Carrie Underwood treated fans to a special surprise during her Facebook Q&A on Thursday. The 32-year-old singer and new mother not only talked writing 'mommy songs' and about life with dogs Ace and Penny – she also announced her new single, entitled "Smoke Break."
"I wanna tell you guys that I have new music," Carrie said in a video message to her fans. "I'm so excited for you guys to hear it."
Carrie, who wrote the tune with her good friends Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano, with production by Jay Joyce, shared her inspiration for the new single. "The song itself is one of those songs that I think everybody can relate to," she said. "About how life is so hectic and it's so nice if and when you actually get to step away for a second. We all need that time to ourselves to get to take a break."
As if the song it isn't hot enough, Carrie revealed the album artwork, which features the singer wearing a bustier and smokey eye makeup, and showing some leg.
The single will be featured on her upcoming album "Storyteller," which is set for release on October 23. "I really hope you guys love it," she continued. "Because I'm so excited about it."
The American Idol alum and her husband Mike Fisher welcomed their son Isaiah Michael Fisher back in February. And even though her new single is about being a hardworking mom, she assures that the entire album isn't entirely dedicated to "mommy songs."
"I tried to avoid the 'mommy songs', but one managed to find one on there," she said during her Q & A session. "I'm glad it did, because he'll always have that."
During the question and answer portion fans learned that Carrie's favorite color is blue, her two dogs Ace and Penny have locked her out of the car (a funny and frustrating moment for Carrie) and her favorite video to shoot was "Something Bad", featuring her good pal Miranda Lambert.
It doesn't just stop with new music. Carrie will be hosting the CMA awards this year with Brad Paisley. "I'm am super excited I get to host the CMA awards," she gushed to a fan. "Brad and I always have so much fun.
I'm so excited to finally share this news with you! Watch now and join me for a Q&A next!


text:
and earn the title of strongest magician.
- Megumin
Add a Character
King: Diane!
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More Quotes by King
Episode : 3 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / ALL
Grandpa?
I can't just abandon Helbram!
Elaine?
I left and threw it all away!
Well, yeah...
B-But... even you must know—
where you'll find neither peace nor release from suffering.
Elaine...
You're really frustrated, aren't you?
And I'll go save you even if alone!
Unless..
Cangelosi ( 25)
Rendered in 258.1 ms. R-47-W-3-M-2243.66 KB Modified: Sun, 14 Jul 2019 08:41:29 -0400 | [Options]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


DON'T be confused by the brand name, the League Cup is back - and you don't need a can of Carabao to keep up with it all.
That's right, the trophy previously known as the Milk Cup, the Capital One Cup, the Worthington Cup, not to be confused with the Carling Cup (they were the same thing), the Rumbelows Cup (me neither), the Coca-Cola Cup and the EFL Cup is back!
Like an old friend who has a new set of clothes and a new girlfriend every time you see them, it's still the same old thing.
Back when only a few clubs had floodlights for midweek games, this competition seemed like a good idea.
And, to be fair, it has thrown up some of the most exciting matches in English football history.
Here are seven reasons why - even if you missed the 4am draw in China (shame on you) - you'll want to watch the midweek action.
KIDS get games in this competition. It's a fact.
If you want to know how that lad who has been making noises in the reserves and the youth-team ranks will fare in a first-team scenario, look no further.
Last year, Ben Woodburn made his Liverpool debut and the competition has blooded emerging talents like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere and most of the class of 92 - Paul Scholes scoring two on his debut against Port Vale.
Who will we be talking about come Thursday?
CHELSEA, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal could all be about to play some of their brightest academy talent.
Blues youngster Ethan Ampadu could play against Nottingham Forest, while Wales team-mate Woodburn could feature for Liverpool against Leicester.
United's starlet Angel Gomes is tipped to play against Burton, Phil Foden against West Brom and Reiss Nelson for Arsenal versus Doncaster.
Keep your eyes peeled, football fans.
LUKE SHAW and Jack Wilshere could be some notable returnees to first-team football for their clubs.
If the long-lived mysteries over both players' fitness are to resolve themselves, this week could be a turning point.
Wilshere came off the bench for Arsenal's Europa League clash with Cologne, but hasn't started, while Shaw started against the Gunners' reserves as United lost 2-0.
Either way, it feels like a make-or-break period for both stars.
CAN another club do what Bradford City did in 2012-13 and make it all the way to Wembley from League Two?
That really was a heck of a run - and KO'd teams included Arsenal, Wigan and Aston Villa.
Don't write off the likes of Bristol City against Stoke, Bolton at West Ham or Barnsley at Tottenham.
Surely Doncaster can't beat Arsenal... can they?
YOU wouldn't expect Manchester United to fill Old Trafford against Burton, Arsenal against Doncaster and definitely Spurs welcoming Barnsley to Wembley.
But there is an opportunity to be had here with prices.
Tottenham's cheapest prices are as little as £8 for kids at Wembley, while United's are around £10 for under 16s.
AS for the likes of Brentford, Norwich, Wolves, Bristol Rovers, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, the third round is an opportunity to progress in a cup competition.
And the chance to play big Premier league opposition, especially League One Rovers - who will fancy their chances against Wolves.
Could Bristol Rovers cause an upset in the Carabao Cup third round?
CHANCES are a few expected results will not come off.
So expect that acca not to survive too long during Tuesday and Wednesday's fixtures.
If we're wrong, then, JACKPOT!


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Dr. Huang recently (within last two years) replaced Dr. William Lee (rated by many to be the best Family Doctor in Raleigh). I have had one physical by Dr. Lee (would have had 2, but one was done by the PA - Dr. Lee was called away on an emergency). I will be scheduling my next physical this Spring with Dr. Huang.
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Love (for the Ballet) was in the air on Friday, February 14 at the Adrienne Arsht Center as Miami City Ballet (MCB) hosted a black-tie gala in celebration of Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez's inaugural season of programming and the Company's premiere of West Side Story Suite. As one of Miami's premier benefit engagements, the Miami City Ballet Gala provides critical funding to support MCB performances, education, and outreach initiatives. Patrons of the gala enjoyed a pre-performance cocktail hour, VIP seating at the premiere of West Side Story Suite – Robbins' ballet adaptation of his Tony Award-winning musical where MCB's own Sharks and Jets rumble, fall in love, dance and sing to Leonard Bernstein's vibrant score with its Latin rhythms, and Stephen Sondheim's incomparable lyrics, followed by an elegant dinner reception and dancing.
The event paid tribute to George Chakiris -- the award-winning actor who took home the Academy for his portrayal of "Bernardo" in the iconic film version of West Side Story. Gala honorees included The Codina Family, R. Kirk Landon and Pamela Garrison, Juan Js. and Ophelia Roca. West Side Story Suite was generously sponsored by The Codina Family, Premiere Underwriters, with additional support from Nancy Abbott and The Herman Abbott Family Foundation, Eugene and Jean Stark, and Rose Miniaci.
Event sponsors included Bacardi, Graff Diamonds, and The Setai, Miami Beach.


text:
Q: Unknown provider: $scopeProvider initialling angularjs application I got this error Unknown provider: $scopeProvider <- $scope
with below app.js
(function() {
angular.module('MyApp', ['ngRoute', 'satellizer'])
  .config(function($routeProvider, $locationProvider, $authProvider) {
    $locationProvider.html5Mode(true);

    $routeProvider
      .when('/', {
        templateUrl: 'partials/home.html'
      })
  })
  .run(function($rootScope, $scope, $window, $location) {
    if ($window.localStorage.user) {
      $rootScope.currentUser = JSON.parse($window.localStorage.user);
    }

    $scope.test = 'test';

  });
})();

A: You cannot inject $scope into your application run function.

You can only get $rootScope injected to services and run function, because each child scope is inherited from its parent scope and the top level scope is rootScope. Since it would be ambigous to inject any scope. Only root scope is provided.

https://stackoverflow.com/a/17371896/3453034
Here is some information on run blocks taken from Angular's module documentation:

Run blocks are the closest thing in Angular to the main method. A run block is the code which needs to run to kickstart the application. It is executed after all of the service have been configured and the injector has been created. Run blocks typically contain code which is hard to unit-test, and for this reason should be declared in isolated modules, so that they can be ignored in the unit-tests.

You can set $rootScope.test = "test" in your run method, inject $rootScope into your controller, and access it in your controller directly via $rootScope.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Soleirolia Soleirolii - Baby Tears
Soleirolia soleirolii
Care Difficulty - Easy (When Constantly Hydrated)
Offer a bright, indirect setting away from any operating heat sources or direct sunlight.
Keep the soil evenly moist using the bottom-up method of submersion. Allowing excess moisture to sit in the cubbyholes of the foliage may result in rot or southern blight.
Provide a humid location by introducing a humidity/pebble tray.
Fertilise using a 'Houseplant' labelled feed every four waters in the spring and summer, reducing this to every six in the colder months.
Pests aren't as much of an issue with Baby Tears, however, have a quick scan for Aphids that'll attack the juvenile growths in the spring.
Repot every three years using a 'Houseplant' potting mix - this is a perfect time to propagate.
Baby Tears tend to grow more efficiently when situated in shallow, wide pots. Have a search at your nearest garden centre for terracotta bulb bowls that'll be located in the outdoor pot department. Alternatively, 'tot' specimens in a 5cm pot (available at Blue Diamond stores in the U.K.) are perfect for tropical-themed terrariums or displays due to the slow growth habits!
Baby Tears will thrive in bright, indirect settings away from intense sunlight or operating heat sources. Specimens located in darker settings must be watered far less than those grown in brighter areas due to the longer amount of time it takes for the soil to dry out. If you're worried about its location being too dark, if a newspaper can be read while having your back towards the light source, you're good to go!
Water - 🔸🔸🔸
The most challenging part of Baby Tears cultivation is providing near-continuous moist soil with the avoidance of persistent droughts; hydrate the plant once every few days to ensure thorough moisture throughout the year. It's highly recommended to irrigate using the bottom-up method, as excess moisture that settles in the plant's centre could cause the central leaves to rot, leaving you with a naked base. Under-watering symptoms include a gradual decline in foliage size, crispy leaves and stunted growth, which are usually due to forgetfulness or too much heat/sunlight. Over-watering symptoms include a rotten root ball, lower leaves turning yellow and plant death. Never allow the plant to sit in water for long periods, primarily if it's situated in a shady spot. Prolonged saturation will enable mould to develop on the soil, along with the heightened chance of root rot. Click on the link to find out more about addressing these issues.
Humidity - 🔸🔸
Saturated air is essential to compliment the longevity of moist soil. Introduce a pebble tray to provide a humid, reliable environment for your Baby Tears to thrive in; too dry air will cause its foliage to crisp up, as well as the heightened chance of browning leaf-edges.
Feed every four waters during the growing period and every six in the autumn and winter, using a 'Houseplant' labelled fertiliser. Never apply a 'Ready-to-Pour' feed into the soil without a pre-water beforehand, as the combination of dry compost and harsh chemicals will lead to the burning of roots.
Common Issues with Baby Tears
Under-watering is the biggest issue that gardeners will face. Typical signs include wilting, sunken or yellowed leaves and stunted growth. If the specimen receives even a hint of direct light - relocate it. The increased temperatures and sun exposure will significantly speed the process of dehydration, which in turn will result in inevitable death. Baby Tears cannot survive in drought-like conditions, so providing a bright, indirect setting with an abundance of moisture is paramount for quality growth. Those situated in direct sunlight or within three metres of a radiator are most likely to suffer from dehydration.
When a specimen is severely dehydrated, most of its leaves will crisp-up and fall off - leaving you with a naked plant. Although it may spell the end of juvenile plantlets, there may still be light at the end of the tunnel for more established specimens. If its stem is still plump without any signs of retraction, prune-away the severely affected areas and contain the plant (with its pot) in a transparent bag that has small holes. Keep the soil continually moist, providing a good level of indirect light and temperatures above 15°C (59°F). After a few weeks, new life will form in the nodal junctions on the stems, signalling the start of its recovery process. Maintain a sealed environment for the following month until you feel it's necessary to release it back into the open air. For the prevention of environmental shock, be sure to introduce a humidity tray for higher levels of atmospheric moisture around the plant in its new setting. Not only will this ease the specimen back into healthy functioning life, but it'll also reduce the rate of transpiration (water-loss in the leaves), and therefore downplay the risk of dehydration and further decline.
Never situate it within four metres of an operating heat source, for instance a radiator or fireplace. Due to the heightened temperature and dry air, the plant will soak up far more moisture than those situated in cooler locations, increasing the chance of dehydration and browning leaf-tips.
As mentioned before, botrytis (grey mould) & southern blight are major threats among heavy foliage plants when excess moisture is allowed to sit on compacted foliage. Remove the affected areas and improve the growing conditions by situating the plant in a brighter location and keeping the leaves dry.
Too low humidity can cause browning leaf tips with yellow halos. Although this won't kill your specimen, you may want to increase the local moisture to prevent the new growth from adopting these symptoms. Mist or rinse the foliage from time to time and create a humidity tray whilst the heaters are active to create a stable environment for your specimen.
Yellowing lower leaves (closest to soil) are a clear sign of over-watering, usually caused by too little light. Although they can do well in darker locations, the frequency of irrigations must be reduced to counteract the chance of root rot. People don't realise that a plant's root system needs access to oxygen too; when soil is watered, the air will travel upwards and out of the potting mix. A lack of accessible oxygen for the roots will cause them to subsequently breakdown over the oncoming days. Click on this link to learn more about root rot and how to address it, and always feel the pot's weight for confirmation (heaviness = good soil moisture, & vice versa).
Curled leaves and brown leaf-edges are the result of too little water and over-exposure to the sun. Baby Tears are best located in bright, indirect settings, and those that haven't acclimatised to the harsh rays will show signs of sun-scorch and environmental shock. A splash of winter sunlight is acceptable as long as the soil moisture is regularly observed, with complete avoidance once summer comes along.
Soleirolia soleirolii, or Helxine, is a creeping perennial the originates from Italy but has recently been introduced to western parts of South America and Northern Europe. The genus was named by Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré in the 1830s, honouring botanist Joseph Soleirol who was one of the first to introduce the species to France. S. soleirolii was initially classified in the early nineteenth century by Esprit Réquien (Helxine) but was eventually overwritten by James Edgar Dandy in 1964.
The Distribution of Baby Tears in Green & Species Introduction in Red.
5° - 26°C (40° - 80°F)
H1c (Hardiness Zone 11) - Can be grown outdoors between late spring and summer throughout most of the UK while nighttime temperatures are above 8℃ (46℉). If you decide to bring the plant outdoors, don't allow it to endure any periods of direct light as it may result in sun-scorch. Regularly keep an eye out for pests, especially when re-introducing back indoors.
Up to 10cm in height and 1m in width once they reach maturity; the ultimate height will take between 2 - 5 years to achieve with 10cm of new growth per season.
Remove yellow or dying leaves, and plant debris to encourage better-growing conditions. While pruning, always use clean scissors or shears to reduce the chance of bacterial and fungal diseases. Never cut through yellowed tissue as this may cause further damage in the likes of diseases or bacterial infections. Remember to make clean incisions as too-damaged wounds may shock the plant, causing weakened growth and a decline in health.
Via Seed or Division.
Division (Easy) - In spring, split the root ball into several sections that house a good amount of foliage and roots. Dividing too-small segments of the rootball could lead to transplant shock or unsuccessful propagation. Sections that are at least 5cm (2 inches) in diameter serve the best chance of propagation due to the stored energy in the roots and stems. Place the sections into 'Houseplant' compost and water regularly, avoiding prolonged sunlight or persistent droughts.
Baby Tears will produce insignificant perennial inflorescences that sport either a pink or white appearance, within the foliage of the plant. The blooming period will last up to a month or two during late spring to early summer.
Repot every three years in spring using a 'Houseplant' labelled compost and the next sized pot with adequate drainage. As Baby Tears are ground creepers, they tend to grow quicker in a wide, shallow pot; visit your local garden centre and search for 'Terracotta Bulb Bowls' which should be on sale all year round. Hydrate the plant 24hrs before tinkering with the roots to prevent the risk of transplant shock. For those that are situated in a darker location, add a thin layer of small grit in the pot's base to improve drainage and downplay over-watering.
Click here for a detailed step-by-step guide on transplantation, or via this link to learn about repotting with root rot.
Although pests aren't usually an issue when cultivating Baby Tears, fungus gnats or aphids may attack weakened specimens with overly moist soil. Common diseases are root rot, botrytis, rust, powdery mildew and southern blight - click here to learn more about these issues.
Not known to be poisonous by consumption of pets and humans. If high quantities are eaten, it may result in vomiting, nausea and a loss of appetite.
Blue Diamond, Online Stores.
helexine helxine hellexine hellxine moss soleirolii Soleirolia baby tears babytears babby teers tear mind your mind you're youre own business buisness bread and butter Mind-your-own-business


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In yesterday's reading, we witnessed the high priest Hilkiah discovering "The Book" in the temple of the Lord and bringing it to the attention of King Josiah. What follows is a great reformation. While the changes are not enough to deter God's eventual judgment, they are enough to delay it (2 Kings 22:18-20). Inspired by the recovery of God's Word, King Josiah gathers the elders and prophets and renews the covenant between the Lord and His people. He removes idolatrous icons from the temple and has them burned. He fires the priests who are complicit in the whole business of faux religion. He runs the male prostitutes out of town and demolishes their dormitories. He kills any priest who has a hand in using the high places (alternative worship sites), he literally burns them on their own altar, and then destroys the altar. He stands publicly before the people and declares his commitment to follow the Lord, and he reinstates the God Fest, the great annual celebration of the nation's birth. Josiah is a man on a mission.
This is what happens when the Word of God is discovered, and read, and then obeyed. Reform! Leaders are reformed, individuals are reformed, churches are reformed, entire cities and even nations are reformed. Much later in the history of the church, the Protestant Reformers in Europe (ca. 1517-1648) would be inspired by the story of Josiah's course correction for Israel. They "discovered" the Bible in the church much like Josiah did. It was there all along but hardly anyone was reading it. In fact, at that point, the Bible was still in Latin and, except for a handful of scholars, no one read Latin! Once it was discovered and preached, change happened! Reform reverberated throughout the land as the Word was pronounced and lived.
The church, and the people in the church, desperately need the Word of God today. It has the power to bring change, reform, to our lives, to our churches, and to our communities. We ignore it to our own peril, as Josiah's descendants would soon discover. But when we read it, hear it preached, and then commit ourselves to doing what it says, we are changed and blessed. As James the Elder writes, "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does" (Jas. 1:25). Did you catch that? "The law that gives freedom." What an ironic turn of phrase. The Word of God is law, but it is a law that, when obeyed, frees us up and blesses us! This is what Josiah discovered, the blessing of obeying the law of God. Perhaps today you need to ask God to help you apply the Word to your life in those areas where you have most neglected His instruction. Then you can experience the freedom and blessing of obeying Him fully.


If you are reading this, you have probably just got your first airgun or are thinking of getting one. Before you start shooting, reading this information will help you get the most out of your gun by using it safely and responsibly.
Airguns can, in the wrong hands, be lethal. However, by following a set of simple,commonsense safety rules, you can ensure that you are never the cause of an accident.
• Always assume your gun is loaded. You'd be amazed how many accidents have happened with guns their owners 'knew' were unloaded.
• Never point your gun at another person.
• Never carry a loaded air weapon in a public place and when you are carrying your gun in public, keep it fastened securely away in a gunslip or case.
• Never load your gun until you are ready to shoot.
• Never fire your gun unless you are certain the shot will be a safe one. This means checking there are no other people nearby who might be endangered by the shot and ensuring there is a suitable backstop to catch pellets and prevent ricochets.
• When at a shoot, never let your gun out of your sight.
• Never let young children near your gun unsupervised.
• Never touch anyone else's gun unless you have permission.
• After using your gun, make sure it is unloaded and store it in a secure place to which children cannot gain access. Store ammunition in a separate secure place.
Air weapons are mainly sold from firearms dealerships and outdoor sports shops.
Air rifles with muzzle energies of less than twelve foot pounds (16.3 joules) and air pistols with muzzle energies of less than six foot pounds (8.15 joules) can be bought by any person aged eighteen years or more.
If you do move on to live quarry shooting you must be careful only to shoot on private property over which you have permission to shoot. Provided you follow the safety rules contained in this guide, you will be able to shoot safely and enjoyably even on quite small pieces of ground.
• It is an offence to sell or make a gift of an air weapon to a person under eighteen years of age.
• It is an offence for anyone under eighteen to carry an air weapon unless - they are under the supervision of a person aged twenty one or more or they are on private land and have permission from the occupier or they are shooting as a member of an approved club or they are shooting at a shooting gallery for miniature rifles.
• It is an offence for a person under eighteen shooting unsupervised on private land to allow any pellets to cross the boundaries of the property.
• It is an offence for any person, regardless of age, to be in possession of an air weapon in a public place without a reasonable excuse. A reasonable excuse might be carrying a gun to and from a target shooting club or to and from land on which you have permission to shoot. It would also include taking a gun to and from a gunsmith for repair or service or taking a new gun home from the dealer.
• It is an offence to trespass with an air weapon, be that in a building or on land.
• It is an offence to have an air weapon if you are a person prohibited from possessing a firearm by section 21 of the 1968 Act. This section prohibits anyone who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of between three months and three years from possessing an air weapon or other firearm for five years from the date of release. Anyone sentenced to three years or more is prohibited for life.
• It is an offence to fire your gun within fifty feet (fifteen metres) of the centre of a public road in such a way as to endanger or impede any road user.
• It is an offence to shoot protected wild birds or animals. When live quarry shooting, it is your responsibility to make sure that you only shoot legal quarry.
• It is an offence to shoot pet animals. Besides being abhorrent to most people, this is, above all others, the offence that gives all air weapon shooters a bad name.
• It is an offence to have an air weapon with intent to damage property.
• It is an offence to have an air weapon with intent to endanger life.
This may seem a long and onerous list, but it is all no more than common sense. If you use your gun safely and responsibly, you will be in no danger of committing an offence.
You should always remember that airguns are capable of inflicting severe injuries and even of killing people. Irresponsible owners have given airgun shooters a bad name by breaking windows, shooting pets and protected wild birds and even sniping at people. You can do your bit to help change this perception by using your gun in a way that demonstrates that air weapon shooters are, in the main, responsible people who pose no threat to anyone. Always follow the guidelines set out in this information.


text:
Tiger attacks founder of Arizona wildlife sanctuary
By Morgan Gstalter - 04/25/19 01:57 PM EDT
© Keepers of the Wild
A former Las Vegas entertainer and the founder of a wildlife sanctuary in Arizona was attacked by a tiger this week while moving animals during a thunderstorm.
Jonathan Kraft, executive director of Keepers of the Wild in Valentine, Ariz., suffered multiple injuries from a Bengal tiger named Bowie, the organization said in a Wednesday statement. The incident being investigated internally, according to the sanctuary.
Kraft was attempting to move several of large cats on Monday during a storm that bought a flash flood warning, heavy rain, lightening, thunder and hail, the sanctuary said in a Facebook post.
Kraft had reportedly instructed staff to open the gates to various animal enclosures so they could have access to their nighttime den areas, according to Keepers of the Wild, which said the move was in line with standard procedure.
The sanctuary, which occupies more than 60 acres in Northern Arizona, includes 20 individual areas for big cats.
"During the process, the usually docile behaving Bowie exhibited unusual conduct by suddenly pushing the gates prior to Jonathan being able to secure the safety clips," according to the statement. "Animal Care staff rushed to assist Jonathan and remove him from the tiger's grip. Although Bowie lacks front claws, he took advantage of his strong teeth to hold onto Jonathan."
Kraft was taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center before being transferred to a Las Vegas hospital. He suffered multiple wounds and two broken bones from the incident and will take several months to recover, the statement said.
The organization said the 11-year-old tiger was one of three large cats, previously owned as pets, that arrived at the sanctuary in September. The tiger had been declawed as a cub, resulting in lameness in both of its front feet, the sanctuary said. He is often seen limping around his enclosure, they added.
Bowie will not be euthanized over the incident, the statement said.
"Jonathan has been known for having a heart of a lion due to his compassion and commitment to the hundreds of animals that Keepers of the Wild has rescued over the past 24 years," the statement read. "Since the Monday afternoon accident he now has the heart of a tiger as well."
Kraft is a former Las Vegas illusionist and was the first area entertainer to stop using big cats in his performances, according to the sanctuary.
"There are many photographs showing me having close contact with a variety of animals when they were young or ones that I had raised. Those are from 'the old days'. Close contact with wild exotic and native species has not been a practice in many years," Kraft said in the statement.
"My accident with Bowie was my fault. I was concerned for his welfare and did not stay focused on him," Kraft continued. "It only takes a fraction of a second for a captive wild animal to revert to their instinctual behavior. These situations occur when there is human error."
Tags TIGER


text:
EFT Case Story: EFT for "I Am Not Good Enough"
AMT Trainer Catherine Dixon writes: Sometimes we hear a message over and over again through different stage of our life yet it is only when something alarming happens that this message becomes insistent that we are forced to take action. Often what brings us to a treatment is not the issue itself but what lies behind it and drives the behaviour. One of the most powerful beliefs that can affect people in negative ways is the perception that in some way, they are not good enough. This can lead to crippling feelings of low self worth on one extreme to being over driven and having to prove your worth to the world on the other. This belief is often at the root of most addictions and obsessive behaviour.
Added Apr 17, 2012 | Catherine Dixon | Energy Stories | 4,909 Reads
Maggie was a bright vivacious, dynamic woman in her 30s. She was a successful recording artist, had a happy, loving marriage and exciting prospects for her future. However she always held an underlying level of anxiety and although she found yoga, chi kung and meditation helpful for her wellbeing, she was unable to shake off this feeling. Now as a a young mother with two small children she found her level of anxiety had increased to the extent that it was negatively impacting her ability to enjoy simple pleasures such as a trip to the park with her children or sitting and watching them play. Her inner critical voice running in the background was always reminding her that she needed to be doing something to make sure that they were entirely safe and if something did happen, then she would be responsible because she had not done enough.
She had experienced EFT before with me before and found it helpful so was keen to get to the bottom of this anxious feeling. I decided to use a free flowing form of EFT instead of tapping. As Maggie entered my room we started working almost immediately tapping on affirmations that came up for her.
She talked about her children and her hyper vigilance around their safety and that she needed to be present at all times to protect them. She felt if anything happened to them she would be responsible for not doing enough. This had come to a head during a recent incident involving her young son. Whilst she was doing home improvement there was a new door that had not been fixed on the hinges and was resting against the wall. Suddenly the door slid down and narrowly missed her son. We tapped on her shock and her guilt and horror that the door was in that position.
We tapped on why she felt this overriding sense of responsibility and suddenly she flipped back into memories of her own child hood where she heard her father telling her that whatever she did at home or at school, the results were not good enough. If she got 95 percent in an exam he asked her why she did not get 100 percent. Her father was unable to encourage her or congratulate her on any of her successes. Maggie was a driven and award winning recording artist and even at the pinnacle of her career he was unable to recognise her achievement and she cried as she said the words "your father is suitably unimpressed". As we tapped on this, Maggie's breathing changed, her hands became clammy and her voice became very young and frightened.
We explored the themes deeper, that she was not able to fulfil her father's expectations of her or win his approval which left her feeling she would never be good enough and the only antidote to this was to take masses of action and total responsibility for everything and indeed everybody in her life. She had spent many years trying to please her father and do things that would get his attention and approval to no avail. We kept tapping on these memories and feelings until spontaneously she said: "I don't need to please him anymore, it is me I need to please" We worked with the "I am good enough" affirmation in various formats, We used a standing like a tree Chi Kung meditation posture to root her new emergent knowledge about herself and this helped her anchor this state into her mind, body and nervous system whilst repeating the new affirmations.
She found the experience quite life altering and several days later she reported that she was able to sit down and not feel guilty. She reported that she felt calmer and more trusting that her children were able to learn their own safety boundaries through play and this in turn would build their own self confidence and inner worth.
Catherine Dixon


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Q: atmospheric phenomenon? What causes condensation trails to converge? This air plane just caught my eye. Two contrails apparently are flowing backward, slightly off-centered and then ultimately converge, giving the overall shape of a very narrow rhomboid parallelogram, with one diagonal being on the order of about four plane-width's.
Please explain what I am seeing here as detailed as possible.
Some of you may even know what class of plane this may be and thus infer the scales involved, to give some hints of the scale of the contrail under investigation?
I looked up other pictures, and if I am not mistaken, most contrails are slightly angled outward. Is this by design or due to expansion and convection of the gases involved? Can someone confirm this?

Edit:

*

*I did observe the described contrail-shape, with quite some consistency, over varying angles of ascension and declination.

*I have never heard of conspiracies regarding contrails (e.g. chemtrails) until after writing this post. It shows that good, hard explanations for atmospheric contrail phenomena are in demand.

*Given the right circumstances (large distances) some apparent contrail convergence can be attributed to perspective alone.
Links:

*

*Contrail Science (impressive resource, which I just peeked at so far)

*Contrail gallery

*Contrails - clouds (ppt)

*http://www.es.lancs.ac.uk/hazelrigg/amy/Introduction/The%20Science.htm

*http://www.epa.gov/oms/aviation.htm

*http://www-pm.larc.nasa.gov/newcontrail.html

*http://www.epa.gov/oar/oap.html

*http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=464914&action=detail

*http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/P4.html

A: I will make it an answer instead of a comment.
My guess is that the convergence is an optical illusion. This plane is flying at a level where the relative humidity is small.This means that the trail evaporates, it will evaporate faster from outside (the trail itself is humid) and finally what is left is merged the dissolution giving the impression of convergence.
in addition, this image

and this second image

shows clearly that there is a latteral expansion in the thinner air of the more dense exhaust, which would contribute to the joining of the two tracks in your image.
The narrowing is due to the faster evaporation in the moisture depleted air at the outer boundaries.

A: All aircraft producing lift have a wake, because the wing deflects the air downward, while the air further away is not deflected. This takes the form of a pair of "wingtip vortices".
Since they transfer energy to the surrounding air as they dissipate, they expand in radius, because momentum is conserved. So they capture the condensation trails from the engines, causing them to twist and swirl with the vortices.
Those condensation trails eventually evaporate, at a rate depending on the humidity.
This shows the vortices clearly:

Note that the vortices are more pronounced when the plane is moving at a relatively low speed, as it is during takeoff and landing.
(I think it's on approach to landing, based on wheels, flaps, low nose, and position of camera.)
Why the trails seem to evaporate outside-in, if they actually do, Anna's answer is not a bad guess.
In this video, the vortex is clearly shown. Note that the smoke is showing the vortex from the right wing.
EDIT: This video gives a pretty good idea of wingtip vortices, wake turbulence, and how pilots study about these things.

A: The vapor pattern that we can see on this pictures is due to the instability of trailing edge vortices. Here are some picture showing an instability of this vortices (in French for English see aslo this JFM). Different plane will have different trailing edge vortices resulting in different observable vapor pattern. On Wikipedia the trailing edge vortex are revered as wingtip vortices. The geometry of the plane create a trailing edge vortices and this groupe of vortex are unstable causing the rhomboid parallelogram.


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Illinois Health Plans Frequently Deny Coverage of Mental Health, Addiction Care, According to New Report; Lawmakers Pledge to Investigate
Click here to download an electronic version of the Release
Chicago, / PR web / September 19, 2017 – Despite ongoing mental health and addiction crises, Illinois treatment providers responding to a recent survey report frequent claims denials and other barriers to coverage, according to a new report released today by The Kennedy Forum Illinois, Illinois Psychiatric Society, Illinois Association for Behavioral Health, Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, and Health and Medicine Policy Research Group.
The 16-page report, which is available here, raises important questions about health plans' coverage of mental health and addiction conditions. Further investigation is urgently needed to identify and remove barriers, and ensure that Illinois Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) and commercial insurance plans are in compliance with federal and state laws that require they cover mental illness and addiction care on par with care for other medical conditions.
Key report findings include:
Upwards of 75 percent of responding providers reported that Medicaid MCOs sometimes/often/always denied coverage for inpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, and medication-assisted treatment. Nearly half of responding providers reported commercial insurers at least sometimes denied inpatient treatment.
More than 60 percent of responding providers reported that Medicaid MCOs sometimes/often/ always refused to cover the requested level of care and instead approved only a lower level of care, while 54 percent of responding providers reported commercial insurers did the same.
With Medicaid MCOs, nearly 65 percent of responding providers reported that they were told often or always that networks were simply closed. Nearly half of responding providers were told this often or always with commercial plans. The result: with mental health and addiction care providers unable to join plan networks, patients have more difficulty accessing care, due to the narrow network.
More than 90 percent of responding providers report that both Medicaid MCOs and commercial plans have refused to provide requested medical necessity criteria, despite clear legal requirements that plans do so.
The organizations responsible for the report call for regulators, legislators, health plans, and providers to investigate what coverage barriers exist to coverage and work to remove them.
"This survey makes clear that Illinois must do more to remove barriers to coverage of mental health and addiction treatment," said Kelly O'Brien, executive director of The Kennedy Forum Illinois, a leadership a mental health leadership initiative that seeks to eliminate stigma and change public policy. "Unless we make the promise of federal and state parity laws a reality, we will be unable to make the progress we need in ending Illinois' mental health and addiction crises that are ravaging our communities."
The report highlights evidence from around the country, where health plans have been found to not be in compliance with mental health and addiction parity laws that require most plans to cover mental health and addiction treatment on par with other medical conditions. Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum nationally and author of the landmark federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, called on policymakers to work to end stigma and discrimination against people living with mental health and addiction challenges.
"The mental health and addiction coverage barriers reported by Illinois providers are giant red flags that elected officials must urgently address," said Kennedy. "Illnesses of the brain should be treated no differently than any other type of medical condition. To combat our country's mental health and addiction crises, we must enforce our laws and end discrimination against people with mental health and addiction challenges."
In response to the report, State Representative Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park), chairwoman of the House Mental Health Committee, expressed concern and promised the Committee would hold hearings.
"The General Assembly must get to the bottom of these reported barriers to mental health and addiction coverage. The Mental Health Committee will be holding hearings in the coming months to find out what coverage barriers exist and how we can remove them. To address Illinois' ongoing mental health and addiction crises, all stakeholders must work together to dramatically increase access to treatment and to ensure that state and federal parity laws are being followed."
Based on the report's findings, State Representative Steve Andersson (R-Geneva), member of the Mental Health Committee, filed a resolution urging action that is co-sponsored by Rep. Conroy, House Deputy Majority Leader State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), and Assistant Majority Leader State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).
"This report makes clear that barriers to coverage for mental health and addiction issues remain and need to be addressed so that all people get the benefits of the coverage to which they are entitled," said Rep. Andersson. "That is why I've filed House Resolution 607 asking the Mental Health Committee to formulate a plan to remove barriers to mental health and addiction coverage and improve coverage parity."
Rep. Lang, author of Illinois' Heroin Crisis Act and chair of the Subcommittee on Substance Abuse of the Mental Health Committee, called for the General Assembly to pass legislation that increases transparency on whether health plans are in compliance with state and federal parity laws.
"This survey raises numerous red flags about barriers to mental health and addiction coverage. Even though Illinois has a strong parity law on the books requiring health plans to cover mental health and addiction treatment on an equal basis with other types of medical care, there is little transparency on whether health plans are complying with the law," said Rep. Lang. "That is why the General Assembly needs to pass legislation that increases transparency to ensure consumers can access the coverage they're entitled to."
The report offers recommendations for all stakeholders, including health plans, regulators, legislators, providers, and even consumers to remove barriers to mental health and addiction coverage. Consumers should contact the Illinois Attorney General's office and Illinois Department of Insurance if they are having difficulty with their commercial insurance plans, and Medicaid MCO consumers should contact the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
"This report raises important questions about whether consumers can access mental health and addiction insurance coverage when they need it," said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. "My office is committed to holding insurance companies accountable to our state's mental health parity laws. Anyone who has problems with their health insurance coverage should contact my Health Care Bureau for help at 1-877-305-5145."
Jennifer Hammer, Director of The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI), said, "The Illinois Department of Insurance strives to make Illinois families aware of the resources & coverage available to them. Families dealing with mental health issues and substance use disorder deserve support and understanding. Our goal is to ensure consumers learn their rights under state and federal law." DOI encourages Illinois residents to use DOI's free Consumer Toolkit for Navigating Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Care Through Your Health Insurance Plan or call DOI toll-free at 866-445-5346 for consumer assistance.
The organizations authoring the reports said they have sent copies of the report to all members of the Illinois General Assembly, Governor Bruce Rauner, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois Department of Insurance Director Jennifer Hammer and Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Felicia Norwood, with the intention of sparking necessary conversation to remove barriers to mental health and addiction coverage and treatment.
Additional expert quotes in reaction to the report's findings:
Meryl Sosa, Executive Director, Illinois Psychiatric Society: "Psychiatrists across Illinois regularly see patients' health plans deny coverage of needed mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment. Plan networks are often very difficult for psychiatrists to join, and plans often don't even provide requested medical necessity criteria, as required by law. To improve patient outcomes, health plans, regulators, and legislators must urgently work to remove these barriers to treatment."
Marvin Lindsey, CEO, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois: "Access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment is incredibly important for the health and well-being of Illinois. Any barriers to needed behavioral healthcare services harm communities, individuals and their families and must be completely eliminated."
Margie Schaps, Executive Director, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group: "Ensuring health plans cover mental health and addiction care on par with other types of medical conditions is critical to patients being able to access the care and treatment they need to stay healthy. Untreated mental health and substance use disorders drive higher rates of disease and mortality, and contribute significantly to high health care and other social costs."
Janet Stover, President and CEO of IARF, the statewide association of community-based providers serving children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, mental illnesses and substance use disorders: "Parity in health care is essential for all of us, and is especially important for individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Barriers to care are not only detrimental to the health and well-being of individuals we serve and support, but to the overall healthcare system as well. IARF looks forward to working with our partners in health and long-term care to eliminate these barriers, resolving issues raised in the report, and ensuring better health outcomes for those we serve and support."
Sara Moscato Howe, CEO of the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health: "Compliance with state and federal behavioral health parity laws must be a top priority for managed care organizations and commercial insurance alike. Compliance must be built on a solid foundation of rigorous, transparent, and comprehensive data analysis, which must be mandated by the Illinois General Assembly."
Click here to view and download complimentary versions of The Kennedy Forum's policy papers. For more information about The Kennedy Forum and other helpful resources addressing behavioral health and substance use disorders, please visit www.TheKennedyForum.org.
« Patrick J. Kennedy to Address Key Policymakers at CMS Innovation Center Summit:
From Pain to Promise – Addressing Opioids & Suicide in Communities Across America »


cord, stack the wood neatly by placing the wood in a line or a row, with individual pieces touching and parallel to each other, making sure that the wood is compact and has as few gaps as possible. Then measure the stack. If the width times the height times the length equals 128 cubic feet, you have a cord of firewood.
If It Doesn't Equal 128 Cubic Feet, It is Not a Cord!
A cord, like other measurements such as a foot, a gallon, or a ton, is defined by law. A seller may not legitimately use terms such as "truckload," "face cord," "rack," or "pile" because these terms have no legally defined meaning and, therefore, you have no way of determining how much firewood you are actually receiving. If a seller uses such terms it should alert you to a possible problem. Wood can only be sold by the cord or by fractions of a cord.
When you buy firewood make sure to get a sales invoice or delivery ticket which shows at least the name and address of the seller, the date purchased or delivered, the quantity purchased, and the price of the quantity purchased.
When the wood is delivered, ask the seller to stack it (you may have to pay extra for this service) or stack the wood yourself. Measure the wood before using any. If the cubic measurement indicate that you did not receive the correct volume, contact the seller before you burn any wood.
If the seller can't or won't correct the problem, contact your weights and measures office before you burn any wood. It is also helpful to document the possible shortage by taking a picture of the stacked wood.


text:
Nigeria: Buhari, Governors And Local Government
Nigeria: Supreme Court Sacks Taraba APC Governorship Candidate
Home Opinion
"Local government administration in Nigeria has always presented a challenge, but it has never been as bad as it is now under the current dispensation."
in Opinion, Top Stories
Composite of Nigerian Governors and President Muhammadu Buhari.
By Olusegun Adeniyi
You may accuse President Muhammadu Buhari of many things but not flippancy. He is a man who rarely speaks and on the few occasions he does, he picks his words. So, when a man like that concludes a prepared text at a public ceremony and then adds that he has a personal experience to share by way of 'digression', people pay attention. That was what happened last week at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) Senior Executive Course No. 44 (2022) with the theme, 'Strengthening Local Governance in Nigeria: Challenges, Options and Opportunities'. The president pointedly accused an unnamed governor of stealing 50 percent of the money belonging to local governments in his state.
Before I proceed, it is important to put context to the presidential accusation. On 22nd May 2020, President Buhari signed Executive Order No 10, which sought to grant financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary in the 36 states, in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended by the 4th Alteration Act, No.4 of 2017. The Executive Order was challenged by the 36 Governors who argued that it goes against the letter and spirit of our federal constitution. And in a six to one decision by Justices in February this year, the Supreme Court agreed with the governors by declaring Executive Order 10 unconstitutional, illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
That was the background to the presidential lamentation. "If the money from the Federation Account to the state is about N100 million, N50 million will be sent to the chairman (of local government), but he (chairman) will sign that he received N100 million. The governor will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with," said the president who cannot be accused of not knowing what he was talking about. ''And then the chairman of the local government must pay salaries and to hell with development. When he pays salaries, the balance he will put in his pocket. This is what's happening in Nigeria. It's a terrible thing; you cannot say the person who was doing this is not educated. He was a qualified lawyer, he was experienced, yet he participated in this type of corruption."
Because the president referred to a specific governor (current or former) who happens to be a lawyer, one can infer that the accusation is not directed at all governors. But in a way, the president was also general in his accusation which means many governors are involved in this sharp practice. Besides, Buhari's allegation came in the context of discussing how that tier of government has been crippled. Two years ago in my column, 'Democracy and the grassroots', I addressed this same problem. Beyond management of their finances, which I also highlighted at the time, there are other issues that need to be addressed if local government administration is to have any meaning in Nigeria. Due to its topicality, my column of 27th August 2020 is reproduced below with minor editing.
The 1999 Constitution (as amended), provides that each of the 774 local governments in the country is vested with powers to establish and maintain cemeteries, burial grounds, and homes for the destitute or infirm; license bicycles, vehicles, canoes, wheelbarrows, and carts; regulate slaughterhouses, markets, motor parks and public conveniences as well as construct and maintain roads, streets lightings, drains, parks, gardens, open spaces etc. They are also to register births, deaths and marriages and name roads, streets, and houses, while providing and maintaining public conveniences and refuse disposal among other functions. Perhaps most significantly, local governments are expected to provide and maintain primary, adult, and vocational education and health services.
These, no doubt, are heavy responsibilities for which 20.60 percent of our total national earnings is allocated from the federation account. That is one fifth of the entire resources accruing to the nation. Available data from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) indicates that no less than about N25 trillion has been shared by the 774 local governments in the past 21 years. Even if we use the prevailing exchange rate, that still exceeds $60 billion! For instance, last year (2019), all the local governments shared N1.649 trillion; In 2018, they shared N1.667 trillion; in 2017, they shared N1.502 trillion; in 2016, they shared 1.011 trillion; in 2015, they shared N1.205 trillion; in 2014, they shared N1.557 trillion; in 2013, they shared N1.708 trillion; in 2012, they shared N1.535 trillion; in 2011, they shared N1.255 trillion; in 2010, they shared N1.328 trillion; in 2009, they shared N976.817 billion and in 2008, they shared N1.206 trillion.
Despite such huge financial resources, local governments are not playing their roles. Sadder still, they cannot account for the humongous amount of money allocated to them because governors have conspired to render local government administration in Nigeria completely prostrate. Not only have they hijacked council funds, but they also recruit their personnel as well. The national president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel once argued that "the concept of bringing governance closer to the people through a third-tier participatory form of government has not materialized in Nigeria."
After tracing the history of reforms of local government from the Dasuki Committee of 1976 to the Etsu Nupe report of 2003 and several Supreme Court rulings, Khaleel gave a damning verdict: "there is no state in Nigeria where one form of illegality or the other is not committed with the funds of local governments. Through over deduction of primary school teachers' salaries; spurious state/local government joint projects, sponsoring of elections, taking over the statutory functions of local governments and handing them over to cronies and consultants; non-payments of pensioners and non-utilization of training fund despite the mandatory deduction of stipulated percentages for these purposes, we can go on and on. Most of these shameful activities are known to all of us."
To be sure, local government administration in Nigeria has always presented a challenge, but it has never been as bad as it is now under the current dispensation. And it begins with the election of officials. Even though democracy is a never-ending process of inquiry that requires the validation of voters, in Nigeria, catch phrases such as 'the will of the people', 'the people have spoken' have, over the years, become no more than false constructs, especially regarding local government elections. If our democracy is to survive and thrive, we must examine this charade. For the benefit of readers, let me highlight results of the last local government polls in many of the 36 states.
In December 2016, the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission conducted LG polls, where almost a million people were recorded as having voted. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state won all 17 chairmanship and 292 councillorship seats. "There was no election anywhere in the state," the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) secretary, Sunday Onukwubiri, told reporters. A year earlier during the 2015 general election, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had secured 264,713 votes (representing 59.4 percent of total votes cast) to defeat Dr Alex Otti, the then APGA candidate who secured 180,882 votes (representing 40.6 percent of total votes cast). Yet, APGA could not win a councillorship seat at the LG polls. That has been the pattern in practically all the states.
Last December (2019) in Adamawa, candidates of the ruling PDP won all the 21 chairmanship and 226 councillorship seats in the state. Akwa Ibom is billed to conduct the local government election on 31st October this year (2020) but the APC has already seen the handwriting on the wall by threatening a boycott. In the last one conducted in December 2017, PDP won all the 31 chairmanship and 329 councillorship seats. "Details of scores will be made available by the field operations/logistics department of the commission," according to the state electoral commission chairman, Aniedi Ikoiwak, who only gave round figures without providing any breakdown of the results!
In Anambra State where LG polls have not been held in the past six years, businessman, Chief Arthur Eze, has issued a stern warning to Governor Willie Obiano: "I want him (Obiano) to know that since he has refused to hold local government elections, he must be ready to vomit all the allocations and revenues of the councils at the end of his tenure. He will not go free. I have taken up the matter formally in writing with President Muhammadu Buhari concerning all Southeast governors who have refused to organise council elections but chose to unilaterally usurp the functions and finances of that level of government. They will all be called to account. None will get away with it."
In Bauchi State, Governor Bala Mohammed had promised to conduct LG polls in June this year before COVID-19 put a spanner in the works. But in the last one conducted 13 years ago, it was 100 percent victory in both the chairmanship and councillorship positions for the then ruling PDP in the state! In Benue state, COVID-19 did not prevent the LG polls from holding in May this year with the ruling PDP winning all the 23 chairmanship and 276 councillorship seats. In June this year, the ruling PDP won all the 18 chairmanship and 196 councillorship positions in Cross River State.
The January 2018 LG polls in Delta State produced an interesting outcome. After winning all the 25 chairmanship seats, the ruling PDP in the state conceded a single councillorship position in Ward 2, Aniocha North local government area, (home base of the then minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu) to APC, winning the remaining 424 councillorship positions. Ebonyi will hold its LG polls this Saturday. In the last one conducted in April 2017, PDP won all the 13 chairmanship and 171 councillorship seats. In Edo State in March 2018, the then ruling APC won all the 18 chairmanship and 192 councillorship seats. In Ekiti State, the last local government poll held in December 2017 and predictably, the then ruling PDP won all the 16 chairmanship and 177 Councillorship seats. In Enugu State where the poll held in March this year, the ruling PDP won all the 17 chairmanship and 260 councillorship positions. In Gombe State, the then ruling PDP won all the 114 councillorship and 11 chairmanship positions in the February 2017 LG polls. In Imo State, in August 2018, the ruling APC won all the 27 chairmanship positions and 636 of the 645 councillorship positions. In June 2019, the ruling APC won all the 27 chairmanship and 286 councillorship positions in Jigawa State.
In February 2018, the ruling APC swept all the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship seats in Kano State. In August 2014, the PDP cleared all the 34 chairmanship and 361 councillorship seats in Katsina State. In October last year, the ruling APC in Kebbi State won all 21 chairmanship and 223 councillorship positions. Elections into the 57 Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State were conducted in July 2017 with the ruling APC winning all the chairmanship positions. The party also won 369 councillorship seats while the PDP won four seats, and Accord Party, the remaining three.
In May 2018, the ruling APC won all the 26 chairmanship and 147 councillorship positions in Nasarawa State. In October 2016, the ruling APC won the chairmanship positions in all the 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs in Ogun State. The party also won 346 out of the 349 councillorship seats. In January 2018, the ruling APC cleared all the 389 councillorship positions in Osun State. In the May 2018 poll in Oyo State, the then ruling APC won all the chairmanship seats in the 33 local government councils and the 35 Local Council Development Areas.
In June 2018 in Rivers State, the ruling PDP won all the 23 chairmanship and 302 councillorship positions. In Sokoto, the then ruling APC (now PDP) won all the 22 chairmanship and 234 councillorship seats at the March 2016 local government elections. In June this year, after the Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC) chairman, Dr Phillip Duwe declared PDP candidates the winners for both chairmanship and councillorship positions in all 16 local government councils, he urged the defeated candidates and parties to understand that 'leadership comes only from God.' But after the February 2017 LG poll in Yobe, the state electoral commission chairman did not beat about the bush: "Having received and compiled the election results, all the 17 candidates of the APC in the chairmanship category are declared winners." And in the LG polls conducted in April last year by the then outgoing Governor Yari of Zamfara State, his APC cleared all the 14 chairmanship and 147 councillorship seats.
It must be noted, however, that on local government polls, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has been different. In May 2018, what perhaps remains the only semblance of a competitive election was conducted by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM). At the end, the ruling APC won in 12 local government areas, the PDP won in five local government areas, with results from three local government stalemated.
Ordinarily, the essence of voting is for citizens to decide how they are governed. But in a situation in which Nigerians have been conditioned to believe that exercising their franchise in local government elections is simply a waste of time, then something is wrong with our system. To change the trajectory of our country, there must be institutional reforms, beginning with the charade we now call local government elections. Aside from wasting enormous resources on these meaningless elections, the governors do not even pretend that they consider them serious. In Gombe some years ago, the state government engaged a contractor to supply ballot boxes for the LG polls. The contractor went to China for the procurement, but the election was conducted, and winners declared before the ballot boxes were eventually delivered.
In their book, 'How Democracies Die', Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt argued that while there is a general tendency to believe that a democracy is imperilled only by military adventurers, it is now the elected leaders who most often subvert the very process that brought them to power. These are men who have no qualms "rewriting the rules of politics to permanently disadvantage their rivals", the authors wrote before adding, "The tragic paradox of the electoral route to authoritarianism is that democracy's enemies use the very institutions of democracy—gradually, subtly, and even legally—to kill it."
It is in the enlightened self-interest of the governors to change the current narrative on local government elections in the country.
ENDNOTE: While President Buhari is right on the money (literally and figuratively), regarding local government administration in Nigeria, reform will require more than financial autonomy. As crucial as that may be. Unless our leadership recruitment process changes, the situation will remain the same!
The Amnesty Billions: My Stewardship
By Milland Dixon Dikio
Dear Segun, I read your column, 'Tompolo and the Amnesty Deal', and I need to make this clarification, especially as it concerns my stewardship as the immediate past Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
During the period September 2020-2022, a total of 1651 beneficiaries were awarded scholarships during the 2021/2022 Academic Session out of about 31,000 applicants. They were rigorously scrutinized to be qualified Niger Deltans. The fees of all verified bonafide PAP students were paid up to Aug 2022. The debt inherited in 2020 after reconciliation was N90,563,205,567.88. At the end, N56,123,742,039.47 was paid after certification over the period under review without any additional funding.
The balance on old debts as of 15th September 2022 was N34,439,463,528.41 and the Federal Ministry of Finance had been requested to assume them because they were weighing down on the PAP ability to train. The Train, Employ and Mentor (TEM) scheme was initiated because the subsisting model of training and issue of starter packs did not effectively transfer skills. It was rather contractor driven and shoddily conducted. Removing the employment and mentorship component of TEM is not synonymous to saving money but returning to the old model that in 12 years has no evidence on the ground of imparting the requisite skills to the beneficiaries.
For the first time in PAP history, 186 beneficiaries were given letters of employment after graduating at Bradama Steel Works Ltd on 19th August 2022 on monthly salaries above N70,000. Public members invited to visit the training centers and verify the quality of training Sunup Logistics and other reputable companies that are on going in various skills relevant to the critical needs of the Niger Delta. In summary, the current IA inherited N1,841,639,181 cash in three accounts and N7.5 billion special supplementary fund to engage and train identified participants who had been involved in illegal refining and the September 2022 allocation. PAP receives a monthly allocation of N5.2 billion and the so-called debts were all programmed to be paid when due. Available records show that stipends, school fees and all operating expenses were paid promptly in the period of September 2020 -2022 and there was peace in the Niger Delta. That's the central purpose and mission of PAP. These are the properly documented facts, and they are verifiable.
Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), the immediate past Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), wrote from Abuja.
You can follow me on my Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdictand on www.olusegunadeniyi.com
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Endless debate on this. I began with Makita, in a cabinet shop where I worked, when the first cordless drills came out. I've been through a variety of brands since then — and I'm back to wanting the 18v LXT Makita compacts. Beautiful. Expensive. So I've standardized on the more budget oriented "blue" Bosch products. More about that in part four of these posts.
I've got a background in construction (including 20 year stint as a pro carpenter). When it comes to "making," one of my pet peeves is efficiency. Thus, life is too short for only one cordless drill. Two are necessary. As necessary as four tires on a car. Or two bindings if you have two skis… the idea being to eliminate bit swapping as well as having a spare if one breaks.
Apologies in advance to all significant others out there who are now informed that your mate needs two cordless drills instead of one. Just tell them you read it on WildSnow dot com and all shall be forgiven.
Quarter inch insert bit holders, magnetic at top, collar style below I recommend having both in your shop. When purchasing collar style, be sure the collar pulls FORWARD to release.
I prefer two flavors of bit holders. Cheaper and purely magnetic are slimmer, while those with a mechanical retention collar (as well as magnet) tend to be less annoying in that the bits don't come out unless desired. Get the retention collar type that require sliding the collar _forward_ to remove the bit. I got gypped recently by a bit holder with a collar that slid rearward to remove bit. It released the bit nearly every time the holder rubbed or bumped against something during use. Lame.
Most sets of insert bits come with the magnetic type holder, get a new set now and then at the big box and you'll end up with numerous holders. Collar type are available at hardware stores etcetera. I tried finding an Amazon link, but the only one that came up appeared to have the collar that slid rearward to release bit. Probably better to shop for this up close and personal.
If you're experienced with tightening fasteners you can work without a torque limiting screwdriver. But I've recently realized this tool can help anyone avoid annoying and sometimes costly mistakes. Problem is, most are pricey. For occasional use I've found the FAT wrench to be adequate.
Perhaps the most hard-to-find tool on our list is a good insert bit for the rear spring barrel cover slot in most tech bindings (The Dynafit standard). Aside from making my own tool, the best thing I've found is the 080-430-430WB Leupold/Buehler Windage Screw Bit. Surprisingly, purchasing a single bit isn't an option on Amazon. Instead, grab one at Brownells.
Pozidrive #3 is the gold standard of ski bindings. Trend to the ones with longer shaft, around 3 inches (to reach through brakes and such while mounting bindings), but get a few shorties as well and use when possible as they do wear out and the shorties are cheaper. Be sure you're getting the number 3 size.
Online shopping for longer torx bits isn't easy. Most have "security" tips with hole in the middle. Avoid those (unless you need to steal public bathroom toilet paper holders), as they're weak. Set linked below appears to be an example of regular tips in longer version.
8pcs 150mm T8-T40 Long Round Shaft Magnetic Screwdriver Bits Set.
During shopping, you'll be tempted by astoundingly large boxes holding a variety of screwdriver insert bits. Most of these assortments will give you 100 bits you never need and be missing at least three essentials — as well as the bits often being of poor quality. Nonetheless having a variety can be useful if you tend to do different mechanical projects, and the case makes a nice holder (toss the useless and replace with what you need). If you succumb to temptation, at the least buy the biggest set you can find. Craftsman linked here has 208 pieces, which seems like a lot until you realize the vast variety these things come in. For example, despite the 2008! bits, the Craftsman lacks extended shaft versions of most.
G3's branded pozi-3 is really nice, many options on Amazon.
Clearly, throwing all this stuff in a drawer is a recipe for steel soup. Instead, figure out various holders that work for you. Me, I like the small plastic bit holders that come with many bit sets, and I installed magnetic tool holders on the wall behind my main bench. I'm not one of these guys who likes to hang every tool I own in plain view on the wall. Too cluttered (and I have too many tools). But I do like my main stuff to be within reach.
Tool drawer, showing the small plastic insert bit holders I prefer.
Suggestions welcome, please do so in the comments.
the next is a hex key set with long and shor arms with ball heads on the long arms (bought for bicycle maintenance) but also has proved very handy.
Hi Andy, yeah, the ball head hex set, essential for any automotive toolbox! Thanks for the links. Keep 'em coming.
A lot of guys sport those tool sets that include lots of sockets, etc. Those can be good unless you get really serious, in that case you'll want a roll-around tool chest for the inevitable accumulation.
I find a scale with at least .1 gram resolution is handy for mixing the very small quantities of epoxy needed for binding mounts.
See, I thought 2-part was done by volume not weight? Or are both roughly equivalent? You ending up with one empty and one 1/2 full container (smile)?
Yeah Lou, it occurred to me as I was in the car after I left that comment that I should have elaborated a bit. I use mostly marine epoxy that takes a 4 to 1 resin to hardener ratio, and it's pretty tough to eyeball the mix in the tiny quantities required for binding mounts. It's true that most epoxies give the ratio by volume, and that it is usually different from the ratio by weight. If I'm working on something critical, I'll usually measure by volume or go to the trouble of figuring out the correct ratio for measuring by weight. For binding screws, I haven't had a problem using the same ratio for both volume and weight. They're usually pretty close.
I also use West System G flex epoxy sometimes, and it seems pretty good. It's more elastic than regular epoxy, and I think it might be better for bindings, given ski flex, shock and such.
Ok, you got me thinking so I did some quick research on the internet. My statement above that resin/hardener mix ratios by weight and by volume are "usually pretty close" (while not exactly ludicrous) is not entirely accurate. The stuff I use mostly can be mixed either way, but some epoxies aren't so forgiving.
Actually, Lou, since you asked… The proportions for mixing epoxy are based on the epoxide equivalent weight, which is derived from the number of bonding sites (on average) in a quantity of resin, and a similar analysis for the chosen hardener. These calculations are done by weight.
For consumer epoxy sold as two-part systems, I am pretty sure that the ratio is almost always 1:1 and given by volume because that is what most people can easily deal with.
I find it slightly tricky to get Ions mounted tight against the ski with no gap underneath. I usually have to position the binding with the screws screwed in a couple of turns, clamp the binding loosely in place, and then loosen the screws one at a time and tighten the clamps until the binding is tight against the ski before fully tightening the screws. So: clamps and a countersink to eliminate "volcanoes" around the holes.
Also a center punch. Getting the holes in exactly the right place greatly reduces the amount of torquing around to get the boot heel to line up with the binding heel.
Perhaps the most significant contributor to my locating the holes precisely is to first put holes in the paper template with a push pin (I may have read it here). I do it in good lighting – at my desk, and double-check with a magnifying glass (old eyes :-)). Slight errors will always creep in, so being extra-precise at this step keeps the errors from cascading.
Then, when the template is on the ski, it's easy to precisely locate the centerpunch on the crosshairs.
I use a separate template for each ski, since the act of centerpunching widens the hole on the template.
RE epoxy. On my Haute Route trip this spring, my ski edge pulled out about a foot or two. At the Dix hut, a great guy from New Hampshire (name forgotten) had an excellent industrial quality, flexible epoxy that came in a package that looked like a mustard or catsup package at McDonalds. Epoxy and hardener, each in it's own side of the package. One tear across the top, squeeze both sides onto a piece of paper and the user has the proper mix, stirred and applied to ski via a plastic knife from the hut kitchen. It held together for the rest of the trip. Anyone know where to get more of those 1 or 2 oz packages?
It's probably worth mentioning that cure rate varies with temperature, and epoxy may not harden at all when the temps approach freezing (or so says the internet). In a camping repair situation, you might want to sleep with your ski. But I haven't tried any ski repairs using epoxy "in the field." I have, however, had cure issues with temps in the low 50's.
Warning: sleeping with fresh epoxy repairs may be hazardous to you health. But even in a hut situation, if you can keep the repair warm (but not too hot) it will probably increase the likelihood of a strong repair you can ski on in the morning.
Granted a bit unorthodox, but I've found a pair of "channel lock" pliers applied at right angle to a screw driver, to work really well for applying the necessary torque needed to loosen too tight screws. Just need to make sure the screwdriver bit fits the screw well, and strong force is applied vertically downward on the screwdriver, while turning the pliers horizontally (doable with two hands, easier with three ).
Has worked for me when all other methods have failed.
Glad to know scales exist with capability of measuring such small weights as necessary in epoxy for binding mounts. I hate how much waste occurs when "eyeballing." Great tool list, by the way.