Forbes is also targeting Facebook users and has developed an application that enables members to track company stocks and access financial information and news.
Facebook members can use the Forbes application to track up to 10 company stocks by ticker symbol, view the three most recent news headlines on Forbes.com about each company, and access all relevant financial data. Facebook users can display stocks they track on their profile page.
Meanwhile earlier this week, the UK's Co-operative Bank launched a profile on MySpace to celebrate and highlight its ethical policies.
The Co-op's profile features television adverts, a 'Climate Care CO 2' calculator, a regular poll on topical environmental issues, plus downloadable screen savers and wallpaper.
David Newman, marketing director at The Co-operative Bank, says: "MySpace is rapidly becoming a 'green' networking place and is helping to cultivate a new generation of environmentally conscious individuals eager to make a 'tiny difference' in whatever way they can."
The bank says it will make a charitable donation for every new 'green' friend added to its profile.
Last year research group Gartner advised banks to monitor emerging Internet social networks for their potential for partnerships to offer services within the network or to create non-traditional distribution channels by dealing with customers one-to-one.
Online bill payment key to customer satisfaction
Securities firms to tap Web 2.0 - Towergroup
Fears of brand damage scaring banks away from Web 2.0
Fortis launches 'MySpace' for entrepreneurs
Prosper signs up 100,000 members; generates $20 million in loans
Banks tap social networks to target youth market
Gartner calls on banks to adopt Web 2.0 technologies
See all blogs »
Trends in Financial Services
Pimp my plantpot
Paul Penrose


text:
Liberals to decide fate of eight health organizations next year
The federal health minister is expected to announce early next year what the Liberal government plans to do with eight Canadian health organizations under review. A notice posted on Health Canada's website says the Liberal government has created an external advisory body to work out just how those arms-length health organizations should be reformed. It starts […]
Kyle Duggan
Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor. iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood
The federal health minister is expected to announce early next year what the Liberal government plans to do with eight Canadian health organizations under review.
A notice posted on Health Canada's website says the Liberal government has created an external advisory body to work out just how those arms-length health organizations should be reformed. It starts that work this month.
"The work will wind up by the end of the calendar year, with an announcement of the forward path expected in early winter 2019," an accompanying document said about the new advisory group.


text:
Canberra's grassy verges may soon yield more than just a headache for those who have to mow them, but not everyone's mouths are watering as a result of new guidelines announced recently on planting vegetables in nature strips. The garden city could become the edible garden city once planning regulations around nature strips are relaxed, but community council representatives say there are some issues that need to be ironed out first. Nature strips or verges are the section of land between an urban property and road edge which allow safe access for the public. Currently, growing anything but grass on them requires a development application, but the property owner usually bears responsibility for maintenance. Weston Creek Community Council deputy chair Pat McGinn has been part of a working party run by Territory and Municipal Services to investigate better verge management. She is a proponent of opening up the spaces for growing food, but says access for pedestrians and services could be an issue. "There wasn't a lot of consensus [in the group] but it attracted a lot of comment," she said. "A lot of people in Canberra, Weston Creek included, wouldn't mind people growing vegies there but a lot of areas don't have footpaths and it might force people to walk on the roads if the nature strip is full of vegetables. "Also if something goes wrong with the services [such as water or electricity], people have to realise their vegetables will have to be dug up." One issue she's not worried about is how the patches will be watered. "I can't see it causing a problem unless water runs out onto the road. A lot of people don't have hoses out the front but they can use water cans or a long hose from around the side of the house. Plus the people who are growing them aren't usually the ones to be wasting water." Belconnen Community Council acting chair Damien Haas says that as long as people are sensible about planting it shouldn't cause any issues for pedestrians or neighbours, and it's one small way Canberra is changing for the better. "It's another example of the relaxing of government around Canberra," Mr Haas said. "Canberra has been a very rule-focused city since its inception by virtue of its population, but there's been a new approach in the 21st century. "The government seems willing to take chances. It's one of those simple things where the government says, 'Hey, we're not going to prosecute you for growing cucumbers in your front yard.'" And though vandalism and poachers are a big worry for some, it could be a community-building exercise, Mr Haas said. "It's hard to vandal-proof the world although you sometimes have to be cautious. You're not going to cause a vandalism crime wave by having tomatoes in your front yard. "If you put on gumboots and get a hoe and go into the street, you're going to meet people. So many people don't know their neighbours these days." But the Inner South Community Council's acting chair, Anne Forrest, believes it would be a mistake to impose blanket guidelines across both "old and new Canberra". "The problem with the territory plan is that it's one size fits all," she said. "The needs in newer areas are different to the needs in older areas. Conversation needs to start at a grassroots level with the communities in question before the new rules are introduced. "But I'd rather people plant vegetables than park their cars on the verges."
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/e3dd06c1-7804-4a11-a5b9-3c9b0a93fb6a/r0_102_2000_1232_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
December 30 2015 - 6:44PM
Planting of vegetables on nature strips divides community councils
Canberra's grassy verges may soon yield more than just a headache for those who have to mow them, but not everyone's mouths are watering as a result of new guidelines announced recently on planting vegetables in nature strips.
The garden city could become the edible garden city once planning regulations around nature strips are relaxed, but community council representatives say there are some issues that need to be ironed out first.
The Kingston community garden model could soon be followed on grass verges throughout Canberra. Photo: Rohan Thomson
Nature strips or verges are the section of land between an urban property and road edge which allow safe access for the public. Currently, growing anything but grass on them requires a development application, but the property owner usually bears responsibility for maintenance.
Weston Creek Community Council deputy chair Pat McGinn has been part of a working party run by Territory and Municipal Services to investigate better verge management.
She is a proponent of opening up the spaces for growing food, but says access for pedestrians and services could be an issue.
"There wasn't a lot of consensus [in the group] but it attracted a lot of comment," she said. "A lot of people in Canberra, Weston Creek included, wouldn't mind people growing vegies there but a lot of areas don't have footpaths and it might force people to walk on the roads if the nature strip is full of vegetables.
"Also if something goes wrong with the services [such as water or electricity], people have to realise their vegetables will have to be dug up."
One issue she's not worried about is how the patches will be watered.
"I can't see it causing a problem unless water runs out onto the road. A lot of people don't have hoses out the front but they can use water cans or a long hose from around the side of the house. Plus the people who are growing them aren't usually the ones to be wasting water."
Belconnen Community Council acting chair Damien Haas says that as long as people are sensible about planting it shouldn't cause any issues for pedestrians or neighbours, and it's one small way Canberra is changing for the better.
"It's another example of the relaxing of government around Canberra," Mr Haas said. "Canberra has been a very rule-focused city since its inception by virtue of its population, but there's been a new approach in the 21st century.
"The government seems willing to take chances. It's one of those simple things where the government says, 'Hey, we're not going to prosecute you for growing cucumbers in your front yard.'"
And though vandalism and poachers are a big worry for some, it could be a community-building exercise, Mr Haas said.
"It's hard to vandal-proof the world although you sometimes have to be cautious. You're not going to cause a vandalism crime wave by having tomatoes in your front yard.
"If you put on gumboots and get a hoe and go into the street, you're going to meet people. So many people don't know their neighbours these days."
But the Inner South Community Council's acting chair, Anne Forrest, believes it would be a mistake to impose blanket guidelines across both "old and new Canberra".
"The problem with the territory plan is that it's one size fits all," she said. "The needs in newer areas are different to the needs in older areas. Conversation needs to start at a grassroots level with the communities in question before the new rules are introduced.
"But I'd rather people plant vegetables than park their cars on the verges."


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Bennet, Bipartisan Senate Working Group Introduce Surprise Medical Billing Legislation
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), along with Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Tom Carper (D-DE), members of the bipartisan Senate health care price transparency group, introduced the bipartisan STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act, legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills. This legislation is a product of a nearly year-long effort revising proposals and requesting feedback on draft legislation released last September by the working group.
"The last thing a patient should have to worry about is being blindsided by unanticipated, and potentially financially devastating, medical bills. People deserve to know how much they are paying for health care services and procedures at the point of care," Bennet said. "Our bill would help protect patients from surprise medical bills, increase transparency, and alleviate the financial burdens imposed on consumers as a result of these bills. I urge my colleagues to prioritize this bipartisan legislation to give much needed relief and predictability to Americans throughout the country."
Recent examples of patients receiving surprise medical bills include a patient who received a bill nearly $109,000 for care after a heart attack, and a patient who received a bill for $17,850 for a urine test.
In February of this year, Bennet and Cassidy led the working group in requesting more detailed information from the health care industry to supplement the input they received regarding the draft surprise medical bills legislation released in September 2018.
A section-by-section is available HERE.
The STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act addresses three scenarios in which surprise medical billing (also known as "balance billing") would be prohibited:
Emergency services: The bill would ensure that a patient is only required to pay the in-network cost-sharing amount required by their health plan for emergency services, regardless of them being treated at an out-of-network facility or by an out-of-network provider.
Non-Emergency services following an emergency service at an out-of-network facility: The bill would protect patients who require additional health care services after receiving emergency care at an out-of-network facility, but cannot be moved without medical transport from the out-of-network facility.
Non-Emergency services performed by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility: The bill would ensure that patients owe no more than their in-network cost sharing in the case of a non-emergency service that is provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. Further, patients could not receive a surprise medical bill for services that are ordered by an in-network provider at a provider's office, but are provided by an out-of-network provider, such as out-of-network laboratory or imaging services.
Providers would automatically be paid the difference between the patient's in-network cost-sharing amount and the median in-network rate for these services, but providers and plans would have the opportunity to appeal this payment amount through an independent dispute resolution process, should they see fit. This "baseball-style" process would entail the plan and provider submitting offers to an independent dispute resolution entity that has been certified by the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Labor. This entity would make a final decision based upon commercially-reasonable rates for that geographic area.
The patient is completely removed from this process between the provider and the plan, and regardless of any outcome from a dispute resolution process, the patient still only owes the in-network rate. States that have established an alternate mechanism for protecting patients and determining payment amounts for providers would be able to continue with those systems.
Permalink: https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/5/bennet-bipartisan-senate-working-group-introduce-surprise-medical-billing-legislation


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In Mice and Men, Prostate Drug Reportedly Treats Parkinson's Disease
A drug commonly prescribed to keep enlarged prostates in check may hold promise for Parkinson's disease. According to a study published September 16 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, terazosin (TZ), an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist that moonlights as a glycolysis booster, raised ATP, upped mitochondrial numbers, and ultimately saved dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in multiple models of PD. Led by Michael Welsh at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and Lei Liu of Beijing University, the researchers claim that among men who took terazosin or related drugs to quell prostate hyperplasia, the incidence of PD was low, and symptoms of diagnosed disease were mild.
Terazosin activates glycolysis, enhancing ATP production.
In PD models, it boosts dopamine output, slows neurodegeneration.
Men who take terazosin to treat prostate enlargement have lower rates of PD, milder disease.
The researchers uncovered TZ's energy-boosting prowess serendipitously, Welsh explained. In Beijing, TZ popped up as a top hit in Liu's screen for cell death inhibitors in fruit flies. Flies lack α1-adrenergic receptors so, probing further, Liu found that the drug activates phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), one of two enzymes that generate ATP in the glycolysis pathway (Chen et al., 2015). Since mitochondrial malfunction and impaired bioenergetics are features of withering neurons in PD, the researchers decided to test this ATP-boosting drug in models of the disease.
First author Rong Cai and colleagues began with the MPTP injection mouse model of parkinsonism. Given daily at the time of injection of this mitochondrial toxin, TZ attenuated all core pathologies, including the drop in ATP, loss of mitochondria in the striatum, loss of dopaminergic neurons, and loss of balance. When the researchers delayed TZ treatment until seven days after MPTP injection, the drug still had beneficial effects on dopaminergic function and motor performance by day 14.
TZ similarly protected other toxin models of parkinsonism, including 6-OHDA in rats, and rotenone in flies. In the insects, knocking out PGK1 erased the benefits of TZ, bolstering the idea that the drug fends off a PD-like syndrome via this enzyme.
Shrinking Both Prostate and Synuclein? In iPSC-derived neurons from Parkinson's patients, α-synuclein (green) accumulates in dopaminergic neurons (red). TZ treatment reduced accumulation to control neuron levels. [Courtesy of Cai et al., JCI, 2019.]
In genetic models of Parkinson's, the researchers saw TZ treatment assuage motor deficits, for example in flies carrying PD mutations in PINK1 or LRRK2. In transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type α-synuclein—the primary component of the Lewy body inclusions that define the disease—treatment with TZ between three and 15 months of age partially protected against loss of balance. Finally, in induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived neurons from two PD patients who carried the G2019S mutation in the LRRK2 gene, TZ increased ATP levels and lessened accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates (see image above).
Could TZ really work for people with PD? Because the drug is commonly prescribed for benign enlargement of the prostate in men over the age of 60—an age group at risk for PD—Welsh reasoned that database sleuthing could begin to answer this question. The researchers first turned to the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database, which tracks symptom progression in people with PD. They identified seven men with PD who took TZ and 269 who did not. Men on TZ had a slower rate of motor decline. Still in the PPMI database, the researchers expanded their query to include related drugs—doxazosin (DZ) and alfuzosin (AZ)—which are also used to treat prostate enlargement and contain the same quinazoline motif shown to enhance PGK1 function. The 13 men taking TZ, DZ, or AZ had slower progression of motor decline than those not on the drugs. Crucially, 24 men with PD who took tamsulosin, another prostate drug that antagonizes α1-adrenergic receptors but does not activate PGK1, did not have this relative protection. "I just about fell off my chair when I saw those results," Welsh said.
Drugs Help Pee and PD? Men with PD who took TZ, DZ, or AZ had a lower relative risk of 69 of 79 PD-related diagnoses in their charts compared with men who took tamsulosin. Yellow dots represent a statistically significant difference. Diagnoses are grouped into categories. [Courtesy of Cai et al., JCI, 2019.]
To expand their search to more people, the researchers accessed the IBM Watson/Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Database for insurance claims relating to PD. They identified 2,880 men with PD who took TZ, DZ, or AZ, and 15,409 men with PD who took tamsulosin. They next selected 79 diagnostic codes related to PD, such as falls, tremor, walking problems, and sleep disorders. They found that compared with men with PD who took tamsulosin, those taking TZ, DZ, or AZ had a 22 percent lower relative risk of having any of these diagnostic codes in their files, suggesting they had milder disease. They also had fewer hospital visits for motor and non-motor symptoms, as well as PD complications.
To see if the ATP-boosting drugs might delay or prevent PD, the researchers identified more than 78,000 men in the Truven database without PD who took TZ, DZ, or AZ, then tracked their files for 284 days. During that time, 118 of them were diagnosed with PD, compared with 190 age-matched men who took tamsulosin instead. This yielded a hazards ratio of 0.62, suggesting that TZ, DZ, and AZ reduce the incidence of PD.
"All of this is very encouraging, and indicates that TZ is a strong candidate for clinical trials to see if it can be repurposed for Parkinson's," wrote Chris Elliott of the University of York, U.K. "In this TZ joins other drugs (including UDCA and Exenatide) that affect energy metabolism." Howeve, Elliott noted that the mechanism of TZ's effects on neurons remains to be ironed out, and cautioned that the drug has risks. "It reduces blood pressure, which may already be low in people with Parkinson's, and so careful evaluation of its safety is needed."
Clemens Scherzer of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston noted that defective bioenergetics is a key pathway in Parkinson's, and that the study points at potential tool compounds to correct these defects. "The quinazoline α1 adrenoreceptor blockers, which are used for benign prostatic hyperplastia, could be repurposed for clinical trials in PD or chemically tweaked to develop brain-optimized, new bioenergetics drugs for PD," Scherzer told Alzforum. He added that rigorous population-wide cohort studies and clinical studies will be needed.
Welsh told Alzforum that it is unclear exactly how TZ and related drugs might counteract PD. He noted that recent studies indicate that ATP itself interferes with α-synuclein aggregation and liquid phase separation (Patel et al., 2017; Hayes et al., 2018). ATP could also reduce protein aggregation by bolstering the activity of myriad enzymes, including heat-shock proteins, he added. Of course, ATP might enhance all manner of neuronal functions by supplying cells with more energy. Welsh is investigating whether the drugs affect progression or incidence of other neurodegenerative proteinopathies, including AD.
Welsh has initiated a small trial to test TZ in PD patients at Iowa University, and has applied for funding to get multicenter trials up and running. He is starting by dosing patients with 5 mg—as prescribed for prostate enlargement—but said dose-finding studies are needed. Complicating matters, the drug had a biphasic dose response on its PGK1 target in cultured cells and in mice, meaning that at higher concentrations, it no longer elevates ATP. Welsh also noted that though the primary use of the drug is for prostate enlargement, it was also briefly used to treat hypertension, and was tested in women as well as men for that indication. He plans to include both men and women with PD in trials.—Jessica Shugart
The main claim of this paper is that a drug used to treat prostate overgrowth, terazosin (TZ), may benefit people with Parkinson's. In particular it may reduce the risk of Parkinson's, and/or slow its progression. Such a "disease-modifying therapy" would be very valuable, since most of the currently approved drugs reduce the symptoms, but do not slow the course of Parkinson's. Since TZ is already approved for human use, it could be quickly repurposed for people with Parkinson's. This drug would not be without risk, as it also reduces blood pressure, which may already be low in people with Parkinson's, so careful evaluation of its safety is needed.
TZ is usually defined as an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist—this means it acts on the cell surface, interacting with specific receptors for adrenaline, the flight-or-fight hormone. This effect of TZ is to relax blood vessels—but Cai et al. propose a second mechanism. They propose that TZ also acts on an enzyme inside the cell called phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1). The proposed interaction between TZ and PGK1 would increase the synthesis of ATP, the main source of energy in the cells. Lack of ATP production is a common feature of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
The main strength of this paper is that it shows that TZ alleviates the progression of Parkinson's-like effects in a range of living animal models—both genetic and environmental. TZ improves motor performance in each model, mediated (at least in part) by the dopaminergic neurons. Indeed, in the fly model, the availability of a very specific genetic manipulation shows convincingly that the TZ—PGK1 interaction is dopaminergic.
Additionally, the paper finds—from medical databases—that people taking TZ (or related compounds) had a lower risk of Parkinson's than the general population.
The main weakness of the paper is that the mechanism of TZ—PGK1 interaction is not fully explored. How does the TZ get into the cell and bind to PGK1? Does it directly affect ATP production? There is little attempt to show that the effects are not due to the well-characterised adrenergic mechanisms, perhaps because these experiments are technically difficult. However, the fact that TZ benefits fly models of Parkinson's as well as rodent models supports the idea that TZ is not acting by an adrenergic receptor mechanism, since flies have no adrenaline.
All of this is very encouraging, and indicates that TZ is a strong candidate for clinical trials to see if it can be repurposed for Parkinson's. In this TZ joins other drugs (including UDCA and Exenatide) that affect energy metabolism. Additionally, other adrenergic drugs have been thought to be beneficial to people with Parkinson's, e.g. salbutamol (Mittal et al., 2017), though their proposed mechanism did not involve PGK1.
Mittal S, Bjørnevik K, Im DS, Flierl A, Dong X, Locascio JJ, Abo KM, Long E, Jin M, Xu B, Xiang YK, Rochet JC, Engeland A, Rizzu P, Heutink P, Bartels T, Selkoe DJ, Caldarone BJ, Glicksman MA, Khurana V, Schüle B, Park DS, Riise T, Scherzer CR. β2-Adrenoreceptor is a regulator of the α-synuclein gene driving risk of Parkinson's disease. Science. 2017 Sep 1;357(6354):891-898. PubMed.
View all comments by Chris Elliott
Chen X, Zhao C, Li X, Wang T, Li Y, Cao C, Ding Y, Dong M, Finci L, Wang JH, Li X, Liu L. Terazosin activates Pgk1 and Hsp90 to promote stress resistance. Nat Chem Biol. 2015 Jan;11(1):19-25. Epub 2014 Nov 10 PubMed.
Patel A, Malinovska L, Saha S, Wang J, Alberti S, Krishnan Y, Hyman AA. ATP as a biological hydrotrope. Science. 2017 May 19;356(6339):753-756. PubMed.
Hayes MH, Peuchen EH, Dovichi NJ, Weeks DL. Dual roles for ATP in the regulation of phase separated protein aggregates in Xenopus oocyte nucleoli. Elife. 2018 Jul 17;7 PubMed.
Cai R, Zhang Y, Simmering JE, Schultz JL, Li Y, Fernandez-Carasa I, Consiglio A, Raya A, Polgreen PM, Narayanan NS, Yuan Y, Chen Z, Su W, Han Y, Zhao C, Gao L, Ji X, Welsh MJ, Liu L. Enhancing glycolysis attenuates Parkinson's disease progression in models and clinical databases. J Clin Invest. 2019 Oct 1;129(10):4539-4549. PubMed.


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Orville Executive Producer David A. Goodman, artist David Cabeza, and colorist Michael Atiyeh are teaming up to bring to us the comic adaptation of the successful TV science fiction comedy/adventure "The Orville".
The comic series is set in between the first and second season of the tv series thus named "The Orville Season 1.5: New Beginnings" and is going to be consisted of two, two-issue "episodes" closing the gap of the two seasons.
The first episode of the new comic series is titled "The Orville #1: New Beginnins Part 1 (of 2)"
On their way to a fleet conference, Ed and Gordon investigate a distress signal from a century-old buoy belonging to a Union ship. Back on the Orville, Kelly tries to mediate when Bortus insists on enrolling Topa into school despite him being only a few months old.
The second �episode� begins with "The Orville #3: The Word of Avis Part 1 (of two)".
The Orville intercept a small Union ship en route to the interstellar territory of the easily aggravated Krill. The passengers, originally thought to be a group of xenoanthropologists, turn out to be much, much more interesting and dangerous than the crew of the Orville could�ve imagined.
If you are unfamiliar with the TV series, "The Orville" then you might want to catch up with at least the first season in order to fully comprehend the setting.


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PTI Environment May 22, 2020, 10:55 am
Cyclone Amphan considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila: UN
Cyclone Amphan, which has killed 77 people and left thousands homeless in West Bengal, is now considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila which slammed southern Bangladesh and eastern India in 2009, the UN has said.
Cyclone Amphan, the strongest to hit the region in nearly two decades, made landfall on Wednesday evening. It has battered several parts of the state, washing away bridges and swamping low-lying areas.
Seven districts badly hit are South 24 Paraganas, North 24 Paraganas, East Medinipur, West Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata, with damage also reported in the district of Birbhum.
"The UN Country Team in India reported that Cyclone Amphan, which caused widespread damage around Calcutta is now considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila, which slammed the region in May 2009," the UN said in a news report.
Power and telecommunications have been affected across the cyclone-affected districts and North and South 24 Parganas are facing water scarcity. Massive damage is also expected to standing crops and plantations.
The UN report said that while fires have maimed transformers and telecommunications in Kolkata, uprooted trees and damaged electric poles have caused power cuts.
Several roads have been blocked, shops damaged, and streets waterlogged from the heavy rainfall during high tide. Embankment breaches have occurred throughout the state while water inundation and wind have damaged Kolkata airport.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to West Bengal and Odisha on Friday to take stock of the situation in the wake of Cyclone Amphan, the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
"He will conduct aerial surveys and take part in review meetings, where aspects of relief and rehabilitation will be discussed," it said.
The world organization said UN humanitarians and partners were working hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of the cyclone, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc, causing high tidal surges, flooding, and embankments to collapse.
Currently, the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Fund, Kolkata police, fire services and West Bengal state police are undertaking relief and restoration efforts. The state and district-level Interagency Group coordination mechanism has been activated in West Bengal.
The UN's children's agency UNICEF, which is closely monitoring the situation with state departments, expressed concern that the COVID-19 could deepen the cyclone's humanitarian consequences in both the countries.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that around 10 million people in Bangladesh were impacted by the cyclone, with half a million families potentially having lost their homes.
UNICEF has said that at least 19 million children in parts of Bangladesh and India are at imminent risk from flash flooding, storm surges and heavy rain as Cyclone Amphan made landfall.
West Bengal, "home to more than 50 million people, including over 16 million children, is expected to take a direct hit from the powerful storm," the UN agency had said in a statement Wednesday.
UNICEF said it was also very concerned that the COVID-19 could deepen the humanitarian consequences of Cyclone Amphan in both countries.
Evacuees who have moved to crowded temporary shelters would be especially vulnerable to the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, as well as other infections.
Bangladesh has shifted over 20 lakh people to storm shelters and deployed the military to deal with the powerful cyclone.
Leading global storm tracker AccuWeather on Tuesday described Amphan as the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since 1999.
Air pollution increases the risk of mortality from COVID-19, NGT informed
Study: 1 to 2 million tons of US plastic trash go astray
UN: Climate change means more weather disasters every year
UN report: Increased warming closing in on agreed-upon limit
CMERI installs huge solar tree at residential colony


text:
Haradzisjtja kan syfta på följande platser:

Belarus

 Haradzisjtja (ort i Vitryssland, Mahiljoŭs voblast),
 Haradzisjtja (ort i Vitryssland, Brests voblast),

Robotskapade Belarusförgreningar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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How to Vote Safely in the 2020 Election
This year's election will be unlike any other due to COVID-19, the removal of straight-party ticket voting, the reduced number of polling places, and the fact that, due to an increase in vote-by-mail ballots, the outcome of the election will almost certainly not be determined on November 3 or 4.
COVID-19 concerns, efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of the election, and threats of voter intimidation have increased anxiety about showing up to vote.
Please join Reverend George Mason and Rabbi Nancy Kasten as they discuss what you can do to protect your physical health, the integrity of your vote, and a fair and safe election in Dallas County with three distinguished guests:
Robert Elkin, retired lawyer, Chair of Temple Emanu-El's Civic Engagement Campaign, a director of March to the Polls, a non-partisan voter registration and engagment, and a founding member of Dallas VOTES
Dr. Philip Huang, Director and Health Authority, Dallas County Health and Human Services Department
Reverend Jaime Kowlessar, Senior Pastor, City Temple SDA, Faith in Texas Clergy Table and member of Dallas VOTES
They will discuss:
The options open for Dallas County residents to vote and how to choose the best option for you
The Adopt-A-Polling Site initiative that communities of faith can participate in, and
Public health recommendations for casting your ballot and working as a poll worker or volunteer elections moniter.
The event will be live-streamed on Faith Commons' Facebook page. Viewers will be able to ask questions in the Facebook chat, or text a question to 704-962-5735. RSVP for an email reminder and a direct link before the start of the show.
The Road to Liberation
State of our Faith: DISD Bond Propositions
https://www.facebook.com/FaithCommonsDallas
Dallas, TX United States
Faith Commons
faithcommons.org


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Hansville residents hold demonstration during nationwide March for Our Lives
By Nick Twietmeyer • March 29, 2018 3:30 pm
HANSVILLE — On March 24, residents of Hansville gathered at Norwegian Point Park in a small, but impassioned show of solidarity for demonstrations across the country calling for stricter gun control measures.
Twelve people, all residents of the rural community at the northernmost tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, made their voices heard to those passing through the turn where Hansville Road NE becomes NE Twin Spits Road. While some were holding up signs, all of the attendees appeared to carry with them the desire to see real change.
"I'm here to oppose gun laws that don't make any sense and endanger all of us," said Todd Ramsey from the crowd.
Kelley Daniels, a fourth grade teacher at David Wolfle Elementary School, said she wants to keep all guns out of schools.
"I would not like to have guns coming into my school, not in any form or fashion," Daniels said. "I have kids that are truly scared, I have kids that look out the window and say, 'that person doesn't have a badge.' They're afraid and I'm afraid for them."
There was also an opinion from the other side of the fence, literally. Antonio Fett was standing outside the wooden fence surrounding the park, talking with demonstrators as well. Fett was in attendance to make a case for the counter-argument to calls for stricter gun control.
"We have a lack of enforcement for existing federal laws," Fett said explaining that he has firsthand experience with criminal firearms purchases having worked in a gun store for four years. "They send in someone who can lawfully obtain the gun, they buy the gun for them and they go out to the car and give it to them."
According to Fett, of the 40 so-called "straw purchases" he identified during his time as a gun salesman, only one was ever prosecuted. "If we aren't enforcing the existing federal laws, what are new laws going to do?" Fett asked.
The organizer of the event, Darroll Gover, even went as far as to make a flag for the event which read, "I'm with the kids — Poop on the NRA." Gover said he didn't much care if he or the group received any attention for their small demonstration.
"If nothing comes of it, that's fine. I got to do what I had to do. I didn't do this for publicity, I did it from my heart and for the kids."
"It's time for people to do something," Gover said. "We've got to convince people that we don't need these military-type guns."
— Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.
Darroll Gover's homemade sign is prominently displayed in the back of his car at Norwegian Point Park in Hansville. Nick Twietmeyer | Kitsap News Group
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