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'Career Options: Science Policy'
Applying for AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Roundtable Discussion
Apr. 26, 2019—Are you interested in a career in science policy? Have you thought about applying for the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program? Join us for this informative roundtable discussion with Shilpy Dixit, Teddy van Opstal, and Phil Ko, PhD, who have all been through the process of applying and interviewing for this prestigious program. Bring...
Careers in Science Policy: Q&A with Kei Koizumi
Mar. 19, 2019—Careers in Science Policy: Q&A with Kei Koizumi Thurs, March 28, 2019; 4:00 – 5:30 pm Featheringill Hall, Rm 138 RSVP requested: https://calendly.com/ruth-schemmer/sci-policy-careers Kei Koizumi is a Senior Advisor in Science Policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He joined AAAS in February 2017 after 8 years as Assistant Director for...
VSPG Day on the Hill Orientation Meeting, Wednesday Feb. 6th
Feb. 5, 2019—Vanderbilt Science Policy Group (VSPG) is gearing up for a DAY ON THE HILL on WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20th (8AM-5PM) with Life Science Tennessee. We will be speaking with our TN state legislators and also having a networking lunch with lobbyists and staffers. Due to space constraints, LST Academic Alliance members will be given priority to participate (it's only $25 to sign...
Censoring Science Forum, January 29th
Jan. 22, 2019—If you're interested in a career science policy and advocacy, join VSPG for an upcoming event on January 29th. The American Lung Association has partnered with a number of student organizations at Vanderbilt to host a forum on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 from 5:00-7:00PM at Light Hall. The goal of the forum is to educate...
Vanderbilt Science Policy Group meeting 1/17 at Flying Saucer
Jan. 15, 2019—Interested in science outreach and communication? Want to network with public and health policy experts in Nashville? Thursday, Jan 17th, 5:30-7:30PM, Flying Saucer Join Vanderbilt Science Policy Group for FREE FOOD and a discussion on advocacy and policy with Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D, TN 55th), Dr. Stephen Patrick (VUMC, opioid policy expert), Collier Roberts (VU state policy office), and Megan Lane (lobbyist, fmr. LA for...
Summer Internship with the VU Office of Federal Relations
Jan. 4, 2019—Office of Federal Relations Summer 2019 Internship INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION: The Office of Federal Relations invites undergraduate or graduate students from Vanderbilt University or the Washington, D.C.-area with ties to Tennessee who are interested in higher education or science public policy issues to apply for our summer internship. This internship will provide you with a firsthand...
Science Policy Internship with Research!America
Jan. 4, 2019—SCIENCE POLICY INTERNSHIP We are currently accepting applications for science policy internship positions (start and end dates flexible). Please submit your materials no later than 5 p.m. (eastern) on Friday, January 11, 2019. Research!America's Mission Research!America is committed to advancing human health by making biomedical and health research a higher national priority. We advocate for a federal policy climate...
Job Opportunity: Policy Specialist, National Farm to School Network, Washington, DC
Nov. 2, 2018—National Farm to School Network (NFSN) in Washington, DC has an opening for a Policy Specialist. NSSN is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. The Policy Specialist leads implementation of NFSN's policy priorities to...
Life Science Tennessee Academic Alliance Fall 2018 Kick off: General Body Meeting and Happy Hour
Aug. 17, 2018—Are you Interested in science industry, policy or entrepreneurship? Come check out the Life Science Tennessee Academic Alliance where you can network with a variety of different science professionals or entrepreneurs in the area or advocate for science policy at the state legislature. We now have four academic alliances across the state! Events you can...
Apply now for the 2018 Federal STEM Policy & Advocacy: An Inside the Beltway Look
Aug. 2, 2018—If you're interested in a career in science policy, you won't want to miss this unique opportunity to participate in an expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. for Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy: An Inside the Beltway Look. Federal STEM Policy & Advocacy: An Inside the Beltway Look October 18-19, 2018 Washington, D.C. Hosted by the Vanderbilt University Office...
ASPIRE Internship: Life Science Tennessee, Project Management Intern, Fall 2018, Nashville, TN
Jul. 20, 2018—ASPIRE Internship Opportunity: Life Science Tennessee Project Management Intern 217 5th Ave. N., Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37219 Life Science Tennessee (LifeSciTN) is a statewide, non-profit, member organization whose mission is to advance and grow the life science industry in Tennessee through advocacy, partnerships and alignment with economic and workforce development. Members include companies, universities,...
Talk Science Policy at the 10th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits
Jul. 4, 2018—Meet with Your Lawmakers This Summer and Help Inform Science Policy The American Institute of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 10th annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative is an opportunity for biologists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected...
Q&A with a AAAS Fellow
Jun. 21, 2018—Q&A with a AAAS Fellow Wednesday, June 27, 2018 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm; Alumni Hall, Rm 201 Register Here Vanderbilt alumnus Joseph Rustick will share his personal experiences at the EPA as a AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Executive Branch fellow. Joining Joe will be Alex Maki, current Vanderbilt postdoc, who...
Public Affairs and Outreach Director, The Biophysical Society (BPS), Rockville, MD
Apr. 9, 2018—The Biophysical Society (BPS) is seeking a Public Affairs and Outreach Director to oversee the Society's advocacy programs and efforts in support of the BPS mission and strategic goals. Reporting to the Executive Officer, the successful candidate will monitor legislative and policy issues affecting BPS and the field of biophysics; oversee the development, management, and...
VSPG hosts Christina West from Vanderbilt University's Office of Federal Relations
Mar. 14, 2018—"VSPG will be meeting with Christina West, assistant vice chancellor for federal relations in Vanderbilt's Office of Federal Relations on April 12th, 4-5pm CST, in LH 306A/B. Read more about Christina and the Office of Federal Relations here: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/federalrelations/aboutus/christina.php Please use this link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXWR37N) to register for the event to give us a head count. Pre-registration is NOT REQUIRED...
Applications are open for Scholars Strategy Network 2018-2020 Postdoctoral Fellowship
Mar. 7, 2018—The Scholars Strategy Network is opening applications for the second cohort of its two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship to support early-career scholars in any discipline who wish to engage in research and public scholarship to improve public policy and strengthen democracy. After an intensive, short boot camp, each fellow will be based at a university in one...
Congressional Internship with the office of U.S. Rep Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Feb. 22, 2018—Want to gain valuable work experience and learn about important issues facing the world, our country, our state, and our local communities? Check out U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper's (TN-05) intern program for opportunities available in the Nashville and Washington, DC offices. Internships are highly competitive. The majority of those selected are from Middle Tennessee, but in...
ASPIRE Internship: Advocacy Ambassador and Congressional Team Member, Alzheimer's Assn of Mid South Chapter
Feb. 20, 2018—ASPIRE Internship Opportunity: Advocacy Ambassador & Congressional Team Member Alzheimer's Association Mid-South Chapter 4825 Trousdale Dr. Suite #220 Nashville, TN 37220 Would you like to assist the Alzheimer's Association in building a relationship with Congressman Jim Cooper and his staff throughout the year, as well as educating them on the foundation's federal priorities? The...
Vanderbilt Science Policy Group hosts AAAS Fellow & Vanderbilt alum Dr. Rubin Baskir
Feb. 19, 2018—The Vanderbilt Science Policy Group (VSPG) will be hosting Dr. Rubin Baskir, Ph.D., a former Vanderbilt graduate student and current NIH-AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow on March 1st, 5-6pm in Light Hall 306A/B. Rubin will discuss his current work with the NIH's All of Us Research Program as well as his experiences navigating the...
LaunchTN Internship Program accepting applications until February 28th
Feb. 12, 2018—LaunchTN launched the Specialist Program, a summer internship program, in May 2014, providing undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to engage in Tennessee's startup communities. Over the past four summers, 100+ students representing universities across the country, have interned at Tennessee's statewide entrepreneur centers. In 2018, the internship program will evolve to include up to...


Dutch mahogany and floral marquetry armoire.
Stunning antique Dutch Floral Marquetry Armoire, the doors are decorated with floral marquetry inside and outside and open to reveal a fully fitted interior with shelves and twoo small drawers. The base has two medium drawers on top above three large drawers which provide abundant space.


Professionally used Digidesign Digidelivery LT in excellent condition. Limited consignment offer.
The Digidesign Digidelivery LT file exchange system makes it easy to exchange even gigabytes of digital assets securely and efficiently across the Internet. Send files by dragging them onto the DigiDelivery icon on your desktop and entering the email address of each recipient. Receive downloads simply by clicking a secure link — there's no need to enter IP addresses, usernames, or passwords. Each and every digital parcel is protected by the same heavy-duty encryption used by banks and government agencies, and dedicated, custom-built hardware guarantees reliability.
DigiDelivery eliminates service fees, while automated reporting makes it easy to bill customers. Best of all, DigiDelivery does not require clients or contractors to have special hardware or network connections to use the system, so you can exchange files with anyone in the world.
DigiDelivery offers unparalleled security without sacrificing ease of use. Anyone with a basic understanding of computers can configure a DigiDelivery server using the Setup Wizard. Once the system is configured, the simple client utility makes the process of creating and sending a delivery — of any size — as easy as sending email.To send, simply drag and drop files onto the DigiDelivery icon and enter each recipient's email address. As soon as a delivery is posted, an email is automatically sent to each recipient.The email contains the delivery details, a message from the sender, a link to download the client if necessary, and an encrypted key, which the recipient simply clicks to securely download the delivery. (For extra security, senders can transmit the key verbally instead of by email.) No user names, passwords, or IP addresses are needed. Once the recipient successfully downloads the delivery, the sender receives a confirmation email. While DigiDelivery is optimal for any kind of digital asset transfer, Digidesign Pro Tools® system users enjoy an extra advantage: When you add a Pro Tools session file to your delivery, DigiDelivery automatically finds and includes all related audio, video, and plug-in settings files.There's no need to worry about missing files, time-consuming consolidations, or storage-consuming copies. Additionally, the DigiDelivery server is selfcleaning. Once deliveries have been successfully downloaded by all recipients, the deliveries are automatically deleted from the server.With DigiDelivery, you no longer have worry about tying up disk space with unnecessary files.
DigiDelivery's design includes several measures that ensure maximum efficiency and stability. Proprietary communication protocols guarantee the robust transmission of data between server and client. As an owner of a DigiDelivery system, you upload and download files at LAN speeds, freeing up your workstation much faster than if you were to post to a public FTP site or burn a CD. Lossless compression (optional) reduces the size of the files to be exchanged by as much as 60%, resulting in faster upload and download times, while ensuring a totally bit-accurate copy on delivery.
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One-click secure downloads - recipients don't need accounts, passwords, etc.


Puget Sound, Renton, and Valley Regional Fire Authorities have partnered to provide CPR/AED and First Aid courses by certified instructors.
Participants must be 12 years old or older. Participants under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Our CPR / AED session is designed to provide the fundamental skills and confidence needed to perform CPR on an adult, child, or infant. Participants learn how to recognize and alleviate airway obstructions, properly use an AED (automatic external defibrillator), and the signs, symptoms, and corrective action for a stroke or heart attack. Successful completion will result in a completion card. This card satisfies WISHA and OSHA requirements for CPR.
Our First Aid session provides the fundamental skills necessary to recognize and treat medical emergencies. Participants learn scene safety, the signs and symptoms of diabetes, stroke, and seizures, and how to best treat these emergencies. Participants also learn how to control bleeding, treat for shock and burns, and manage head and spine injuries. Successful completion will result in a completion card. This card satisfies WISHA and OSHA requirements for First Aid.


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Q: SQL Server Numeric data type turns into Short_Text in MS Access We have SQL Server 2008 running on a server. I linked the MS Access 2013 to tables of one of the SQL Server's database via ODBC (SQL Server Native Client 10). Everything seemed OK till now, when I realized that one data type has changed while it was coming from the SQL Server to Access.
The data type in SQL Server is Numeric(38,8) yet in MS Access it became Short_text. Any ideas why is this happened and what should I do to tackle this problem?
Thanks

A: The reason is that you selected a number for precision which is 38 that is larger than the maximum acceptable precision by MS Access 2013 which is 28
So, It failed to map it to Number data type in access, that's why it was converted to short_text
However, I see this is a bug in ODBC, as it was supposed to provide a warning or show something in the log.
But when I tried it myself, I found the log is empty

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Added by agrimm (Andrew Grimm) over 6 years ago. Updated over 6 years ago.
Running Wisp causes a segmentation fault.
Wisp is only version 0.1.0, but its code is too simple for it itself to cause a segmentation fault.
On other versions of Ruby, the script didn't work in the expected manner (a web page was generated, but the page didn't show any lines of code being lit up by wisps), but it did not segfault.
Attached is OSX's crash file.
So, could you contact on eventmachine developers?
Incidentally, it worked with trunk on Linux.
This looks another issue due to wisp. Did you use Google Chrome or Firefox?


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Q: how to apply ie10 hack ul li element's wrong display for the css code I have a problem in css ie10 hack.
Good view is this. ( on IE11 )
Good view on IE11
Bad view is this. ( IE10 and under )
Good view on IE10
the CSS code is

.util {float:right; margin:0 auto; border:0px solid red; margin-top:60px;}
.util ul li {float:left;}

and HTML code is

I've been tried to look for the solution on searching web.
And I added the code,
.util li {display:inline;}

But didn't work..
please let me know, how to apply it to ie10-hack and display correctly.

A: I would recommend adding display: inline-block to .util. If this does not resolve the issue you could even wrap the
 in a
 element. A good example of this can be found on CSS tricks link - centering list items horiztonally

A: First of all you should always avoid Browser Hacks for following reasons:

*

*CSS validation may not be possible

*Your CSS becomes more complex

*Your CSS may not be future-proofed

*There is rarely a need for them

More info Why avoid CSS Browser Hack
Even though if you want Hack then Browser hacks has all the hacks required by all browsers.
For IE10 :
@media screen and (-ms-high-contrast: active), (-ms-high-contrast: none) {
 // Your CSS
}


The aim of this study is to investigate selection and measurement effects of proxy interviews in the Norwegian Labour Force Survey.
In 2018 there will be a test-run of a multi-mode data collection for the labour force survey with the use of CAWI. This pilot does not permit proxy interviews, and it is therefore important to get a better understanding on who is responding with proxy interviews and how this may affect the labour force survey statistics. The sampling in the future may change from family selection to person selection.
This document summarises trends in the Norwegian Labour Force Survey between 2006 and 2017, and it summarises the impact proxy interview gives compared to self-respondent interview for persons aged 15 to 74 years. A closer look at background such as gender, age, register and survey employment data, student status and marital status etc. can help us define which group is represented most in proxy interviews. We found that younger persons who mostly are students have higher chance of proxy interviews. They are usually single persons, who haven't settled yet. The youngest age group from 15 to 19 years has more proxy interviews than self-respondent interviews. The distribution for females and males swapped for proxy interviews during this period. Until around 2012, men were more likely to have proxy interviews, but in the recent years, women are more likely to have proxy interviews.
Odds ratio for certain groups and sub-groups can compare the odds in self-respondent and proxy interviews. The results from odds ratio replicate the tables and plots from the trends between 2006 and 2017. We also compare the odds ratios for register employment and survey employment data for self-respondent interviews compared to proxy interviews, for students and non-students at the age of 15 to 29-year olds in 2000, 2006 and 2017. There is no significant difference for students and non-students by comparing the quarters for each year. However, the odds ratios to employments, (register and survey employment), for self-respondent compared to proxy interviews have increased by the years.
In a sample survey, each person in the net sample is been given a weight of how many persons they represent in the population, and the weights estimate the employment status for the total population. Originally, the weights include both self-respondents and proxies. However, going from family selection to person selection, the proxy interviews are assumed as part of the non-response. This means that the weights are only given to self-respondents. Overall there is an increase in the labour force, employed and unemployed, and a decrease outside the labour force, when we go from the original labour force survey to assume the proxies as non-response. However, the youngest age group 15 to 24 years has a 1 to 3.5 percentage points increase in the labour force, employed and unemployed and a decrease of 3.5 percentage points outside the labour force when we exclude the proxy interviews.


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Dolly Parton to Read Children's Books on Weekly YouTube Series
"Goodnight With Dolly" launches on April 2nd
Dolly Parton, photo via BBC
Alex Young
With kids home from school, parents are undoubtedly looking for a reprieve, even if just for a few minutes. Well, Aunt Dolly is here to help.
Dolly Party has announced a new weekly video called "Goodnight With Dolly" which will see the country singer read children's books. The series launches April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. EST and runs for 10 weeks.
"This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, but the timing never felt quite right," Parton said in a statement. "I think it is pretty clear that now is the time to share a story and to share some love. It is an honor for me to share the incredible talent of these authors and illustrators. They make us smile, they make us laugh and they make us think."
In addition to Parton's own books, I Am a Rainbow and Coat of Many Colors, she'll read the following selections: There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long; Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney; Pass It On by Sophy Henn; Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell; Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen; Max & The Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper; Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña; and The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. (Click the link for each title if you want to purchase a copy so you can read along with Dolly.) Each title has been "carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time," a press release notes.
"Goodnight With Dolly" will air on the YouTube channel for Parton's Imagination Library. Watch the first installment below.
Parton also has content in store for her adult fans. Recently, she announced her intention to pose on the cover of Playboy in celebration of her 75th birthday.
Coronavirus: Things to Watch
Drake Withdraws Name as Grammy Nominee
BTS Announce "Extended Period of Rest," Tease "New Album"
System of a Down's Serj Tankian on His New NFT Exhibition, Film Scores, and Upcoming Projects
Adele's Team Took Away Her Instagram Password After "The Only Picture I Ever Posted Myself"
Dolly Parton to Read Children's Books on Weekly YouTube Series

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Biden announces plan to improve firearms enforcement, says it won't affect responsible gun owners
Gun deaths by county type (Washington Post chart; click on image to enlarge it)
President Biden announced a plan to improve enforcement of gun laws Wednesday, in response to soaring violent-crime rates and gun deaths. The plan "includes a new Justice Department policy that will allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to revoke federal licenses of gun dealers the first time they violate federal law," Joey Garrison reports for USA Today. "Violations could include selling firearms to a prohibited buyer, failing to run required background checks or falsifying firearm transaction forms or other records."
In 2020, cities saw a bigger spike in gun deaths than suburbs did, and rural areas had a small increase. Rural gun deaths are more likely to be from suicide, but the trend holds true even when suicides are excluded. "Through the first 172 days of 2021, gun violence killed 9,420 Americans, an average of 55 people a day, according to data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a research nonprofit. The figures include homicides and accidental gun deaths but not suicides," Garrison reports.
Biden said the new plan won't affect responsible gun owners, and "painted the gun reform plan as a common-sense solution to the crime issue," Maeve Sheehy reports for Politico. "He pointed out that the Second Amendment always restricted who could own a gun and what type it could be." Biden said "Folks, this shouldn't be a red or blue issue. It's an American issue. We're not changing the Constitution. We're enforcing it, being reasonable."
Written by Heather Chapman Posted at 6/25/2021 11:37:00 AM No comments:
Labels: firearms, guns, rural-urban differences, Second Amendment
Infrastructure deal has $65 billion for broadband, but nothing for water and sewer work or 'human infrastructure'
President Biden and a bipartisan group of centrist senators announced on Thursday a $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal that would be "the first major increase of federal public works spending since President Barack Obama's 2009 economic rescue plan," Jonathan Weisman, Emily Cochrane and Jim Tankersley report for The New York Times.
"It would include some existing infrastructure programs, but also provide $579 billion in new money over eight years to patch cracking highways, rebuild crumbling bridges, speed rail traffic and more equitably spread high-speed internet access," the Times notes. "The plan would also pour billions of dollars into waterways and coastlines washing away as a warming planet raises sea levels, and $7.5 billion into financing a half-million electric vehicle charging stations, all part of Mr. Biden's climate pledges."
Biden wanted to raise corporate taxes to pay for the plan, but the deal avoids raising taxes. It would be paid for by repurposing unspent pandemic relief funds, selling petroleum reserves, and $140 billion to be generated by a $40 billion hike in the Internal Revenue Service enforcement budget.
The compromise required big concessions from Democrats, and "its passage through Congress was thrown in doubt later Thursday, after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized a two-track plan to pass a second spending bill later," likely with only Democratic votes, Reuters reports. Biden said he would not sign the bipartisan bill unless the other bill also come to his desk.
Here's how major parts of the deal compare to the American Jobs Plan that Biden unveiled in March:
The new agreement calls for $65 billion for broadband expansion to rural and other underserved areas, rather than the $100 billion Biden proposed.
Biden's proposals to modernize drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems were eliminated from the deal.
Also eliminated was "human infrastructure": $400 billion for Medicare to fund home care for seniors and the disabled, and $200 billion for free universal preschool and other childcare.
Biden's proposal had included $213 billion for affordable housing, but that funding was not included in the compromise. It could be included in the Democrats' budget package.
The compromise has a $49 billion increase in public-transit funding, compared to the $85 billion Biden originally proposed.
Passenger and freight rail would get $66 billion in new funding, down from the $80 billion proposed by Biden, the leading fan of passenger rail.
Electric vehicle technology would get $15 billion, not the $174 billion Biden wanted.
Labels: child care, Congress, federal government, Medicare, pandemic, seniors
USDA releases thousands of historical watercolors of American fruit and nut cultivars for free download
Arkansas Black apples paintings from 1895 to 1921. More than half the images in the USDA archive are apples.
Between 1886 and 1942, the Agriculture Department commissioned artists to document quickly changing fruit and nut cultivars across the United States at a time when color photography wasn't widely available, Sebastian Smee reports for The Washington Post. A recently published book features many of them, but the USDA has also made the more than 7,500 paintings in its Pomological Watercolor Collection available to the public, downloadable in high resolution to capture every gorgeous detail.
Yenjerto bananas; most bananas sold
today are Cavendish (USDA image)
The most striking aspect of the collection is the "extraordinary diversity" of the cultivars. That's comforting at a time when broad cultural forces often drive us toward homogeneity, in cuisine and elsewhere, Smee writes: "You probably won't find Arkansas black apples, Coloway mulberries or Belle Angevine pears in your local supermarket ... So to be reminded, as this book does, of the astonishing diversity to be found in a sphere that uniquely combines nature and culture is uplifting. Long live the Fraud plum, the Golden Gate strawberry, the Memory grape, the Chinese Shaddock pumelo, the Wagner avocado, the Paradise banana, the Dancy tangerine and the Lisbon lime. Let their irregular shapes, their unique aromas, their blushing colors and their gorgeous names remind us of all that we stand to lose if we don't value precisely what is strange, singular, foreclosed upon and factored out." Read more here.
Labels: agriculture, art, fruit, USDA
Quick hits: Rural libraries could become telehealth hubs; book details Black Appalachians' coal camp experiences
Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email heather.chapman@uky.edu.
A new book details the overlooked experience of Black Appalachians in coal camps. Read more here.
Commentary: Rural libraries could use newly available funding opportunities and technologies to become a major player in providing telehealth access. Read more here.
Many rural high-school students want to take Advanced Placement courses, which can award college credit, but school staffing, budgets, and broadband access can make that difficult. Read more here.
More states are considering and passing bills to grant overtime pay to farmworkers. Read more here.
Labels: broadband, college, education, farmworkers, high school, jobs, libraries, rural-urban disparities, telehealth, wages
Federal judge blocks USDA debt relief for minority farmers
A Florida federal court issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking the Biden administration's program to forgive agricultural debts to farmers of color.
"The program was already temporarily on hold, due to a separate restraining order in a case by a white farmer in Wisconsin. However, even if that Wisconsin order is reconsidered or even reversed in July, when a ruling is expected, this new nationwide injunction would still keep the program on hold for some time," Laura Reiley reports for The Washington Post. "The Florida case is considered the first nationwide preliminary injunction, said lawyers for the group Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed the lawsuit in May" for white Florida farmer Scott Wynn, who says he also needs debt relief and is being discriminated against him due to race.
U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard wrote in her decision that Congress "must heed its obligation to do away with governmentally imposed discrimination based on race," but "also made clear that the Agriculture Department could continue to prepare to deliver the debt relief until the program is found to be "constitutionally permissible," Reiley reports.
Labels: agriculture, courts, credit, debt, discrimination, farmers, farming, race, USDA
At Rural Health Journalism Workshop, Vilsack makes case for extending pandemic-related food programs
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the case for more federal support for nutrition programs June 23 in the virtual Rural Health Journalism Workshop of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Melissa Patrick reports for Kentucky Health News.
Vilsack said he hopes that two pandemic measures, the one-year summer food program for children and universal access to free or reduced-price school lunches, will be continued permanently through the Biden administration's $1.8 trillion American Families Plan pending in Congress. "We know these nutrition programs do make a difference in terms of health and educational outcomes," he said.
Also, Vilsack said the USDA is looking at the formula for calculating benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. "There are significant gaps and barriers to accessing full and complete food security during an entire month," he said. A USDA study released the same day found that nearly nine of 10 SNAP participants face such barriers.
Vilsack, a former Iowa governor in his second stint as secretary, noted that Congress has the last word on many changes USDA is considering and that the "onus is on us" to make the case for them.
"We know from studies, that SNAP does reduce poverty. We know that it does improve health outcomes. We know that it reduces obesity rates among children of low income families. We know that it provides a better opportunity for these youngsters to be better learners, which results in higher graduation rates," he said, adding that SNAP helped farmers and rural economies.
Vilsack touched on several other topics at the workshop, including issues around climate change, rural hospitals, and meat-industry safety standards. This item may be updated.
Written by Al Cross Posted at 6/24/2021 11:29:00 AM No comments:
Labels: children, Congress, farmers, federal spending, food, nutrition, school lunches, schools, USDA
An epicenter of the Delta variant in the West shows its threat; hospitals are filling up there and in rural Missouri
The threat of the stronger Delta variant of the coronavirus among unvaccinated Americans is being illustrated in several states and areas such as Grand Junction, Colorado, which has become an epicenter of its spread in the rural West.
Mesa County (Wikipedia map, adapted)
"At this point nationally, we see that about 10% of cases are due to this Delta variant, but here in Colorado it's about 40%, and here in Mesa County it's approaching 100%," State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy told locals on a Tuesday visit to Grand Junction. "In addition, it causes more severe illness, so we're seeing double the hospitalization rate with this Delta variant."
"State officials have targeted the county in their efforts to step up vaccination rates. But while they have identified a variety of ways, they are still looking for more," reports Charles Ashby of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. "Gov. Jared Polis came to town Tuesday to ask area medical officials and business leaders for ideas on how to do more, especially now that the Delta variant of the virus accounts for nearly all of the new infections."
Polis told the locals, "Mesa County is an epicenter for the Delta variant, and we also have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state . . . We want action before it hurts the economy and hurts more people or fills up your hospitals, which are already rapidly approaching being full."
Only 40 percent of Mesa County's eligible residents are fully vaccinated, and 44% are partially vaccinated. The county's hospitals are 95% full, Dasha Burns of NBC News reports from Grand Junction: "It seems like a case of deja vu," resembling the crisis of the early pandemic.
Elsewhere, "The new strain is already taxing hospitals in rural Missouri, and caseloads and hospitalizations are on the rise in states such as Arkansas, Nevada and Utah, where less than half of the eligible population has received a vaccine," The Washington Post reports.
Vaccines work against the Delta variant, but not enough people are vaccinated, physician and medical-school professor Dhruv Khullar warns in The New Yorker: "People who've been fully vaccinated can, by and large, feel confident in the immunity that they've received. But those who remain susceptible should understand that, for them, this is probably the most dangerous moment of the pandemic."
Written by Al Cross Posted at 6/23/2021 10:07:00 PM No comments:
Labels: epidemiology, hospitals, pandemic, public health, vaccination, vaccines
New rural coronavirus cases fall to 14-month low
New coronavirus infections, in ranges by county, June 13-19
Daily Yonder map; click the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version
Last week, new rural coronavirus infections fell to the lowest level in 14 months and Covid-19-related deaths fell to the lowest rate in a year, Tim Murphy and Tim Marema report for The Daily Yonder.
Rural counties saw 14,200 new coronavirus cases from June 13 to 19, a 15 percent decrease from the week before and nearly 95% lower than the pandemic's January peak. "The last time there were so few new cases in a one-week period in rural counties was mid-April 2020, when more than half of the nation's 1,976 rural counties still hadn't reported their first case," Murphy and Marema report. Rural deaths fell 25% from the week before to 395.
Click here for charts, regional analysis and an interactive county-level map from the Yonder.
Written by Heather Chapman Posted at 6/23/2021 09:33:00 PM No comments:
Labels: coronavirus, pandemic, rural-urban differences, rural-urban disparities
Ike Adams, chronicler of Appalachian culture, dies at 72
Ike Adams
Funeral services were held Wednesday evening for Ike Adams, whose byline was familiar to readers of many newspapers in Appalachian Kentucky and beyond. He died Friday, June 18, at 72, of complications from Parkinson's disease.
Adams often "worked as a grant writer, especially for the Christian Appalachian Project and fundraising events," his widow Loretta wrote in his obituary for The Mountain Eagle in his native Letcher County. He also had been development and marketing executive for the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, which serves housing needs in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. It's based in Berea, 10 miles east of Paint Lick, where he lived.
Adams' humor-laced newspaper column was usually about the simple treasures of Appalachian culture, such as wildlife, fishing, gardening, heirloom vegetables and storing potatoes. But he also wrote about Appalachian books and good causes, and his long article for FAHE about Appalachian housing in 2001 was produced with the deep knowledge of someone who grew up in the region and had become familiar with the facts and figures needed to get grants.
Reviewing the 2006 novel Dark and Bloody Ground, by Roberta Hayes Webb, Adams wrote, "The reading experience is an emotional roller coaster ride that comes as close to capturing the Appalachian experience as anything I've ever read. Readers familiar with and appreciative of our culture will find themselves at home — but do keep a box of tissue handy and be equally prepared to run to wherever you go when you're terribly frightened."
"Ike loved writing because he loved people," Loretta Adams wrote in what served as his final column. "He felt an intense obligation to the papers and to the folks that followed his columns. He loved writing about his family and friends in eastern Kentucky and growing up on Blair Branch. Those tales were most often filled with humor and love for those mountains and the people who lived there."
Memorial gifts may go to the American Diabetes Association or Hospice Care Plus. Memories and condolences can be posted on his tribute page at www.ramsey-young.com.
Labels: Appalachia, books, fishing, food, gardening, housing, journalism, newspapers, rural journalism, wildlife
Scientists seeking answers in mysterious bird deaths in South and Midwest, ask public to clean bird feeders
Sick blue jay (Ky. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources)
"Hundreds of birds are dying without explanation in parts of the South and Midwest. Wildlife experts in at least six states and Washington, D.C., have reported an increase in sick or dying birds in the past month. The most commonly afflicted birds are blue jays, common grackles and European starlings," Deon Hampton reports for CBS News. "Symptoms include crusty or puffy eyes, neurological signs of seizures and an inability to stay balanced. Experts said the birds have been behaving as if they are blind and exhibit other abnormalities, such as not flying away when people get close."
Wildlife officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia are working together to figure out what's going on. "Some theories about what's causing the birds to become sick and die include a widespread infectious disease, the cicada outbreak and pesticides," Hampton reports.
In the meantime, "wildlife experts are asking the public to report any suspicious bird deaths. They also urge bird lovers to remove their bird feeders since birds often exchange germs," Hampton reports. "Bird feeders and baths should also be cleaned immediately with a 10 percent bleach solution, and people should avoid handling birds, officials said."
Labels: animal disease, birds, wildlife
States using federal relief/stimulus money to address park maintenance backlogs made worse by pandemic visitors
"Nearly every state saw a surge in visitors to its state parks during the pandemic, which brought attention to the maintenance and upgrades necessary to deal with the record crowds," Alex Brown reports for Stateline. "Now, with state budgets suddenly flush with billions of dollars in federal relief and longstanding parks issues getting newfound attention, many governors and lawmakers of both parties are directing massive investments toward their state parks."
State and national parks typically have large maintenance backlogs that were made worse by the pandemic. Many visitors to state and national parks have been first-timers who don't know park etiquette, and many visitors (new or not) have sprayed graffiti on natural formations, left human waste and trash all over the place, and damaged soil by going off designated trails.
But parks haven't had the funds to deal with that backlog. "State park leaders say their agencies are among the first to be targeted for budget cuts during tough economic times. "Between 2008 and 2019, spending on state park operations fell from $3 billion to $2.5 billion nationwide, according to the Property and Environmental Research Center, a Montana-based free market environmental think tank," Brown reports. "State park leaders across the country say it will take anywhere from a year and a half to five years to complete the projects their states are now funding. But they expect the legacy of that work to extend further." One noted that many state parks still have buildings and trails built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Labels: federal aid, federal government, national parks, pandemic, recreation, state governments, state parks, tourism
AppHarvest stakes 2 more greenhouses in Appalachian Ky.
Tomatoes growing at AppHarvest's flagship site in Morehead (Image from WKYT-TV )
AppHarvest, the company building huge, high-tech greenhouses in Kentucky to grow vegetables and fruits, wants to have 12 sites by the end of 2025, and new locations announced Monday near Somerset and Morehead "will put the company nearly halfway there," Bill Estep reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A 30-acre greenhouse near Somerset will grow strawberries and a 15-acre one in Morehead will have leafy greens."
The venture-capital company, which went public in February, has grown by leaps and bounds since forming in 2017. Its 60-acre flagship site in Morehead has been growing tomatoes since 2020, and there are two other sites under construction: a 15-acre facility in Berea that will grow leafy greens and a 60-acre facility in Richmond for vine crops, Chris Radcliffe reports for Business Lexington.
AppHarvest employs nearly 500, mostly at its Morehead site; those under construction will employ hundreds more. Co-founder Jonathan Webb has said that bringing high-paying jobs to Eastern Kentucky, which has suffered a steep decline in coal jobs, is a key goal of the company. None of the sites are in the state's eastern coalfield, but are close to it, and are in "official Appalachia."
Webb also emphasizes environmental sustainability. "AppHarvest uses recycled rainwater to grow vegetables and fruit with 90 percent less water than field agriculture, producing more food with fewer resources, according to the company," Estep reports.
Another goal: bringing large-scale produce production back to the U.S. and protecting it from drought. Much of the nation's produce comes from California and Mexico, which are frequently hit with droughts. "Imports of strawberries to the U.S. have increased 70% in the last four years," Estep reports. "There is an opportunity for AppHarvest to replace some of those imports, Webb said."
Labels: agriculture, Appalachia, business, coal, employment, environment, international trade, jobs, produce
Fed chair and other economists point to falling lumber prices as evidence that inflation isn't a big threat to the economy
Lumber prices skyrocketed over the past year, with futures exceeding $1,600 per thousand board feet in early May. "But since then, the prices of those same plywood sheets and pressure-treated planks have tumbled, as mills restarted or ramped up production and some customers put off their purchases until prices came down," Matt Phillips reports for The New York Times. Lumber futures "are down more than 45 percent from their peak, slipping below $1,000 for the first time in months. That's still high — between 2009 and 2019, prices averaged less than $400 per thousand board feet — but the sell-off has been gaining momentum over the last few weeks. The price has fallen in 11 of the last 12 trading sessions, including a 0.5 percent drop to settle at $900.80 on Friday."
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and other economists say the lumber market illustrates why they're not worried about sustained price increases for other goods such as cars and groceries. Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, told Phillips: "Many of the extreme price spikes we've seen in recent months are likely to reverse for Econ 101 reasons."
The lumber market's cooling off "offers lessons that are likely to guide policymakers as they run the economy at full throttle, accepting what they regard as a temporary bout of inflation in hopes of generating more than 10 million new jobs," David Lynch reports for The Washington Post. "Lumber's wild gyrations show that today's hiring troubles and shipping delays reflect short-term reopening kinks, not a lasting shift that will push prices higher and higher."
Labels: economy, forests, timber
Study says farm consolidation hurts rural areas by limiting opportunities for young farmers, limiting soil conservation
Change in cropland held by large farms. Union of Concerned Scientists maps; click to enlarge.
For decades, rural population has shrunk along with the number of farms and farm families, as farms have gotten bigger. That has changed the landscape of rural America, in many ways not for the better. Now a study from the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzes the change in another way.
Researchers studied farm consolidation trends between 1978 and 2017 and concluded that "rural communities are at risk," Grace Connatser reports for the Wisconsin State Farmer. "The study found that half of the Midwest's midsize farms have disappeared in nearly four decades – nationally, nearly 700,000 – while large farms have increased in scale by about 100 million acres in the same timeframe. A midsize farm is between 50 and 999 acres, while a large farm is 1,000 acres or more."
Those midsize farms are historically the "backbone of the rural economy," said study author Rafter Ferguson. Larger farms aren't a problem in and of themselves, but their proliferation makes it harder for smaller, beginning farmers to compete and be profitable, the study says: "The energy, innovation, and initiative that new practitioners bring are crucial to the future of any profession—and farmers are no different. Our food system is going to be facing huge challenges over the coming decades, and we need an expanding, diversifying, creative community of farmers to meet those challenges. Consolidation operates in exactly the wrong direction."
The study also sees environmental impacts: "Because more farmland in larger farms tends to be rented rather than owned, there is less incentive to invest in measures to improve farmland for the long term by building soil health. In short, when farms grow bigger and farmers grow fewer, bad things happen."
"Ferguson called for a leveling of the playing field for smaller farms compared to large farms because of the challenges associated with trying to run them," Connatser reports. "He said many federal policies in the past have done more to help large farms than small ones."
Labels: agriculture, community development, farming, farms, population, research, rural migration
Many superintendents quitting after pandemic school year; rural districts may have a harder time finding replacements
A wave of school superintendents are "leaving their posts, far more than in a typical year, a result of the extraordinary challenges of keeping kids learning after schools closed in spring 2020 and serving as crisis managers for months on end while dealing with pandemic pressures on their own families," Joe Heim and Valerie Strauss report for The Washington Post. "The departures are from the top spots in large cities . . . but also in many midsize and smaller districts in suburban and rural areas," according to the American Association of School Superintendents.
Some superintendents are moving to other districts, some have been forced out by school boards, and some are retiring, often with years left on their contracts. "The turnover this year has been unprecedented, superintendents say, with the usual job responsibilities and tensions exacerbated by crisis management and debates with communities and school boards over when and how to reopen schools during the pandemic. Conflicts over equity and education that addressed racial issues also boiled over, with superintendents often feeling the brunt of the disputes," Heim and Strauss report. "Changes in district leadership can always be problematic, but never more so than now, as plans are being made to reopen schools fully in the fall at the same time that a new coronavirus variant known as delta is becoming more common in the United States and is, according to President Biden, 'particularly dangerous' for young people."
Rural school districts may be particularly vulnerable after a superintendent departs, since not many potential replacements are eager to step up. It takes a special skill set, a tolerance for extra-long work days, and a love of small towns to be a rural superintendent. But, though rural principalships have some of the highest turnover rates in education, rural natives tend to stick around longer in rural education jobs. Rural educators and administrators are frequently graduates of the schools they work for as adults, or graduates of other rural schools.
Labels: coronavirus, education, jobs, pandemic, rural-urban disparities, schools
Study finds three essential elements state governments need to effectively expand high-speed internet in rural areas
States all over the country have created programs aimed at expanding broadband connectivity; the most successful ones have three core components, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study.
The first is a dedicated broadband office, meaning a centralized entity with a full-time focus on expanding broadband access, including distributing funds and working with local governments to plan and build capacity and support.
Providing planning and technical assistance for local and regional entities is the second element, the study says. That includes strategic planning with defined goals, cultivating stakeholder buy-in and identifying existing assets. Technical support should encompass network design, business planning, and more.
Competitive grant programs are the third key element the study highlights. Such programs provide internet service providers with limited subsidies to expand service to rural and underserved areas. Well-designed grant programs should ensure that applicants' proposals meet local needs, reduce deployment costs in high-cost areas, and (ideally) match funds from the applicant with eligible partners, such as local governments, to cover the project's costs.
Labels: broadband, Internet, rural-urban disparities, state governments
Former U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico nominated for USDA undersecretary of rural development
Xochitl Torres Small
Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico has been nominated as the Agriculture Department's undersecretary of rural development.
When President Biden announced her nomination on Friday, he cited her previous work in economic development in rural communities New Mexico, Algernon D'Ammassa reports for the Las Cruces Sun News.
"Throughout her career, Torres Small has employed her experience organizing in vulnerable, rural communities to achieve lasting investments that combat persistent poverty," said a White House statement.
The granddaughter of migrant farmworkers, she eventually became an attorney focused on water issues before winning a seat in Congress on her first run for public office. She served on the agriculture committee during her single term from 2019 to 2021.
"If confirmed, Torres Small would be in charge of a mission area with wide-ranging responsibilities, including rural electric cooperative loans, broadband expansion, community development and infrastructure funding, value-added producer grants, and funding for renewable energy and biofuel projects," Jacqui Fatka reports for National Hog Farmer. "The rural development undersecretary position was previously eliminated under a restructuring of USDA when establishing the trade undersecretary but re-established under authority in the 2018 Farm Bill."
Labels: broadband, cooperatives, grants, loans, politics, Rural Development, rural policy, USDA
Pandemic roundup: Delta variant likely to dominate soon; public-private partnership gets ruralites vaxed in Ohio
Here's a roundup of recent news about the pandemic and immunization efforts:
The delta variant will likely become the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S. in the coming weeks, according to a new analysis. Read more here.
In Athens County, Ohio, pop. 65,000, the health department has gotten nearly 25,000 locals vaccinated through a partnership with Ohio University and the Athens City School District. Read more here.
In California's Salinas Valley, once a Covid hotspot, more than two-thirds of farmworkers are vaccinated against the coronavirus thanks to efforts public-private partnerships. Read more here.
State and local governments in the South are trying to get more people vaccinated; that takes overcoming economic barriers to access, like a lack of transportation, and fighting misinformation that makes many wary of vaccines. Read more here.
For some people, grief for a loved one who died from Covid-19 is complicated by misinformation and attitudes about the virus among family and friends. Read more here.
In a recent American Medical Association webinar, the chief medical officer of the Marshfield Clinic Health System in Wisconsin discusses challenges to vaccinating rural communities. Read more here.
Labels: farmworkers, health care, misinformation, pandemic, rural health, rural-urban differences, rural-urban disparities, vaccination, vaccines
Millions of Americans racing to get federal rental assistance before moratorium expires; see county-level map
"Millions of Americans are in a 'race against the clock' to receive rental assistance before the end of the month, when a federal eviction moratorium designed to help people cope during the coronavirus pandemic expires," Amanda Holpuch reports for The Guardian. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium ends on 30 June, and some states will still have local renter protections in place. But in the vast majority of states, rental assistance – an essential lifeline for millions – could arrive too late, according to housing advocates."
Some rural households may have a leg up in beating the clock: because of the way the assistance is being allocated, rural white residents are more likely to get emergency rent assistance, according to a USA Today analysis. See your state and county's rent debt on this interactive map by the University of Southern California's Equity Research Institute.
In mid-May, 7.49 million American adults said they were behind on rent or mortgage payments and weren't likely to be able to make the next month's payment, according to a Census Bureau survey. "So far, the eviction moratorium has kept many of these families housed. There were 1.55 million fewer eviction cases last year than would be filed in a typical year, according to an estimate by the Eviction Lab," Holpuch reports. "Without the moratorium, they will need access to the $46.55 billion in rental assistance allocated by the government to help renters and landlords – though its distribution got off to a slow start."
On President Trump's last day in office, the Treasury Department issued guidelines requiring applicants to provide more documentation to prove they qualified for the program. That made it more difficult for many to access the program. The Biden administration revised the guidelines in March and in May issued new rules that made application easier, Holpuch reports,
Labels: federal government, housing, pandemic, rural-urban differences
First-of-its-kind interactive map from feds shows gaps in broadband service, in some cases at the neighborhood level
Screenshot of the Indicators of Broadband Need interactive map. Click the image to enlarge it.
The Biden administration's first-of-its-kind interactive map shows the rural-urban broadband gap in sharp relief from different perspectives and sources that you can choose. The county-level map, a product of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, allows users to explore different datasets about broadband access and toggle layers to show data about racial minorities, tribal lands, poverty, and more.
Broadband datasets include average download speed, smartphone usage, and overall internet access. NITA also offers state governments more in-depth tools for analyzing broadband access.
Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel lauded the project: "Broadband is no longer nice to have. It's need to have. To ensure that every household has the internet access necessary for success in the digital age, we need better ways to accurately measure where high-speed service has reached Americans and where it has not."
Labels: broadband, digital media, Internet, rural-urban disparities, telecommunications
Surveyed rural bankers still optimistic about economy but worry about drought, inflation and federal bank regulations
Creighton University chart compares current month to last month and year ago; click here to download it and chart below.
A June survey of rural bankers in 10 Midwest states that rely on agriculture and energy found they still have strong expectations for the economy, but are concerned about cybersecurity, inflation, drought, and more. The Rural Mainstreet Index is a survey of bankers in about 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300 in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The overall index remained above growth-neutral for the seventh straight month, falling to 70 on a scale of 100 from last month's record 78.8. For the first time since it began in 2013, the index recorded nine straight months of farmland prices above growth-neutral. Almost half the bankers reported that their local economy expanded from May to June. Federal stimulus/relief funds, strong grain prices and expanding exports played a big role, writes Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who compiles the index.
Despite recent job gains, overall non-farm employment in the surveyed states is 2% lower than pre-pandemic levels. Employment in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
Bankers raised other concerns about the future (see chart below). The largest share, about one-fourth, predicted rising government regulations as the greatest threat to bank operations in 2021-22. A downturn in farm income was a close second, followed by cyberthreats.
Labels: banks, economy, employment, farmers, jobs, recession, weather
Contrary to Biden's remark, reporters don't need a negative attitude, but a problem-solving stance, rural journalist says
"Look, to be a good reporter, you've got to be negative. You've got to have a negative view of life, it seems to me," President Biden told reporters last week. "You never ask a positive question."
That prompted Paul Stevens, moderator of the Connecting email newsletter for retirees and friends of The Associated Press, to ask, "Is negativity toward life a requirement to be a good reporter?"
John Wylie
John Wylie, retired publisher of the Oologah Lake Leader in Oklahoma said no, from the perspective of a rural editor and reporter who recently joined the Oklahoma Press Association's club for members with 50 years in journalism and still does freelance investigative reporting:
"I say that just the opposite is true. I crossed the Rubicon Saturday and am now officially a part of the OPA's Half Century Club. Throughout those 50 years, I've said or thought every day that I have the best job in the world. I get up each morning with no idea what the day will bring. Maybe I'll be talking to a police officer who saved a little child from wandering into a busy street, discovered the child was alone because Mom worked a day job and a night job to keep her family fed, clothed and housed, but sometimes the overnight sitter fell asleep early. The cop found a place for the child to spend the nights safely. I got to write about it, spreading the word about an important service. Maybe I'll get to see a major figure make a surprise visit to town and make a speech that makes history, which I get to record. Maybe I'm able the next day to follow up on an elderly lady who was swindled and in the process found she had a lot of company. Maybe I missed a day's sleep following up tips, but in the end we wrote the story, the swindlers were jailed and the victims' money was returned. Each day I have had the chance to go into the world, follow the news where it takes me and when I'm satisfied the facts are solid and I can write a compelling story explaining what those facts mean -- and how they can be used to fix a problem. I love history, I love talking to people, and I love history -- especially writing about it.
"That's my job every day -- studying history, talking to people, looking for documents and places to research, writing about it and hopefully create something that will make the world a little better place. It sounds corny, but I still wonder how I got lucky enough to work doing what I love, actually get paid to do it. If I'm really lucky, maybe I'll inspire another young historian/story teller/collector of fascinating people with fascinating stories to share. If that's having a negative view of life, then perhaps we all should adopt it? I prefer that sometimes those 'negative' questions are asked because the reporter or editor has the same joy about going to work in the morning -- that when the sun sets in the evening the world will be just a little bit better place."
AP retiree Lee Mitgang wrote that Biden's comment "brings to mind a panel I was on in the early '90s at Teachers College, Columbia University, discussing how education reporters were covering the hot topic of school choice and vouchers. The audience included some pretty media savvy folks, among them the heads of a number of Washington-based education lobby organizations, most of whom I'd dealt with many times. At some point in the give-and-take, one of them said that our primary purpose as reporters should be the betterment of schools generally, and public education specifically. I recall replying that we all want better schools but as a reporter, my first responsibility was to supply our readers with the best and fairest information I could about the taxpayer-funded institution I was covering. As such, I said, 'I'm not your enemy, and I'm not your friend.' To this day, I'm amazed at the blowback I got from this supposedly sophisticated audience who -- like thin-skinned presidents -- either don't fully understand or don't accept what reporters do for a living. I still stand by my answer."
Labels: accountability journalism, community journalism, education, investigative reporting, journalism, newspapers, rural journalism, schools
Prisoners working in meatpacking plants may have spread the coronavirus between those two risky settings
Many meatpackers hire prisoners in work-release programs. Prisons and slaughterhouses have been two of the highest-risk settings during the pandemic, and such workers may have spread the coronavirus from one facility to another, reports the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
"Nearly 400,000 prisoners in the U.S. have contracted coronavirus and about 2,700 have died, according to the Marshall Project. Investigate Midwest tracking has found that at least 50,000 meatpacking workers have gotten sick since March and 259 have died," Madison McVan reports. "It is unclear how widespread the connection between Covid-19 cases in jails and meatpacking plants might have been. Some work release programs were suspended early in the pandemic . . . but isolated incidents were reported across the country."
It's often difficult to prove a cause, but a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from April "determined incarcerated workers at two Idaho food processing plants — CTI Foods and CS Beef — contracted Covid-19 at work and carried the virus to the correctional facilities where they lived," McVan reports. The Idaho Department of Corrections barred prisoners from working at CTI until after the pandemic because the plant didn't follow the department's required safety standards.
"The CDC study described how collaboration among Idaho departments resulted in more testing availability, reassignment to safer worksites and a shared pool of information," McVan reports.
Bruce Wells-Moore, deputy chief of Idaho's probation and parole division, told McVan, "We had to go and say, 'We want to continue to work with you. But if you can't impose and implement these protective measures — masks, social distancing — we aren't going to be able to send our folks to do your work. I know that we're small, and we're rural in many ways . . . but if this can help establish a pattern or a process for other states to follow, I think that's brilliant and I want to be part of that."
Labels: coronavirus, jobs, meatpacking, pandemic, prisons, state governments, workplace safety
Rural-urban poverty gap narrowed over the past decade; USDA offers a database with county-level maps
"The rural poverty rate has exceeded the urban rate ever since the government began tracking both in the 1960s. The difference, 4.5 percentage points in the 1980s, has narrowed to an average of 3.1 points over the past 10 years, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture in updating its Rural Poverty and Well-being webpage," Chuck Abbott reports for the Food & Environment Reporting Network.
"According to Census Bureau data, the rural poverty rate was 15.4 percent and the urban rate was 11.9% in 2019. The recent peak for rural poverty was 18.4% in 2013, during the slow recovery from the Great Recession. Poverty rates are highest in the South, including the Mississippi Delta, and in Appalachia," Abbott reports, noting that the rural poverty rate was 33% when the Census Bureau began tracking it in 1959, twice as high as metropolitan areas' 15% rate.
The Rural Poverty & Well-being page has data breaking down rural-urban poverty rate comparisons over time; regional analysis of poverty, including maps; demographic break-downs of rural and urban poverty by race and age, state-level fact sheets, and maps at the state and county level.
Labels: poverty, rural-urban disparities
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Ike Adams, chronicler of Appalachian culture, dies...
Scientists seeking answers in mysterious bird deat...
States using federal relief/stimulus money to addr...
AppHarvest stakes 2 more greenhouses in Appalachia...
Fed chair and other economists point to falling lu...
Study says farm consolidation hurts rural areas by...
Many superintendents quitting after pandemic schoo...
Study finds three essential elements state governm...
Former U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexic...
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Prisoners working in meatpacking plants may have s...
Rural-urban poverty gap narrowed over the past dec...


text:
Q: Error al subir un archivo en PHP Estoy intentando subir un archivo a un VPS de Aruba con CentOS usando php.
El código php es el siguiente:
<?php
    session_start();
    require 'conexion.php';
    use baseDeDatos\conexion as conexion;

    $target_file = "pdf/englishtest"."_".date("F")."_".rand(0,1000).substr(basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"]),-4);
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                $sql = "UPDATE datosapp SET Test='".$target_file."'";
                $resultado = $mysqli->query($sql);
                header("Location: administrador.php");
            } else {
                echo "Sorry, there was an error uploading your file.";
            }
        } else {
            echo "Sólo se admiten archivos PDF.";
        }
    }
?>

Este es el archivo php.ini
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; File Uploads ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

; Whether to allow HTTP file uploads.
; http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.file-uploads
file_uploads = On

; Temporary directory for HTTP uploaded files (will use system default if not
; specified).
; http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.upload-tmp-dir
;upload_tmp_dir =

; Maximum allowed size for uploaded files.
; http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.upload-max-filesize
upload_max_filesize = 2M

y cuando ejecuto el form para subir PDF's de menos de medio MegaByte, lo que se imprime es:
"Sorry, there was an error uploading your file.".
Al hacer Print_r sobre $_FILES obtengo lo siguiente:
 Array ( [fileToUpload] => Array ( [name] => cv.pdf [type] => application/pdf [tmp_name] => /tmp/phpeudTNd [error] => 0 [size] => 154193 ) )

A: Solucionado gracias a @Neoniet
Eran los permisos de la carpeta. chmod 777 y solucionado.


Giuseppe Scionti, an Italian bioengineer from a Spanish startup known as Novameat, has invented the world's first meat-free steak that is 3D-printed. It mimics the texture of beef and is made from vegetable proteins. Vegan ingredients that provide amino acids for a healthy diet such as peas, seaweed, and rice are turned into a food paste to form a 3D-printed steak-like substance.
Scionti found that the market has an abundance of such meat-free products that taste similar to other animal meats but are limited only to meatballs, chicken nuggets, and imitation burgers. But none of these can reproduce fibrous flesh identical to that of chicken breast or steak. To improve people's nutrition and reduce the impact of animal agriculture, the Milan based researcher is on a mission to create an alternative to meat products, and that is plant-based.
The bioengineer mixed paella colorant with the protein-rich ingredients to form a bright red paste, which can then be 3D-printed to develop a raw steak-like product. He created a vegan product by combining bio-printing and tissue engineering with modern cooking methods that boast the same appearance, nutritional properties, and appearance as animal meat products. With the help of 3D printing, the scientist generated the micro-structured complex tridimensional forms which are impossible to achieve if other techniques are used.
Scionti mixed a specific amount of protein with paella colorant for his first prototype that resulted in a red jelly-like substance. The 3D printing method developed by Scionti takes around 30 minutes to print a piece 100-gram steak. Another purpose of creating this alternative ethical meat was to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas from livestock that accounts for almost 14.5 percent of the total human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
The Italian scientist was also successful in creating a light brown meat-free chicken breast. He also went on to develop a plant-based chicken breast – as well as a fake steak – with higher protein concentrations that included ingredients like fibers, vitamins, lipids, and minerals to mimic the nutritional properties of animal meat. However, it is light brown as it does not contain any colorant and is similar to ordinary cooked meat.
For production on mass-scale, Scionti predicts that the technology will be able to reduce manufacturing costs and time by ten times, compared with current values. The scientist is also researching how specific drugs can be incorporated into food products to help people in the world who are suffering from endemic diseases.


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Veda, Upanishads and Puranas
There are about 1.1 billion followers of Hinduism in the world. Hinduism is the only major religion of the world that can neither be traced to a specific founder nor has a holy book as the one and only scriptural authority. Hinduism is one of the oldest extant religions with its roots extending back to prehistoric times. The rituals and the religious practices of the Indus Valley Civilization gifted a number of holy books to the world including, the Bhagwad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas.
Hinduism believes that a person's life is actually the journey of the soul. The Hindu goes through a series of reincarnations that eventually lead to 'moksha', or salvation, freeing the body from the cycle of rebirths (after reaching spiritual perfection). Purity of mind and action is essential, as 'karma' or actions in life determine your reincarnation. 'Dharma' on the other hand controls the laws of the social, ethical and the spiritual.
The three main manifestations of the omnipresent God are: Brahma, the creator of the universe, Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer. Wars between the Asuras (demons) and the Devas (Gods) are a common part of the Hindu mythology. Hindus are divided into a large number of social groups called castes viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras, which historically were assigned by profession, not by birth. Hindus follow the principle of ahimsa, non-injury to living creatures, especially applies cows, which Hindus believe are sacred animals.
More than a thousand years ago, Adi Shankaracharya, who was born in Kerala, established several mathas (religious and spiritual centers) including at Badrinath in the north (Uttar Pradesh), Puri in the east (Orissa), Dwaraka in the west (Gujarat), and at Shringeri and Kanchi in the south.
World's oldest literature are the Veda, a collection of religious and philosophical poems and hymns composed over several generations beginning as early as 3000 BC. The Veda was composed in Sanskrit, the intellectual language of both ancient and classical Indian civilizations.
Some Vedic hymns and poems address philosophic themes, such as the henotheism that is key to much Hindu theology. Henotheism is the idea that one God takes many different forms, and that although individuals may worship several different gods and goddesses, they really revere but one Supreme Being.
Four collections were made and came to be viewed as sacred in Hinduism. There are four Vedas:
Rig-Veda
Its traditional date goes back to 3000 BC, something which the German scholar Max Mueller accepted. As a body of writing, the Rig-Veda (the wisdom of verses) is nothing short of remarkable. It contains 1028 hymns (10,589 verses which are divided into ten mandalas or book-sections) dedicated to thirty-three different gods. The most often addressed gods were nature gods like Indra (rain god; king of heavens), Agni (fire god), Rudra (storm god; the 'howler'), Soma (the draught of immortality, an alcoholic brew).
Sama-Veda
The Sama-Veda or the wisdom of chants is basically a collection of samans or chants, derived from the eighth and ninth books of the Rig-Veda. These were meant for the priests who officiated at the rituals of the soma ceremonies. There are painstaking instructions in Sama-Veda about how particular hymns must be sung; to put great emphasis upon sounds of the words of the mantras and the effect they could have on the environment and the person who pronounced them.
Yajur-Veda
The Yajur-Veda or the wisdom of sacrifices lays down various sacred invocations (yajurs) which were chanted by a particular sect of priests called adhvaryu. They performed the sacrificial rites. The Veda also outlines various chants which should be sung to pray and pay respects to the various instruments which are involved in the sacrifice.
Atharva-Veda
The Atharva-Veda (the wisdom of the Atharvans) is called so because the families of the atharvan sect of the Brahmins have traditionally been credited with the composition of the Vedas. It is a compilation of hymns but lacks the awesome grandeur which makes the Rig-Veda such a breathtaking spiritual experience.
The term Upanishad ('upa' near; 'ni' down; 'sad' to sit) means sitting down near; this implies the students sitting down near their Guru to learn the big secret. In the splendid isolation of their forest abodes, the philosophers who composed the Upanishads contemplated upon the various mysteries of life and its creation – whether common, or metaphysical. The answers were however not open to all, but only for select students. The reason for this was simple: not everyone can handle knowledge.
It is said that the Upanishads were written to counter the growing influence of Buddhism in India. There is no exact date for the composition of the Upanishads. They continued to be composed over a long period, the core being over 7th -5th centuries BC. The Upanishads were originally called Vedanta, which literally means the conclusion to the Vedas.The composition of the Upanishads marks a significant and stride forward in the direction of knowing the mystery of earth's creation and one comes tantalizingly close to the answers. Through episodes, commentaries, stories, traditions and dialogue, the Upanishads unfold the fascinating tale of creation, life, the essence of life and of that beyond to the seeker of truth. In the Upanishads, views about Brahman (the Absolute, or God) and atman (one's true self) were proposed.
There are 18 principal Upanishads viz.:
Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad
The Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad is widely accepted to be the most important of all Upanishads. It has three khandas or parts. The madhu khanda contemplates on the relationship between the individual and the Universal self. The muni khanda or yajnavalkya is a debate which goes on to give the philosophical backing to the earlier teaching. The khila khanda tackles various rituals of worship and meditation.
Chandogya Upanishad
This Upanishad is a part of the Sama-Veda. The name comes from the singer of the songs (samans) who is called Chandoga. The initial chapters of the Upanishad, discuss the ritual of sacrifice. The others debate the origin and profundity of the concept of Om, among other things.
Aitareya Upanishad
This one forms part of the Rig-Veda. The purpose is to make the reader understand the deeper meaning of sacrifice and to take him away from the outer trappings of the actual act.
Taittriya Upanishad
A part of the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad is divided into three sections or vallis. The siksa valli deals with the phonetics of the chants, while the others, brahmananda valli and bhrgu valli deal with self-realization.
Isa Upanishad
Also called the Isavasya Upanishad, this book deals with the union of God, the world, being and becoming. The stress is on the Absolute in relation with the world (paramesvara). The gist of the teachings is that a person's worldly and otherworldly goals need not necessarily be opposed to each other.
Kena Upanishad
The name of this Upanishad comes from the first word kena, or by whom. It has two sections of prose and two of poetry. The verses deal with the supreme spirit or the absolute principle (brahmaana) and the prose talks of ishvara (god). The moral of the story is that the knowledge of ishvara reveals the way to self-realization.
Katha Upanishad
Also called the Kathakopanishad, this Upanishad uses a story (katha) involving a young Brahmin boy called Nachiketa to reveal the truths of this world and the other beyond the veil.
Prashna Upanishad
Prashna literally means question, and this book is part of the Athrava-Veda. It addresses questions pertaining to the ultimate cause, the power of Om, relation of the supreme to the constituents of the world.
Mundaka Upanishad
This book also belongs to the Atharva-Veda. The name is derived from 'mund' or to shave, meaning that anyone who understands the Upanishads is s(h)aved from ignorance. This book inscribes the importance of knowing the supreme brahmaana, only by which knowledge can one attain self-realization.
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya is an exquisite treatise which expounds on the principle of Om and its metaphysical significance in various states of being, waking, dream and the dreamless sleep. The subtlest and most profound of the Upanishads, it is said that this alone will lead one to the path of enlightenment.
Svetasvatara Upanishad
The name of this Upanishad is after its teacher. It comments on the unity of the souls and the world in one all-encompassing reality. The concept of there being one god is also talked about here. It is dedicated to Rudra, the storm god.
Kausitaki Brahmana Upanishad
The Upanishad has come down to us in bits here and pieces there. The core of the text is dedicated to illustrating the fact that the path to release is through knowledge.
Maitri Upanishad
This is a comparatively later Upanishad as it has references to the Trinity of Hindu Gods (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) which is a later development, and plus references to the world being illusory in character reflects Buddhist influence.
Subala Upanishad
Belonging to the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad puts down a dialogue between the sage Subala and Brahma, the creator of the Hindu Trinity of Gods. It discusses the universe and the absolute.
Jabala Upanishad
Belonging to the Athrava-Veda, this Upanishad addresses some questions pertaining to renunciation.
Paingala Upanishad
The Paingala is again a dialogue, this between Yajnavalkya, the sage mentioned the Brhad-aranyaka's muni khanda and Paingala, a student of his. It discusses meditation and its effects.
Kaivalya Upanishad
This Upanishad delves into the state of kaivalya or being alone.
Vajrasucika Upanishad
Belonging to the Sama-Veda the Vajrasucika reflects on the nature of the supreme being.
The core of the teachings of the Upanishads is summed up in three words: tat tvam asi… you are that.
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.
Puranas usually give prominence to a particular deity, usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another. Brahmin scholars read from them and tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions (in which a traveling Brahmin settles for a few weeks in a temple and narrates parts of a Purana).
The different Puranas are:
Agni (15,400 verses) – Contains details of Vastu Shastra and Gemology
Bhagavata (18,000 verses) – The most celebrated and popular of the Puranas, telling of Vishnu's ten Avatars. Its tenth and longest canto narrates the deeds of Krishna, introducing his childhood exploits
Bhavishya (14,500 verses)
Brahma (10,000 verses) – Describes about Godavari and its tributaries.
Brahmanda (12,000 verses) – includes Lalita Sahasranamam, a text some Hindus recite as prayer
Brahmavaivarta (17,000 verses) – Describes Worshipping protocols of Devis, Krishna and Ganesha
Garuda (19,000 verses) – Most hallowed Purana regarding the death and its aftermaths.
Harivamsa (16,000 verses) – more often considered itihasa
Kurma (17,000 verses)
Linga (11,000 verses) – Staunch Shaiva Theological Purana
Markandeya (9,000 verses) – The Devi Mahatmya, an important text for the Shaktas is embedded in it
Matsya (14,000 verses)
Narada (25,000 verses) – Describe the greatness of Veda and Vedangas.
Padma (55,000 verses) – Describe the greatness of Bhagavad Gita. Also known as Geetha mathmya.
Shiva (24,000 verses)
Skanda (81,100 verses) – The longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text.
Vamana (10,000 verses) – Mostly describes about North India and areas around Kurukshetra.
Varaha (24,000 verses)
Vayu (24,000 verses)
Vishnu (23,000 verses)
The Upapuranas are ancillary texts. They include: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesha, Mudgala, and Hamsa.
The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are devoted to Ganesha. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana, which extols the goddess Durga, has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana) a basic text for Devi worshipers.
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At Least 17 Parcel Bombs Explode In Guangxi, China, Killing 7 : The Two-Way At least seven people are dead in a large city of southern China after a series of powerful explosions that are being blamed on parcel bombs. At least 17 explosions caused the damage.
The Two-Way
At Least 17 Parcel Bombs Explode In Guangxi, China, Killing 7
September 30, 20158:22 AM ET
Damaged buildings are seen in Liucheng County in south China's Guangxi region. The death toll from 17 suspected mail bombs in the area rose to seven Wednesday afternoon. Zhang Ailin AILIN/Xinhua /Landov hide caption
Zhang Ailin AILIN/Xinhua /Landov
Damaged buildings are seen in Liucheng County in south China's Guangxi region. The death toll from 17 suspected mail bombs in the area rose to seven Wednesday afternoon.
At least seven people are dead in Liucheng county in southern China after a series of powerful explosions that are being blamed on parcel bombs. As many as 17 explosions caused the damage in and around the city of Liuzhou, according to local media.
The blasts were strong enough to rip away portions of buildings and overturn cars. More than 50 people were reportedly injured.
Update at noon, ET: Death Toll Rises; Suspect Arrested
Police have arrested a 33-year-old man with the surname of Wei, reports the South China Morning Post, citing a local newspaper. Police are saying the attacks are a criminal case, not an event of terrorism.
The explosives, which had apparently been hidden in delivery packages, struck in the afternoon, between 3:15 and 5 p.m. local time, state broadcaster CCTV reports.
CCTV also says, "the public has been warned not to open any packages they've received recently."
Our original post continues:
We'll update this post as more news emerges from the scene.
China's Xinhua News agency posted photos on Twitter showing concrete rubble and overturned cars; China Central TV says the explosions occurred at locations including shopping malls, a government building, a bus station, a hospital and a prison.
Update: 6 killed, dozens injured in parcel blasts in Liucheng county, #Guangxi. More reported at nearby Liuzhou city pic.twitter.com/eBGngiL5S7
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 30, 2015
The explosions in and around Liuzhou city come one day before China celebrates its National Day, a public holiday honoring the founding of the People's Republic on Oct. 1, 1949.
Liuzhou is the seat of its county in Guangxi, a region west of Guangzhou that borders Vietnam.


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Yummy (TRP Remix) Justin Bieber
Air Weapons Licensing Bill Backed
23 March 2015, 07:12 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Plans to introduce a licensing regime for air weapons have moved a step closer after winning the support of a Holyrood committee.
Kevin Stewart, convener of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, said the weapons were "dangerous'' and the introduction of a licensing system was both "timely and important''.
An estimated 500,000 air guns are owned by people across Scotland.
The Scottish Government's Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill will require anyone who owns one to have a licence for it, for which they would first need to demonstrate a legitimate reason for having such a weapon.
The legislation has been brought forward after the death of two-year old Andrew Morton, who was shot in the head with an airgun in Glasgow in 2005.
MSPs on the committee have also called on the Scottish Government to consider if it would be feasible for air weapons to have "some form of identifier mark'' which would link each weapon to its owner, and could therefore help the police identify those responsible for any crimes committed with the guns.
Police recorded 171 offences involving airguns in 2012-13, the lowest total since comparable records began in 1980.
But Mr Stewart stressed: "There is no doubt air weapons are dangerous.
"Recently, a rail worker and a firefighter were shot as they carried out their jobs and this kind of incident happens far too often.
"That is why we welcome plans to introduce a licensing regime for air weapons. It is a timely and important piece of work.
"Misuse of these weapons must be addressed and the Bill takes this objective a step closer.''
The committee has recommended there must be a "clear and comprehensive public information campaign'' ahead of the introduction of a licensing regime.
"Many people may only own an air weapon, and no other form of firearm, and therefore be unaware of the conditions for applying for and holding a firearms certificate,'' the report on the Bill said.
"Therefore, we recommend the Scottish Government should work closely with the shooting community, Police Scotland, and other key stakeholders to design and implement a comprehensive public information campaign.
"This should begin well in advance of the commencement of any certificate system to allow enough time for those who wish to lawfully dispose of any air weapons to do so.''
As well as bringing in a new licensing regime for air weapons, the Bill also sets out to create a separate licensing regime for sexual entertainment venues (SEVs), such as lap-dancing bars.
There are about 20 such venues in Scotland, mostly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but under the current terms of the legislation, any venues putting on four or less events a year with sexual entertainment, would be exempt from having to hold a licence.
The committee said this was a "loophole'', raising concerns that organisers could "circumvent the licensing regime could move from venue to venue avoiding regulation''.
The MSPs stated: "We believe all SEVs should be regulated to safeguard the performers and therefore we recommend the exemption provision should be removed from the Bill.''
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government believes the Air Weapons and Licensing Bill provides a reasonable, clear and consistent approach to licensing. We will respond to the committee's recommendations in due course.''


Singer and actress Goo Ha-ra, or simply Hara as she was known in her days with girl group KARA, has become an honorary ambassador for the 6th Animal Film Festival in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province.
According to the festival, the singer was chosen as the ambassador because of her love for animals as shown through the media and by her volunteer work with animal shelters.
The Animal Film Festival in Suncheon will be held for five days from Aug. 17 to 21 at the city's Performing Arts Theatre and CGV Suncheon.


There are different purchasing decisions that you make at different stages of your life and for different reasons, and every decision that you make is one that should be done with care. There are some things that you know a lot about and that you can easily shop for all on your own, and then there are some things that require more information before you can shop for them. When you are looking to buy an elliptical machine, you must read the reviews that are out there. You have to understand more about all of the machines that are available, and you can do that through the help of elliptical machine reviews.
You need to know which machine is going to work the best, which one is going to help you get fit. You need to know the benefits of each machine and you need to determine which one you can trust. You will find that reading the reviews that are available will help you figure out which machines are better than the rest.
You need to know that you are getting a machine that will work out well for you in regard to the price that you pay to purchase it. Make sure that you find a machine that is going to run well for the amount of money that you spend on it. Look to reviews for help in finding such a machine.
Look for an elliptical machine that you will not regret purchasing by reading all of the reviews that you can find.
ellipticalmachinereviews11 is using Hatena Blog. Would you like to try it too?