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RM BRADLEY
Commercial Brokerage & Property Management
Rich Correia sold the former headquarters building for Group 4 Design on Simsbury Road in Avon for $870,000.
Kevin Brown was hired as the Assistant Property Manager for 165 Capitol Avenue, 505 Hudson Street, 315 Buckingham and 129 Lafayette Street. RM Bradley also sold 11 Mill Pond Road in Granby Connecticut for $485,000.
RM Bradley Management assisted Talcott II Gold LLC in the sale of One Financial Plaza to LS Gold, LLC. RM Bradley continues to manage the property for the new ownership group, as we have for 44 years. Also in July, Jason Falcetta was hired as the Property Manager for 55 Farmington Avenue and 92 Farmington Avenue in Hartford along with 11 Shuttle Road in Farmington.
RM Bradley completed the sale of the Grand View wedding and events center in Mendon MA. The stunning property is located on Nipmuc Pond and sold for $4,100,000.
RM Bradley was awarded a management contract for 108 Leigus Road, a 290,000 square foot Class A office building, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Holly Dupont was hired as the Senior Property Manager for the property.
RM Bradley sold a 26-acre parcel of land directly on Route 44 on the Canton/Simsbury town line. The parcel is zoned for a wide variety of commercial uses and RM Bradley is working with the owner to market the property. Also in April, the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch renewed RM Bradley for the Property Management contract for Region One.
RM Bradley has completed a 6-year assignment assisting the owner of Avon Village Marketplace in the leasing and management of the 60,000 square foot 17 building retail and office park in Avon, Connecticut. When the owner bought the property, it was 67% leased. At the time of sale the park was 93% leased and the NOI had been increased by over $250,000.
Pam Mohr has been hired as a property manager at RM Bradley. She will have the responsibilities of managing the Danbury and Torrington Courthouses for the Judicial Branch of the State of Connecticut.
RM Bradley has been awarded two contracts with the Department of Administrative Services for the State of Connecticut. The first is for 470-470 Capitol Avenue
Complex. The second contract includes the newly renovated 165 Capitol Avenue, 505 Hudson Street, 129 Lafayette Street, the newly constructed Buckingham Street garage.
Colleen Sheridan and Scott Macbeth represented Cheney Office Building Associates LLC in the sale of 146 Hartford Road in Manchester, Connecticut. The 30,000 square foot building was constructed in 1910 and has served as headquarters of the engineering firm of Fuss & O'Neill for over 30 years. The building sold for $2,300,000.
Scott Macbeth represented Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the owner of 180 and 200 Glastonbury Boulevard in Glastonbury, Connecticut, in placing two new tenants into the park. Professional Investors Network and The Business Network group will both occupy suites in 180 Glastonbury Boulevard.
Rich Correia and Scott Macbeth represented Justine and Angelo Bertera in the sale of their landmark restaurant, La Trattoria in Canton, Connecticut. The 8,500 square foot building sits on 3 acres of land of Route 44 at the entrance to the town of Canton. The property sold for $1,080,000.
Scott Macbeth represented Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the owner of 180 and 200 Glastonbury Boulevard in Glastonbury, Connecticut, in the expansion of two tenants, Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC and MEMIC.
Rich Correia represented Curaleaf in the lease of their new 60,000 square foot facility in Simsbury, Connecticut. The firm signed a long term lease and will be moving into the building in 2019.
RM Bradley and the State of Connecticut have renewed the contract for the management of Fifty-Five Farmington Avenue in Hartford. The 275,000 square foot office building houses the Department of Social Services
Colleen Sheridan represented George Gonsalves, Trustee in the sale of his office buildings at 266-274 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield, Connecticut. The buildings sold for $700,000.
RM Bradley has been hired to manage the Riverpoint Condominium complex in East Hartford, Connecticut. The 102 unit high rise building features stunning views of the Connecticut River, a full amenity package and a covered parking garage.
Scott Macbeth represented Avon Village Associates, the owner of Avon Village Marketplace in Avon, Connecticut, in the leasing of space to four new tenants in the 17-building park. William Pitt Sotheby's International Real Estate, Mimmo Café, Arts Unique and AiRE Salon will all occupy their new space in the fall of 2019.
RM Bradley was selected as Property Manager for Ideanomics' Fintech Village in West Hartford. The property is located on the former UCONN branch campus and has exciting plans for the future.


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The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala has a body length of  and weighs . Fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed.

Koalas typically inhabit open Eucalyptus woodland, as the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. This eucalypt diet has low nutritional and caloric content and contains toxins that deter most other mammals from feeding on it. Koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to twenty hours a day. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and koala retrovirus.

Because of its distinctive appearance, the koala along with the kangaroos are recognised worldwide as symbols of Australia. They were hunted by Indigenous Australians and depicted in myths and cave art for millennia. The first recorded encounter between a European and a koala was in 1798, and an image of the animal was published in 1810 by naturalist George Perry. Botanist Robert Brown wrote the first detailed scientific description of the koala in 1814, although his work remained unpublished for 180 years. Popular artist John Gould illustrated and described the koala, introducing the species to the general British public. Further details about the animal's biology were revealed in the 19th century by several English scientists. Koalas are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Among the many threats to their existence are habitat destruction caused by agriculture, urbanisation, droughts, and associated bushfires, some related to climate change.  In February of 2022, the koala was officially listed as endangered in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Queensland.

Etymology
The word koala comes from the Dharug gula, meaning no water.  Although the vowel 'u' was originally written in the English orthography as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah — two syllables), the spelling later became "oa" and the word is now pronounced in three syllables, possibly in error.

Adopted by white settlers, "koala" became one of several hundred Aboriginal loan words in Australian English, where it was also commonly referred to as "native bear", later "koala bear", for its supposed resemblance to a bear. It is also one of several Aboriginal words that made it into International English, alongside e.g. "didgeridoo" and "kangaroo." The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". The specific name, cinereus, is Latin for "ash coloured".

Taxonomy and evolution

The koala was given its generic name Phascolarctos in 1816 by French zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, who would not give it a specific name until further review. In 1819, German zoologist Georg August Goldfuss gave it the binomial Lipurus cinereus. Because Phascolarctos was published first, according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, it has priority as the official name of the genus. French naturalist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest proposed the name Phascolarctos fuscus in 1820, suggesting that the brown-coloured versions were a different species than the grey ones. Other names suggested by European authors included Marodactylus cinereus by Goldfuss in 1820, P. flindersii by René Primevère Lesson in 1827, and P. koala by John Edward Gray in 1827.

The koala is classified with wombats (family Vombatidae) and several extinct families (including marsupial tapirs, marsupial lions and giant wombats) in the suborder Vombatiformes within the order Diprotodontia. The Vombatiformes are a sister group to a clade that includes macropods (kangaroos and wallabies) and possums. The ancestors of vombatiforms were likely arboreal, and the koala's lineage was possibly the first to branch off around 40 million years ago during the Eocene.

The modern koala is the only extant member of Phascolarctidae, a family that once included several genera and species. During the Oligocene and Miocene, koalas lived in rainforests and had less specialised diets. Some species, such as the Riversleigh rainforest koala (Nimiokoala greystanesi) and some species of Perikoala, were around the same size as the modern koala, while others, such as species of Litokoala, were one-half to two-thirds its size. Like the modern species, prehistoric koalas had well developed ear structures which suggests that long-distance vocalising and sedentism developed early. During the Miocene, the Australian continent began drying out, leading to the decline of rainforests and the spread of open Eucalyptus woodlands. The genus Phascolarctos split from Litokoala in the late Miocene and had several adaptations that allowed it to live on a specialised eucalyptus diet: a shifting of the palate towards the front of the skull; larger molars and premolars; smaller pterygoid fossa; and a larger gap between the molar and the incisor teeth.

P. cinereus may have emerged as a dwarf form of the giant koala (P. stirtoni). The reduction in the size of large mammals has been seen as a common phenomenon worldwide during the late Pleistocene, and several Australian mammals, such as the agile wallaby, are traditionally believed to have resulted from this dwarfing. A 2008 study questions this hypothesis, noting that P. cinereus and P. stirtoni were sympatric during the middle to late Pleistocene, and possibly as early as the Pliocene. The fossil record of the modern koala extends back at least to the middle Pleistocene.

Genetics and variations
Three subspecies are recognised: the Queensland koala (Phascolarctos cinereus adustus, Thomas 1923), the New South Wales koala (Phascolarctos cinereus cinereus, Goldfuss 1817), and the Victorian koala (Phascolarctos cinereus victor, Troughton 1935). These forms are distinguished by pelage colour and thickness, body size, and skull shape. The Queensland koala is the smallest of the three, with shorter, silver fur and a shorter skull. The Victorian koala is the largest, with shaggier, brown fur and a wider skull. The boundaries of these variations are based on state borders, and their status as subspecies is disputed. A 1999 genetic study suggests that the variations represent differentiated populations with limited gene flow between them and that the three subspecies comprise a single evolutionarily significant unit. Other studies have found that koala populations have high levels of inbreeding and low genetic variation. Such low genetic diversity may have been a characteristic of koala populations since the late Pleistocene. Rivers and roads have been shown to limit gene flow and contribute to the genetic differentiation of southeast Queensland populations. In April 2013, scientists from the Australian Museum and Queensland University of Technology announced they had fully sequenced the koala genome.

Characteristics and adaptations

The koala is a stocky animal with a large head and vestigial or non-existent tail. It has a body length of  and a weight of , making it among the largest arboreal marsupials. Koalas from Victoria are twice as heavy as those from Queensland. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males 50% larger than females. Males are further distinguished from females by their more curved noses and the presence of chest glands, which are visible as hairless patches. As in most marsupials, the male koala has a bifurcated penis, and the female has two lateral vaginas and two separate uteri.  The male's penile sheath contains naturally occurring bacteria that play an important role in fertilisation. The female's pouch opening is tightened by a sphincter that keeps the young from falling out.

The pelage of the koala is thicker and longer on the back, and shorter on the belly. The ears have thick fur on both the inside and outside. The back fur colour varies from light grey to chocolate brown.  The belly fur is whitish; on the rump it is dappled whitish, and darker at the back. The koala has the most effective insulating back fur of any marsupial and is highly resilient to wind and rain, while the belly fur can reflect solar radiation. The koala's curved, sharp claws are well adapted for climbing trees. The large forepaws have two opposable digits (the first and second, which are opposable to the other three) that allow them to grasp small branches. On the hind paws, the second and third digits are fused, a typical condition for members of the Diprotodontia, and the attached claws (which are still separate) are used for grooming. As in humans and other primates, koalas have friction ridges on their paws. The animal has a sturdy skeleton and a short, muscular upper body with proportionately long upper limbs that contribute to its climbing and grasping abilities. Additional climbing strength is achieved with thigh muscles that attach to the shinbone lower than other animals. The koala has a cartilaginous pad at the end of the spine that may make it more comfortable when it perches in the fork of a tree.

The koala has one of the smallest brains in proportion to body weight of any mammal, being 60% smaller than that of a typical diprotodont, weighing only  on average. The brain's surface is fairly smooth, typical for a "primitive" animal. It occupies only 61% of the cranial cavity and is pressed against the inside surface by cerebrospinal fluid. The function of this relatively large amount of fluid is not known, although one possibility is that it acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the brain if the animal falls from a tree. The koala's small brain size may be an adaptation to the energy restrictions imposed by its diet, which is insufficient to sustain a larger brain. Because of its small brain, the koala has a limited ability to perform complex, unfamiliar behaviours. For example, when presented with plucked leaves on a flat surface, the animal cannot adapt to the change in its normal feeding routine and will not eat the leaves. The koala's olfactory senses are normal, and it is known to sniff the oils of individual branchlets to assess their edibility. Its nose is fairly large and covered in leathery skin. Its round ears provide it with good hearing, and it has a well-developed middle ear. A koala's vision is not well developed, and its relatively small eyes are unusual among marsupials in that the pupils have vertical slits. Koalas make use of a novel vocal organ to produce low-pitched sounds (see social spacing, below). Unlike typical mammalian vocal cords, which are folds in the larynx, these organs are placed in the velum (soft palate) and are called velar vocal cords.

The koala has several adaptations for its eucalypt diet, which is of low nutritive value, high toxicity, and high in dietary fibre. The animal's dentition consists of the incisors and cheek teeth (a single premolar and four molars on each jaw), which are separated by a large gap (a characteristic feature of herbivorous mammals). The incisors are used for grasping leaves, which are then passed to the premolars to be snipped at the petiole before being passed to the highly cusped molars, where they are shredded into small pieces. Koalas may also store food in their cheek pouches before it is ready to be chewed. The partially worn molars of middle-aged koalas are optimal for breaking the leaves into small particles, resulting in more efficient stomach digestion and nutrient absorption in the small intestine, which digests the eucalyptus leaves to provide most of the animal's energy. A koala sometimes regurgitates the food into the mouth to be chewed a second time.

Unlike kangaroos and eucalyptus-eating possums, koalas are hindgut fermenters, and their digestive retention can last for up to 100 hours in the wild or up to 200 hours in captivity. This is made possible by the extraordinary length of their caecum— long and  in diameter—the largest proportionally of any animal. Koalas can select which food particles to retain for longer fermentation and which to pass through. Large particles typically pass through more quickly, as they would take more time to digest. While the hindgut is proportionally larger in the koala than in other herbivores, only 10% of the animal's energy is obtained from fermentation. Since the koala gains a low amount of energy from its diet, its metabolic rate is half that of a typical mammal, although this can vary between seasons and sexes. They can digest the toxins present in eucalyptus leaves due to their production of cytochrome P450, which breaks down these poisons in the liver. The koala conserves water by passing relatively dry faecal pellets high in undigested fibre, and by storing water in the caecum.

Distribution and habitat
The koala's geographic range covers roughly , and 30 ecoregions. It extends throughout eastern and southeastern Australia, encompassing northeastern, central and southeastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales, Victoria, and southeastern South Australia. The koala was reintroduced near Adelaide and on several islands, including Kangaroo Island and French Island. The population on Magnetic Island represents the northern limit of its range. Fossil evidence shows that the koala's range stretched as far west as southwestern Western Australia during the late Pleistocene. Koalas were introduced to Western Australia at Yanchep. They were likely driven to extinction in these areas by environmental changes and hunting by Indigenous Australians. In South Australia, koalas were only known to exist in recent times in the lower South East, with a remnant population in the Bangham Forest between Bordertown and Naracoorte, until introduced to the Mount Lofty Ranges in the 20th-century. Doubts have been cast on Eyre's identification as koala pelt a girdle being worn by an Aboriginal man, the only evidence of their recent existence elsewhere in the State.

Koalas can be found in habitats ranging from relatively open forests to woodlands, and in climates ranging from tropical to cool temperate. In semi-arid climates, they prefer riparian habitats, where nearby streams and creeks provide refuge during times of drought and extreme heat.
In a recent overview of koala research, Clode has noted that, despite their name, koala distribution is strongly linked to water. Their fossil distribution is associated with swamp forest habitats, their preferred feed trees tend to have relatively high water needs (e.g. river red gum), their distribution in forests and abundance over time is closely linked to the availability of water and their breeding success is often linked with riparian habitats.

Ecology and behaviour

Foraging and activities

Koalas are herbivorous, and while most of their diet consists of eucalypt leaves, they can be found in trees of other genera, such as Acacia, Allocasuarina, Callitris, Leptospermum, and Melaleuca. Though the foliage of over 600 species of Eucalyptus is available, the koala shows a strong preference for around 30. They tend to choose species that have a high protein content and low proportions of fibre and lignin. The most favoured species are Eucalyptus microcorys, E. tereticornis, and E. camaldulensis, which, on average, make up more than 20% of their diet. They will also consume other species in the genus such as E. ovata, E. punctata, and E. viminalis. Despite its reputation as a fussy eater, the koala is more generalist than some other marsupial species, such as the greater glider. Since eucalypt leaves have a high water content, the koala does not need to drink often; its daily water turnover rate ranges from 71 to 91 ml/kg of body weight. Although females can meet their water requirements by eating leaves, larger males require additional water found on the ground or in tree hollows. When feeding, a koala holds onto a branch with hind paws and one forepaw while the other forepaw grasps foliage. Small koalas can move close to the end of a branch, but larger ones stay near the thicker bases. Koalas consume up to  of leaves a day, spread over four to six feeding sessions. Despite their adaptations to a low-energy lifestyle, they have meagre fat reserves and need to feed often.

Because they get so little energy from their diet, koalas must limit their energy use and sleep or rest 20 hours a day. They are predominantly active at night and spend most of their waking hours feeding. They typically eat and sleep in the same tree, possibly for as long as a day. On very hot days, a koala may climb down to the coolest part of the tree which is cooler than the surrounding air. The koala hugs the tree to lose heat without panting. On warm days, a koala may rest with its back against a branch or lie on its stomach or back with its limbs dangling. During cold, wet periods, it curls itself into a tight ball to conserve energy. On windy days, a koala finds a lower, thicker branch on which to rest. While it spends most of the time in the tree, the animal descends to the ground to move to another tree. The koala usually grooms itself with its hind paws, but sometimes uses its forepaws or mouth.

Social spacing

Koalas are asocial animals and spend just 15 minutes a day on social behaviours. In Victoria, home ranges are small and have extensive overlap, while in central Queensland they are larger and overlap less. Koala society appears to consist of "residents" and "transients", the former being mostly adult females and the latter males. Resident males appear to be territorial and dominate others with their larger body size. Alpha males tend to establish their territories close to breeding females, while younger males are subordinate until they mature and reach full size. Adult males occasionally venture outside their home ranges; when they do so, dominant ones retain their status. When a male enters a new tree, he marks it by rubbing his chest gland against the trunk or a branch; males have occasionally been observed to dribble urine on the trunk. This scent-marking behaviour probably serves as communication, and individuals are known to sniff the base of a tree before climbing. Scent marking is common during aggressive encounters. Chest gland secretions are complex chemical mixtures—about 40 compounds were identified in one analysis—that vary in composition and concentration with the season and the age of the individual.

Adult males communicate with loud bellows—low pitched sounds that consist of snore-like inhalations and resonant exhalations that sound like growls. These sounds are thought to be generated by unique vocal organs found in koalas. Because of their low frequency, these bellows can travel far through air and vegetation. Koalas may bellow at any time of the year, particularly during the breeding season, when it serves to attract females and possibly intimidate other males. They also bellow to advertise their presence to their neighbours when they enter a new tree. These sounds signal the male's actual body size, as well as exaggerate it; females pay more attention to bellows that originate from larger males. Female koalas bellow, though more softly, in addition to making snarls, wails, and screams. These calls are produced when in distress and when making defensive threats. Young koalas squeak when in distress. As they get older, the squeak develops into a "squawk" produced both when in distress and to show aggression. When another individual climbs over it, a koala makes a low grunt with its mouth closed. Koalas make numerous facial expressions. When snarling, wailing, or squawking, the animal curls the upper lip and points its ears forward. During screams, the lips retract and the ears are drawn back. Females bring their lips forward and raise their ears when agitated.

Agonistic behaviour typically consists of squabbles between individuals climbing over or passing each other. This occasionally involves biting. Males that are strangers may wrestle, chase, and bite each other. In extreme situations, a male may try to displace a smaller rival from a tree. This involves the larger aggressor climbing up and attempting to corner the victim, which tries either to rush past him and climb down or to move to the end of a branch. The aggressor attacks by grasping the target by the shoulders and repeatedly biting him. Once the weaker individual is driven away, the victor bellows and marks the tree. Pregnant and lactating females are particularly aggressive and attack individuals that come too close. In general, however, koalas tend to avoid energy-wasting aggressive behaviour.

Reproduction and development

Koalas are seasonal breeders, and births take place from the middle of spring through the summer to early autumn, from October to May. Females in oestrus tend to hold their heads further back than usual and commonly display tremors and spasms. However, males do not appear to recognise these signs and have been observed to mount non-oestrous females. Because of his much larger size, a male can usually force himself on a female, mounting her from behind, and in extreme cases, the male may pull the female out of the tree. A female may scream and vigorously fight off her suitors but will submit to one that is dominant or is more familiar. The bellows and screams that accompany matings can attract other males to the scene, obliging the incumbent to delay mating and fight off the intruders. These fights may allow the female to assess which is dominant. Older males usually have accumulated scratches, scars, and cuts on the exposed parts of their noses and their eyelids.

The koala's gestation period lasts 33–35 days, and a female gives birth to a single joey (although twins occur on occasion). As with all marsupials, the young are born while at the embryonic stage, weighing only . However, they have relatively well-developed lips, forelimbs, and shoulders, as well as functioning respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems. The joey crawls into its mother's pouch to continue the rest of its development. Unlike most other marsupials, the koala does not clean her pouch.

A female koala has two teats; the joey attaches itself to one of them and suckles for the rest of its pouch life. The koala has one of the lowest milk energy production rates, relative to body size, of any mammal. The female makes up for this by lactating for as long as 12 months. At seven weeks of age, the joey's head grows longer and becomes proportionally large, pigmentation begins to develop, and its sex can be determined (the scrotum appears in males and the pouch begins to develop in females). At 13 weeks, the joey weighs around  and its head has doubled in size. The eyes begin to open and fine fur grows on the forehead, nape, shoulders, and arms. At 26 weeks, the fully furred animal resembles an adult and begins to poke its head out of the pouch.

As the young koala approaches six months, the mother begins to prepare it for its eucalyptus diet by predigesting the leaves, producing a faecal pap that the joey eats from her cloaca. The pap is quite different in composition from regular faeces, resembling instead the contents of the caecum, which has a high concentration of bacteria. Eaten for about a month, the pap provides a supplementary source of protein at a transition time from a milk to a leaf diet. The joey fully emerges from the pouch for the first time at six or seven months of age, when it weighs . It explores its new surroundings cautiously, clinging to its mother for support. By nine months, it weighs over  and develops its adult fur colour. Having permanently left the pouch, it rides on its mother's back for transportation, learning to climb by grasping branches. Gradually, it spends more time away from its mother, who becomes pregnant again after 12 months when the young is now around . Her bond with her previous offspring is permanently severed and she no longer allows it to suckle, but it will continue to live near her for the next 6–12 months.

Females become sexually mature at about three years of age and can then become pregnant; in comparison, males reach sexual maturity when they are about four years old, although they can produce sperm as early as two years. While the chest glands can be functional as early as 18 months of age, males do not begin scent-marking behaviours until they reach sexual maturity. Because the offspring have a long dependent period, female koalas usually breed in alternate years. Favourable environmental factors, such as a plentiful supply of high-quality food trees, allow them to reproduce every year.

Health and mortality
Koalas may live from 13 to 18 years in the wild. While female koalas usually live this long, males may die sooner because of their more hazardous lives. Koalas usually survive falls from trees and immediately climb back up, but injuries and deaths from falls do occur, particularly in inexperienced young and fighting males. Around six years of age, the koala's chewing teeth begin to wear down and their chewing efficiency decreases. Eventually, the cusps disappear completely and the animal will die of starvation. Koalas have few predators; dingos and large pythons may prey on them; birds of prey (such as powerful owls and wedge-tailed eagles) are threats to young. Koalas are generally not subject to external parasites, other than ticks in coastal areas. Koalas may also suffer mange from the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, and skin ulcers from the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans, but neither is common. Internal parasites are few and largely harmless. These include the tapeworm Bertiella obesa, commonly found in the intestine, and the nematodes Marsupostrongylus longilarvatus and Durikainema phascolarcti, which are infrequently found in the lungs. In a three-year study of almost 600 koalas admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Queensland, 73.8% of the animals were infected with at least one species of the parasitic protozoal genus Trypanosoma, the most common of which was T. irwini.

Koalas can be subject to pathogens such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria, which can cause keratoconjunctivitis, urinary tract infection, and reproductive tract infection. Such infections are widespread on the mainland, but absent in some island populations. The koala retrovirus (KoRV) may cause koala immune deficiency syndrome (KIDS) which is similar to AIDS in humans. Prevalence of KoRV in koala populations suggests a trend spreading from the north to the south of Australia. Northern populations are completely infected, while some southern populations (including Kangaroo Island) are free.

The animals are vulnerable to bushfires due to their slow movements and the flammability of eucalypt trees. The koala instinctively seeks refuge in the higher branches, where it is vulnerable to intense heat and flames. Bushfires also fragment the animal's habitat, which restricts their movement and leads to population decline and loss of genetic diversity. Dehydration and overheating can also prove fatal. Consequently, the koala is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Models of climate change in Australia predict warmer and drier climates, suggesting that the koala's range will shrink in the east and south to more mesic habitats.

Human relations

History

The first written reference to the koala was recorded by John Price, servant of John Hunter, the Governor of New South Wales. Price encountered the "cullawine" on 26 January 1798, during an expedition to the Blue Mountains, although his account was not published until nearly a century later in Historical Records of Australia. In 1802, French-born explorer Francis Louis Barrallier encountered the animal when his two Aboriginal guides, returning from a hunt, brought back two koala feet they were intending to eat. Barrallier preserved the appendages and sent them and his notes to Hunter's successor, Philip Gidley King, who forwarded them to Joseph Banks. Similar to Price, Barrallier's notes were not published until 1897. Reports of the first capture of a live "koolah" appeared in The Sydney Gazette in August 1803. Within a few weeks Flinders' astronomer, James Inman, purchased a specimen pair for live shipment to Joseph Banks in England. They were described as 'somewhat larger than the Waumbut (Wombat)'. These encounters helped provide the impetus for King to commission the artist John Lewin to paint watercolours of the animal. Lewin painted three pictures, one of which was subsequently made into a print that was reproduced in Georges Cuvier's Le Règne Animal (The Animal Kingdom) (first published in 1817) and several European works on natural history.

Botanist Robert Brown was the first to write a detailed scientific description of the koala in 1803, based on a female specimen captured near what is now Mount Kembla in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Austrian botanical illustrator Ferdinand Bauer drew the animal's skull, throat, feet, and paws. Brown's work remained unpublished and largely unnoticed, however, as his field books and notes remained in his possession until his death, when they were bequeathed to the British Museum (Natural History) in London. They were not identified until 1994, while Bauer's koala watercolours were not published until 1989. British surgeon Everard Home included details of the koala based on eyewitness accounts of William Paterson, who had befriended Brown and Bauer during their stay in New South Wales. Home, who in 1808 published his report in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, gave the animal the scientific name Didelphis coola.

The first published image of the koala appeared in George Perry's (1810) natural history work Arcana. Perry called it the "New Holland Sloth" on account of its perceived similarities to the Central and South American tree-living mammals of the genus Bradypus. His disdain for the koala, evident in his description of the animal, was typical of the prevailing early 19th-century British attitude about the primitiveness and oddity of Australian fauna: ...  the eye is placed like that of the Sloth, very close to the mouth and nose, which gives it a clumsy awkward appearance, and void of elegance in the combination ... they have little either in their character or appearance to interest the Naturalist or Philosopher. As Nature however provides nothing in vain, we may suppose that even these torpid, senseless creatures are wisely intended to fill up one of the great links of the chain of animated nature ...

Naturalist and popular artist John Gould illustrated and described the koala in his three-volume work The Mammals of Australia (1845–1863) and introduced the species, as well as other members of Australia's little-known faunal community, to the general British public. Comparative anatomist Richard Owen, in a series of publications on the physiology and anatomy of Australian mammals, presented a paper on the anatomy of the koala to the Zoological Society of London. In this widely cited publication, he provided the first careful description of its internal anatomy, and noted its general structural similarity to the wombat. English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse, curator of the Zoological Society of London, was the first to correctly classify the koala as a marsupial in the 1840s. He identified similarities between it and its fossil relatives Diprotodon and Nototherium, which had been discovered just a few years before. Similarly, Gerard Krefft, curator of the Australian Museum in Sydney, noted evolutionary mechanisms at work when comparing the koala to its ancestral relatives in his 1871 The Mammals of Australia.

The first living koala in Britain arrived in 1881, purchased by the Zoological Society of London. As related by prosecutor to the society, William Alexander Forbes, the animal suffered an accidental demise when the heavy lid of a washstand fell on it and it was unable to free itself. Forbes used the opportunity to dissect the fresh female specimen, thus was able to provide explicit anatomical details on the female reproductive system, the brain, and the liver—parts not previously described by Owen, who had access only to preserved specimens. Scottish embryologist William Caldwell—well known in scientific circles for determining the reproductive mechanism of the platypus—described the uterine development of the koala in 1884, and used the new information to convincingly place the koala and the monotremes into an evolutionary time frame.

Cultural significance

The koala is well known worldwide and is a major draw for Australian zoos and wildlife parks.  It has been featured in advertisements, games, cartoons, and as soft toys. It benefited the national tourism industry by over an estimated billion Australian dollars in 1998, a figure that has since grown. In 1997, half of the visitors to Australia, especially those from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, sought out zoos and wildlife parks; about 75% of European and Japanese tourists placed the koala at the top of their list of animals to see. According to biologist Stephen Jackson: "If you were to take a straw poll of the animal most closely associated with Australia, it's a fair bet that the koala would come out marginally in front of the kangaroo". Factors that contribute to the koala's enduring popularity include its childlike body proportions and teddy bear-like face.

The koala is featured in the Dreamtime stories and mythology of Indigenous Australians. The Tharawal people believed that the animal helped row the boat that brought them to the continent. Another myth tells of how a tribe killed a koala and used its long intestines to create a bridge for people from other parts of the world. This narrative highlights the koala's status as a game animal and the length of its intestines. Several stories tell of how the koala lost its tail. In one, a kangaroo cuts it off to punish the koala for being lazy and greedy. Tribes in both Queensland and Victoria regarded the koala as a wise animal and sought its advice. Bidjara-speaking people credited the koala for turning barren lands into lush forests. The animal is also depicted in rock carvings, though not as much as some other species.

Early European settlers in Australia considered the koala to be a prowling sloth-like animal with a "fierce and menacing look". At the beginning of the 20th century, the koala's reputation took a more positive turn, largely due to its growing popularity and depiction in several widely circulated children's stories. It is featured in Ethel Pedley's 1899 book Dot and the Kangaroo, in which it is portrayed as the "funny native bear". Artist Norman Lindsay depicted a more anthropomorphic koala in The Bulletin cartoons, starting in 1904. This character also appeared as Bunyip Bluegum in Lindsay's 1918 book The Magic Pudding. Perhaps the most famous fictional koala is Blinky Bill. Created by Dorothy Wall in 1933, the character appeared in several books and has been the subject of films, TV series, merchandise, and a 1986 environmental song by John Williamson. The first Australian stamp featuring a koala was issued by the Commonwealth in 1930. A television ad campaign for Australia's national airline Qantas, starting in 1967 and running for several decades, featured a live koala (voiced by Howard Morris), who complained that too many tourists were coming to Australia and concluded "I hate Qantas". The series has been ranked among the greatest commercials of all time.

The song "Ode to a Koala Bear" appears on the B-side of the 1983 Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson duet single Say Say Say. A koala is the main character in Hanna-Barbera's The Kwicky Koala Show and Nippon Animation's Noozles, both of which were animated cartoons of the early 1980s. Food products shaped like the koala include the Caramello Koala chocolate bar and the bite-sized cookie snack Koala's March. Dadswells Bridge in Victoria features a tourist complex shaped like a giant koala and the Queensland Reds rugby team has a koala as its mascot. The Platinum Koala and Australian Silver Koala coins feature the animal on the reverse and Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The drop bear is an imaginary creature in contemporary Australian folklore featuring a predatory, carnivorous version of the koala. This hoax animal is commonly spoken about in tall tales designed to scare tourists. While koalas are typically docile herbivores, drop bears are described as unusually large and vicious marsupials that inhabit treetops and attack unsuspecting people (or other prey) that walk beneath them by dropping onto their heads from above.

Koala diplomacy
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, visited the Koala Park Sanctuary in Sydney in 1934 and was "intensely interested in the bears". His photograph, with Noel Burnet, the founder of the park, and a koala, appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald. After World War II, when tourism to Australia increased and the animals were exported to zoos overseas, the koala's international popularity rose. Several political leaders and members of royal families had their pictures taken with koalas, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako, Pope John Paul II, US President Bill Clinton, Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev and South African President Nelson Mandela

At the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit, hosted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, many world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama were photographed holding koalas. The event gave rise to the term "koala diplomacy", which then became the Oxford Word of the Month for December 2016.
The term also includes the loan of koalas by the Australian government to overseas zoos in countries such as Singapore and Japan, as a form of "soft power diplomacy", like the "panda diplomacy" practised by China.

Conservation issues

The koala was originally classified as Least Concern on the Red List, and reassessed as Vulnerable in 2014. In the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland, the species was listed under the EPBC Act in February 2022 as endangered by extinction. The described population was determined in 2012 to be "a species for the purposes of the EPBC Act 1999" in Federal legislation.

Australian policymakers had declined a 2009 proposal to include the koala in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In 2012, the Australian government listed koala populations in Queensland and New South Wales as Vulnerable, because of a 40% population decline in the former and a 33% decline in the latter. A 2017 WWF report found a 53% decline per generation in Queensland, and a 26% decline in New South Wales. The koala population in South Australia and Victoria and appear to be abundant; however, the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) argued that the exclusion of Victorian populations from protective measures was based on a misconception that the total koala population was 200,000, whereas they believed in 2012 that it was probably less than 100,000. AKF estimated in 2022 that there could be as few as 43,000 individuals. This is compared with 8 to 10 million at the start of the 20th century. The Australian Government's Threatened Species Scientific Committee estimated that the 2021 koala population was 92,000, down from 185,000 two decades prior.

The koala was heavily hunted by European settlers in the early 20th century, largely for its thick, soft fur. More than two million pelts are estimated to have left Australia by 1924. Pelts were in demand for use in rugs, coat linings, muffs, and as trimming on women's garments. The first successful efforts at conserving the species were initiated by the establishment of Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Sydney's Koala Park Sanctuary in the 1920s and 1930s. The owner of the latter park, Noel Burnet, became the first to successfully breed koalas and earned a reputation as the foremost contemporary authority on the marsupial.

One of the biggest anthropogenic threats to the koala is habitat destruction and fragmentation. In coastal areas, the main cause of this is urbanisation, while in rural areas, habitat is cleared for agriculture. Native forest trees are also taken down to be made into wood products. In 2000, Australia ranked fifth in the world by deforestation rates, having cleared . The distribution of the koala has shrunk by more than 50% since European arrival, largely due to fragmentation of habitat in Queensland. Nevertheless, koalas live in many protected areas.

While urbanisation can pose a threat to koala populations, the animals can survive in urban areas provided enough trees are present. Urban populations have distinct vulnerabilities: collisions with vehicles and attacks by domestic dogs. To reduce road deaths, government agencies have been exploring various wildlife crossing options, such as the use of fencing to channel animals toward an underpass, in some cases adding a ledge as a walkway to an existing culvert. Dogs kill about 4,000 animals every year. Injured koalas are often taken to wildlife hospitals and rehabilitation centres. In a 30-year retrospective study performed at a New South Wales koala rehabilitation centre, trauma (usually resulting from a motor vehicle accident or dog attack) was found to be the most frequent cause of admission, followed by symptoms of Chlamydia infection.

See also
 Fauna of Australia
 List of monotremes and marsupials of Australia
 Sam (koala), a female koala known for being rescued during the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009

References

External links

 Arkive – images and movies of the koala Phascolarctos cinereus
 Animal Diversity Web – Phascolarctos cinereus
iNaturalist crowdsourced koala sighting photos (mapped, graphed)
 Koala Science Community
 "Koala Crunch Time" – an ABC documentary (2012)
 "Koalas deserve full protection"
 Cracking the Koala Code – a PBS Nature documentary (2012)
 The Aussie Koala Ark Conservation Project

Articles containing video clips
Clawed herbivores
Extant Middle Pleistocene first appearances
Herbivorous mammals
Mammals described in 1817
Mammals of New South Wales
Mammals of Queensland
Mammals of South Australia
Mammals of Victoria (Australia)
Marsupials of Australia
Vombatiforms

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Mike and Max discuss the Arkells playing the NHL's Centennial Classic, the atmosphere of the outdoor game, the "Champagne Boys" game of shinny hockey and the Bell Let's Talk Day initiative.
Howie Mandel ("America's Got Talent," "Deal Or No Deal") and his son Alex tell Mike about their individual upbringing, talking about mental health openly, personal survival, being in the moment, the popularity of YouTube and ending mental health stigma.
For dessert, Shane describes his mental health, sleep habits and a lofty social media goal for his upcoming Hawaii trip.


Diesel generators that are regularly run on low loads or no load at all, can become increasingly unreliable and costly to maintain. The effects include smoky exhausts, carbon build-up, fuel system problems and lubricating oil deterioration. Cressall has the range of standard portable load banks (DC/AC voltage available up to 100KW) and have supplied custom range including Medium Voltage Load Banks up to 84MW.


Sustaining a personal injury can present a stressful and emotionally difficult time in your life. All types of accidents including car accidents, unsafe premises, and negligence contribute to a multitude of injuries, even a catastrophic injury leading to a death. The defense attorneys at our firm are not only caring and compassionate but will zealously fight for your rights in and out of court to help you recover the compensation you are entitled to and deserve. Call our Port St. Lucie personal injury attorneys for a free consultation, and let us get you on the road to justice. There are no fees unless we recover money for you.
Before speaking with an insurance company. Insurance companies are always represented—they have their own lawyers. Having a defense attorney on your side levels the playing field. Call a personal injury lawyer today to discuss your injury claim.


Hearty, nutty, creamy and very satisfying Vegetarian Pasta on its own. A great summer dish to enjoy!
Place in blender or food processor walnuts, fresh basil, fresh mint and garlic. Pulse several times until blended.
Drizzle slowly Extra Virgin Olive Oil while continuously pulsing.
Add water, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Blend well until creamy. Set aside.
Boil pasta into 4 quarts of salted water until cooked al dente. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan pan at medium low heat, sauté mushrooms in two Tablespoon of Olive Oil and diced red onions until slightly tender. Add cherry tomatoes. Seasoned with dried oregano and nutmeg. Cook till mushrooms are golden brown and cherry tomatoes have partially softened.
Add pasta to this sauce. Mix well and incorporate Walnut Basil-Mint Pesto. Turn heat down and stir all together. Serve with a little drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top . Enjoy!
Note: Walnut Pesto freezes well and last for several weeks without incorporating grated cheese. Add cheese after defrosting.
A traditional spiced, and warm to the heart Lebanese dish called "Mograbieh" frequently requested at family and friends get-togethers. My mother passed this recipe down to me. She also offered comments on different ways to prepare it. As she always says to me "you always spin recipes around" So here is my version..
Brown chicken breast pieces into two Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan on both sides. Add sliced onions and carrot. Add 6 cups of water. Incorporate bay leaves, cinnamon, bergamot, seven spices, caraway seeds ground and cumin. Skim foam from the water surface, and simmer bouillon at low heat covered for about 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Meanwhile, caramelized the pearl onions into two Tablespoon of Olive Oil at low heat for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside pearl onions. Use same large deep pan for later in Step-5.
Remove and transfer chicken to a cutting board to shred or cut in pieces. Strain bouillon from carrot and bay leaves, while onion is O.K. to leave in the pot. Set aside cooked chicken.
Incorporate pearl couscous into the boiling chicken bouillon. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove couscous from the pot, strain and fry them in pearl onions oil's pan previously used. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Add gradually 3 to 4 cups of chicken bouillon(broth) over couscous and keep stirring occasionally for about 25 to 30 minutes until couscous is thoroughly cooked al dente, like a pasta noodle consistency and broth has been reduced and absorbed by couscous. If you need to add more broth, keep adding liquid until your couscous reached your choice of tenderness.
Meanwhile, keep simmering bouillon at low heat until reduce and thickened. Add chickpeas and caramelized pearl onions to the remaining bouillon(broth).
Remove some chickpeas and caramelized onions from the broth, and pour over couscous.
Place Mograbieh (couscous) into a serving plate. Arrange cooked chicken, and caramelized onions over couscous. Could be served next to the remaining broth sauce. Enjoy!
Note: Mograbieh(Lebanese couscous) freezes very well for several weeks maintaining flavors. Keep chicken pieces and onions in different containers as well in the freezer.
Preheat oven at 350 grades Fahrenheit.
Use a large bowl and combine dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Set aside.
In another bowl whisk eggs, apple sauce, honey and oil. Add mashed bananas. Stir into dry ingredients and mix until all well incorporated.
Place batter into a buttered-floured loaf 9 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until banana bread is set in the middle or by inserting a toothpick in the center coming out clean. Let it cool before removing from pan.
Heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add extra Virgin Olive Oil. Incorporate sliced scallions to the pan and sauté until slightly soft fro about 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk milk into eggs beaten in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture over scallions and do not stir. Lower the heat and let it cook until edges are crispy and eggs are firm.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Decorate with radishes. Delicious and easy to make. Enjoy!


The city of New York is an invigorating and energising travel destination at any time of year, but it's during the short months of springtime that this most bustling of metropolises really shines. As the biting cold and winds of winter fade away, New York comes out to play in the gentle warmth before the stifling heat of summer descends.
Spring in New York sees the famously forthright population at their mellowest, with cafés, restaurants and bars spilling out on to the pavements, and the iconic parks of the city buzzing with optimistically under-dressed residents enjoying the novelty of sun on skin. To get here remember to book your holiday transfer with Holiday Taxis.
At this time of year, NYC belies its outdated image as an urban jungle of brownstone and gridlock: the streets are lined with beautiful cherry blossom all across the city, while it seems that every spare patch of fire escape and paving stone is pressed into service as a home for potted flowers, no matter how small the space. And of course, Central Park – always an oasis of nature in the sprawl of the city – is a picture of beauty with spring blooms stretching as far as the eye can see, providing a perfect location for a relaxing few hours break from the hectic pace of Manhattan.
In and around Manhattan, the watersides of the Hudson and East River come back to life. Cold, windswept and grey in the winter, in spring they become a focus of boat trips and riverbank picnicking in temperatures that can easily reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit – although with April showers never far away, be prepared with a coat and umbrella too!
Spring is also the time when the cultural side of the city rouses itself once again. This is the season for new Broadway openings, annual shows and exhibitions such as April and May's Tribeca film festival, and celebrations of nature like the Macy's Flower Show or the New York Orchid Show extravaganza which turns the NY Botanical Gardens into a blaze of colour that enjoys worldwide renown.
On a slightly different note, April also sees the start of the Major League Baseball season, and where better to catch a taste of traditional Americana than with an afternoon watching a ball game at the famous Yankee stadium, a short trip across the river into The Bronx? Even for non-sports fans, an al fresco hot dog and a beverage or two will leave you in no doubt that you're making the most of the New York experience.
Late spring in New York is also the time for parades and carnivals, from the spectacular 5th Avenue Easter Day parade, through the LGBT Pride march to the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, both chances to experience the full breadth of diversity that this melting pot of a city is famous for.
No matter whether you're visiting New York on business or for leisure, spring is the time to best experience the energy and vigour of this famous city, during that brief period when humanity and nature live together in easy harmony.
Garima Mehta is a freelance blogger based in Solihull. She is a mother of 2 cheeky kids and loves visiting places of natural & scenic beauty around the world.


Hello! My name is LaQuetta Johnson and this is my third year at Pate. I reside in Florence, SC with my husband. I received my undergraduate degree from Coker College in 2013. I am certified in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I am excited about teaching first grade at Pate Elementary.


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Australia has a long and proud history of satire and self depreciation, with names like Chris Lilley, Barry Humphries and the boys from ABC's Chaser series famed for bringing larrikin humour to the stage.
Now a group of musical "neo-punks" are preparing to follow in the footsteps of their comedic countrymen with a new manner of making music.
The Heartbreak Club is a band high on irony, low on sobriety and full of paradoxical power pop that simultaneously mock and embraces western world youth.
Manager Nick Green, who also fronts the band under the pseudonym of Teddy Hernandez, said what began as a joke had become a means to make a serious living out of a mutual passion for music.
Describing the climate at the time of the group's conception as one fuelled by "emotional rock music", Green said a desire to parody emo teens and not take life as seriously as Russell Crowe was the catalyst for Heartbreak Club.
"It was a combination of luck and circumstance," Green said.
"We recorded a joke EP demo which was low budget and rough as guts but had a few catchy songs that were heard by some people in the states and struck a chord.
"That led to some healthy airplay throughout the USA, Canada and Australia on college, national and indy radio stations and an invitation to tour America.
"This was great because it really legitimised us and opened a few doors back here as well."
Green said that while its members may not take themselves seriously, the band's music was another matter.
Picking up on the power swing away from goliath record companies fuelled by the internet and changing trends in consumption, the band had privatised and diversified for the sake of longevity.
"We have our own record label meaning we own 100 per cent of our music," Green said.
"In addition to that, we offer tour management and consultancy services that form part of the plan to turn our lives around from working day jobs to making more music."
"We're not going to get cynical, we're going to stay in creative control and keep going with this formula that seems to be working."
The Heartbreak Club will play at Brisbane's Valley Studios on November 9 as part of their O Tempora! O Mores! album tour.


text:
5 displaced from Westport house fire
Michael Holtzman
A fire displaced two adults and three teenage children from their heavily damage home at 388 Old Bedford Road on New Year's Eve night, rescue officials reported.
The basement fire of unknown origin caused heavy smoke damage through the older 2½-story wood-frame home in the north end of town, department spokesman Capt. Michael Silvia said. The damage was estimated at $250,000.
He said town crews with six pieces of apparatus, assisted by mutual aid from Fall River, Tiverton and Dartmouth, aggressively fought the fire reported at 6:30 p.m. and contained it within the basement in about a half-hour.
"They made a good stop," Silvia said, noting icy conditions and freezing temperatures Tuesday night.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries when he slipped on the ice, but did not require medical attention, he said.
When crews arrived, all the occupants were out of the approximately 75-year-old single-family house owned by Joey Yared of Westport, Silvia said.
He did not have identifications of the occupants.
American Red Cross spokeswoman Kat Powers reported the extended family consisted of the mother, grandmother and three female teenagers.
Volunteers were able to offer emergency shelter at a local hotel, emergency funds for food, clothes, coats; comfort kits/toiletries and smoke packs to help remove the grime from soot and the smell of smoke from clothing, Powers said.
Powers, Red Cross communications director for eastern Massachusetts, said they'd remain in the hotel at least until Friday and Red Cross volunteers would remain in contact with the family to help them through the crisis.
Silvia said the occupants were at home when the fire broke out, could smell smoke and discovered the fire burning in the basement.
Cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Westport Fire Investigation Unit and State Fire Marshal's Office.
Email Michael Holtzman at mholtzman@heraldnews.com.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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OPEN HOUSE in LITTLE TURTLE!
Saturday November 26th and Sunday November 27th 1-4pm.
YOUR OWN PRIVATE OASIS W/MILLION DOLLAR VIEWS!
Backs to the 11th fairway with pond & treed views. Vaulted Great Room with back staircase to Loft. Vaulted Master Suite with private verandah & updated Bath. Family Room with wet bar walks out to party deck with hot tub. Updates include carpet, ceramic flooring, Baths, Kitchen, roof, furnace, heat pump & more! 2 BRs & 3 Baths. Nearly 1,900 SF! Westerville Schools. Only $154,900! Call DeLena Today!
RAMBLING RANCH HOME ON ~1/3 ACRE, MATURE TREED LOT! ~2,500 SF on two finished levels. Spacious Great Room has built-in desk/entertainment area. Brick fireplace. "Country-sized" Kitchen with new laminate flooring and countertops 2005. Master Suite with walk-in closet and private shower Bath. Finished Basement with Recreation Room, Half Bath, and Bar/Saloon with Wet Bar. Updated furnace, irrigation system & more! 3 BRs and 2.5 Baths. Only $149,700! Call DeLena Today!
A CAR LOVERS DREAM!! Two-story home with 4 Bedroom & 2.5 Baths. Partial hardwood and ceramic tile flooring. Partially finished Basement. Nestled onto 1.70 acre, cul-de-sac lot with mature trees. Freshly painted interior. 21x14 Screened Porch. 24x72 heated, metal Pole Barn. Pickerington schools. Property is being sold "as-is" to settle an estate. Over 2,500 SF! Pickerington schools. Only $214,700! Call DeLena Today!
…in a smaller community with pond. Nearly 2800 SF on 2 finished levels! Den/2nd Bedroom. Vaulted Kitchen with peninsula opens to a vaulted Dinette. Sun Room has cathedral ceilings. Vaulted Master Suite with walk-in closet and luxury Bath with garden tub. Vaulted Great Room with corner gas fireplace. Finished Basement with Recreation Room/3rd Bedroom with egress window and Bath! 2-3 BR's and 2.5 Baths! Hilliard schools! Only $219,900! Call DeLena today!
Property rented for $750. Newer furnace and electrical service. Updated Kitchen and Bath. 3 BR's and 1 Bath. Nearly 1,000 SF! Columbus Schools. Only $59,900! Call DeLena Today!
Open floor plan with 9-10ft ceilings. Great Room with tray ceiling & see-through fireplace to Kitchen & Dinette/Hearth Room. Kitchen has center island with hardwood floors. Access to porch & patio. Master Suite with walk-in closet and whirlpool bath. 3 BR's and 2.5 Baths. Over 2,600 SF! Subject to Short Sale. Olentangy Schools. Only $252,000! Call DeLena Today!
THE PERFECT HOME IN HIGHLAND LAKES! Two-Story on 1/3 + acre fenced lot with in-ground, heated pool backing to the park. Updates include roof, A/C, flooring & more. Finished Basement with Den/5th Bedroom, Recreation Room & Half Bath. First Floor Den & Laundry. Island Kitchen with oak cabinets walks out to deck & patio. Master Suite has vaulted ceilings & whirlpool Bath. 6 panel doors, wood windows & ~4000 SF on 3 Levels! 4-5 BR's, 2 Full & 2 Half Baths. Only $322,700! Call DeLena Today!
Gorgeous Two-Story home with an open floor plan. Loft with oak railing overlooks Great Room with vaulted ceiling. Large, eat-in Kitchen with lots of cabinets and center island. Master Bedroom with vaulted ceiling and attached private Bath. Large fenced yard. Water softener remains. 3 BR's & 2.5 Baths. Nearly 1,800 SF. Licking Heights Schools. Only $164,500! Call DeLena Today!
INCREDIBLE QUALITY! 4,700+ SF on three finished levels on ~1/3 acre lot with deck & custom paver patio. Vaulted Island Kitchen with granite countertops & wrap around cabinets. Vaulted Great Room with custom quartz fireplace. Den/5th bedroom. Giant Master Suite with luxury Bath & double tray ceiling. Finished Basement with Recreation Room/Media Room & full Bath. Loft/Den overlooks Great Room. Very open & spacious! 4-5 BR's & 4.5 Baths! Olentangy schools! Only $424,700! Call DeLena today!
THE BIG GIVE STARTS AT 11 a.m.!!!!
The Columbus Foundation will hold a match day called The Big Give from 11 am Thursday, November 10, until 11 am Friday, November 11. Columbus Foundation donors have provided a record $1 million match for The Big Give, which was created to give 600 local nonprofit organizations an economic boost to strengthen our community. To be eligible for the match, donations must be at least $20 and they must be made through the Columbus Foundation website (www.columbusfoundation.org). Many New Albany based organizations are on the list as well as the Greater Central Ohio Community. This is a great time to multiply your donation! You will need to act promptly to meet the timeframe.
New Albany Chamber 15th Anniversary Celebration & Annual Awards Dec. 15th 11:30 a.m. at the Social Hall At the Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E Dublin-Granville Rd.
M E M B E R N E W S ….
89th Annual TWIG Bazaar Sun Nov 13 at the Ohio Expo Center, all proceeds benefits the Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realtors5495 New Albany Rd. W will be showcasing their new offices with an Open House Nov. 17 4:30-7 p.m.
Purple Dog Art Studio and Gallery-28 S High St. Holiday camp for kids is Dec 19-22. Enjoy art demos and holiday spirits. Commissions welcome. 271-9306.
C O M M U N I T Y N E W S ….
We will help you find unique gifts!
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR…New Albany Chamber …15thAnniversary Celebration & Annual Awards Dec. 15th11:30 a.m. at the Event Center At the Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E Dublin-Granville Rd.
Church of the Resurrection–6300 E Dublin-Granville Holiday Bazaar – Nov. 5th 9 – 3 70 vendors!
200Columbus Days to celebrate Columbus' Bicentennial. Special promotional opportunity to encourage residents to explorethe community by providing discounts. Saturday, Feb. 11 through Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012..Columbus retailers are invited to participate by offering 20% off merchandise. A targeted social media and public relations campaign focused on driving visitors and Central Ohio residents to participating attractions is planned. Visitors will find information on all participants, their specific offer, contact information and links to each organization's website on 200ColumbusDays.com. Contact Sandi Combs at scombs@experiencecolumbus.comto obtain a form to complete by Tuesday, November 15, 2011 to.
Smoothie King, 1350 N Hamilton Rd.,Gahanna, Ohio 43230…is offering a a "FREE small smoothie with purchase of $25 Gift Card".
89th Annual TWIG Bazaa Nov 13, 2011at the Ohio Expo Center., all proceeds benefit the Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Saturday November 12th and Sunday November 13th 1-4pm.


Ashburton District's new sports and aquatic centre has a brand new website.
The website, eanetworkscentre.co.nz, reflects the EA Networks Centre as being the district's sports, aquatic and fitness hub.
Designed and developed by Datacom, the website is compatible with mobile devices and offers quick and easy access to useful information including fitness timetables, opening hours and swim school classes.
Sports Facility Manager Steve Prescott says the website is another tool, along with the EA Networks Centre Facebook page – with more than 1000 followers – which enables us to communicate with customers.
"We're really pleased with how the website looks and functions. It will be a key resource for people wanting to find out what's happening at the centre, details about membership options and casual prices, and for booking enquiries."
The centre's grand opening ceremony takes place on Saturday 9 May, commencing at 12.45pm, with Deputy Prime Minister Bill English officially opening the facility.
The milestone event is open to anyone who wishes to be part of the ceremony. After the ceremony invited guests and members of the public are welcome to have a look around the centre until 4pm.
For the opening ceremony, there will be no on-site parking available for members of the public. Those who are keen to come along will need to park their cars on the streets around the EA Networks Centre.
The facility will be open for the public to start using the pools, gym and courts the following day, Sunday 10 May (10am-5pm).


Mostly Positive (44) - 79% of the 44 user reviews for this game are positive.
Brick Inventions is a physics based building game. It combines simple blocks with realistic physics so that everything in the game can be completely destroyed. Build awesome structures, invent machines, master difficult challenges or play exciting multiplayer battles against your friends – Brick Inventions offers a variety of different game modes for all of that.
Play through 25 singleplayer levels, of which each one offers a different kind of physics based challenge. Besides the normal mode, many levels can also be played in a more difficult challenge mode in order to earn medals and to unlock achievements.
Fight against your friends or other players in the strategy oriented online multiplayer mode. Depending on the selected game type, each player has to gather resources, build warehouses to increase storage capacity and unlock blocks in the research center in order to build more powerful defenses and weapons. The multiplayer mode offers two different game types on two distinct maps.
In the sandbox mode, you have unlimited resources and can build whatever you want. As it is way more fun to create things together with other people, the game also contains an online multiplayer sandbox mode that allows you to play together with your friends.
Since everything is created out of blocks, it might take long to build things that are more complex. The Inventor-mode enables you to create your own inventions, which can be saved and placed with just one click in any other mode. Invent a new machine, more efficient weapons or powerful defenses - the better your ideas, the better are your chances of winning a multiplayer game or mastering a challenge in a singleplayer game.


Actor Varun Dhawan has been signed on for the lead role in the sequel of his filmmaker father David Dhawan's 1997 hit comedy "Judwaa".
Actor Varun Dhawan has been signed on for the lead role in the sequel of his filmmaker father David Dhawan's 1997 hit comedy "Judwaa".
The 28-year-old "Badlapur" star revealed the news on his official Twitter account by sharing his look from the upcoming movie.
Wearing a black tee and a blue jacket with its collar raised, Varun sports a mischievous expression in the photo.
"Judwaa 2," the actor captioned the image.
The sequel, which will also have David in the director's chair, stars Varun in twin avatars. This is the second time the father-son duo are collaborating. They last worked together in 2014 romantic-comedy "Main Tera Hero".
The original "Judwaa" featured superstar Salman Khan in double role, Karisma Kapoor and Rambha.


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Pokémon Animé Discussion
Pokemon Movies on Nintendo DS (in Japan)
This is actually rather old, but... here, and here.
Many of the Pokemon movies are available in Japan on the Nintendo DS(the Japanese version, of course). Even though this involves a game console, it has to do with the Pokemon movie series, so I put this in the anime section.
... Does anyone have more information on this? Since I have a DS, I was hoping I could have some way to get some of these movies on DS. On the first link I gave, there's a picture of two small black card thingies, and I don't know if they come with the DS movies.
But yeah, does anyone have any information on how to buy these from without paying Japanese money? ('Cause I don't... have any...)
In any case, it's an interesting find for you guys to see. (If you care...)
the1stpkmnfan
Your Big Buff Bro
Man, those are really cool. Also for the covers on the boxes. I hope we could get them here in the US. But they'd be like those video episodes on the GBA.
Honestly, I don't know a lot about this, since you just told me. Thanks, and they're amazing. I Think it'd be useful to use on the go. If you dont have a DVD Player.
But Im not sure how you can buy them, but if they were located in the US, they'd probably not be sold legally. At best, I would be lucky if they ever come here.
Twitter: @TrainerTrevino
A_Merry_Snowrunt
Snorunt!
the1stpkmnfan said:
Erm....I don't know about that. There would be certain complications if it were to come to the US. If by means you meant dub.
yoshi1001
Pokémon Lyricist
There would likely be complications bringing them here. In Japan, PCL probably has more autonomy to release the movies as and in what forms they see fit, but outside of Japan the distribution rights are held by several different companies. On the other hand, you can get Pokemon 3 on your computer/iPod/Apple TV via the iTunes store, so it's possible.
Check out PIRN, the Pokemon Internet Radio Network!
PokePress musician/voice actor interviews: Adam Elk Alex Nackman Chris "Breeze" Barczynski Eliot Sloan (Blessid Union of Souls) Eric Stuart Erin Bowman Jess Domain Jess Turner John Loeffler (2) John Siegler Kathryn Raio Kirsten Price Neil Jason Ralph Schuckett
Most of the covers are the Japanese posters for the movies.
Yonowaru in Chaos
gaspard de la nuit
It's been around since August of last year; Japanese comics, books and movies have been released since then (including what I think is the entirety of Pokemon movies, at least, the Johto movies, Mewtwo Strikes back and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew).
I've heard that this is exclusively Japanese though.
That's what I was afraid of...
If the DS vision thing ever comes here, it'd be cool to have the Pokemon movies be released on DS. But I'd hope it'd have at least the original Japanese version on there (not that there's anything suggesting it'd be there).
Luigi-the-Breloom
...gunk?
Remember that old Game Boy Advance Video? I recall wondering why I'd pay money for a limited set of episodes that I could get on TV for free (before electricity bill calculations, of course) or a DVD for a better deal.
I sure hope that they made the value per yen comparable to or even greater than a DVD or else I'm passing this one off as another one of Nintendo's useless gimmicks. Are there bonus features and such?
Mostly lurking nowadays.
Luigi-the-Breloom said:
No clue. I wouldn't mind buying this if there was an easy way to do so, but that's because the Japanese version of these movies isn't on American DVDs. Japanese DVDs have a different region than mine, and I don't have a single DVD player that plays DVDs in more than one region. The DS isn't region locked, so if I actually had these DS vision movies (and I used the adapter correctly), I could watch the movies on my own American DS. But that's not the case.
But this is a gimmick of Nintendo's, considering a few years ago they released two boxsets that had the first nine movies (and the six mini-movies). And Japanese kids don't have to watch the movie on their DS anyway.
Sapphire Phoenix
aldkjf
I hope they release these to America. I was surfing eBay the other day and I did see something like this for the 3rd Pokemon movie for $53 american dollars, but I thought it was a fake :/
"Strong Pokemon. Weak Pokemon.
That is only the selfish perception of people.
Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites."
Sapphire Phoenix said:
If they were, they'd be the American dub version (or some other dub version). I really don't care much for that version on the DS (I have all three dub movies either on DVD or tape) but at least the DS vision adapter thingy would come with these movies, so I could get that and find some way to get the Japanese DS version (assuming I couldn't get an adapter thing from Japan).
Drew.
→ kill the n o i s e
I doubt they'll release them here.. I can't see it happening. D:
Regardless, I love the get the Japanese versions, and watch them randomly on my DS. xD That would be good times, and handy when I was out of the house, stuck in a boring situation.
;059;
not too active on serebii;
PokeCommunity || Ever Grande City
latios reborn
They did release some episodes on GBA in Aus and that so they might release the movies..
I'm back and with a 3DS friend code if you want to add me: 5026 4445 5102 ;471;
Kakashi-Sharingan Warrior
Spend £36.12($50) to watch a movie on your DS, or pay about £10 ($13.85) to watch it on a DVD player.
Hmmm....I'd go for the DVDs....A nice idea, but at that price....no
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Xx Flare xX
Kakashi-Sharingan Warrior said:
Or watch them for free on YouTube?
someones bound to upload the movies there
(waste of $50, waste of time, just get a DVD player and a DVD and play it on that!)
;136;~Xx Flare xX~
^ I know the movies are online, but that's what I'm trying to avoid...
My hope is if they were giving this away at an Anime convention, but what are the chances of that happening?...
If you have a DVD player that can play Region II DVDs... which I don't have. (As for the American version... I don't have to buy that since I already have nearly every movie either on tape or DVD.) I'd assume for me it'd be easier and more convenient for me to get the DS Vision adapter and DS Vision movies because the DS isn't region locked... but if it's only available in Japan, then I can't do that after all...
EDIT: It turns out that Play Asia is a site where you can pay in US dollars with a credit card or things like that. I don't know if anyone will know the answer to this, but If I were to just get this alone, would it have everything I need to automatically play the movies on the DS (without using the computer)? If not, would I have everything I need if I also got this (without downloading anything from the computer? I'm still not sure I will even do this, but I'm just wondering.


The Gotham Project - Diana Yacht Design B.V.
Recently under construction at Icon Yachts in Holland, the stunning 46 metre Gotham project is due to delivery in spring 2019. The vessel has a sturdy black Batman-like exterior that was designed by ER yacht design. She offers accommodation for 10 guests in five cabins and a total fof 10 crew in five cabins. Some of her unique features are a custom glass wine cellar, a gymnasium and entertainment areas.


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438 – Miguel Romero (Red Pill Junkie)
By Christopher RyanSeptember 27, 20208 Comments
Miguel has become a good friend, due to his always-smart comments on many episodes of this podcast, his help with editing and graphic design, and his insights on everything from UFOs to Mexican culture and history (which can be found at The Daily Grail). I always enjoy our conversations, and am thrilled we finally got around to recording one!
Miguel's graphic design site, and his Twitter.
Find me on Instagram or Twitter.
Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; "God's Child," by Selena and David Byrne; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.
Your impression of the mask-defying patriot in Walmart saying "Fuck you, I'm an American, I'm free!" made me spit out my morning coffee.
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Gerald Perkins says:
I understand that the non-masked patriot may not have the most nuanced point of view but like so much of what we are experiencing in this reality, I think it's defensible if we are paying attention to how the entire COVID thing has been rolled out. There is a wealth of research on the usefulness of masks to constrain the spread of viruses. The research does not come up with consistent result saying that wearing of masks does in fact constrain viral spread. My reading has lead me to understand that they have no affect at all.
I have reviewed a dozen research articles on the use of masks in surgical suites to restrict the spread of infection from surgical staff to the patient. In half of the operations the staff wear masks, in the other half they are unmasked. All these studies indicate the wearing of the mask makes no statistical difference whatsoever. The conclusions tend to be, "the wearing of masks make no difference to post surgical infection rates, however, we may cause more stress in our patients by changing our methodology so lets just keep things as they are."
That being the case – why are we being asked to wear masks and "its just common sense they stop the spread of infection"? I think that is by far the most interesting and important question. I am not certain of the answer but experience and analysis leads me to think we are being asked to acknowledge that those who authorize such things are the ones to be believed. The scientists vetted by the CDC and WHO are the ones who know. Those who disagree are unqualified and/or conspiracy theorists (this includes Nobel Prize laureates). The other intention is that we show compliance and acknowledge that yes, we are compliant and shall obey.
This whole pandemic (now labelled an outbreak by the WHO) does not smell right to me. I think that once again, we're being played.
The reason the wearing of masks to deal with this current health problem has turned into a controversy is not so much the fault of scientists, but because political pundits are using Science's methodology to their advantage, just like they did with Climate Change or the effects of cigarettes.
Science is not about getting the answers we want whenever we want them. To gather enough evidence so we can say with confidence what's exactly going on with a virus that's so new and different than anything we've encountered in the past, takes a lot of time and a lot of research. But because of the urgency of the situation, scientific journals are rushing to publish COVID-related papers that, in other circumstances, would have required a whole lot more scrutiny and peer review.
Take for instance the controversy caused by a paper which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 11. The authors were a professor of atmospheric sciences and a chemist –Mario Molina, a Mexican scientist– who is an expert in the behavior of aerosol particles in the atmosphere (Molina won a Nobel prize for his work involving the effects of CFCs in the ozone layer). The paper concluded that the best and most effective public policy for stopping the spread of COVID-19 (in conjunction with social distancing) was the general use of facemasks.
Now, several epidemiologists took a look at the paper and immediately called for its public retraction. Mind you, not necessarily because the conclusions of the paper were wrong! But because these scientists objected to the methodology employed by Molina and his colleague, and to some of the premises they employed. There's also the fact that oftentimes scientists of a certain field don't like it too much when scientists of a different field stick their noses in 'their turf' (for instance, some of us remember how Dr. Robert Schoch was treated by the archeological community when he used his geological expertise to conclude the Sphynx's age is much older than what is currently agreed by current historical dating).
But because face masks has turned into a 'hot topic' in countries like the United States, Brazil and Mexico (all ruled by populists presidents who feel that wearing a mask makes them look weak) their supporters point fingers at the controversy generated by papers like the one published by Molina et al and they yell "AHA! YOU SEE, THESE EGGHEADS CAN'T GET THEIR STORY STRAIGHT, SO WHY SHOULD I CARE WEARING A MASK??" They used *exactly* the same tactics when they tried to justify their gas-guzzling Humvees or their two-packs-a-day habit, until the evidence was overwhelming that smoking *does* causes cancer, but by then it was too late –and of course, we all know Trump and his supporters are still refusing to believe the increase in global temperatures has a direct correlation with the burning of fossil fuels and industrial activity, and think the increase in forest fires can be prevented by RAKING the leaves of the forest grounds…
But never mind the fact that –just like with tobacco and climate change– the evidence is slowly-but-surely mounting that YES, face masks *do* make a positive difference (like this WSJ article, which BTW is not exactly a 'radical left' paper like the New York Times: https://www.wsj.com/articles/face-masks-really-do-matter-the-scientific-evidence-is-growing-11595083298). Ultimately, wearing a mask is such a small, minor inconvenience to most of us, you'd think our immediate mentality would be to wear them, and THEN let the eggheads figure out how effective they really were once we managed to contain this thing and get back with our lives. It's a basic a decency as PUTTING DEODORANT when you know you're going to ride the subway.
But NO. Apparently none of us can't be bothered to think of our fellow neighbors before our own selfish needs. Maybe that's part of 'the American way' so many countries (including mine) wanted to emulate so badly, and why the United States still ranks as #1 in the number of COVID-related deaths.
You can quote your scientists and I can quote my scientists. Why did it take this virus for some scientists to determine masks are useful when the previous 40 years and numerous studies determined the opposite? Are they just doing "better" research now? I suggest, there is an agenda that their research can support, thus, new research.
If you want to quote the USA as a bad actor due to their lack of masks and general bad behaviour resulting in high death rates please explain Nicaragua. How about Sweden? This virus acts suspiciously and is refusing to behave. Perhaps there is no consistency in testing procedures. Perhaps the tests are often invalid, which of course they are.
One statistic that I will trust is the overall death rate on our planet in 2020 versus 2019. What's your bet? Higher this past year due to the "pandemic", right? I'll take your bet.
I'm 70 years old and like you, living in Mexico. I'd rather take my chances – go to the cantena (all closed), sit in the city square (taped off) or listen to the church bells and the sound of children playing (nope, sorry they're locked up at home). Like all of us I've been taking chances every day of my life. Friends and family have died just as I will one day. While I'm on this planet I choose to live. Not half a life with no restaurants, baseball, concerts or crowded bars.
What I see is brain dead bureaucrats and administrators listening to the scientists they are supposed to listen to and totally unable to make any sense of a spectrum of information. Or, call me a conspiracy theorist, they've been co-opted.
Guess what? I wear deodorant and brush my teeth before leaving the house. I wear my muzzle to get into the grocery store but resent every minute of my compliance. This isn't about the minor discomfort of wearing a mask – which to me is not minor. This is about a social engineering project which most people are compliant with because they don't want to upset anyone and, gee after all, they are just really nice people. The notion that I am a selfish person and deserve shaming because I don't share your point of view I find dangerous and offensive.
Intensive care units are empty. Hospital wards are being shuttered. Doctors who speak out have lost their jobs and are banned off social media platforms. Our governments response to COVID is so, so suspicious.
My criticism to people refusing to wear masks wasn't directed to you directly.
You mention Sweden, which for a long time (and by that I mean a few months, but time moves different when you pandemic) was used to criticize restrictive lockdown measures. But nowadays no one mentions how Sweden began to do far worse than the rest of its neighboring countries. Mind you, that doesn't mean that a restrictive lockdown was a solution: appropriate testing and contact tracing were the best solutions –oh, and wearing a mask if you go outside.
And yes, unfortunately we live in a world in which is difficult to ascertain the credentials of academicians offering counterpoints to scientific consensus. That's why so many people fell for the 'plandemic' hoax.
The ironic thing about this, is that by now we know that both Trump and Melania got this thing. Call it the Mother of all poetic justices!
I've done a deep dive into the statistics regarding Sweden and its neighbours. I recommend Ivor Cummings on YouTube who spends a fair bit of time going through the data. Sweden is doing just fine. If in doubt, ask a Swede.
My main point is that we are suffering from a deep divide based on how people acquire, analyze and interpret data. We both have access to a shit ton of data. We appear to have come to different conclusions regarding what this "pandemic" is all about. Did we acquire different data? Likely. That takes the analysis and interpretation out of the equation. What can be done?
I try to put myself in the shoes of people who cross the street when they see my maskless face approaching. For quite some time it just pissed me off. Since we had a different understanding of reality and we wore different uniforms it was easy to place each other into a dehumanized category. I've modified my behaviour after looking at the social media behaviour of those who take Covid and it's spread as a very dangerous event. They truly see people like me as "Covidiots". They are cognatively dissonate in their response to any information which would contradict their world view. So I now wear my mask strategically positioned below my chin (so I can breath properly) and when I see a masked person approaching, quickly position it to the required position. Sometimes I even get a nod of approval. I've conformed.
Can they put themselves in my shoes? I see that there is a virus in our communities that unusually lethal to the aged if they were infected. The virus appeared to be passed normally. It had extreme respiratory effects including coagulation of blood in the elderly infected. Media attention and panic ensued. We were told by health authorities that masks were not effective or useful. I studied the research which overwhelmingly confirmed this understanding. Then what happened? A lot of exposed elderly died. Death rates among other age groups were similar or lower than the seasonal flu. Media pushed deaths and infections. Bill Gates announced there would be no return to normalcy until the vast majority of 7 billion persons were vaccinated. I followed those observers who were recording death rates which were becoming lower and lower and lower – even though there were more postive tests.
My conclusion – we are being played. So, put yourself in my shoes. I'm a reasonably intelligent, informed individual who has followed what MSM and our minders have been doing to us for years. The Gulf of Tonkin. Weapons of mass destruction. Babies being thrown from incubaters. Etc, etc, etc. It smells so suspicious. In the eyes of the believers, I'm selfish and inconsiderate if I express my understanding through my actions.
I respect your work. One day, post madness, if I make my way to Ciudad De Mexico, I'd love to buy you a refreshing beverage or two.
You're on 🙂


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Q: How to make variables persistent in angular? I have a problem. So, I'm creating an angular application that a user need to be validated, approved by someone and has a role. Basically I have 3 variables: isApproved, role and isValidated. Also I have a JWT token for authentication and authorization. How should I make these 3 variables persistant? I want to diplay users different pages if they are validated, or if they are only approved, or if they have only a specific role and they are validated, but not approved, and so on.
I'm thinking of storing them in local storage, but the user can change the values there. Another way that I think is that everytime a user refresh the page, to call an API that give me these 3 variables from the backend, but I don't know if this is a good way to do that. Or is there any way of getting the values from token? Like using claims or something, and decoding the token on the client side to get the values?
Please help me if you can. Thanks and have a good day!

A: Validating, authenticating and ... performing only on client side is not a good idea. You have to check any request in back-end too. For example you store data in local storage in client side. if user changes local values, you double check in back-end and this prevent security issues. double checking in back-end is not a bad thing and in many use cases you should do it. one way is claims. if your back-end load is high you could use mem-cache. but if you use jwt and store data in claims with default asp core jwt provider, because it's not a sign out mechanism, you get in trouble. if you use identity store data in claims is a  good way and it's scalable too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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