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Psystenance
Sustainability through the mind's eye
Tag Archive | parking
in Planning, Transportation
Flexibility in transportation choice
My actually last Record column for the year focuses on points I've discussed in the blog, particularly the fundamental attribution error:
When transportation is discussed, inevitably the categorizations get made: cyclists are asking for this, that project pits transit riders against drivers, this road widening is good for drivers. But the basic assumption here – namely, that most of us fall neatly into one of those groups – just isn't true.
Certainly there are people who will drive no matter what, and hardcore cyclists, and so on. I, however, walk, cycle, drive, and take transit. Though I have my preferences for walking and against the stress of traffic, in general I travel by the means that makes the most sense for the trip I'm making. I'm not wedded to my car, or my bike, and certainly not to the bus — and I venture to say that the same is true for you.
There's a basic finding In social psychology called the fundamental attribution error. It refers to people's tendency to attribute too much of the behaviour of others to their personal traits. In other words, while you might choose to do X in light of the situation, if others do Y it's because they're the kind of people who do Y. So while we aren't likely to ascribe our choices to our being Car Drivers or Pedestrians or Transit Riders or Cyclists, we eagerly pigeonhole others in this way.
Gridding UW: A new street plan for the University of Waterloo
UW from a hot air balloon. (Photo: Ann E via Flickr)
In a previous post I described how the University of Waterloo fails its pedestrians. But UW's problems go deeper. It was built as a suburban campus on farmland in the 1960's and 1970's — when it seems planners and architects were intent on planning for the car, even when designing a pedestrian-dominated place. Now that the campus is surrounded by the city on all sides and there is growing recognition that spaces need to be designed for pedestrians, it is important that it integrate well into its environment. However the campus street plan essentially does the opposite.
Currently the main campus road, Ring Road, is accessed by vehicles only through two connector roads on the north and south. There are thus a high number of intersections for vehicles to contend with, and it is a roundabout trip to get in and out of the campus. My estimate is that most of the people travelling by motor vehicle on Ring Road are actually using transit. So the meandering is a waste of time particularly for bus riders and of money for Grand River Transit (as UW is a transit hub). But even though Ring Road is difficult to get to, it is wide open in many parts and even the few speed humps don't suitably slow down car traffic.
UW can be a pain to get to on foot from some directions, and difficult to navigate once you do. There are barely any pedestrian thoroughfares, mostly just paved paths (if that). In many cases, vehicular access roads serve as makeshift pedestrian corridors. All parking is surface parking, and there are lots right inside the main campus (bounded by Columbia and University).
The current UW campus, based on an official map. Solid lines are roads, many with missing sidewalks. Dashed lines are pedestrian paths that are wide, specially paved, or otherwise deliberate.
I propose a new University of Waterloo street plan. With contribution from Sylvan Mably, I've drawn what I think to be a much improved version of UW's campus. The emphasis is on connectivity, navigability, and a street system that fits its use. This alternative street plan is ambitious but firmly rooted in what is actually feasible to do from the current situation.
There would no longer be a Ring Road, and its east and west segments would be through streets. Moreover, both of these streets would connect with Seagram Drive at the south end of the campus, and part of the current Seagram alignment would be turned into a pedestrian thoroughfare (as it would not be a useful vehicular connection). Other notable road changes are an extension of the current St. Jerome's access road across Laurel Creek to the extended Seagram Drive, and a street connection for the west end of the student village. Good road connectivity would reduce the distance vehicles (including bicycles) need to travel to reach points of the campus.
My proposed street plan for the University of Waterloo.
The solid lines on the map would be streets with wide sidewalks and perhaps bike lanes. As the design of a road dictates how drivers use it, through streets inside the campus would be designed for low speeds (30 km/h). Where possible, they should have street parking with demand-responsive pricing; this would ensure that short-term parking is available when needed. The dashed lines are what I call pedestrian lanes. These are wide thoroughfares laid out with paving stones and designed for pedestrians, but shared with cyclists and the occasional intruding campus delivery van. These lanes should be named, especially the several that provide east-west routes and the north-south thoroughfare (which splits around the Grad House knoll and the Math & Computer building). With naming and a somewhat grid-like network of lanes and streets, the navigability of the campus would improve dramatically. Wayfinding and campus travel would become easier and more pleasant. Thanks to improved connectivity, the campus would be easier to access by walking, cycling, bus, and light rail (which will stop along the east side of campus).
Most of the lanes follow existing paths, but some would need to be graded first and others would need to be created through current parking lots. A connection would be made between Lester and Phillip Streets to make Hickory Street/Lane a useful corridor across UW, through the Northdale neighbourhood, and past King Street. Two buildings would have to be sacrificed to open up the north and south pedestrian gateways to the campus. The more pressing one is South Campus Hall at the south gateway, and the current campus master plan actually calls for it to be demolished for this very reason.
Endless construction has been steadily devouring what little open space UW's main campus has left. There are currently grand plans afoot to develop distant parts of the University of Waterloo lands, possibly including academic buildings. My plan would allow well-located possibilities for street- and lane-facing campus buildings to accommodate growth, in particular at the parking wastelands in the north and south ends. UW is actually already haphazardly removing lots to put up new buildings. With my street plan there would be opportunities for well-located parking garages, e.g. by St. Jerome's, off Seagram Drive, or by Columbia Street. It would also open up important possibilities for public space, such as around the south gateway to campus. Eventual demolition of some of the old three-story buildings in the center of campus (and replacement with taller, more compact ones) would allow for some much-needed central public space.
This is intended to be food for thought, and is neither exhaustive nor definitive. However, I strongly believe that a plan along these lines would dramatically improve the University of Waterloo's walkability, connectivity, campus experience, and safety, and make it a better university overall.
in Planning
We should curb parking requirements
This year I am on The Record's Community Editorial Board. Today's paper carries my column on the subject of off-street parking requirements. Below is my original text (most is behind the cut):
Why do we devote so much land to parking? You might suppose this is purely due to the high demand or the high value of parking, but you'd be wrong. Municipal by-laws have actually been requiring abundant off-street parking across North America since the 1940s — when cities started their decline and modern suburbs their ascent. These requirements pave the way for a spread-out, car-oriented form for cities, to the detriment of the density and foot traffic necessary for vibrant urban areas.
Parking lots are worth more than you think
There's two points in this post, one that is relatively conventional and one that isn't. If you already know about the high cost of parking, skip to the second one.
So first, parking lots are actually quite expensive. There is the cost of the land, the cost to build them, and then the maintenance cost, which is at least $500 USD per surface parking spot annually. But more importantly, there is also the opportunity cost of what is not in the place of the parking lot: commercial use, retail, residential, public space, anything. By spreading out destinations with asphalt padding, various uses take more space than they inherently need. Most deleterious, however, is likely the social and urban form ramifications of mandated free parking (whether through by-laws or culture). Free parking is part of the larger equation that makes driving very attractive by making most its costs invisible, and it is one of the major building blocks of the sprawl of post-war North America. This high cost of free parking has been written about extensively.
But, in a slightly sinister way, parking lots can be worth more than even the New Urbanist might think. In particular, it may be worthwhile to sometimes let parking lots win against proposed downtown development — especially if that development is not of a high caliber. Once a development or park or any such use is in place, it will be there for decades. Parking lots, on the other hand, are an excellent placeholder (just don't tell their owners). I think cities may soon be getting caught up in a rush to urbanize, intensify their downtowns, and all that jazz, but in the process may allow too many subpar developments and uses of space. They might also miss out on some uses, such as for public spaces like squares and parks, playgrounds, schools, train stations, or anything that wasn't easily planned for with the current mindset. When cities realize their missing uses, they would do well to have a strategic stash of parking lots to sacrifice instead of needing to tear down something more substantial.
The recently opened public square in the heart of Uptown Waterloo is a good example. If that parking lot had not been there, a public space in such a central area would have been infeasible to obtain. Development is not always better than a parking lot, because the latter retains possibilities that the former shuts out.
The future is multi-nodal
Breaking down the modal barriers with language
Open Data Waterloo Region
Barriers to entry and the path of least resistance
Growing Waterloo Region up with transit infrastructure
Twelve reasons why vehicular cycling isn't enough
Taxpayer money should fund transportation efficiently
Utility bicycles are exploding in popularity
Making new urban space in Northdale
agriculture attribution barriers to entry brt bullshit buses business business models cafe coffee column contradictions Cycling deconstructing dinner design discrepancies economics environmental assessment fair trade food security frequency good ideas grt history infrastructure ingredients ira needles commercial centre journalism kamut labels language layers of cost letter to the editor light rail maps marketing mode choice networks new urbanism noise organic parking paternalism paths pedestrian perception podcast politics pollution problems rail reality region of waterloo official plan region of waterloo rapid transit routes san francisco self-fulfilling prophecies sidewalks simplicity social psychology speech sprawl streetcars technology the record thinking ahead tipping points uncertainty university of waterloo utility waterloo waterloo city council waterloo region wheat zoning


Is that a chill I feel in the air?! Yep! Fall is literally right around the corner - talk about happy! Especially when I can start pulling out my favorite cool weather accessories. I'm so excited to have two lovely ladies joining me today to feature the new Sole Society fringe booties - these will be your go-to all season! I met both Liz and Lacey through the Southern Blog Society and couldn't ask for more stylish bloggers to join me today for Style File!
You got a little sneak peek of this outfit last week in this post and I couldn't wait to feature the whole look. Chambray is one of my favorite cool weather/layering fabrics and this basic chambray dress can be mixed and matched so many different ways! Pop over to What Dress Code and A Glimpse of Glitter to see the other ladies' looks!
absolutely love this Old Navy dress -- perfect for heavy rotation this fall!


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Kanyama Chiume (22 November 1929 – 21 November 2007), born Murray William Kanyama Chiume, was a leading nationalist in the struggle for Malawi's independence in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also one of the leaders of the Nyasaland African Congress and served as the Minister of Education and the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the 1960s before fleeing the country after the 1964 Cabinet Crisis.

Early life and education
CHiume was born in Nkhata Bay District, Nyasaland, and described his given name, Kanyama, as meaning "another piece of meat for you," a wry joke by parents who had grown wearily accustomed to death in their family. Chiume's younger brother died at two months, and Chiume's own mother died the following day, aged 37. After the funeral, Chiume went with his uncle to his native Tanganyika (now Tanzania). He attended schools in Dar es Salaam in the mid-1940s, at a time when this coastal city was a hotbed of African nationalist political activity. In his last year at Tabora Upper School he became Secretary of the Debating Society, polishing rhetorical skills which would later be much admired when he entered politics in Nyasaland (now Malawi). At Tabora Upper School he reportedly invited an alumnus, Julius Nyerere, to join him in debating against white colonial teachers and administrators on political subjects. According to Chiume in his autobiography (the strict veracity of which has sometimes been questioned), they were so successful in this debate that the school threatened him with expulsion. Nyerere later became the first leader of independent Tanzania.

In 1949, Chiume went to Makerere College in Kampala, Uganda, the premier university in East Africa,  and in 1951 he was admitted into Makerere College's Medicine School. He later changed his major to Education, after discovering that he "could not stand human dissection", specializing in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Among his contemporaries at Makerere were people who would in later life become some of Africa's most accomplished scholars and public officials, including B. Ogot, Kenya's celebrated historian and Chancellor of Moi University in Eldoret, and the second Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki. He was president of the Makerere College Political Society, while Mwai Kibaki was a committee member. Later he was joined at Makerere by other Nyasas, Vincent Gondwe, David Rubadiri (former Vice Chancellor of the University of Malawi), and Augustine Bwanausi (former Malawi cabinet minister). Chiume was also chairperson of the Makerere College Education Society. Chiume and other students formed a Nyasaland Students Association at Makerere, an association that helped the Nyasaland African Congress by doing research, and by also linking up with fellow Nyasas at Fort Hare College, where Henry Masauko Chipembere, a lifelong friend and political colleague of Chiume's, went for his own university education. Another future leader of Nyasa nationalism, Dunduzu Chisiza, was also active in the Nyasaland Students Association at this time.

After graduating from college Chiume taught at Alliance Secondary School in Dodoma, Tanganyika. He resigned after the white headmaster insinuated that the presence of a pre-adolescent girl in Chiume's house might create immoral temptations. Chiume was extremely offended by the remark, which further gave him resolve to fight for the dignity of Africans. "I had made up my mind there and then to plunge myself into politics and to help remove the obstacles that lay before Africans who wished to have human dignity. I was determined to try and play my part, however small, to free Mother Africa" (from his autobiography). He then went to study law, on a scholarship, at Ramjas College in Delhi, India. Upon being approached by the Nyasaland African Congress to stand in the country's first general election in 1956, Chiume accepted, and decided not to further pursue his interest in law.

Malawi Independence
In 1955, Nyasaland adopted a new constitution designed to give more representation to Africans, and in the elections which followed Chiume, along with Henry Chipembere, became one of five African representatives in the Legislative Council. He and Chipembere electrified the native population with their vigorous speeches and combative questions in the legislature, which had until then been a somewhat sedate body. As a result, Hansard, the official record of the Council's proceedings, became a bestseller among Nyasa Africans.

Along with Chipembere and the Chisiza brothers (Dunduzu and Yatuta), Chiume became a driving force in organizing popular support in the mid to late 1950s for Hastings Banda and in persuading Banda to return to Nyasaland in order to lead the country to independence. He was given a senior post in the Congress at the Nkhata Bay conference in August 1958 when it adopted Dr Banda as its unquestioned leader.

In March 1959, Chiume avoided arrest while he was in London during "Operation Sunrise" when the local colonial government rounded up and interned members of the Nyasaland African Congress during the state of emergency. In July 1960 he joined Banda, Orton Chirwa, Aleke Banda and other prominent Africans at the Nyasaland Constitutional Conference in London. It was here that British Government decided that Nyasaland (Malawi) should become self-governing by early 1963, and that Banda, should become prime minister.  Chiume was made Minister of Education in 1962 and went on to become Foreign Minister in the first government formed after Malawi's official independence in July 1964.

Tanzania exile
Chiume was a key leader in the 1964 Malawi Cabinet Crisis. He was labeled the leader of the crisis and an enemy of Banda after displeasing Banda with a speech in Cairo during a conference for the Organisation of African Unity. He was subsequently driven out of the (now renamed) Malawi Congress Party and exiled to Tanzania from 1964 to 1994.

While in exile, Chiume became active with Tanzania's "The Nationalist," "Daily News and Sunday News," and "Uhuru" newspapers. He also became and author and publisher of numerous books. He returned to Malawi in 1994 after internal and international pressure on Dr. Banda. After his return Chiume briefly served as Chairman of Malawi National Library Service and the Malawi Book Service. He retired from active politics and eventually moved to New York to live with family before his death on November 21, 2007.

Death
Kanyama Chiume retired from active politics and eventually moved to New York to live with his family until his death on November 21, 2007. He died after complaining of depression.

The remains of the veteran politician arrived back in Lilongwe, Malawi on November 29, 2007.

President of Malawi, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika was there to welcome the one time leading nationalist and former senior member of the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC). Full military honours were awarded to Chiume.

References
  Report of the Nyasaland Commission of Inquiry, British Colonial Office Cmnd. 814, July 1959.
 Chiume: Autobiography of Kanyama Chiume, Panaf, 1982, by Kanyama Chiume, Panaf, 1982.
 The Rise of Nationalism in Central Africa, by Robert I. Rotberg, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965
 Banda, by Philip Short, London: Routledge & Kegan 1974
 Malawi, the Politics of Despair, by T. David Williams, Cornell University Press, 1978
 Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era, by Godfrey Mwakikagile, Pretoria, South Africa: New Africa Press, 2006
 Kanyama Chiume Official Website
 Godfrey Mwakikagile: Eurocentric Africanist?
https://sites.google.com/site/intercontinentalbookcentre/godfrey-mwakikagile-a-eurocentric-pan-africanist
 Growing up in a Border District and Resolving the Tanzania-Malawi Lake Dispute: Compromise and concessions, by Godfrey Mwakikagile, African Renaissance Press, 2022

1929 births
2007 deaths
Makerere University alumni
Government ministers of Malawi
Malawi Congress Party politicians
Malawian exiles
Malawian expatriates in Tanzania
Malawian emigrants to the United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Eugene, OR – May 2018 – It's been a banner year for GloryBee's SAVE the BEE® social initiative all culminating with a $90k donation to Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab on Friday, April 20. SAVE the BEE started in 2012 with a goal to impact organizations dedicated to saving honeybees and researching bee health issues. As part of their mission to support ongoing education about the important issue of honeybee health, SAVE the BEE supports the Oregon State Honey Bee Labs' research on bee nutrition, habitat and health, and works closely with beekeeping associations across the nation to facilitate education about the care of bees.
With honeybee colony losses at staggering numbers (33% reported for 2017), research and funding is critical in making a difference in honeybee health which affects the overall pollinated food supply. "A third of all food we eat can be traced back to honeybee pollination. It's important for GloryBee to work with Oregon State University Honey Bee Lab so we ensure our own food supply. It's been our honor to facilitate education and fundraising efforts for SAVE the BEE," says RaeJean Wilson, Executive Vice President of GloryBee.
Developed by honey and natural ingredient company GloryBee, SAVE the BEE is a partnership of businesses, consumers and researchers committed to supporting hive health in the face of declining bee populations. Beyond making honey, bees pollinate food crops and plants, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts, SAVE the BEE aims to end the crisis of declining bee populations by driving awareness, educating beekeepers, and funding research into both cause and solutions.
Together, we can SAVE the BEE! Join us at SavetheBee.org.


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Dietmar Volk (* 3. April 1962 in Naumburg (Saale)) ist ein deutscher Manager im Gesundheitswesen und ehemaliger Politiker (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) in Berlin.

Dietmar Volk besuchte eine Predigerschule in der DDR. Von 1995 bis 1999 und erneut von 2000 bis 2001, letzteres als Nachrücker für Renate Künast, gehörte er dem Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin an. Er trat im Juni 2001 aus seiner Partei und Fraktion aus, weil er die Duldung des Senats Wowereit I durch die PDS nicht mittragen wollte. Danach zog er sich aus der Politik zurück und übernahm Tätigkeiten in der Verwaltung verschiedener Krankenhäuser, seit 2008 als kaufmännischer Direktor der Evangelischen Stiftung Tannenhof.

Literatur
 Volkshandbuch des Abgeordnetenhauses – 13. Wahlperiode. NDV Neue Darmstädter Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-87576-362-9, S. 80.

Weblinks
 Biografischer Artikel im Sonntagsblatt vom 1. Februar 2008
 Tagesspiegel: Nachrücker für Renate Künast
 Interview in der taz zum Parteiaustritt

Einzelnachweise

Deutscher
Bündnis-90/Die-Grünen-Mitglied
Mitglied des Abgeordnetenhauses von Berlin
Geboren 1962
Mann
DDR-Bürger


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VET TIX PARTNERS WITH ENLISTED ASSOCIATION OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OF THE UNITED STATES TO SUPPORT NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
December 8, 2016, PHOENIX – Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) today announced a partnership to support men and women of the Army and Air National Guard...
UNC FB: UNC Partners with Vet Tix for Military Appreciation Day Nov. 12
GREELEY, Colo.– For the first time, the UNC Athletics Department will be partnering with the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) to help U.S. servicemen and women, veterans and their families attend Military Appreciation Day when the Bears take on the University of Montana...
Vet Tix & PsychArmor Institute Partner to Provide Military & Veteran Caregivers With Free Tickets and Online Training
PHOENIX – Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) and PsychArmor Institute have announced a new partnership strengthening the two organizations' mission of outreach to and engagement with veterans and the community that supports them. The collaboration between the two non-profits...
The Ticket to Finding Support for Military Families
By: Veteran Tickets Foundation Building family memories by attending a sporting event or concert is an important step on the road to adjusting to life after a deployment, while home on leave, transitioning to full-time civilian life, or in just dealing...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home English Ex-Militant Tests Somalia's Fledgling Democracy (Analysis)
Ex-Militant Tests Somalia's Fledgling Democracy (Analysis)
Last year Mukhtar Robow had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head. Now the former Islamist al-Shabab militant has downed his guns and donned the garb of a democrat.
While Robow is not the first ex-militant to enter Somali politics, the momentum behind his bid to become a regional leader has turned his effort into a watershed moment in the stand-off between the federal government and Somalia's seven semi-autonomous regions.
How Mogadishu and those states ultimately find ways to share power — including via elections such as the Dec. 5 vote in the South West state where Robow is running — is critical.
"It's a pivotal point in the confrontation between the government and federal member states, which is probably a much greater threat to Somalia" security than al-Shabab itself," said Matt Bryden, head of the Nairobi-based think tank Sahan Research.
That confrontation is now being played out through Robow, a key figure in the country's troubled recent history.
Somalia has been trying to claw its way out of the civil war that engulfed it in 1991, when clan warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.
Al-Shabab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple the weak central government and implement strict Islamic law, often sending suicide bombers against civilian targets.
Once a charismatic spokesman for the group known for his military fatigues and long beard, Robow fell out with the leadership in 2013 following a power struggle.
He laid low with his militia for several years before renouncing violence and recognizing the authority of the federal government in August 2017. He is now running as an independent.
During this time the U.S. withdrew a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture and removed him from their list of sponsors of terrorism, although other international sanctions remain on him.
The former insurgent, who once spent time training with the Taliban, has cast himself in a civilian role, donning dark suits and a clerical cap. After the Shabab bombing that killed around 500 people last year, Robow was photographed donating blood.
On Sunday, the state electoral commission announced it had accepted his candidature, dismissing federal demands that he be barred because of remaining U.S. Treasury Department sanctions. Other states like Jubbaland and Puntland, who have their own polls slated for the coming months, are watching closely whether the government tries again to block Robow's candidacy.
"If they [the government] try to force the candidate that people want out, they can also do that in other areas. Then there will be no peace," a senior Somali regional official told Reuters.
Somalia's Ministry of Information did not respond to requests for comment on Robow's case after the Sunday ruling of the election commission.
A propaganda coup?
Robow's allies and some analysts suggest central government is less concerned with his past and more worried his popularity with the Rahanweyn clan — one of Somalia's most powerful — will propel him to victory ahead of their chosen candidate.
Robow himself has not yet reacted publicly, but hours after submitting his papers to the electoral commission, five other candidates threw their support behind him.
"All the intellectuals, youth and traders of South West state, have… decided Sheikh Mukhtar Robow will be our candidate," Hassan Haji, who had himself been a candidate, said just after the commission's announcement.
Robow is campaigning on a security card, promising in an October rally: "If I win, I will eliminate the al-Shabab militants, bandits in government uniforms and other clan militias who disturb our South West state."
For many Somalis, Robow's rehabilitation as a politician would be a step too far. Much of the online debate about him refers to the attacks he helped coordinate with al-Shabab.
Yet despite their misgivings and those of the central government, Robow could also become a potential thorn in al-Shabab's side, some analysts believe.
Rashid Abdi of the International Crisis Group think tank argued that allowing him to stand for office could be portrayed as a propaganda coup for the central government as it tries to encourage more insurgent defections.
"It's about people seeing the potential of democracy," he said. "If there's no reward for coming over, it just encourages a fight to the death."
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Somalia is at the Verge of Returning to Dictatorship, Lawlessness and...


I really do not know. I really do not know how to solve the problem of the Philippines. I cannot be the savior of this republic.
We have a society now where obedience to the law is really a choice, an option only.


I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful summer weather that we are having! We are very excited about the Road to Division 1 Football update.
Our focus was twofold- increase Kyles rate of force development and lower his body fat. His program was mixture of Cluster sets to focus on his overall strength, and with our 60% max workout to increase his speed and quickness. The speed aspect of Kyle's game was the part that needed most improving. Kyle has days that he is lifting heavy (cluster) (90-100%) of his max and days were he is working speed and quick twitch working only (55-65%) of his max lift. Kyle is getting in 9 grueling workouts per week. He is training currently two times a day at 8am and 3pm Monday-Thursday and one work out on Friday. To see the last 4 weeks of Kyle's program PLEASE CLICK HERE.
With Kyle hitting this much volume, his diet is so incredibly important. We needed him to lose body fat which he has, but maintain his strength levels. Kyle is on a low carb/high fat diet that has produced some great results. He has slimmed down from the 315 to 290 pounds and looks very impressive. THE BIG MAN ALMOST HAS ABS POPPING THROUGH!
One of his concerns was not to lose strength…In fact his strength went up but more importantly his overall speed has increased!
Here are some impressive numbers from his body fat calculations. These results came from 8 weeks of work, 4 weeks of general preparation and 4 weeks on the first phase of his program.
Below you will see Kyle's full body fat numbers. In 8 weeks he went from 23.6% to 21.4% in total body fat which is awesome! Take this stat in the average body fat for an NFL offensive lineman is about 24.8% so Kyle is keeping pace with pro athletes and let me tell you he is just as strong! I will also attach Kyle's program, look out for the next update!
Here they are – Kyle Hergel's workout sheets.


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Google vs Facebook on Privacy & Security: Infographic
Apart from it's awesome services, Google is also popular for giving it's competitors mighty shocks. Lets take Facebook, which has emerged and recognized as a successful innovation in Social media venture. I'm sure what most of the Facebook fans say about Google+: "Google has taken the advantage of the innovation of Facebook (as well as Twitter) to draw Google+ out". Everyone knows, that's true. Another big truth is that the future of businesses totally depends on the demand, the majority of consumers.
Check out Google vs Facebook: 10 Hilarious Picks »
From the day when Google+ was launched, there are more areas where Facebook and Google compete, and the two of those important ones are the Security and Privacy concerns. Veracode Application Security has covered the Security and Privacy comparison between Google and Facebook in their Infographic (see below), along with the description of their incomes, unique visits, and related major events.
In my opinion, both the companies, Google and Facebook, have the best professionals that work continuously to handle several important aspects to give users the best service – and the failure of hacktivist groups like Chinese Hackers and Anonymous is a good proof of that.
Both the services regularly guide their users about the security measures they should take to increase security. The services also ask users time-to-time via surveys and messages for feedback on different aspects for improvements, so don't forget to send them feedback.


Sterile tools and surrounding environment. Piercing guns at the typical mall can not be fully sterilized and who knows what diseases may survive on there. They are not even kept/handled in a completely hygienic way – sometimes just shoved in the bottom of a cabinet.
Needle vs. dull stud. Studs used inside piercing guns have a dull end that is pushed through the ear instead of a sharp hallow needle used at the tattoo shop. Why choose to force a blunt object to force through the skin tearing it along the way instead of a sharp one?
A professional. Piercers do this all the time – that's their specialty. I wouldn't trust my car to be fixed by anyone but a mechanic so why would I make a different choice for something that might put my daughter's health at risk.
Advice and guidance. The advice I received was so valuable on how to take care of the piercing and ensure it heals well. Did you know you no longer use alcohol to clean the pierced area but instead you use a saline solution? Also, I was given the direct cell phone number of my piercer and was told to call/text anytime I had questions.
Follow-up appointment. Included in the fee was a follow-up appointment in 4-6 weeks to ensure that everything was healing as it should. I never heard of this before and coupled with being able to call if I had any questions at any time, put my mind completely at ease. They really take this seriously!
Earring selection. I had initial sticker shock at the price of the earrings used for the piercings but then found out why titanium earrings are the most hypoallergenic option out there (even more so than surgical steel!). Also I figured if I was going to splurge on earrings, I would get an option in gold or silver instead. Surprisingly and contrary to what I initially thought they actually posed a higher risk than titanium for a reaction due to the need to mix other alloys in there – no such thing as completely pure gold or silver earrings. And during the healing process you wouldn't want the open wound to be directly touching anything that could lead to a bad reaction.
Of course, you have to do your research to ensure you are going to a reputable tattoo shop but the one I went to was very clean and completely opposite to what I envisioned one would look like. Also, the piercing took a good amount of time from start to finish was very thorough with what she did. If you're curious how it all went, check out the video I took that day.
Does your child have their ears pierced? Are you thinking about it? Do you have any other tips or want to share your experience?
I totally agree with you! We did the same one year ago and had no problem at all. The piercer even made sure that it was my daughter's idea and not mine.
Glad you had a great experience too!
What a great idea. Reading through your points, It makes so much sense. Tattoo shops have very strict guidelines about how sterile and clean they need to be. Years ago we got our daughter's ears pierced at a mall kiosk. They ended up getting extremely infected, and it was years until she tried again. Your daughter did great! And you did a great job by researching the topic. Sharing for other parents. Love it!
Oh no! That was what I was worried about too with the mall kiosk piercings. Sorry to hear that your daughter went through that.
Thanks Alana. Good luck to you when the time comes and hope your experience is as positive as mine was.
I never would have thought of going to a tattoo place instead of one of those cheesy kiosks at the mall like I did back in the day. But you are absolutely right that it is a far safer place for it.
It used to be the norm when I was a child too – everyone got it done at the mall kiosks. So glad we have other options now.
I agree – no rush. When the time is right is different for everyone.
That's great to hear that you had a great experience too!
So different these days and so much safer to go to a tattoo shop. Funny how things have changed!


text:
Q: Calling a method from an existing instance My understanding of Object Orientated Programming is a little shaky so if you have any links that would help explain the concepts it would be great to see them!
I've shortened the code somewhat.  The basic principle is that I have a game that starts with an instance of the main Controller class.  When the game is opened the Popup class is opened. The events happens as follows:

*

*The start button on the popup is clicked

*The method start_click() runs

*Which calls the method start_game() in the Controller instance

*Which in turn changes the game state to 'True' in the original Controller instance

My problem is with step 3.  The error message I get is:
TypeError: unbound method start_game() must be called with Controller
instance as first argument (got nothing instead)

I guess there needs to be some reference to the Controller class in the StartPopUp class.  But I don't quite understand how to create that reference?
import kivy
kivy.require('1.8.0')

from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.widget import Widget
from kivy.clock import Clock
from kivy.properties import BooleanProperty, NumericProperty, ObjectProperty
from kivy.uix.popup import Popup
from kivy.lang import Builder

Builder.load_string('''
<StartPopUp>
    size_hint: .2, .2
    auto_dismiss: False
    title: 'Welcome'
    Button:
        text: 'Play'
        on_press: root.start_click()
        on_press: root.dismiss()

''')

class StartPopUp(Popup):

    def __init__(self, **kw):
        super(StartPopUp, self).__init__(**kw)

    def start_click(self):
        Controller.start_game()

class Controller(Widget):
    playing_label = BooleanProperty(False)          #Intitial phase of game is off

    def __init__(self, **kw):
        super(Controller, self).__init__(**kw)

    def start_popup(self, dt):
        sp = StartPopUp()
        sp.open()

    def start_game(self):
        self.playing_label = True
        print self.playing_label

class MoleHuntApp(App):

    def build(self):
        game = Controller()
        Clock.schedule_once(game.start_popup, 1)
        return game

if __name__ == '__main__':
    MoleHuntApp().run()

Thanks in advance!

A: You can pass the instance like this
class StartPopUp(Popup):

    def __init__(self, controller, **kw):
        super(StartPopUp, self).__init__(**kw)
        self.controller = controller

    def start_click(self):
        self.controller.start_game()

and in Controller
def start_popup(self, dt):
    sp = StartPopUp(self)
    sp.open()

A: You need to call start_game() on an instance of the Controller class. For example,
def start_click(self):
    controller = Controller()
    controller.start_game()

This way, startgame()'s self argument will be pointing to the controller object. But you then need to keep track of the created Controller instance to be able to later modify it again. In which case there is no reason to have playing_label as a static variable.
What you probably want to have is a static method that can just be called without having to have an instance of the Controller class. For that, you can make start_game() a static method using the staticmethod decorator like so:
@staticmethod
def start_game():
    Controller.playing_label = True
    print Controller.playing_label

Then, you can continue using Controller.start_game().

A: As is obvious from the error message the method start_game() must be called for a particular instance of the controller class. You could add an getInstance() method for the controller class which returns the current active instance of the controller. Call this from inside the start_click() method before calling the start_game(). Say it returns instanceC. Then you can call start_game() method as instanceC.start_game() from the start_click().

A: Try passing the game object in the moment that you create the StartPopUp object and make the StartPopUp to keep a reference to it, so you can use this instance later for the start_click() method, like this:
class StartPopUp(Popup):

    def __init__(self, game_ctrl, **kw):
        super(StartPopUp, self).__init__(**kw)
        self.game_ctrl = game_ctrl

    def start_click(self):
        self.game_ctrl.start_game()

class Controller(Widget):
    playing_label = BooleanProperty(False)          #Intitial phase of game is off

    def __init__(self, **kw):
        super(Controller, self).__init__(**kw)

    def start_popup(self, dt):
        sp = StartPopUp(self)
        sp.open()

    def start_game(self):
        self.playing_label = True
        print self.playing_label

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


One problem that many people encounter when trying to get into shape is difficulty in toning the abs. Of course, toned and honed are words that we would all love to hear about our abs but it can be difficult to achieve this look. Exercise is a valuable part of getting toned and into shape and doing the right exercises can really help to tone, shape and strengthen the abs so that you can get a great six pack.
There are a number of different products on the market designed to help people to strengthen and tone their abdominal muscles and one of these is the Flex Belt. The Flex Belt has actually been approved by the Food and Drugs Administration for the strengthening and toning of the abdominal muscles.
The Flex Belt is a convenient device that will cause the contraction and relaxation of your abdominal muscles, which will help to tone and strengthen them in the same way that certain exercises would. It is ideal for those that do not have a lot of time to dedicate to exercising and training and according to clinical studies results can be achieved in just thirty minutes per day.
All you have to do is put the Flex Belt on and let the device go to work on your abdominal muscles, which means that even when you are relaxing your muscles are being stimulated by the Flex Belt and are gaining strength and becoming increasingly toned. The device uses medical grade gel pads, which are positioned to cover the abs and send out signals when you are using the device.
It then works all of the abdominal muscles for an effective and strengthening workout. It provides the benefits that you would get from doing crunches – except you do not have to put in the time or the effort to do crunches as the belt does the workout whilst you get on with your day.
A six week study into the effects of the Flex Belt was carried out and an impressive 100 percent of participants felt the effects of the belt. All of the participants who tried the belt said that they felt that their abs were more firm and toned. Over 92 percent of participants said that the firmness of their abs had improved.
The Flex Belt can be used by both men and women and according to the manufacturers the results can be seen in a matter of weeks.


text:
Q: How to push new branch to remote repository with tracking option I am working on a local branch (feature1) created from mainline branch. I would like to push this local branch to remote repository. How to achieve this in git along with tracking option.

A: Push with the -u option:
git push -u origin <branch>

-u, short for --set-upstream, that is set the upstream in origin to the <branch> name. If you omit the branch name, the local branch name is used instead. Full story on Git's documentation.

A: You would have created a feature branch from mainstream branch by
git checkout -b <branch>

So you can push this local branch to server by using below command. -u option is to set the upstream for your branch.
git push -u origin <branch>

This will push the local branch to remote.
Going forward, keep on add/edit the files in this branch and commit
git add <file>
git commit -m "message to commit"

then just push your changes, without -u option.
git push origin <branch>


text:
Leading the legacy of change: Intellectual currency of multiculturalism
By Mangalaprathaban Murlidharan
Culture remains at the core of our social and political discourse with innumerable instances of sweeping changes orchestrating plurality beyond the familiar domains of traditional canon. Our local products and traditional occupations have started to disappear with the sudden hysteria of a few global brands and their innovative but refurbished formulae of the local products seem to occupy the centrestage.
It is absolutely fathomable to distinguish the constructs of the modern media ads from the actuality of our traditional occupations such as pottery, tree climbers, artisans, craftsmen, fishing, fetching ferries, local weavers, butchers, sculptors, animal husbandry, tailoring, carpentry, temple architect, street food/vegetable vendors, local hairstylists, farm labourers and local beauticians besides several others. There could be some breathing space for these traditional occupations to strive beyond the consumerist culture. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II once said: "Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves–from our recklessness or our greed."
Dynasty brings several insights of the past experiences with immediate relevance, as we need to systematize our multicultural collaborations. It could be done wisely with the aid and counselling rendered by the royalists who have been dealing with social and political issues swiftly. The domain of diplomacy can be enriched with the experience and expertise of the royal families besides the highly qualified diplomats who have studied the international relationships. Our democratic polity can also be directly benefitted too from our political or business dynasts contributing their best for the development with the aid of their networks.
The quest for a channelised network of communication will certainly become a far-fetched reality if ever we ignore the trustworthy relationships nurtured by the dynasts for decades rather than centuries. However, the supremacy of democratic polity usurps the pinnacles of dynastic disillusion with power and sometimes its limitations to reach out to the voiceless sections of the marginalised communities too. It seems otherwise when the elected politicians thrive upon mere campaigns of publicity without making much sense of what it is to be participative and open-minded democrats.
The conceptual domain of dynastic synergy imbibes loyalty and trustworthy relationships beyond any doubt. It is the legacy of universal love and noble democratic heritage enriched by the Monarchy of the United Kingdom. His Majesty, the King Charles III of the United Kingdom, will undoubtedly strive to accomplish the greatest legacy of his mother, the Queen Elizabeth II with benevolence, integrity and humane compassion. The cultural and social values of the Monarchy will certainly enhance the integrity and unity of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The bedrock of democracy stands on the legacy of its leaders who can channelise any social change with utmost transparency and humility. The cradle of democratic governance is rooted in the free and fair elections held without any sort of favouritism or nepotism enmeshed in the social fabric of communal hatred and social bias. Nevertheless, some illustrious legal luminaries advocate the need for highly transparent system of representative democracy wherein the marginal sections of the society gear up with legal and legislative representation through indiscriminate consultation in policy making. Is there a scope for representative legislative assembly today to silence the despotic leviathans within the political parties?
The pluralist nature of our ethos demonstrates the beauty of social harmony, unity in diversity and integrity of our social wisdom. The first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru advocated economic empowerment through democracy in a seminar on February 25,1956 by stating it as follows: "democracy has been spoken of chiefly in the past as political democracy, roughly represented by every person having a vote. But a vote by itself does not represent very much to a person who is down and out, to a person, let us say, who is starving or hungry. Political democracy by itself is not enough except that it may be used to obtain a gradually increasing measure of economic democracy, equality and the spread of good things of life to others and removal of gross inequalities. (Source: www, mainstreamweekly.net on 16 November,2016)."
There could be another recession on the anvil as we see sudden fall of the global oil prices and downfall of the rupee and pound sterling against the dollar. Legacies become untenable when people find the politicians try to indulge in extravaganza. Japanese government is spending around 1.65 billion yen for the state funeral of the former president of Japan, Shinzo Abe, which has attracted a wide spread criticism of the tax payers on the reckless expenditure of Japan during the phase of economic crisis.
The Supreme Court of India has started live streaming of its constitutional bench hearings from 27/September/2022, which creates a legacy of change par excellence through remarkable transparency on what kind of legal and ethical discourse is in the currency of its proceedings. The supremacy of legalism dwells on the ideals of universal or social ethics, which could sometimes disengage the limitations of unaccountable exercises of power over legal framework.
Legalism wins over the hearts and minds of people only when social conscience and jurisprudence remain unaffected by any sort of moral ambivalence or social disenchantment with constitutional integrity. Even the High Courts and the District Courts could step into the legacy of absolute transparency by looking at the exemplary model of live streaming of the Supreme Court of India. It points out the emergence of a new vista of public scrutiny on how our judicial system is ready to open up its rigid gates of legal discourse with legitimate probity.
Ecological changes want us strive for global unity in protecting our environmental hazards by limiting the use of non-biodegradable materials from everyday use. Are we serious enough to prevent such inorganic packaging materials polluting our Mother Earth? How do we uphold changes in our life style by using recyclable materials in our day-to-day life without being a source of soil or air pollution? It could be a lovely legacy for our posterity if ever we are highly dedicated to think beyond the immediate uses of inorganic packing or packaging materials. Let us recall the famous line of John Keats from his Sonnet XV – On The Grasshopper and Cricket: "The poetry of earth is never dead."
Mangalaprathaban Muralidharan is a corporate trainer, course developer and curriculum consultant.
Mangalaprathaban Murlidharan
WHAT NEXT AFTER THE BHARAT JODO YATRA?
Priya Sahgal -
Time to save every drop as water will not last forever
Sudesh Verma -
Why the world is watching India's Budget
Karuna Gopal Vartakavi -
Australia must act against Khalistanis
Joyeeta Basu -


Of course, the downside of not posting about Rhinebeck immediately following the event is that so many other bloggers beat you to all the good stuff. Nevertheless, I have stuff to say, even if you have heard it all before.
Most important, it was FUN. Frankly, I have a hangover from all the fun. Shut up. It's not from the wine.
Blogless Sharon is a wonderful traveling companion. She drives through rain without complaint. She stops for coffee at a moment's notice. And she doesn't even get mad when the co-pilot screws up the directions. I wouldn't want to travel to a fiber festival without her!
I also want to say that Manise makes a great roommate. She sleeps on a sofa bed and doesn't whine about it. She cleans up after a mega-party and still manages to crack jokes and smile. And she's always ready to hold your bags or give you a hug. Or both.
I got to meet my "ring sister" Vicki. See, Vicki hooked me up with Dixie so I could get one of these oh-so-special-cable-knit-rings as a birthday present from Dale. I was so excited to simply sit at Vicki's feet on Friday night in the hotel lobby. We chatted and gabbed like old friends. Must be the power of the ring.
There was hanging with my peeps – all Rhinebeck first-timers like me. Despite our lack of knowledge about the festival we still managed to find our way around.
We visited Norm Hall's booth. No, Cheryl didn't buy this wheel. Touching it had to be enough.
The blogger meet up was out-of-control! There were bloggers everywhere. Cara organized and Stitchy facilitated with the ingenious Blogger Bingo. I was a bit of a Blogger Bingo Slacker as I left my bingo card in the hotel room. But I wore my "I'm A Square" button proudly and did have a few people check me off on their cards.
I got a picture of Margene with Kate Gilbert and Tadpole. Too bad Tadpole looked down just as I snapped because she has the sweetest face – she looks just like her mama.
We also had a mini-Estes-Park-reunion while at the Blogger Meet Up. This is a lousy picture of me but I had to post it just because it's cool to see Bakerina and Ann and Margene and me all together in New York instead of Colorado.
Manise is holding just some of the haul. And that's Linda, sister of Judy, hiding behind her. Linda is just as fun and charming and smart as her sister and really needs to get a blog. Just sayin'.
Kathy and Martha bought this, their first fleece, together. Of course a first fleece has to be documented. I hope it's the first of many, ladies.
After the close of the festival, there was a bit of a, errrr, gathering in my room. Laurie and I hosted this and we affectionately termed it "Winebeck" because there was a bit of wine.
And quite a few guests, as well. And cheese and crackers and snacks. Eventually there was even pizza, thanks to the organizational skills of Beth. We talked and laughed and knit and spun until quite late. I was completely flattered that so many people took time out to hang with us. And I was over-the-moon to meet Lee Ann and her family and the darling Julia of Vesper Sock Yarn fame as well as the eternally clever Anne, designer of Wing of the Moth. Of course I can't list everyone but I am really glad all of you were there.
Had enough for today? Tomorrow I'll show you the haul.
Oh it looks like you had so much fun! Someday maybe I can splurge & go to Rhinebeck with you all.
I love reliving it through other peoples blogs! I can't wait for next year. That Wine party was off the hook. Yo.
I'm so happy that you had such a great time!!
Thanks for being the Winebeck hostess with the mostest.
Looks like a ton of fun. Thanks for posting for those of us who couldn't go.
I'm sick for New England and all the wonderful friends I have there. Thanks for taking me back. Love you!
What a wonderful weekend! I love that the people you spent the weekend with loom even larger for you than the fiber you spent the weekend looking at. I'm rather sorry I missed it!
Looks like an absolute blast. I'm there for Estes Park in 2007, baby!


text:
Macropanesthia rhinoceros is een ongevleugelde kakkerlak uit de familie Blaberidae. De soort is endemisch in het noordoosten van Australia en komt er voornamelijk voor in de tropische bossen van Queensland.

Kenmerken
De soort is met zijn maximaal gewicht van 35 gram de zwaarste kakkerlak ter wereld. Met zijn maximale lengte van 80 millimeter is hij  echter kleiner dan het 10 centimeter grote vrouwtje van de reuzengrottenkakkerlak (Blaberus giganteus).

Volwassen mannetjes zijn van vrouwtjes te onderscheiden door een grotere en meer geprononceerde uitstulping op het pronotum (rugschild) boven de kop. De voorpoten bevatten brede, mollachtige klauwen, die de kakkerlak gebruikt om tunnels te graven.

Gedrag en levenswijze
De kakkerlak is een nachtactief dier. In tegenstelling tot veel andere kakkerlakken komt Macropanesthia rhinoceros zelden voor in bebouwde omgevingen. Hij voedt zich voornamelijk met boombast, dode bladeren (met name die van eucalyptusbomen) en ander organisch afval. De kakkerlak speelt zo een belangrijke sleutelrol in het ecosysteem van zijn leefomgeving. In Australië wordt hij ook wel litter bug genoemd, dat vrij vertaald 'afvalkever' betekent.

De Engelse naam giant burrowing cockroach ('grote gravende kakkerlak') dankt de kakkerlak aan zijn gewoonte om tunnels van ongeveer een meter diep te graven, die gebruikt worden als woning en broedplaats. Tijdens het droge seizoen tussen mei en november blijft de kakkerlak in de tunnel, waar hij leeft van voedsel dat hij hier heeft opgeslagen.

Wanneer de kakkerlak verstoord wordt, trekt hij zijn achterlijf samen en stuwt lucht door de tracheeën. Dit veroorzaakt een sissend geluid, die de kakkerlak ook gebruikt tijdens het paren en in conflictsituaties. Rivaliserende mannetjes vechten door op elkaar in te beuken met de schepvormige uitstulping boven hun kop.

Voortplanting en ontwikkeling
Macropanesthia rhinoceros is eierlevendbarendheid en een worp bestaat uit gemiddeld twintig nimfen. Het vrouwtje heeft een speciale broedbuidel in haar lichaam, waar de nimfen in drie maanden tot ontwikkeling komen. Ze verlaten de broedbuidel aan het einde van het droge seizoen en blijven nog vijf maanden in de nesttunnel, waar ze worden gevoed met bladeren en ander afval. Daarna verlaten ze het nest en graven ze een eigen tunnel.

Na drie tot vier jaar is Macropanesthia rhinoceros volwassen. Hij vervelt twaalf of dertien keer voor de uiteindelijke grootte wordt bereikt. Net na de vervelling is hij met uitzondering van de ogen geheel wit. De soort kan een leeftijd bereiken van tien jaar.

Blaberidae


text:
What Does EU Membership Mean for the UK Fishing Industry?
Sustainability Economics Politics
UK - People with knowledge of the EU, farming, fishing or energy have been invited to share their views on how the EU has affected the UK national interest.
These calls for evidence are part of the Government's Balance of Competences Review, an analysis of what EU membership means for the UK. The review is examining the scope of EU powers and the effects they have on the UK.
The Fisheries review will examine EU powers for the Common Fisheries Policy, the management of fisheries and the farming of fish and shellfish.
The energy review will also include a number of areas relevant to the work of the MMO such as energy infrastructure development, renewables, carbon capture and storage and nuclear.
The calls for evidence will run for twelve weeks, from 21 October 2013 to 13 January 2014 for fisheries and 24 October 2013 to 15 January 2014 for energy.
The final reports will be published in summer 2014.
The Balance of Competences Review is broken down into a series of reports on specific areas of EU competence, spread over four semesters between autumn 2012 and autumn 2014. The term 'competence' is used to describe the powers, conferred on the EU by the Member States, to undertake specific actions.
Turbot farmer considers IPO
Europe's largest flatfish farmer, Stolt Sea Farm, has announced that it is evaluating an initial public offering (IPO) of its land-based aquaculture business.


Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar said the Turkish army makes great effort in preventing civilian casualties during the fight against terrorism, speaking at a reception for Republic Day on Oct. 29.
"The TSK [Turkish Armed Forces] is very sensitive and careful on the issue of not causing any civilian damages. This sensitivity is more than not shooting at areas where civilians are near a target, by also taking measures to prevent such situations," Akar told Milliyet daily.
He said the military even gave penalties to the soldiers who damaged a garden, let aside the damages caused on individuals. "We aim to prevent damage but we also cover the damages if any are done. We have done this when terror incidents were not on the agenda. Now we continue to do the same with much sensitivity," he added.
The chief of staff also stated that they try hard to give right and timely information to the public about incidents.
"We have to give concrete information. We are working with our related units to make this happen without any mistake. Our units are working day and night for the press," he said, adding that the country is passing through sad times due to terrorism incidents and the consequential fallen soldiers. Referring to the Dağlıca incident in which 16 soldiers were killed in an ambush by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Akar responded to the criticism that the military had failed to inform the public about the number of fallen soldiers in time. "We cannot say a thing before we receive concrete information," he added.


text:
Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists > Lists > Other Lists > The 20 Most Underrated Movie Soundtracks of All Time
The 20 Most Underrated Movie Soundtracks of All Time
Posted on May 30, 2020 May 30, 2020 by Luis Bevilacqua
People often associate soundtracks with memorable melodies, resounding cues and grandiose orchestration – Francis Lai's Love Story theme, Bernard Herrmann's cue for the shower scene in Psycho, and Max Steiner's Gone with the End theme are some examples in that order of very famous soundtracks, recognizable even by people who are not knowledgeable in the genre.
What makes a movie score famous? Sometimes the movie itself helps. If a movie gets public or critical recognition, chances are that the soundtrack will follow the same path. Sometimes mediocre movies hide great soundtracks inside them. Other times the soundtrack is relegated to the movie's background, so it doesn't get the deserved acknowledgement. Occasionally some movie composers get all the praise for their most famous works, which leaves aside other works different from their trademarks, but yet as brilliant as their celebrated compositions. This list focuses on soundtracks that for the reasons above mentioned are as not as popular as they should be.
20. All About My Mother – Alberto Iglesias
Pedro Almodóvar and Alberto Iglesias have teamed up for many movies since their first collaboration, The Flower of My Secret, in 1995. Iglesias has three Academy Awards nominations – The Constant Gardener, The Kite Runner, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – but one of his best works is this untypical score for Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother. Mixing mute-trumpet phrases that evoke the sadness of Miles Davis' Ascenseur pour L'Échafaud, beautiful string arrangements, and Astor Piazzolla-esque bandoneon parts, Iglesias could compose a remarking soundtrack, full of beauty and sadness like the movie.
19. Apocalypto – James Horner
Best known for his work in Titanic and his orchestral scores, James Horner's soundtrack for Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is an underrated beautiful score. Using a large collection of exotic instruments, such as the Tromba Marina, Swedish bark trumpets and Ugandan wildebeest horns besides synth pads, Horner could provide a tribalistic and primal feeling to the movie. The highlights are the use of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as a one-man band voice provider and tracks that combine percussive explosions with bizarre horn squeaks.
18. Under the Skin – Mica Levi
Under the Skin soundtrack is a masterpiece on the art of displaying human feelings through the lenses of an inhuman creature. Mica Levi could create a soundtrack that sounds organic and robotic, just like Scarlett Johansson's character in the movie. Inspired by avant-garde composers such as John Cage, Giacinto Scelsi, and Iannis Xenakis, Disney movies' music and Dr. Dre, she could compose a groundbreaking masterpiece on her first score. Regarding unsettling music in movies, Under the Skin is in the same league as Stanley Kubrick's selection of Penderecki and Ligeti for The Shining,
17. Tron – Wendy Carlos
Tron was a futuristic project made by Disney that revolutionized computer animation in movies. The film was a major flop during its release, but it slowly gained a cult status and many followers around the world. Nowadays its visual technical innovations seem outdated and uncouth, but the soundtrack still sounds good and visionary. The combination between synthesizers and orchestral music makes this soundtrack a great achievement in movie scoring, influencing many movie scores after.
16. The Ghost Writer – Alexandre Desplat
For this Hitchcock-esque thriller, the French composer Alexandre Desplat composed a score with a lot of influence from Bernard Herrmann Herrmann influence, mixed with Shostakovich and Philip Glass. Desplat is a successful and prolific movie composer with eleven nominations for Academy Awards. He usually resorts to sentimentality and melodies, which is not the case in The Ghost Writer.
Anxious bass clarinet ostinatos, scary fog horn melodies that refer to the sea in the movie, and electrifying percussion crescendo build until it releases tension on the title track. The whole score has a permanent feeling of apprehensiveness, as if someone is always lurking behind. There are many Herrmann-esque cues, but Desplat also puts his own imprint in many moments, using one of his specialties: beautiful counterpoints.
15. The Secretary – Angelo Badalamenti
The Little Italy composer is most famous for his works for David Lynch. His creepy soundtracks, using dark jazz and minimalist ambience, had contributed a lot to Lynch's movies like Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. But in this sadomasochist tale by director Steven Shainberg, Badalamenti's music differs greatly from his traditional scope.
Whereas Badalamenti's music adds up a lot of tension and darkness to Lynch's movies, here it is used to make things softer, as if the images on screen were already strong enough. The soundtrack works as a perfect background for the submission-dominance story of the movie, evoking also the tragedy and joy of Lee's and Dr. Grey's relationship.
14. The Birds – Oskar Sala
For his 1963 thriller about bird attacks, Alfred Hitchcock decided to not use any incidental music. Instead, he hired German electronic pioneer Oskar Sala to provide sound effects for bird calls and noises. The composer used an instrument developed by him and Friederich Trautwein called Mixtur-Trautonium, a predecessor of the modern synthesizer.
The sounds produced by the Mixtur-Trautonium are generated by saw-tooth oscillations of low-voltage neon lamps and can be varied with filters. It is an innovative soundtrack – precursor of many modern film scores that are filled with synthesizers, noises and electrical devices to explore sonorous and musical possibilities – and also strangely scary, it is almost impossible to notice that the birds violent squeaks are produced by an electrical device and not by a flock of angry birds.
13. Blow Out – Pino Donaggio
Brian De Palma's homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up was a major box office and critical flop but the movie is a great thriller about corruption and the art of cinema. Pino Donaggio had previously made two notorious scores for De Palma, Carrie and Dressed to Kill. Blow Out is on the same level as them, although not celebrated equally.
There are Pino Donaggio's trademarks – the theme is a strikingly beautiful melody that repeats itself during different moments in the score with different arrangements – and thrilling moments, funky cues, and guitar driven instrumental pieces. The result is an eclectic soundtrack, embracing different genres and arrangements, without losing its unity and cohesiveness.
12. Punch-Drunk Love – Jon Brion
"I think what you actually want is the thing to feel like a musical, but nobody ever breaks into song," Jon Brion told director PT Anderson when they were discussing the movie soundtrack. "Exactly!" the director said back to Brion. So then they made Punch-Drunk Love the ultimate anti-musical movie. This sardonic approach is seen throughout the whole movie, as if music and visuals were falsely leading the audience into the conception that the movie is a type of musical or romantic comedy.
Jon Brion is one of the most underrated soundtrack composers and Punch-Drunk Love can be considered his magnum opus. There are disturbing percussive moments that express the turmoil inside Adam Sandler's character, Hawaiian melodies, cynical doo wop songs, easy listening cues- but the highlight is Overture, a track that mixes avant-garde noises, sad harmonium melodies, beautiful classical arrangements, jazzy interludes and the Punch-Drunk Love Theme, a beautiful melody that resembles Nino Rota's Amarcord theme.
11. Kwaidan – Toru Takemitsu
"I wanted to create an atmosphere of terror. But if the music is constantly saying, "Watch out! Be scared!" then all the tension is lost. It's like sneaking up behind someone to scare them. First, you have to be silent."
Toru Takemitsu's own description of his music for the Japanese horror Kwaidan emphasizes the importance of silence in the score. Differently from his more popular works of film music – which embody classical grandiloquence and beauty – the Japanese composer used silence and wood noises to provide the terrifying atmosphere for Kwaidan. Without his music, Kwaidan would be an excessively beautiful movie incapable of scaring anyone. Combining the Japanese folkloric instrument biwa, wood noises and silence, Takemitsu could create a groundbreaking masterpiece.
Most Underrated Movie Soundtracks
10 Great Horror Movies Recommended By Quentin Tarantino
10 of The Most Unconventional Road Movies of The 20th Century


My amazing nephew, Aaditya is a really great photographer. You'll see for yourself because he and I are starting a little project right here on this blog to bring you one picture of Gurgaon every week. Funny, poignant, impressive, touching, good, bad, ugly - it's the city we live in and it's got it all.
To kickstart "Lens on Gurgaon", here's Gurgaon by Night on a tiny little "photoshopped" planet.
Buy Packed Food Online through our online grocery shopping store of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida... Online Grocery Shopping made easy.


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ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
null

#### Original name
Puccinia suaveolens f. cyani G. Winter

### Remarks
null

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Hey I am Mudkipluvr4ever and I live in the USA. I decided to join Bulbapedia to help out cause i am tired of stubs and incomplete pages. I got into Pokémon when i was about eight years old and have loved it since.
This user has a pet horse.
This user's favorite anime episode is Princess Vs. Princess.
This user's favorite anime episode is The Purr-fect Hero.
This user's favorite anime episode is The Misty Mermaid.
This user's favorite anime episode is Go West, Young Meowth.
This user's favorite anime episode is Meowth Rules!.
This user's favorite anime episode is Misty Meets Her Match!.
This user's favorite anime episode is The Perfect Match.
This user's favorite anime episode is A Mudkip Mission!.
This user's favorite anime episode is Now That's Flower Power!.
This user's favorite anime episode is I Feel Skitty!.
This user's favorite anime episode is The Unbeatable Lightness of Being.
This user's favorite shipping is FlavescentShipping.
This user's favorite shipping is Luckshipping.
This user's favorite shipping is Playfulshipping.
This human's partner is Mudkip.
This user has a Shiny Psyduck.
Okay when I first heard about shipping it was like okay, those two characters look cute together. Then I eventually started reading more, and picked out my favorite ships.
Ikarishipping - I love this ship! Paul is the quite, bad boy and Dawn is the bubbly friendly girl. I can just see this ship happening.
Pokéshipping - The original pairing I fell in love with. The Pokémon Chronicles support this ship and so did the 4Kids dub.
Contestshipping - This is my favorite ship of all time! For now at least. Drew and May were so close so many times!
Luckshipping - Brock deserves some love, doesn't he? Brock and Lucy belong together!
Rocketshipping - They already got paired up in the Manga, why not the anime. Although kind of weird in the anime where James dressed like a girl and Jessie dressed like the boy.
Franticshipping - I have never read the manga but I fell in love with this ship anyways. Sapphire and Ruby forever!
Flavescentshipping - I love it! I must have a thing for rivals and main girl ships!
Misty - It is all about the girl power. Misty is a strong girl who helps out her friends. Also she was more of a rival for Ash then May or Dawn. Especially in the Whirl Cup and all the training she gave him. I hope she comes back soon in the Diamond and Pearl series with some new Pokémon, maybe a Milotic or a Gorebyss.
Paul - Paul, I really don't know why. He just appeals to me for some reason. Maybe because I think he and Dawn would be super cute together! I hope Paul and Ash battle again and Ash wins though. Paul needs a reality check.
Drew - This boy is awesome! He is cool and likes to help out his friends, especially May. He was also able to beat Ash, which is pretty hard.
Gary - He is the original bad boy! He and Ash's competition was so cool. Then the writers made him a dumb Pokémon Reseacher and wrote him out. They also made him look younger, I like his old look better.
May - May is a shy girl who starts off hating something then comes to love it. She has the coolest rivals, especially Drew.
Iris - Shi is such an amazing tomboy girl! Can't wait till she comes to America!
Ash - He is the original, how can you hate him? He has gone through so much of the world, and he is only ten still! Lucky person.
Dawn - Okay, this girl annoys me! She acts like a girly-girl all the time. Only reason i might start liking her is if she gets together with Paul or leaves the show.
Lyra - This girl beats Dawn in annoying rating. If I hear Dane, do you like Ash, or see her and Khoury again I will scream! She really does annoy me. They should have put more into the episodes she is in.
This page was last edited on 30 July 2015, at 03:46.


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LESTER BARNES composer • producer • arranger
A BAFTA and EMMY nominee, and winner of both a Gold Clio Award and an International Music & Sound Award in 2013, Lester has scored many documentary and drama productions during his career and in recent years has become well known for his work in children's television and advertising.
Lester scored 4 series (208 episodes) of the hit ITV title Horrid Henry, wrote music for the stage show Horrid Henry Live & Horrid and songs for Horrid Henry's Most Horrible Album (EMI), also used in the feature film. In 2014/5, Lester scored 26 x 30 minute episodes of Iconicles, and is currently working on Footy Pups, both hit series on CBeebies.
Other credits include Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies (UK and US), Claude, The Roly Mo Show and Me Too! Between 2002 and 2004, Lester scored 3 series of Paz the Penguin for Discovery Kids (US). The series was very well regarded and Lester was Emmy Nominated 3 years in succession.
In advertising, Lester has worked on projects for prestigious clients such as Airbus, Goodyear, Reebok and Swatch, and his themes have been used in global campaigns for Cow and Gate, Pampers and other international brands. His ingenious re-arrangement of Come On Eileen for Cow & Gate won Lester the Gold Clio and the International Music & Sound Award 2013, amongst many other awards.
Song production credits include string arrangements for Begin Again, Oscar Nominated for Best Original Song in the 2015 (for the film Lost Stars with Keira Knightly). His big band and string arrangements feature on Peter Andre's chart topping 2015 album Come Fly with Me.
Lester has always had a fascination with synthesizers and interest in electronic music. Over the past 20 years has been building one of Europe's biggest modular synthesizers. Lester attended the Bromley Youth Music Trust and studied saxophone and composition the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under John Harle and Francis Shaw (A Room with a View).
Full credit list


text:
/*
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 * To change this template file, choose Tools | Templates
 * and open the template in the editor.
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package com.mycompany.ejemplorestsoapclient.cliente;

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September 29, 2017 report
African penguins found to work together to corral fish for foraging
by Bob Yirka , Phys.org
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in South Africa has found that African penguins sometimes work together to corral fish to allow for more efficient foraging. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes how they studied the birds, what they found and why they believe the penguins might go extinct if something does not change soon.
African penguins live off the southern coast of Africa. Like other penguins, they survive by eating small fish—in this cased, their diet is generally sardines and anchovies. But the African penguins have also been found to engage in a fishing behavior that has never been seen in penguins before—group coordinated foraging.
Noting that the African penguin population has been dwindling due to diminished ocean fisheries over the past several decades, the researchers decided to take a closer look at their feeding habits. They affixed miniature cameras to the backs of 12 of the birds and used the data to create video for review. In all, the team amassed 14 hours of video, which revealed a lot about the life of the penguins.
In addition to footage showing the penguins preening, there was also evidence of how they fished. The researchers report that the birds did their foraging alone approximately 66 percent of the time—the other 33 percent of the time, they worked together as a cohesive unit to usher fish into columns and then into balls. Dolphins have been seen doing the same on many occasions, but this was the first time it has been seen in penguins. Corralling the fish into a ball allows for easier foraging. In watching the video footage, researchers were able to compare the efficiency of fishing alone versus fishing with a group, and found that when the birds fished together, they were more than twice as efficient. The team also found evidence of the birds communicating prior to collaborative foraging, suggesting they planned their assault on their prey.
The researchers note that the population of African penguins has dropped from 4 or 5 million two centuries ago to just 50,000 today, which possibly explains why they coordinate their foraging so seldom despite the near guarantee of more food—there are not always enough of them around to form a large enough group.
Emperor penguins use sea ice to rest between long foraging periods
More information: Alistair M. McInnes et al. Group foraging increases foraging efficiency in a piscivorous diver, the African penguin, Royal Society Open Science (2017). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170918
Marine piscivores have evolved a variety of morphological and behavioural adaptations, including group foraging, to optimize foraging efficiency when targeting shoaling fish. For penguins that are known to associate at sea and feed on these prey resources, there is nonetheless a lack of empirical evidence to support improved foraging efficiency when foraging with conspecifics. We examined the hunting strategies and foraging performance of breeding African penguins equipped with animal-borne video recorders. Individuals pursued both solitary as well as schooling pelagic fish, and demonstrated independent as well as group foraging behaviour. The most profitable foraging involved herding of fish schools upwards during the ascent phase of a dive where most catches constituted depolarized fish. Catch-per-unit-effort was significantly improved when targeting fish schools as opposed to single fish, especially when foraging in groups. In contrast to more generalist penguin species, African penguins appear to have evolved specialist hunting strategies closely linked to their primary reliance on schooling pelagic fish. The specialist nature of the observed hunting strategies further limits the survival potential of this species if Allee effects reduce group size-related foraging efficiency. This is likely to be exacerbated by diminishing fish stocks due to resource competition and environmental change.
Journal information: Royal Society Open Science
© 2017 Phys.org
Citation: African penguins found to work together to corral fish for foraging (2017, September 29) retrieved 17 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2017-09-african-penguins-corral-fish-foraging.html
Penguin-mounted video captures gastronomic close encounters of the gelatinous kind
Little penguins forage together
Showing some love: Penguins get Valentine's hearts for nests
Climate change and fishing create 'trap' for penguins
Researchers get better view of penguins with affixed cameras and accelerometers (w/ video)


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Leightons News
Leightons Fareham introduce Betsey Johnson & Woodys Barcelona
Jun 04, 2019 in Leightons News
We are excited to welcome two new brands, Betsey Johnson & Woodys Barcelona, to Leightons Fareham. Both collections have been carefully chosen by Peter and the Fareham team.
Betsey Johnson, the New York designer, has built her long-standing career in fashion by following her own set of rules. Known for her celebration of the exuberant, the embellished, and the over-the-top, Betsey Johnson continues rocking the fashion industry with her unique and original designs. Her commitment to remain true to her one-of-a-kind vision has afforded Betsey much success in an industry known for its fickleness. Her ability to change with the times while keeping her designs pure has not gone unnoticed.
"Like red lipstick on the mouth, my products wake up and brighten and bring the wearer to life... drawing attention to her beauty and specialness... her moods and movements her... dreams and fantasies" - Betsey Johnson
Betsey Johnson glasses are now a valuable part of Leightons Fareham, bringing bold and confident styles for the fashion-conscious.
Alongside Betsey Johnson we also have the brand Woodys Barcelona joining the Fareham collections.
Woodys Barcelona was born in the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona, in the heart of the Mediterranean area. It was an adventure started by a young Catalan entrepreneur, with an innovative project that looked for the combination between the new trends and the strong desire to explore.
The imagery of the collection is so unique and larger than life. The original collection of Woodys Barcelona were 100% wooden glasses, using different types of wood for the base depending on the model. From birch and bamboo to zebrawood and recycled wakeskate wood they create truly unique designs. The collection uses bold colours and patterns and also offers commercial presentations of wooden detailing. Now incorporating acetates and newer fixing their designs are high quality while maintaining the originality of their first collection.
At Leightons Fareham we are more than excited to have these two truly unique brands on offer. If you'd like to take a look why not pop into the branch? If you feel you may need a new prescription you can book an appointment by calling them on 01329 287 220 or alternatively, you can book online.
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365 Ways to Save the Planet
No action is too small to make a difference.
Breaking Down Illinois' Equitable Climate Bill
October 8, 2021 October 7, 2021 sharongaiettophotographyLeave a comment
Day 281 – Back in September, Illinois passed Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (SB2408). It is a nation-leading law to fight climate change, create good-paying jobs, improve the health of Illinoisans, and support disadvantaged communities. I didn't know exactly what the new legislation involved, so I thought what better way to learn about than to write about it.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) summarized the key components.
Slash climate-changing carbon pollution by phasing out fossil fuels in the power sector. Require Illinois to achieve a 100% zero-emissions power sector by 2045, with significant emissions reductions before then. Illinois will be the first Midwest state to require a carbon-free power sector, joining California, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, and Washington.
Grow renewable energy generation more than five-fold. Invest $580 million a year to generate 40% of Illinois' energy from wind and solar by 2030 and 50% by 2040.
Extend cost-saving energy efficiency programs. Save people hundreds of millions of dollars on their electric bills each year. Expand requirements for energy efficiency investments in low-income households.
Expand economic opportunities for disadvantaged communities and people of color. Invest $115 million per year to create job training hubs and create career pipelines for the people who need them most, incubate and grow small clean energy businesses in disadvantaged communities, and more.
Clean up Illinois' transportation sector. Creating planning processes for beneficial electrification, and providing rebates for electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Support communities and workers impacted by the transition away from fossil fuels. Invest up to $40 million per year to replace lost property taxes, and support economic development and job training.
Move towards cleaner buildings. Creating a statewide stretch building code and including building electrification measures that reduce fossil fuel use in buildings as part of energy efficiency programs.
Provide limited support for nuclear plants. Provides payments to economically struggling Illinois nuclear plants totaling about $700 million over five years.
Hold utilities accountable with stronger ethics rules and reforms. Plan our electric grid in a more transparent, equitable way and help prepare the grid for electric vehicles and clean, efficient all-electric buildings.
Create good-paying clean energy jobs across Illinois showing that economic growth and a healthier environment go hand-in-hand. This bill will grow all sectors of the clean energy and the jobs that come with them, and requires family-sustaining wages and benefits for most clean energy jobs in Illinois, encouraging union jobs while also ensuring that small businesses in disadvantaged communities can get a foothold.
The climate crisis is upon us and real meaningful changes need to happen now. This is a good step forward, but Illinois and states around the country need to do more to help heal our damaged planet.
Tomorrow, compostable snack bags.
Conserve, Education, Environmentcarbon pollution, clean buildings, clean energy jobs, Climate Change, Climate Equitable Jobs Act, electric vehicles, energy efficiency programs, fossil fuels, healthy environment, Illinois Equitable Climate Bill, Natural Resources Defense Council, nuclear plants, renewable energy, solar energy, wind energy
The Pros and Cons of Solar Energy
May 22, 2021 sharongaiettophotographyLeave a comment
Day 142 – Now more than ever, we are in need of renewable energy sources. We have reached a moment in time where real change needs to happen or we (the human race) will be unable to recover from our destructive ways. Solar Energy is one of those renewable energy sources. I have seen countless ads in my social media feeds for solar panels. I thought I would look at the pros and cons of solar energy.
Let's start with the CONS:
Solar panels are not very efficient – The solar panels on the market, today, are only able to convert about 17-21% of the sunlight collected into electricity. That is a lot better than in the past, but still rather low. Scientists have found a way to increase the efficiency to 50%, but the cost is not practical for commercial use. We can only hope that like many technological breakthroughs, the cost will come down.
Recycling solar panels is difficult – Even though solar panels are relatively recyclable, the infrastructure to handle the recycling is lacking in the U.S. "The European Union holds PV module (solar panels) installers accountable for their electronic waste and requires solar producers to recycle, and Japan holds project developers and owners liable for waste disposal and requires payment into a decommissioning fund. However, there is a vacuum when it comes to U.S. federal leadership on solar recycling and treatment of end-of-life PV modules. For now, the future of solar panel recycling is in the hands of the states." – PV Magazine
Not all solar panel companies are eco-friendly – You would think that any business selling solar panels would be environmentally friendly. However, that is not always the case. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition produces a solar scorecard that ranks companies based on sustainability.
Solar batteries are expensive – Solar batteries are needed to store the energy converted by the solar panels. Unfortunately, solar batteries can add an additional cost of $8,000 to $10,000. Solar batteries are recyclable, but like solar panels, the U.S. lacks the facilities capable of recycling them.
The PROS:
Community solar farms are becoming more popular – Community solar farms allow a group of people to go in on solar energy. This is nice for renters or homeowners in heavily shaded areas.
There are more reputable solar panel companies – Even though one of the cons was that not all solar panel companies are eco-friendly, it is a pro that there are many more environmentally friendly companies than there are unfriendly.
Tax credits help with the overall cost – "The 26% federal solar tax credit has been extended through the end of 2022. This solar incentive is available for both residential and commercial solar systems. A tax credit is more valuable to the taxpayer than a write-off because it is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in taxes owed. In addition, businesses can get solar tax write-offs, further reducing the total cost of installing a solar system. For the project to be eligible, the solar system must be purchased. Thus, many community solar farm memberships, solar leases, and power purchase agreements do not qualify." – Earth911
Accessing a free source of energy – Currently, there is no fee to access the sun's energy. Along with the fact that it is a renewable source of energy. Using it will help decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Low maintenance cost – Once installed, solar panels can be maintained for as little as $300 per year (even if a professional cleaning company is used). Additionally, companies providing solar panels usually offer warranties, which further helps to minimize costs.
Decrease electrical bills – Solar panels can help both companies and individuals keep their electric bills low. Traditional sources of electricity only need to be used during times when, for an extended period, the sun isn't out, or during months when hours of available sunlight are restricted.
There is a lot to think about when deciding if solar panels are right for your home or business. This information is just the beginning of the process. If you do decide to contact a solar panel company be sure to ask questions about the issues discussed in the list of CONS.
Tomorrow, lawn furniture made from recycled plastic.
Conserve, Education, EnvironmentEarth911, efficiency of solar panels, federal solar tax credit, maintenance of solar panels, pros and cons of solar panels, PV Magazine, recycling of solar batteries, recycling of solar panels, renewable energy sources, solar batteries, solar energy, solar panels
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