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GM partners with Pilot, EVGo to launch massive convenience store EV-charging initiative
Convenience store chains are adding hundreds of EV charging stations, but the Pilot chain's goal to install thousands could signal the beginning of an EV charging arms race in that industry.
Brett Dworski Reporter
Pilot is building a network of 2,000 fast charging stations across 500 of its U.S. travel centers Retrieved from Pilot website.
First published on
Electric vehicle (EV) charging may seem like a budding trend to consumers, but it's anything but new to c-store operators.
About 95% of U.S. fuel retailers surveyed said they're currently offering or planning to offer EV charging stations, while 70% said they're planning to expand their fuel network in the coming years, according to a 2022 study from Boston Consulting Group.
As the fuel landscape continues to evolve amid changing consumer habits and digital technologies, larger c-store chains are jumping at EV charging. Wawa began hosting EV charging at its stores in 2017, while 7-Eleven revealed plans in 2021 to develop at least 500 charging stations at 250 stores in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2022. And during this summer, Circle K and Couche-Tard set a goal to have 200 charging sites by 2024, while Phillips 66 made its own plans to bring EV drivers to its stores.
But in one of the most ambitious EV initiatives the c-store industry has seen to date, the Pilot Company announced in July that it's building a network of 2,000 fast charging stations across 500 of its U.S. travel centers and expects the first chargers to be ready for use in early 2023. Pilot is collaborating with auto manufacturer General Motors and EV fast charging network EVgo on the project.
In the project's earliest phase, Pilot wanted to get ahead because it knew EVs were coming fast — and there was plenty to learn.
"'There's so much we don't know, there's still a lot to be learned' — that was our thinking at the time," said John Tully, VP of strategy and business development for Pilot. "The EV driver community is growing, and those are current and future customers of ours. We wanted to be part of that solution."
At a time when many c-store chains are building hundreds of EV charging stations on site, Pilot's initiative to have thousands signals an EV arms race taking shape in the c-store space.
The right partnership
Before partnering with Pilot, GM had already committed to investing $750 million towards building EV charging infrastructure and enabling access to more than 2,700 fast charging points in the U.S. through 2025 as part of its Ultimate Charge 360 initiative.
"Making EVs viable as a primary vehicle is what we're targeting," said Aaron Wolff, business development and strategy manager, EV charging infrastructure, for GM. "One of the big pain points always cited is 'What if I need to go on a road trip? Are there chargers that will be there for me in the right spot?'"
This pain point Wolff describes is known as range anxiety. To help curb it, he knew GM needed to place chargers roughly every 50 miles along major U.S. highways. That drew him to Pilot, which operates Pilot Flying J, the largest truck stop and travel center chain in the U.S.
Pilot's EV charging stations will be placed roughly every 50 miles along major U.S. highways.
Retrieved from Pilot press release.
Once Pilot came aboard, the next step was to find the right charging network to help build the sites. GM's Ultimate Charge 360 initiative had already partnered with seven of these networks. One of them, EVgo, was familiar with the c-store industry's interest in EV charging, having previously worked with Sheetz, Wawa and Terrible Herbst.
After GM made an introduction between Pilot and EVgo, it was off to the races.
"We were used to the c-store model," said Jonathan Levy, chief commercial officer for EVgo. "But this was the first time of something of this scale with a c-store brand."
The companies discussed incorporating Pilot's general business goals into building out its EV stations. They emphasized customer experience and reliability.
Beyond Pilot's ideal interstate locations, the fact that the chain operates 24/7 and always has staff monitoring the facilities also drew GM to the partnership, Wolff said.
Tully said the partnership with GM and EVgo is helping Pilot prepare for the future by establishing itself as a place EV drivers can rely on for charging.
"GM helped us get our charging network in place to give drivers a more complete experience," he said. "They were the yang to our yin."
Creating the right experience
Pilot's charging stations will feature canopies to help protect customers from the weather while charging, as well as a pull-through design, which allows easier charging for electric pickup trucks and SUVs pulling trailers. They'll also be capable of offering up to 350-kilowatts, which is the fastest type of charge.
Still, the time it takes to charge a vehicle will depend on the make of the car, Tully said.
"We're expecting people to [be charging] from 15 to 45 minutes," he said.
Tully also emphasized that the charging stations will be in a separate area of the forecourt than its gas pumps, which will continue to operate as normal. Keeping its fuel operations as-is aligns with Pilot's recent activity; in November 2021, the company acquired Southern Counties Oil, a gasoline provider that operated about 50 proprietary cardlock locations.
"[The charging stations] will have no impact on the fuel," he said.
Pilot will use a "plug and charge" model at its charging stations, which lets customers drive up and plug their vehicle's cable into the charge point. Drivers only need to set up their payment the first time they charge, and on subsequent visits, their information will already be in the system. Wolff said he's especially excited about this, since consumers have often had payment issues with EV charging in the past.
"There's no need to sugar coat it — there have been challenges with charger reliability to date," he said.
But planning to build 2,000 EV charging stations nationwide comes with its own challenges. A big one is building the charging infrastructure at each site, Wolff said. This not only requires getting the proper permits to build, but also considering the site-specific details, such as the design and layout of the space and how many chargers it can accommodate. Wolff said they chose Pilot locations that were already in the process of upgrading their facilities with things like new restrooms and quick-service restaurants on site.
"How do we pick the best sites in the best spots for our customers?" Wolff said. "It's not just about traffic — it's about creating the right experience."
Incorporating EV charging isn't the only major change Pilot is undergoing these days. As part of its $1 billion "New Horizons" strategy, which includes its EV initiative, the company is updating hundreds of stores with new foodservice stations, more energy efficient lighting, self checkout stations and more. The company plans to update around 400 stations as part of the initiative, which was announced in March, and has so far completed around a quarter of those updates, according to Allison Cornish, Pilot's vice president of store modernization.
Pilot's EV charging initiative is part of its New Horizons strategy that also includes remodeling hundreds of locations.
Courtesy of Pilot
It's all about convenience
It's clear that larger c-store chains are going all-in on EV charging. But how big of an impact will the trend have across the industry?
"You have to break it down regionally," said Tully. "It'll somewhat depend on how urban an area you're in. If you're in California, [EV rollout] will probably happen faster than in Nebraska. But we think this is a real trend that's coming."
At the recent NACS Show in Las Vegas, Parkland CEO Doug Haugh said that two distinct consumer opportunities are emerging for EV charging providers. One is the millions of people who don't keep their cars in garages, and thus may not have at-home access to charging. The other is the many travelers driving along highways and interstates who need charging points to complete their journeys — a consumer set that Pilot's travel centers are poised to meet.
"There's a clear opportunity and a clear need to provide the services to these travelers," said Haugh.
Others are more skeptical about EVs making a big difference throughout the c-store industry. Frank Beard, a retail analyst who works in marketing for autonomous checkout company Standard AI, said EV charging seems to be a bonus rather than a core value proposition for c-stores.
"It can be a fine amenity for some brands in some circumstances — like truck stops on long routes — but it's going to take more than chargers to future-proof neighborhood c-stores," he said. "C-stores sell 80% of America's gasoline. It's hard to see a pathway to charging 80% of America's vehicles."
While Tully also acknowledged that consumers can charge EVs at home or elsewhere, he said a larger question looms for him: How can c-stores increasingly attract EV drivers?
"It's all about convenience, but given the ability for home owners to charge, it'll be interesting how that develops," he said. "That could mean selling more things inside the store that apply to the EV charging process."
Despite the potential business challenges, c-stores are an ideal fit for EV charging stations, Levy said, since when drivers are charging, they'll go into the c-store — just like they often do when filling up on gas. Top c-store brands seem to feel the same way, as seen in the flurry of recent EV-charging initiatives around the industry.
And this trend appears to only be getting started. A report from KPMG found that automotive executives, on average, expect about half of new car sales in the U.S. to be EVs by 2030.
"It's no longer a question of if or when with EVs," Levy said. "The question is how fast."
Jeff Wells contributed reporting to this story.
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The 10 most future-ready cities in North America: report
Cities must invest more in digital and physical infrastructure to address today's challenges but face several barriers, including a lack of public trust, a new report finds.
By Michael Brady • Nov. 15, 2022
Permission granted by The Mosaic Group
Miami Gardens metaverse aims to encourage virtual exploration of city amenities
Users can virtually visit and interact with 3D recreations of City Hall, universities, the stadium, a casino and more.
By Kalena Thomhave • Nov. 21, 2022
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FTA makes $21B available to transit agencies, communities
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Smart City Maturity Prepares Cities for Technology-Enabled Future Custom content for Red Hat
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text:
If you are using Doctrine ORM, and you entity implements `Netinfluence\UploadBundle\Model\UploadableInterface`,
a listener provided by this bundle will automatically takes care of all of uploading the file to the final filesystem and
of removing it from the sandbox filesystem on success.

In the same fashion, file removal is automatic after entity removal.

## Manually

If you don't use Doctrine ORM, but want to save `Netinfluence\UploadBundle\Model\UploadableInterface` file, call the `netinfluence_upload.file_manager` service:
```php
<?php

namespace Netinfluence\DemoBundle\Controller;

use Netinfluence\UploadBundle\Form\Type\ImageType;

// ...
class MyController extends Controller
{
    public function formAction(Request $request)
    {
        // ...

        $form = $this->createFormBuilder()
            ->add('photo', ImageType::class, array(
                'data_class' => 'Netinfluence\DemoBundle\Entity\MyFile'
            ))
            ->getForm()
        ;

         if ($form->handleRequest($request) && $form->isValid()) {
            $file = $form->getData()['photo'];

            // FileManager will remove temporary file from sandbox,
            // and save it to the final one
            $this->get('netinfluence_upload.file_manager')->save($file);

            // And if you want to remove:
            $this->get('netinfluence_upload.file_manager')->remove($file);

         }

        // ...
    }
}
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I bought a cheap (13 quid) tracker from China and under test the unit works reasonably well. Accuracy is about 20m. I want to fit it in the seat hump, does anyone know if there is a 12v supply there please to keep it charged?


Full-Electric Turning Hospital Bed System automatically rotates patient at set intervals eliminating manually turning.
When a patient is bedridden, he or she must be rotated and turned in their bed every so often to avoid skin breakdown and bed sores. The Invacare 5410lVC full-electric hospital bed and Rotating Mattress combination was created to eliminate a need for manual rotation by completing the rotations itself at set intervals.
Our MA90Z mattress offers top of the line care for any patient. Make the patient rotation process easier when you invest in the Invacare rotational bed system.
Functions: MA90Z Mattress system has Lateral Rotation, Alternating Pressure and on-demand Low-Air-Loss therapy.
Full-Electric 5410IVC Hospital Bed: Head - Foot - Bed Height - all are adjustable with hand pendant.
All positions are controlled electrically to provide greatest convenience for the patient and ease to the caregiver. The hand pendant controls the positioning of the upper body and/or knees, and can be placed anywhere for maximum patient comfort. The pendant control also adjusts bed frame height for efficient use of accessories, and safe and easy transfer.
MA90Z Mattress systems has Lateral Rotation, Low-Air-Loss and Alternating Pressure modes.
Lateral rotation can turn patient up to 30° as necessary at customizable intervals.
50 LPM Blower for effective Low-Air-Loss therapy.
Bed arrived before the mattress so we had it all set up ready when the mattress arrived. Learning how to use all the settings for rotation mattress took some reading, but got it figured out. Is very nice and it does turn him right on schedule. Pleased with the product and the service I receieved at phc.


Yodat refers to the practice of taking time for quiet reflection. It is an invitation to pause. It speaks to the notion of viewing "today" from the lens of a backwards reflection.
Each night, before going to bed, he practiced yodat as a part of his daily ritual. This quiet time helped to place the day's events into a broader mosaic.
Get a yodat mug for your dog Yasemin.


text:
Matthias Lanzinger (nacido el 9 de diciembre de 1980) es un exesquiador paralímpico austríaco.

Carrera
En 2000 fue el campeón del Mundo Junior, y se llevó el título general de la Copa de Europa en 2004. Terminó tercero en la Super-G World Cup en Beaver Creek el 1 de diciembre de 2005. Este fue su único podio en la Copa del Mundo. Después del accidente que derivó en la amputación de su pierna, se convirtió en un atleta paralímpico.

Accidente y amputación

El domingo 2 de marzo de 2008 durante una carrera de Super-G de la Copa Mundial en Kvitfjell, Noruega, se estrelló contra una puerta, cayendo por la empinada cuesta. Un factor que contribuyó a la gravedad de la lesión fue el hecho de que el mecanismo de liberación de una de sus fijaciones de esquí no se activó de inmediato. Su pierna, ya rota, no proporcionaba la resistencia necesaria para abrir el mecanismo. Sufrió una fractura abierta en la pierna. Inicialmente fue transportado fuera de la pendiente usando un trineo, luego fue llevado en helicóptero privado (rápidamente reacondicionado para permitir su transporte) al hospital de Lillehammer donde se realizó la cirugía y luego al Hospital de la Universidad de Ullevål en Oslo en helicóptero ambulancia para una nueva cirugía debido a problemas con la circulación sanguínea en la pierna. El martes por la mañana, después de la tercera cirugía, la segunda para restaurar la circulación sanguínea en su pierna izquierda, los médicos anunciaron que tendría que ser amputada debajo de la rodilla. Después de la cirugía hecha por el Dr. Thomas Hölzenbein, su condición se describió como "estable", y se afirmó que "podría haber muerto" sin la amputación porque la pierna estaba prácticamente muerta debajo de la rodilla. El tratamiento de la lesión durante las primeras horas ha sido criticado, y algunos comentarios sostienen que una mejor atención a la circulación sanguínea tempranamente podría haber salvado su pierna. La seguridad de la pendiente en Kvitfjell también fue criticada. La federación austriaca de esquí ha declarado que continuarán apoyándolo tanto personal como públicamente.

En 2010, el defensor de los pacientes noruego descubrió que Lanzinger no había recibido un tratamiento adecuado para sus lesiones y tenía derecho a una compensación monetaria del Hospital Universitario de Ullevål.

Carrera paralímpica
Al salir del hospital después de su amputación, tuvo la intención de poner fin a su carrera de esquí, y estudió marketing. Posteriormente reanudó el entrenamiento con su entrenador Manuel Hujara, pero esta vez dentro del campo del deporte adaptado. Calificó como parte de la delegación de Austria en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Invierno 2014 en Sochi, para competir en esquí alpino. Se alzó con dos medallas de plata en los Juegos en los eventos Super G y Combinado. Lanzinger anunció su retiro durante el Campeonato Mundial de Esquí Alpino IPC 2015, donde obtuvo medallas de plata en descenso y Super G y bronce en eslalon gigante y Super Combinado.

Referencias

Deportistas con discapacidad de Austria
Esquiadores alpinos en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Sochi 2014

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


ViewBug, the platform that connects millions of visual creators to help explore and grow their craft, has launched its much-anticipated Android app. Alongside the ability to share photos, enthusiast photographers can join contests, discover galleries, follow their favorite photographers and watch tutorials through the app and companion website.
ViewBug has also updated its iOS app, cranking up the functionality and making auto-tagging a feature open to all members in order to allow their images to have better discovery.
The platform offers a unique set of products, including photo contests and challenges, portfolio websites and photography logos in order to provide photographers around the world with the best tools to be creative and showcase their art. It allows photographers to be featured, get published and win gear that will help them stand out.
Subscriptions start at $4.99 for the Premium version, or $8.99 for the Pro version, per month.
To learn more about ViewBug's Android and iOS apps, visit viewbug.com.


Lindsey Cancino was born and raised in Nassau, attended and graduated from Queens College before going on to The University of Western Ontario and The University of Windsor and obtaining degrees in Finance and Commerce.
He is a chartered accountant, having qualified in 1988 while at KPMG. In 1992, Lindsey moved into the financial services world, spending 17 years in that arena before he joined Bahamas Realty Limited as CFO in 2009.
Lindsey joined the Rotary Club of East Nassau in March 1990, was it's president in 1999-2000 and has served as an Assistant Governor for The Bahamas and as Chairman of District 7020 Rotary Foundation Committee(2013-16) and Membership Committee 2016-19).
He has also served as a Ruling Elder of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Kirk (Church)since 1992.
He is married to the former Lesley Forde and they have twin girls, Jacqueline and Sophie.


The producer confidence indicator, which measures Dutch manufacturers' sentiment, decreased from October's 4.3 to 3.4 in November, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), although it remained comfortably above the 0-point threshold that separates optimistic from pessimistic sentiment.
According to the CBS, the improvement reflected the fact that producers had become less positive regarding future output and order books over the next three months but more positive about their stock of finished products. Producers still have a largely positive outlook on all three areas. In terms of specific sectors, producers in the wood and construction and textile industries were the most optimistic, while the transport equipment sector was the only sector in which sentiment was mainly negative.
For 2016, FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panelists see fixed investment growing 6.2%, which is unchanged from last month's forecast. For 2017, the panel expects fixed investment to expand 3.2%, which is down 0.1 percentage points from last month's projection.


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Fever takes J S Bach out of Risen Star
By: SPORTS NETWORK
New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Risen Star Stakes entrant J S Bach will be scratched from Saturday's $400,000 event at Fair Grounds after the colt came down with a fever Wednesday.
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Far Right remains favorite for Southwest Stakes
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The 1 1/16-mile Southwest, with 11 3-year-olds set to start, was postponed from Monday
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Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - The groups that vote for the Eclipse Awards announced Thursday the renaming of the categories for Older Male and Female thoroughbreds.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and Daily Racing For
Upstart on verge of dominating the Florida 3-year-olds
By: By Jeff Frank, The Sports Analyst
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Fountain of Youth Stakes has seen some outstanding winners of late with Orb getting the victory in 2013, as well as triumphs by Eskendereya and Quality Road. Can Upstart join that group on Saturday?
Starting for the first time since running thir
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Hot Springs, AR (SportsNetwork.com) - The field for the $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park Sunday has been redrawn after being postponed Monday due to bad weather.
Eleven 3-year-olds have drawn into the 1 1/16-mile Southwest which serves as a prep race the track's $1 million
Up the Backstretch: Big weekend for 3-year-olds
By: By Don Agriss, Horse Racing Editor
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Saturday and Sunday will comprise the biggest weekend of the season for Kentucky Derby hopefuls on the road to the Run for the Roses on May 2.
Four important stakes races for 3-year-olds will be offered over the two days with significant points avai
Imperia gets favorite's role for Risen Star Stakes
New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Imperia, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, has been made the 7-2 morning line favorite for Saturday's $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds.
The 1 1/16-mile Risen Star, with a 10-horse field of 3-year-olds, is the final local prep for the 102nd running
Thoroughbred television networks merging
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Television Games (TVG), a subsidiary of Betfair, and The Stronach Group announced Wednesday that the operations of Stronach's HRTV are being assumed by TVG.
"This is a very exciting step for TVG and HRTV as it enhances our ability to deliver premie
Bayern back working
Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern is healthy and back working at Santa Anita.
Trained by Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old colt had his workout Monday since early January. Sidelined with a hind foot abscess, Bayern worked three furlongs in 36.60 seconds.<
Metaboss rallies to victory in El Camino Real
Berkeley, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Metaboss, ridden by Alex Solis, made a successful trip north to Golden Gate Fields to capture Saturday's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby.
Trained by Jeff Bonde, Metaboss went off at 6-1 in the 10-horse field of 3- year-olds. The chestnut colt, with S
Weekly Stakes Race Schedule
Aqueduct: Busher S., $100,000, 3yo f, 8.5f
Fair Grounds: Fair Grounds H. (G3), $125,000, 4&up, abt 9f
Fair Grounds: Mineshaft H. (G3), $125,000, 4&up, 8.5f
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Students evacuate throughout southern California due to wildfires
By Anusha Rao and Mina Jung
When the Woolsey fire arrived in the city of Oak Park Friday, Nov. 9, residents evacuated to avoid the flames that came down the Santa Susana Mountains toward their homes. The fire was predicted to touch down in Oak Park at 11 p.m., prompting mandatory and voluntary evacuations that also affected...
Woolsey Fire destroys Gindling Hilltop Camp
By Juliette Setudeh-Nejad, Oak Park High School
As the Woolsey fire burned through Malibu, many religious camps, including Gindling Hilltop, Camp were severely damaged. The Gindling Hilltop camp has been the location for the Oak Park High School senior year Life Skills retreat for the past 17 years, since 2002. For upcoming retreats, however, retreat...
Fire survivor shares experience
By Oliver Carter, Oak Park High School
Over a year has passed since the Thomas Fire began on Dec. 4, 2017. The fire directly affected Ventura County and many families within, persisting until Jan. 12, 2018 after 1,063 structures were destroyed. Mindy Ehret lived in the neighborhood of Ondulando, Ventura, with her husband and two sons, a...
Helping Pets Hurt in the Camp Fire
By Lily Bonner, Abington High School
From July until this fall, it seemed like all of California was burning. For months, a series of fires blazed across the state. These wildfires turned cities into ash. One of these fires, the Camp Fire, started on Nov. 8 and burned 153,336 acres. It burned until Nov. 25 when it was 100% contained. On...
Community grieves double tragedy
By Olivia Buccieri, Oak Park High School
"I feel like it's impossible to talk, at least in Thousand Oaks, about one tragedy without talking about the other one because of how close together they have been," Los Angeles Times reporter Soumya Karlamangla said. Karlamangla drove to Thousand Oaks Nov. 8 from her house in Los Angeles to...
In times of destruction, many feel grateful to return home
The Woolsey and Hill fires threatened many communities where Oak Park High School students live, forcing them to evacuate. Some students lost their homes, while others were more fortunate. Those who lived closer to mountains and hills where the fires descended tried to leave as soon as possible. ...
Reflecting on the California wildfire crisis
By Shreya Mishra and Shree Delwadia
He feels a peculiar smell tingle his senses, and he remains confused for a few moments. However, he remembers the conversations he had a few hours back, and he is instantly nervous. He quickly jumps upon his feet as his thoughts run wildly through his mind. He plays a few options in his head, and it...
Deadly Camp Fire Brings Devastation to Butte County
By Jack Freeman, Woodside High School
The Camp Fire was one of the most devastating fires in California's history, burning 153,336 acres of land, destroying over 18,000 homes and structures, and killing 86 people in the process. The deadly blaze started in the small town of Paradise, near Chico in Butte County, eventually decimating ...
Deadly Woolsey Fire hits Jewish camps, schools, homes
By Clara Sandler, Shalhevet High School
The Woolsey Fire ravaged Simi Valley, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, West Hills and Malibu, resulting in thousands of home evacuations, destroyed properties and displaced schools. Three Jewish summer camps were destroyed, and buildings were burned at the Ilan Ramon Jewish Day School in Agoura Hills and...
Recap of the Recent California Fires
By Mary Sabados and Katherine Sharafinski
California just faced it deadliest and most destructive fire in the state's recorded history: the Camp Fire. It was almost exactly a year ago that the Thomas fire left many in Southern California devastated. Now, the Camp Fire is just one of the three fires that has scorched California this November. C...
Unhealthy Air Quality Interrupts Fundraising Friday
By Tessa Bertine, Woodside High School
Woodside High Schools' biannual Fundraising Friday was relocated to the old gym due to the unhealthy air quality caused by multiple wildfires occurring around California. The smoke from wildfires in Paradise and Malibu have polluted the air, making it unhealthy for students to be spending lots...
ASB field trip postponed due to air toxicity
By Maya Lip, Carlmont High School
ASB students were anticipating their annual field trip in the wild, but because of unhealthy circumstances, it was delayed. The trip was supposed to take place at the YMCA Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda, California. The ASB Service Council was expected to leave at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, and the...
Camp Fire Sparks Students to Wear Masks for Protection
By Sam Brook, Woodside High School
Woodside, California is currently in a state of unhealthy air quality with an air index of 184 and visibility of only 2.5 miles. Woodside students have taken to the nurse's office to acquire barrier masks for some protection against the smoky air. "I'm giving them out to potentially serve as a barrier an...
Frisco Fire Department helping battle blazes in California
By Melody Tavallaee, Liberty High School
The Woolsey Fire has rampaged and spread to more than 200,000 acres across southern California. In the effort to help contain the fires, Frisco has deployed five firefighters and resources to serve the affected communities as part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System. "Our goal is for th...
Camp Fire smoke burns sports schedules
By Mandy Hitchcock, Carlmont High School
Up north, desperate evacuees flee the flames. Down here, residents are under an unsaid house arrest while a thick smoke drapes over the Bay Area city skylines. The spark that would evolve to the deadliest wildfire in the state's history began early last Thursday morning, Nov. 8, in Butte County...
Jewish school, summer camps damaged or destroyed in Woolsey fire
By Clara Sandler, Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, and Molly Litvak
Jewish schools and camps have been hit hard by Southern California's fires, with at least one day school and two camps reporting significant damage in the three-day-old blaze. The Ilan Ramon Jewish Day School in Agoura Hills, which was seen in flames on live television Friday afternoon; the Shalom Inst...


text:
Сунджон () — 12-й правитель корейского государства Корё, правивший со 2 сентября по 5 декабря 1083 года. Имя — Хун (). Второе имя — Ыйгон ().

Посмертные титулы — Ёнмён чонхон Сонхе-тэван.

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Posts tagged with General Medical Council
The Inquisition known for the time being as the General Medical Council is under fire. Its fitness to practice procedures, which for doctors caught on the sharp end of one of Stilton's prongs feel much like being popped into a beaker of dilute sulphuric acid with a rack of Bunsen burners arrayed underneath, have come under scrutiny because of an apparently high mortality attached to being left to simmer in warm sulphuric acid. Figures available online suggest that there were at least 92 deaths between 2004 and 2012 in doctors under investigation. The denominator – which Dr No suggests should be the number of GMC cases referred to panel investigations – stands somewhere in the region of 2300 (see footnote), giving an approximate average annual mortality rate of 4%. Working age (25-64) mortality in the same period was around 200 per 100,000, or 0.2%. Something is clearly going on. If we apply some crude 'observed over expected' numerology to these figures, we get a (very) crude mortality ratio, on the normal 100 base, of around 2000: that is, where we would expect 100 deaths, we find 2000.
Posted on 23 August 2013 62 comments Read more...
Council to Survey Turkeys about Christmas
GTC Press Office, London, UK
Thousands of turkeys are to be invited to take part in a survey of their views about Christmas, the General Turkey Council has announced.
The survey is part of a new piece of research examining whether turkeys think the GTC is operating in a fair and objective way and whether turkeys from different backgrounds have different views of the Council's processes.
Indicative of Tendencies Dangerous
Ploughing through General Turkey Council Fitness to Practice data with a tractor ever more bogged down in numerical mud, Dr No got distracted by another question: what do 'erased' – the chilling term used by the GTC in place of the plebeian 'struck off', chilling because where the plebeian leaves a name albeit with a line through it, erasure effects obliteration, total obliteration, for not even a name remains – doctors get erased for? In the past, one was encouraged to suppose it was the three As, alcohol, advertising and adultery, a supposition borne out by the General Medical Council's, as it was then, 1965 'Blue Book' guidance, which does indeed list the three As (alcohol comes under splendidly archaic 'Offences Indicative of Tendencies Dangerous to Patients' heading), along with other examples of 'infamous conduct' likely to bring a doctor to the Council's attention. But over time, as two of the capital As have become, so to speak, of lower case severity, we might suppose that 'gross neglect in diagnosis or treatment', the 1965 heading for clinical failings, might have risen in prominence, such that today most doctors are struck off for substandard treatment. But what are the facts?
Posted on 16 November 2013 1 comment Read more...
No Profession for Old Men
Dr No made no secret of the fact that Dropping Like Flies was a quick and dirty assessment of whether the apparently very high number of deaths among doctors subject to GMC Fitness to Practice investigations was something to be concerned about. He concluded it certainly was, because on that crude assessment – crude because there was no attempt to adjust the figure for factors that might influence the death rate – it appeared that these doctors were at least fifteen times more likely to die than ordinary members of the working age population. The ratio of fifteen to one was, he believed, an approximate answer to the right question rather than a precise answer to the wrong question. It was, he argued, so gross in scale as to make it very unlikely, though not impossible, that the finding had arisen either by chance, or by a sufficient number of unadjusted for factors, such that being caught on Stilton's prongs was not one of them.
Constructive Erasure
Dr Helen Bright is an extrovert, capable consultant psychiatrist who, for lifestyle reasons, chooses to work as a locum. Or rather did, for she has now been constructively erased from the Medical Register.
Anna 'Opposing Views' Raccoon – who is to blogging as shit is to the fan – has picked up on the General Medical Council's latest Big Idea. Doctors who admit medical wrongdoing and accept sanctions, and those convicted of serious crimes – helpfully enumerated by the GMC to include murder, rape and child molesting – will no longer have to face Fitness to Practice hearings. Instead, they will be dealt with clandestinely by the GMC, and a note of their wrongdoing and sanction posted discreetly on the GMC's website. The idea is both to curb the exponential rise in FTP hearings (and save a bob or two in the process), and to reduce unnecessary 'stress and anxiety' for doctors and witnesses caught up in the GMC mill.
Racca-Anna is outraged, claiming that the proposals will muzzle the main stream media, and prevent punters from hearing salacious gossip about gung-ho doctors who – to quote from the post - 'despatch a patient prematurely whilst singing Rule Britannia and smoking a hookah pipe, or stitch the patient's left arm onto someone else's right leg, or are simply stark raving bonkers' only to be allowed, 'through some technicality', to continue to practise.
The Last Junior Doctor
As the post nuclear option Heremy Junt/BMA contract row rumbles on behind the scenes – the top hit on google news today for junior doctor contract is a three day old blog post on Conservative Home by a psychiatrist sorely in need of Photoshop if ever there was one, and the BMA's 'latest update' is weeks old, a thoughtful post by JT reminds us that the opposing comedy duo of Junt and the BMA Junta are not the only threats to junior doctors. The SPECTRE known for the time being as NICE, the National Institute for Clinician Evisceration, has produced yet more guidelines on statins. Commendably dense with the rhetoric of patient choice, the general thrust is nonetheless on upping the uptake. JT's gripe is three fold. The first is that clinical guidelines, statistical tools, algorithms, call them what you will, become wet paper bags when they attempt to contain the complexity of real life. The second is that guidelines alongside variations of payment by result tends to get, well, results, ie more people on statins, without care for whether they want them or need them. The third, touched on more briefly, but just as important, is that, up against the hour glass of surgery time, thoughtful deliberation never stood a chance. It is the dead duck floating feet defiantly up, but head drowned in the time-hoopered barrel of clinical complexity.
Posted on 11 December 2015 8 comments Read more...
Resident Pathogens
"At that moment in time, a human error occurred…" intoned Count Rubin on yesterday's Today programme. Uttered as it was with an air of omniscient mastery, it seemed some great catastrophe, like a jumbo jet crash, had occurred. The truth turned out to be rather more commonplace: a study had revealed that nearly one in ten prescriptions written by hospital doctors had been found to be wrong.
Pax Pemberton
Dr Max Pemberton – Apology
GMC Statement – For Immediate Release
Earlier this morning, Count Rubin (not his real name) appeared on the Today programme opposite Dr Max Pemberton (not his real name), defending the General Medical Council's decision to implement new guidance requiring doctors who use social media to reveal their identities.
By appearing alongside Dr Pemberton, and not challenging Dr Pemberton's identity, Count Rubin gave the impression that the Council knew who the real Dr Pemberton was, had got his number, and furthermore the Council knew where he lived.
Burning Bad News
Only yesterday, Dr No was working on a post noting that the GMC had still not published its internal review of doctors who died while under Fitness to Practice investigation. He noted that publication was originally slated for July 2014, then November 2014, and, as of earlier this week, possibly sometime in 2015. He even noted that at the very time the GMC is consulting on doctors' duty of candour, it was showing a striking lack of candour in its own conduct. The last sentence of the first paragraph of the post said 'In the absence of certainty, it is not clear whether the review is still incomplete, or is complete, but currently too hot to handle, with Stilton's PR goons waiting – sorry – for a good day to bury bad news'. It now seems they were: the review has been published today, the last Friday before Christmas.


The consumer products industry is consists of organizations that manufacture products that are used by the consumer.For our purposes, it can be described as enveloping practically every item an individual can purchase, especially in the areas of toiletries and cosmetics, appliances, electronics, food and beverage, and other generic household items.
Companies operating in this industry face numerous other challenges, including uncertain demand, shifting tastes, operating at a profitable level, changing standards and regulations, and relying on the global supplier network, among others. With the recent mega trend for consumer buying online or via smartphone shopping, we saw the rise of the mega shopping website that provide global delivery. That is further increase the competition for the local supplier require to compete with global scale.
The most pressing challenges for consumer products companies.
Demand has a tendency to fluctuate rapidly. For example, consumer preferences have altered greatly in recent years as demand shifts toward healthier and sustainable options. Consequently, manufacturing success is closely related to time to market and new product introduction (NPI) capabilities. Additionally, demand can fluctuate cyclically and with economic volatility. The success and profitability of any organization in this industry is heavily dependent on how effective these companies are at addressing the changing demands of consumers. We saw the rise of smartphone mobile application and shopping website provide door to door delivery, that even provide geography location for product tracking, so buyer know exactly where their product is located and what is expected next step and activity that come next until they received the goods. It trend for order no just for physical goods, it use for home delivery foods as well as arranging for the taxi that changing the consumber behavior (CB) forever. Those changing on the consumer bahavior had the huge impact on the food & beverage (F&B), transportation, local and international retail trade.
As manufacturers need to ensure the delivery of high quality products while finding innovative ways to cut costs. Companies also need to account for fluctuations in factors such as oil prices and their effect on transportation costs or petrochemicals which may be used for chemicals and packaging. Replace human with the automated Internet of Things (IoT) device (such as smartphone mobile application for self services), will be rising and we can saw it in the heavy use across sector and industries to bring down the operation cost.
The global regulatory environment is dynamic. Companies are faced with the challenges of mitigating operational risk and managing non conformance. Creating additional pressures, as manufacturers rely on the global supplier network to battle shrinking operating margins, meeting international compliance and regulations becomes a factor.
Leveraging the global supplier network is a means for reducing costs, however it does come with numerous risks in terms of compliance, product safety, and other areas.
With compliance and regulations becoming stricter, trace-ability functionalities are more pertinent and requisite than in the past. Consumer products companies need strong data granularity to reduce operational risk, properly respond to an adverse event with a targeted recall, provide high quality and compliant products.
Feel free to contact E-SPIN for assisting in the adapting changing in the Consumer Products Industry and various enterprise technology solutions accelerating your digital transformation (DT) initiative, from infrastructure availability, security testing and protection.


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Transport for the North Conference Speech
Speech delivered at Sheffield Cutler's Hall on 11/02/19
Welcome to Sheffield. Welcome to South Yorkshire.
I am delighted that Transport for the North opted for Sheffield as the location for its inaugural conference.
And it is fitting that they have.
Because communities across our region have made a significant contribution to the world of transport.
Sheffield steel was used to erect bridges and lay railway lines right across the world.
Barnsley has a rich history in railways that were instrumental to the functioning of the town's many collieries.
Doncaster is the birthplace of some of the most famous locomotive steam trains in the world – including the Flying Scotsman and Mallard.
Continuing that tradition, Doncaster is now the home of the National College for High Speed Rail.
And just last year, we launched the UK's first tram-train service between Sheffield and Rotherham, which incorporates ground-breaking technology that could pave the way for similar projects across the UK.
I was proud to be joined by the then Transport Minister Joe Johnson and together we launched the first service right on schedule at 8am.
But by 3.30pm, a lorry had crashed into the tram.
It just goes to show that there are some things you just can't schedule for!
I also want to say how pleased I am that you could all get here today.
There's a great irony in the fact that just last week, as Transport for the North agreed it's Strategic Transport Plan,
the Sheffield City Region's offices were half empty.
Half the staff were stuck on trains that had come to a complete standstill outside the city centre.
You couldn't make it up.
So the fact that we are having this discussion now is timely – and we must make progress.
Because we all know that persistent issues and poor connectivity across the North has a real impact on our people and on our businesses.
It impacts on our residents living in semi-rural areas, who struggle to access the major sites of employment.
It constrains the reach of our businesses and is a drag on productivity.
It feeds into the very real sense across many Northern communities that they are cut off from the major centres of growth.
This stifles our competitiveness.
And it wastes the skills and talents of our workforce.
And when our residents do travel to the bigger cities, they often find themselves either sat in traffic jams, or on late and overcrowded trains.
The people stuck on those trains last week were frustrated.
They were frustrated that they were not able get to work on time;
They were anxious that they were going to miss connecting trains;
They were angry that they were let down by a transport system that is not fit for the 21st century.
Commuters and residents across the North face similar experiences every day.
They are looking to us to get it sorted.
And sort it we must.
In rising to this challenge, we should be guided by a simple principle:
That we connect our people to the places that they want to go.
For work;
For leisure;
And for business.
In December, I launched my Transport Vision for the
Sheffield City Region – which has that principle at its heart.
As part of that vision:
We will reduce travel times by investing in our existing infrastructure;
We will take a long-term look at where we need to invest resources to support new infrastructure development.
We will take a joined-up approach to integrating our motorway and road networks.
We are also looking at how we can improve public transport so that it is better integrated and better serves local communities.
In the coming weeks, I will be launching a major review of
bus services to explore how we can do this.
And we are promoting more active means of transport.
I know Andy Burnham has been a passionate advocate for active travel in Greater Manchester.
And Chris Boardman has been doing a sterling job as walking and cycling commissioner.
I am also looking to build on the legacy of the Tour de Yorkshire – which is why I am currently in the process of appointing the
Sheffield City Region's own Active Travel Commissioner, to take a lead on this work.
This is not about telling residents that they should ditch their cars or public transport.
It is about giving them the option to lead healthier, more active lives, by investing in infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling,
and maybe even running – we'll see how that goes!
And to drive forward this vision, our local authority leaders have agreed a Transport Strategy.
I think it is well known that we don't always agree on everything in South Yorkshire.
But on this we've worked closely and constructively together to come up with an ambitious plan to transform our region.
This is the first time in South Yorkshire's history that we have a plan that aligns with a wider pan-northern strategy to improve our transport networks.
And that strategy shows how projects on the ground can deliver results.
Because here in the Sheffield City Region, we know what we can achieve with investment.
Take the Great Yorkshire Way project as an example:
With an initial £56m investment, we were able to link Doncaster Sheffield Airport with the M18.
The last mile of Great Yorkshire Way is just about the most significant mile of road in the Sheffield City Region for decades.
And from that initial investment – and because of both the public and private sectors working together:
our region unlocked £1.8bn worth of investment;
it created 1,200 jobs;
it supported national airport capacity by delivering airport growth.
It aided the development of iPort – one of the UK's largest logistics developments – which now has its own rail freight terminal.
This development is a central element of our plans for a
Global Innovation Corridor – which will connect our region's advanced manufacturing companies with the global opportunities out there.
And all of this was achieved whilst regenerating a former colliery community.
Working together.
Learning from each other.
That's how we achieve things.
Which is why I warmly welcome the Transport for the North's Strategic Transport Plan.
Because it gives us the framework to work together.
And we are taking steps forward.
Only last week, we agreed our plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail – which will better connect Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Hull, Newcastle and Manchester airport.
But most of all, the Strategic Transport Plan reminds us that,
if we can say with one voice where we want to be,
and if we can show how we can get there,
we can unleash our full potential.
We can develop:
A transport network that fully integrates all parts of the North.
A transport network that connects our people and our businesses with opportunities both within and beyond our great towns and cities.
A transport network that transforms our economy – so that it works better for the 15 million residents of the North.
This conference is an important step in that direction:
It is the start of a process in which the North
takes ownership over our own destiny.
It is a chance for us to gain a greater say and greater control over the transport investments that will shape our future.
And it has the potential to bring together all the efforts across the North to build a transport network that is fit for the 21st
If we get this right – we can transform our economy for generations to come:
We can rebalance the decades of underinvestment we've seen in our communities – many of which are still suffering the historic legacies of de-industrialisation.
We could potentially unlock £100 billion in economic growth for the North's economy.
And we could create 850,000 additional jobs in the process.
That is the transformative change that we aspire to.
That is our ambition.
But we need Government to play its part with us.
The gap between London and the South East and the North is particularly stark when it comes to transport spending.
The government's own figures show that in 2017-18, for every £1 spent on transport in Yorkshire and the Humber, £3.20 was spent on London's transport networks.
This cannot go on.
Since being elected Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, I have been leveraging my position as an MP to help make the voice of the North heard.
And I have been making the case to Government that the North needs to see a greater level and a fairer share of national infrastructure investment.
We need to realise the potential benefits that investment across the North can bring for both our communities and for our national economy.
Because as we face the future, we need all parts of our country firing on all cylinders.
Communities across the North need change.
And we can deliver that change.
Because I know all of us in this room subscribe to that simple idea that
no community across the North should feel cut off from growth and economic opportunity.
The Strategic Transport Plan shows what can be achieved through political collaboration around that common objective.
It shows that we are confident;
It shows that we know what we want;
And it shows that we have a plan to get there.
But we can only achieve this if we work together:
Public and private sector;
Local, regional and national Government;
Working with communities to deliver the transformative change that our people deserve and expect.
So today, our message to Government is clear:
We want you to work with us.
Because we have before us a unique opportunity to transform the North's economy for generations to come.
So back us.
Get behind us.
Give us the powers.
Give us the funding.
And together, we will get the job done.


We need to close above 4175 on weekly and i am bullish..
There is much more volatility going on with Bitcoin. As you can see on 30 mint. chart, 3 times it ha broken the trendline and 3 times it has given more than 3% (either long or short). Just stay safe for now.. Don't trade for now. Wait for the confirmation.


Don't fear saying "no" when Wall Street says "yes."
One of a true Fool's most deeply held values is the willingness to stand apart from Wall Street -- to forsake the conventional wisdom and to think critically for oneself. So, when four Wall Street firms initiate coverage on Sunrun (NASDAQ:RUN) and offer four bullish outlooks on a stock that has only been trading since the beginning of August, it's only logical to take notice and investigate for oneself how valid the firms' outlooks are.
With approximately 87,000 customers, Sunrun is one of the leading installers of residential solar systems in the United States. According to GTM Research, Sunrun was the fourth leading installer of residential solar in 2014 -- though with only 2% of market share, it has a far way to climb if it wants to catch up with SolarCity (NASDAQ:SCTY.DL), which grabbed 34% of market share.
Operating in 15 states, Sunrun prides itself on being the "largest dedicated residential solar company" in the country, and it is committed to expanding into new markets. Despite its presence, though, the company's customers are primarily located in California -- 58% as of March 31. The company expects much of its near-term growth to occur here as well.
In an industry so dependent on tax incentives and state policies, this puts the company at substantial risk should conditions in the state change in an adverse way.
Also of concern is the company's reliance on third-parties to supply its solar panels. The industry is experiencing rapid growth, and there are a limited number of solar-panel manufacturers. Federal tax credits expire at the end of 2016, and their renewal is uncertain, so developers are rushing to get projects under way while it's still financially advantageous. GTM Research reported that in the second quarter, the residential market grew 70% year over year and is expected to grow substantially. This increased demand may raise the prices of solar panels and compromise Sunrun's margins. Its main competitor, SolarCity, is less susceptible to this risk. Last year it announced its acquisition of solar-panel manufacturer Silevo. SolarCity is in the process of building a 1 GW production facility in Buffalo, N.Y., to meet its demand for solar panels as the company continues marching toward its goal of 1 million customers by 2018.
Because Sunrun has only been public since August, it's difficult to ascertain how well the company is performing. Regardless, the company just released its second-quarter earnings, which demand examination. After all, if Wall Street is so optimistic about the company's prospects, we should look to see if we agree.
Sunrun offers its customers four ways in which they can "go solar."
Many customers opt for monthly payments instead of putting money down upfront, so the company's earnings have to be considered over 20 years. Because of this business model, it's unfair to use traditional metrics in looking at the company's earnings. As the company acquires customers, it's securing 20-year revenue streams. To estimate the long-term value of this ongoing revenue, the company uses a measure called retained value -- the present value of cash flows remaining from customers' agreements. Bear in mind, though, that this metric makes certain assumptions. It includes a discounted estimate of the value of the purchase or renewal of the agreement, and it excludes various costs like: operating, maintenance, and administrative expenses. So, take the value with a grain of salt.
For the second quarter, the company reported gross retained value of $1.2 billion, equating to 12.5% growth quarter over quarter and 55.4% growth year over year. Compared with its most prominent peer, its sequential growth is less impressive. SolarCity's retained value of $3.8 billion in the second quarter represents 24.2% growth over the $3.1 billion it reported in the first quarter. It bears remembering that Sunrun operates in only 15 states, so there's ample opportunity for the company to expand into new markets and grow its retained value, but at the moment, I'd prefer a wait-and-see approach before assuming any success.
One valuable metric in assessing the company's ability to control expenses is cost per watt -- the installation, sales, and general costs of deploying its systems. For the second quarter, the company reported a cost per watt of $4.08 -- an improvement of 6% quarter over quarter. SolarCity operates in more than just the residential market like Sunrun, and it doesn't break out it's earnings figures for just the residential market, so comparisons between the two companies aren't exact like apples-to-apples; it's more similar like Granny Smith to Macinotsh. For the second quarter, SolarCity reported that its cost per watt was $2.91 -- a 1.4% decline quarter over quarter and 3% year over year. It does, however, specify that the reduction in costs was due to the residential segment.
The company's ability to control for costs resulted in more value per watt. For the second quarter, the company's net present value per watt (the project value less the creation costs) improved 39% quarter over quarter to $0.92. The scope of this improvement over the long term is impossible to assess, since there are no previously reported earnings with which to compare it.
There's no doubt that Sunrun's opportunity is robust. Residential solar is growing at a rapid clip, and Sunrun is well poised to take advantage of the trend. Does that warrant an investment? Not necessarily. Despite Wall Street's optimism, it's difficult to share the sentiment. Operating in the public market is very different from being privately held, and many times the shareholders' intense scrutiny is overwhelming for companies that have recently IPO'd. Although the Street's bullish outlook is understandable, I'd much rather keep this one on the watchlist, avoiding a nasty burn that no aloe could treat.


Law enforcement officials report Mule Creek Prison inmate Zechariah Lee was taken into custody late Friday night. Lee was apprehended by the Merced County Sheriff's Department, the Merced Police Department, and CDCR's Special Service Unit Agents at a gas station in Merced. Lee initially attempted to flee, but was quickly arrested. Lee was found missing on Thursday night after an inmate count at Mule Creek. Following his arrest, he was transported to Valley State Prison, and his case will be referred to the Amador County District Attorney's office for consideration of escape charges. Lee was originally incarcerated in June of 2017 out of Sacramento County with a three-year sentence for first-degree robbery.


By results of February 2015, a team of Taldinskaya West-2 mine under the leadership of Alexander Kulichenko (director of the mine office Taldinskoye-West is Michael Lupy) set a new record for the preparation of front of working face and passed 1012 meters of excavation with mid section of 22 square meters. In fact, such high results were achieved over 22 days of continuous operation in February 7 to 28. In the early days of the month, works on the preparation of equipment to high rates of penetration took place. The average daily wall advance was 46 meters, and the daily record - 78 meters of prepared excavation.
Professionalism of employees, competent organization of labor and use of high-efficiency equipment allowed the team to overcome the difficult geological conditions and achieve the intended results, set a new record in the Russian coal industry.


We saw it, we felt it too. It was not just about a victory or history that was created but an enthusiasm, patriotism, dynamism poured into her eyes, converged together to glorify 125 crore Indians, swelling the Nation's pride. The whole World is gasconading the talent uprose from a corner of the Nation which many of us didn't know even existed. Unfortunately, the most neglected part, the North-East region, in various terms is aggrandized in itself, enriched with the nuts and bolts to your incredulity and she has proved it.
Hima Das, a proud daughter of a proud farmer, won the Gold Medal in the women's 400m track race under IAAF World U20 championship held in Finland by reaching the point like a hurricane in a time of 51.32 seconds. In the beginning, she was quite slow but in the last 80 meters, she made a dart with the speed of light to hit its ground. However, It was her first International competition but she played well to crave her name on the walls of History by becoming India's first world gold medallist on track.
Hailing from Nagaon, Assam, this proud champion was even unknown to the term 'Athletics' in 2016. She was spotted by Mr. Shamsul Hoque (a physical Education Trainer from Jawahar Navodaya Vidhalaya) while playing football on the mud pits near her village school. She was considering football as her career. But to the suggestion of Mr. Hoque, she positively responded and fortunately came into the contact with Mr. Nipon Das, an athlete coach, during an inter-district meet. Later on, she had been shifted to Guwahati city to attain more training under the coach Mr. Nipon Das. She has been accommodated in a rented apartment near the Sarusajai sports complex.
Das has won gold in 100m and 200m also. She wore cheap spikes but her talent has found its way itself. A destiny was designed already. According to her coach, he had never seen such a talent in ages.
After winning over the world when the National Anthem of India was played in the arena, tears flooded out of her eyes caused goosebumps to all. They said stories, stories of her dedication, two years of backbreaking work, uphill battle and her deep affection towards the country. She wrapped, unfurled the National flag around her shoulders and didn't forget to wear 'Assamese Gamosa.' She gave a concrete reason to believe in oneself. No matter where you belong to or what your plans are? When you are destined to be, opportunity paves its way towards you. You just have to believe in it, consider it and work for it. Results will never let you fall.
⟵Contemporary Indian Writers Who Are Making India Read!


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Experience the surreal beauty and tranquility of a private, cypress swamp just 30 minutes south of New Orleans, Louisiana
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Get an up-close view of wildlife, such as alligators while gliding through bayous draped with moss-covered cypress and oak trees. Inside the 5,000 square foot facility, there is a gift shop, indoor bathroom facilities, and Adventures of Jean Lafitte's pride and joy, Sugar. Sugar is the only albino alligator in the State of Louisiana and extremely rare.
Book This Tour Now
Number of Passengers (All Ages) 012345678
Number of Children (Ages 5-12) 012345678
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Available: 9:45am to 11:45am • 12:00pm to 2:00pm • 2:00pm to 4:00pm
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Included: Included in this experience is 2 hours of a guided experience in private swamplands, over the water deck seating to enjoy passing leisure boats and shrimping boats, and access to the facility to view Sugar, the rare Albino Alligator
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O Tratado de Demarcação e Troca de Algumas Possessões Portuguesas e Neerlandesas no Arquipélago de Solor e Timor foi um tratado assinado entre Portugal (Dom Pedro V) e os Países Baixos (Guilherme III), em 20 de abril de 1859, que fixou a demarcação das colônias dos dois reinos no Arquipélago Indonésio.

Representaram como plenipotenciários pelo lado português António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo, então ministro dos Negócios do Reino e pelo lado neerlandês Maurits Jan Heldewier, encarregado de negócios dos Países Baixos.

Pelo tratado, Portugal cedeu Larantuca, Sicca e Paga, na ilha de Flores, Wouré, na ilha de Adonara, e Pamung Kaju, na ilha de Solor. Em contrapartida, os Países Baixos cederam o reino de Maubara e renunciaram a Ambeno, na ilha de Timor, assim como renunciaram a Ataúro. O tratado foi ratificado em 18 de agosto de 1860.

Artigos do Tratado
O tratado, redigido em francês e traduzido para o português, trazia os seguintes artigos:

 fixa os limites entre as possessões portuguesas e neerlandesas na Ilha de Timor;
 reconhecimento da soberania de cada Reino sobre as suas possessões;
 fixa os limites de Oecusse (ou Oikoussi);
 reconhecimento de Portugal da soberania dos Países Baixos na parte ocidental de Timor;
 cedência a Portugal de Maubara e Ambeno, que já "arvorava a bandeira portuguesa";
 os Países Baixos desistem de qualquer pretensão sobre a ilha de Kambing;
 Portugal cede a ilha de Flores, Larantuca, Sicca e Paga; na ilha Adonara,o estado de Wouré e na Ilha do Solor o estado de Pamang Kaju;
 os Países Baixos entram na posse plena dos territórios acima;
 como compensação, os Países Baixos dão quitação de 80 mil florins emprestados em 1851 e deveria pagar mais 120 mil florins, entregues um mês depois das ratificações do tratado;
 fica garantida a liberdade de cultos nos territórios trocados;
 o tratado deveria ser submetido aos parlamentos dos respectivos reinos para trocas de ratificações, a ser feita em Lisboa.

Tratados de Portugal
Tratados dos Países Baixos
História de Timor-Leste
História da Indonésia
1859 em Portugal


In 2010, Rudi Bower headed "On the Road Again Art" to fulfill her dream to be a full-time artist.
Originally from America's Dairyland, Rudi Bower established her love for old cars and tags early in life while taking road trips with her large family cross-country and playing the license plate game. While cars always came-and-went in Rudi's family (her mother sold cars to support the family for more than 30 years) the license plates stayed.
Each custom piece is hand-cut with Tin Snips and mounted on reclaimed wood. The majority of supplies Rudi uses are recycled and reclaimed for different purposes. All of the plates have been used, and most of the wood is cut and recycled to make her unique brand. The large 4'x3' USA maps take approximately 3 weeks to make.


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Versus, crossovers and shared universes
With Marvel's impressive wave of success in theaters, it seems everyone wants to jump on the "shared universe" bandwagon, as if it was some kind of new thing. DC of course launched a Batman v Superman movie, followed by bigger crossover stories like Justice League. Universal announced a slate of monster movies set in the same universe, starting with a Tom Cruise-starring Mummy, and we even get a new King Kong movie as an introduction to an upcoming King Kong vs Godzilla. Hell, rumor has it that we will also see a Men in Black / 21 Jump Street crossover in the near future!
But none of this is really groundbreaking. At all. The original King Kong vs Godzilla was made in 1962, and was only the third episode in the Godzilla saga. Universal Monsters practically invented the concept of a shared cinematic universe in the 1940s, starting with the amazing crossover Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man. And even Marvel tried its hand at it as early as the 1980s, with the special episodes of the Incredible Hulk, co-starring Daredevil and Thor.
TV series have also been doing this for a long time: long before Flash and Arrow teamed up, viewers could watch The Pretender's Jarod visiting the Profiler squad, or Chuck Norris lending a hand to Sammo Hung in a Martial Law / Walker Texas Ranger crossover. And in the 60s, Batman and Robin crossed paths on-screen with the Green Hornet and Kato!
In fact, you don't even have to be very old to remember a couple of relatively high-profile crossovers that hit the screens in the 2000s. Freddy vs Jason had been announced for a few years when it was finally released in 2003, and the clash of boogeymen was an entertaining revival for both franchises at once. Then in 2004, we got Alien vs Predator, followed three years later by its sequel Requiem. They kept the Aliens and Predator sagas alive during the long gaps between their respective official episodes.
But crossovers were invented way before film and TV entered our lives. Readers have seen Arsène Lupin meet Sherlock Holmes, or rather Herlock Sholmes (the name was slightly changed at Conan Doyle's request) in a couple of Maurice Leblanc's novels. The encounter was brought to the screen in a German film serial as early as 1910, where the detective became Sherlock Holmes again.
Long before that, Ivanhoe joined forces with Robin Hood in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe, and we can trace back the idea of crossovers to Homer's tales of Gods and Heroes. Greek mythology was one of the first known cases of shared universes, with Zeus and Hera showing up in all kinds of stories – so it should come to no surprise that Italy would come up with a movie called Hercules, Samson and Ulysses in the 1960s!
Of course, Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein have also had their share of cinematic crossovers: the detective met Jack the Ripper on screen twice, and Frankenstein was confronted to Dracula, Santos, Jesse James and numerous other characters. But Sherlock Holmes vs Frankenstein? Not yet. We're working on it, remember?
Publié par Unknown à 14:14 2 comments:
Libellés : crossover, film, frankenstein, freddy krueger, monster, mummy, sherlock holmes, werewolf
Screen versions of Frankenstein
With Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy teaming up on the big screen, Bernard Rose winning awards with his indie modern version, and The Frankenstein Chronicles unfolding on TV, it's fair to assume that audiences are still interested in the character of Frankenstein. Like Sherlock Holmes, it has been adapted on all types of media and with various tones, and there seems to be no limit to what can be done with the name and the concept behind it. Mary Shelley's original book, however, has rarely been directly adapted, and almost never faithfully. Whereas The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four have been done many times on film and TV.
My favourite Frankenstein movies, by far, are the Hammer ones. I discovered the first, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), when I was 13, and watched the others in no particular order, as it wasn't particularly easy to put your hands on these movies on VHS in the 90s. I would be hard pressed to say which one I prefer, so I would simply point out that Evil of Frankenstein, the third in the series, is my least favourite. The others are all gems, even the underappreciated comedy Horror of Frankenstein, the only one without Peter Cushing. Cushing is fascinating as the Baron in all six films in which he plays him, and one can only wonder what would have happened if Shane Briant had been allowed to take up his mantle after the last outing, Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell. Well, at least he is given a new opportunity to shine in the world of Frankenstein, with his role of Burgermeister Simon Helder in Sherlock Holmes vs Frankenstein.
This is not to say that I don't enjoy the Universal Frankensteins. James Whale's movies are the first versions I saw, at age 9 or 10, and there's no argument that they're both classics. But unlike Hammer, where the quality has been constant and the storylines creative, the Universal saga has an almost systematic decrease in quality (both in production values and script), to the point where the last movie is a pathetic farce with Abott and Costello, the poor man's Laurel and Hardy. I know this last
film is often considered a good comedy, but I've never understood why, and I'd rather rewatch the cheesy but straightforward previous mashups House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein. One of the most interesting thing about watching the whole saga is to see how they reflect the careers of certain actors: Boris Karloff plays the monster in the first three movies, then leaves the role, and shows up later as a scientist in House of Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi however, who turned down the part of the monster in the first film, plays Igor in Son of Frankenstein and Ghost of Frankenstein, then gets "downgraded" to the part of the monster, and finally comes back as Count Dracula in the Abbott and Costello movie. Finally, Lon Chaney Jr. was the first to reprise the part of the monster after Karloff, and then gets stuck as the Wolfman Larry Talbot in all subsequent outings.
Son of Frankenstein
1973 was not only the year Hammer released its final Frankenstein (Monster From Hell), but also the year of two major Frankenstein films: Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein and Andy Warhol's (or rather Paul Morrissey's) Flesh for Frankenstein. Both refreshing, but both were simply paying a homage to one of the established traditions: Young Frankenstein was a comedic remake of 1931 Frankenstein combined with Son of Frankenstein, and Flesh was little more than a trashy Hammer film, with the Baron being portrayed by Udo Kier as an immoral nobleman who likes to stack body parts in his lab. It was also in 1973 that the overlong TV movie Frankenstein: the True Story tried to adapt Mary Shelley's novel for the first time.
But it wasn't until the 1990s that such attempts occured again. Of course there was the 1994 blockbuster with Robert de Niro and Kenneth Branagh (and John Cleese!), but it came off as a bit pretentious, and not all that faithful to the book. I much preferred the TV movie produced two years earlier by David Wickes, with Patrick Bergin as Baron Frankenstein. Still not the most faithful version, as this honour goes to the 2004 mini-series directed by Kevin Connor (who happens to support our film!)
Connor's version came out the same year as Van Helsing, which was a fun throwback at the old Universal mashups with Dracula, a werewolf and Frankenstein's monster going at each other's throats.
And in recent years, the most enjoyable Frankenstein movie I've seen was... Tim Burton's Frankenweenie! You just can't beat a black and white stop-motion gothic extravaganza.
Publié par Unknown à 18:38 No comments:
Libellés : boris karloff, frankenstein, hammer films, mary shelley, monster, movie, peter cushing
Memorable versions of Sherlock Holmes
With the announcement of yet a new Sherlock Holmes film, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, which will coexist with Cumberbatch's Sherlock, Jonny Lee Miller's Elementary and possibly a third Robert Downey Jr movie, some might think that the world might get an overdose of Arthur Conan Doyle's character (not to mention the recent movie with Ian McKellen). In other terms, who needs Sherlock Holmes vs Frankenstein? The answer is simple: Sherlock Holmes being everywhere is not a recent trend. In fact, Sherlock Holmes NOT being everywhere is just an anomaly that lasted about a decade (roughly, 1999-2009). Otherwise, the character has been seen in countless movies, stage plays, books and comic books, and the thirst for new iterations and variants seems to be inextinguishable.
I won't try to list every film and TV version ever produced, nor will I respect chronological order. I would just like to share which versions affected me most, and are most likely to influence my take on Holmes and Watson (besides, of course, the original stories by Conan Doyle.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my very first contacts with the world of Sherlock Holmes was through Disney's cartoon The Great Mouse Detective. At the same time, TV was also showing the Japanese anime Sherlock Hound, which I also enjoyed a lot. Basil and the Japanese Holmes had the same kind of personality: clever, bold and youthful, with a physical energy propelled by their mental agitation. Both were a good introduction to the "real" Holmes.
Not long after, I discovered Granada's series with Jeremy Brett, which was probably showing for the first time in France. I had recorded The Sign of Four on VHS, and probably watched it hundreds of times. I started reading the books then, and in my mind, Brett was definitely the Sherlock Holmes described in these pages. At 8 years old, I saw the "other" Sign of Four of the 80s, where Holmes was played by Ian Richardson: the actor was definitely appropriate for the part, but the productions he was in didn't stand a chance in front of Granada's.
Other cinematic encounters I had at a young age with Holmes were The Seven-per-cent Solution and the Spielberg production Young Sherlock Holmes. Both were surprising takes on the character, and I found it refreshing that filmmakers could take the liberty of pairing Holmes with Sigmund Freud, or to make up an early encounter with John Watson in high school. I never thought that Nicol Williamson was fit to play Sherlock Holmes, but he did a good job of playing a coke-head detective who falls in love while following a therapy.
When I started watching Hammer movies, I particularly enjoyed The Hound of the Baskervilles with the great Peter Cushing playing the Baker Street sleuth. I think the only complain I had with the film, when I first saw it, was that Holmes was shorter than Henry Baskerville (played by Christopher Lee). I've moved past this detail, especially since I've seen Cushing in other Holmes productions (the BBC series and the TV special Masks of Death): even when the quality was a bit flimsy, he embodied the character perfectly.
I also loved A Study in Terror, where John Neville played Sherlock Holmes on the trail of Jack the Ripper. Probably my favorite non-canonical Holmes movies. There were numerous stories revolving around Holmes investigating the Ripper murders, one of the best in my opinion being Michael Dibdin's novel The Last Sherlock Holmes Story. It was turned into a terrific comic book in 2010. Holmes has the face of Jeremy Brett in this fine piece of work by French authors Olivier Cotte and Jules Stromboni.
Sherlock in New York is a guilty pleasure: the plot is weak and the production values are far from epic, but the casting is extremely entertaining: Roger Moore as Sherlock Holmes (what an odd choice)! Patrick Macnee as Watson! John Huston as Moriarty! Charlotte Rampling as Irene Adler!
The last iteration of the character that really impressed me was Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I wasn't too sure about the idea of moving the stories to our time, but it works perfectly, and the scripts are as enjoyable as the performances. Elementary, on the other hand, did nothing for me, as I felt it was just another American procedural show ala Bones, Mentalist or Castle.
And yes, I love Christopher Lee of course, but I don't think he really fits the part of Holmes, even when paired with a good Watson played by Patrick Macnee.
Publié par Unknown à 11:33 1 comment:
Libellés : arthur conan doyle, comics, detective, film, hammer films, peter cushing, private detective, sherlock holmes, terence fisher
Teaser unleashed!
This summer, we finally put the last touch to the film's first five minutes, by doing the 5.1 sound mix with Matthieu Tibi and completing color-grading. So now you can watch a teaser of these first scenes of Sherlock Holmes vs Frankenstein at the end of the video below, and if you like what you see, remember that the Indiegogo crowdfunding video is still open: igg.me/at/holmes-vs-frank
While you wait for this film to be completed, you can take a look at my first film, which is now out on DVD in Australia and New Zealand under its original title House of VHS. In the United States and the UK, it will come out as Ghosts in the Machine, and the DVD can be pre-ordered from Amazon.
We are also working on distribution for our other feature film called The Girl With Two Faces, directed by Romain Serir, which is now touring film festivals (already 5 selections!)
And more surprises coming soon from Marteau Films!
Libellés : crowdfunding, frankenstein, hammer films, house of vhs, parkland pictures, shane briant, sherlock holmes
Now that we're back from Cannes, it's time to debrief. What happened there? First, we got a lot of exposure on Parkland's booth: the poster was attracting people's attention, and we were able to show them the first few minutes of the film, which were not quite finished (sound mix is still a few days away) but were good enough to start a conversation.
Usually at the film market, sensational posters are used to promote very cheap movies with low production values. In our case, the footage always surprised the viewers because... well, it looked good. Shane Briant is very classy, John Lebar is menacing, Stephanie Campion is a perfectly british Mrs Hudson... Those of you who pledged for the DVD on the crowdfunding campaign should be able to check for yourself when you receive it in a few weeks. As for the others, the campaign is still open, you can join the project right now if you want to be a part of it: igg.me/at/holmes-vs-frank
What else happened there? Lots of meetings regarding possible coproductions, sales of our movies Revenge, The Girl with Two Faces and House of VHS (which will be on DVD in the UK in September, under the title Ghosts in the Machine) and of Ian Powell's Razors (which will also be released in the UK in a few months)...
But of course, the film we all want to see come to life is Sherlock Holmes vs Frankenstein. Any good news on this side? Probably, yes. We still can't announce who will play Holmes and Watson, but the financing part is progressing nicely, and we're still looking at shooting in Belgium soon. Keep supporting the movie by joining the Facebook page and the Twitter account, by getting the book from Amazon (version française disponible bientôt !), and by mentioning it to everyone around you. Needless to say, we would rather be filming right now than wait a few more months!
Favourite titles and posters from Cannes film market
Libellés : cannes, film finance, film market, frankenstein, house of vhs, john lebar, marteau films production, parkland pictures, shane briant, sherlock holmes, teaser
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Find out more about the film
Visit the official website and the crowdfunding campaign page


Having an Old School Mentality & Forgetting about "the Fads"
If you want serious results, start with an "old school" approach to your training. When it comes to any aspect of working out, whether it's dieting, training, choosing a gym or even choosing what equipment to use, having an old school mentality will be beneficial. Forget about what the latest fad is and work hard!
Hard work can make anything work.
Whatever you're doing, work hard. Hard work will get you results, simple. I think there's a bit of a misconception about what hard work really is when it comes to working out. I used to think that hard work was merely showing up, doing the workout and then leaving. I'd sweat, feel some pain in my muscles, breathe a bit heavier than usual, and wonder why I wasn't seeing what I wanted to see when it came to performance and physique.
When it comes to training, hard work is painful. Hard work is not being able to talk in between sets because you're so out of breath. Hard work is, well, hard. Your training shouldn't be easy, it may be fun but it definitely shouldn't be something you can do while you talk on the phone!
Just forget about machines when you're in the gym. Cables for pull downs, seated row, and triceps push downs are all good because they provide more than just a single plane of movement. But as for the rest of 'em, fuggedaboudit, don't even bother. Focus on training as much as possible with free weights, you can sneak a leg press exercise into a legs day, but for the most part stick to the basics like squats, deadlifts, and other free weighted exercises.
The resistance changes when you have to not only push or pull the weight but balance it as well. Whether you want fat loss or lean muscle mass, and especially if you're after performance, stay away from the machines.
Eat with a purpose – forget the fads.
Focus on having a well balanced and healthy diet.
You're training in a way that will help you reach your goals, so you should be eating in a way that'll help you see the same benefits. During exercise we're breaking down muscle and depleting our bodies of nutrients. So, when we eat, we should eat in a way that'll give our bodies the nutrients they need to stay healthy and to repair the muscle tissue we have broken down when we train.
Have a good source of lean protein with each meal. Protein repairs the muscle fibers that are broken down when you work out. It can come in the form of beef, chicken breast, fish, or dairy, but if you're working out you need to be eating protein.
Don't forget about the veggies. Vegetables are filled with the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to stay healthy, take them out of your diet and your risk getting sick or rundown.
Have foods that are sources of good fats like almonds, fish, and avocado. These sources monounsaturated fats will give your best friend in the fight against fat lost a much needed boost (your metabolism).
Above all else, don't over-complicate things. If it takes a few weeks to just understand how the hell you do each exercise in a workout, simplify it. Over thinking will take the intensity out of your workouts which at the end of the day is the thing we all need most.
What tips would you add to get the most out of a workout?