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What Makes Specroscopic Analysis Important In Chemistry
According to the multi-centred team involved in the development, the technology could make the simple, label-free imaging method practical for clinical applications such as tumour detection or tissue.
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Conventional analyses are normally done using standardized chemical and physical methods sanctioned by. However, these techniques are designed for the analysis of only one specific parameter and.
Raman spectroscopy is a type of. Its surface sensitivity means it can used for analysis of biological and organic systems. It is also useful for a number of real-life applications, such as.
Does Bureau Of Meteorology Archive Tropical Cyclone Advices For earlier images and information about Cyclone Yasi, visit the NASA Hurricane page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2011/h2011. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has. Minister for the Environment, Melissa Price, said the radars would be able to provide accurate flood advice for an area that had been previously left in the dark. "The Bureau of Meteorology. As. The Bureau
He won the Nobel Prize in 1924 for his discoveries in x-ray spectroscopy, and he also fathered the next generation of Nobel Prize winners in the field—literally. His son Kai Siegbahn went on to.
"Essentially, it allows you to have a focused snapshot, as opposed to just seeing a chemical blur. It's important that. to perform X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements at Argonne's Advanced.
Classification of astronomical sources in the night sky is important for understanding the universe. It helps us understand the properties of what makes up celestial. human eyes to today's method.
The work of solid catalysts is responsible for trillions of dollars' worth of chemical. That variation makes it tough to be certain that some newly observed feature or surface species on an.
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So, theory becomes ever more important – being able to distinguish. and don't think that artificial intelligence will make such a big difference and Lee Cronin, who's the Regius Professor of.
In the paper's supporting information file, which reports details of the syntheses and analytical data, one of the compounds is missing the spectral data and elemental analysis. make up results.
But chemistry is more than the synthesis of new molecules. Theoretical analysis of aromaticity. to make new substances that have proven to be useful for mankind. Chemical research created a new.
Martin Davies, UK Sales Manager at Renishaw's Spectroscopy Division, talks to AZoM about Inside Raman and the developments in Raman spectroscopy. Raman analysis has the unique ability to probe the.
The 8700 LDIR system's compact size, lack of liquid nitrogen, and automated operation make high-definition chemical imaging accessible to operators of all levels. Now users can minimize time spent on.
But unraveling the chemistry that underpins the benefits. Oligosaccharides are metabolically costly to produce, and it makes no sense for mothers to make them if they don't play an important role.
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Gcse Chemistry Unit 1 Manchester. Devas Street, Manchester, M15 6EX. London. 2nd Floor, Lynton House, 7-12 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9LT The transmission is a single-speed epicyclic unit. Jaguar claims 395bhp. which are essentially chemical reactions – and a simple grasp of GCSE Chemistry will tell you they're vastly influenced by. New GCSEs will be graded 1 to 9,
Electronegativity is one of the most well-known models for explaining why chemical reactions occur. change over a reaction reveals the relative importance of electronegativity in influencing the.
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Posted on April 6, 2019 by admin in Simple Explanations.
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Latest News / Interview
Ready to race? Q&As with rookies Kvyat and Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen Toro Rosso McLaren Daniil Kvyat
On Saturday in Bahrain, Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen completed their final pre-season runs in their respective cars. The next time they drive in anger will be at Albert Park in Australia. The big question is: are they prepared for their Grand Prix debuts?
Daniil Kvyat (RUS) Scuderia Toro Rosso. Formula One Testing, Day Two, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, 28 February 2014
Daniil Kvyat (RUS) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR9. Formula One Testing, Day Three, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Saturday, 1 March 2014
Daniil Kvyat (RUS) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR9. Formula One Testing, Day Three, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, 21 February 2014
Kevin Magnussen (DEN). Formula Three Euroseries, Rd3, Valencia, Spain, 21-23 May 2010.
Kevin Magnussen (DEN) McLaren MP4-29. Formula One World Championship, Rd11, Hungarian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hungaroring, Hungary. Saturday 26 July 2014.
Q: Daniil, how important was that day for you today, knowing that the next stop will be Melbourne?
Daniil Kyat: It was a big relief for me and the team - and for Renault. We've made a huge step forward and managed to do a good amount of laps today with very positive signs. It gives self-confidence for the future. It was my last test day - and my first proper test day! So yes, it was an important day.
Q: Do you think that you have to learn more in the first races because of your lack of testing mileage?
DK: If you are in a catch-up phase, that's what you get. Catch-up means hard work unless your rivals make mistakes! And I don't think that they will do us that favour! (laughs)
Q: All of that sounds as if you're comfortable with where you are now. Is that so?
DK: In our case, comfortable is the wrong word. As I just said, we are in a catching-up phase so it still takes some time to find the best understanding of car and engine. There is still more to come.
Q: You ran the supersoft tyres today. How was that and can you say anything about the degradation?
DK: First part of the question: I have never run on super soft tyres before - and it felt really good. It had a real fun factor. Regarding the degradation level, I have to say that it is too early for me to make any statements. Last year I didn't do any long runs on the Friday mornings I had, and based on only one experience I would not be able to make serious statement. All I can say is that it felt 'normal', but of course I also have to get used to their behaviour.
Q: How do you have to adapt your driving style to the new conditions?
DK: I have to try and find out. I probably sometimes 'over push', but sometimes even mistakes can have a positive side as you learn, and luckily this track has wide run-off zones so nothing happened to the car.
Q: Some people have said that because the cars are new, it's a level playing field for everybody and probably not such a disadvantage for rookies than in the past - is that so?
DK: I didn't have any issues with last year's car - I was immediately up to pace - and it is not a problem now. So a rookie will always have it a bit harder compared to those who have had many years in F1 and have inhaled all the procedures of an F1 race weekend. But that is the least of my concerns. Catching-up as a team is all that matters - and we are getting there.
Q: How do you feel about going to Melbourne without having done a proper race simulation?
DK: That is not a positive, but that is how it is. Again: we had a very successful day today, doing many laps - more than a race distance - so that must be enough for the moment. The next time it won't be a simulation - it'll be the real thing - and I am ready for it!
Q: Kevin, six days in the new McLaren - and your next stop will be Melbourne: are you ready?
Kevin Magnussen: I am ready, and I am really looking forward to it. It is a fantastic feeling to know that the next time in the car will be a Grand Prix - and I'm there! Of course I am pretty excited - who wouldn't be? Of course, there is always the feeling that you could do more and if you had the time you would not stop getting yourself ready - you learn something every day. I believe I have covered all the basics now and the rest will be learning by doing. That's probably the best - and fastest - way to learn! Right now I feel very comfortable as I think I know what is important and what to focus on in a race weekend. But indeed it is a big job.
Q: How did it go for you today?
KM: Well, we had some electrical problems in the morning, but thank goodness, nothing serious. It was fixed pretty fast and we could go on with the programme, so in the end it was a pretty good day with most of the programme done.
Q: Are there any boxes that you would have liked to have ticked before Melbourne?
KM: Sure. I would have loved to do a qualifying lap on the supersofts - but it was not meant to be. The most important thing is that the team learns as much as possible about the car - and not what I would have loved to do.
Q: What would you say would make your first race a success?
KM: That is a pretty hard question to answer for a rookie! I think even old-timers in F1 wouldn't be able to answer that question - how should a rookie do that? I don't set myself a goal saying: I want to beat three, or five or ten. All I know is that I will do my very best and then let's see what happens. I am somebody who is always aiming very high and have big expectations for myself - so let's see if I can meet them.
Q: What's your impression of the MP4-29 after seeing the likes of the Mercedes and the Williams?
KM: It's true they have been very fast, but my belief is that none of them was in Q3 specification, so in the end it doesn't mean anything.
Q: Nobody will race the car from Bahrain in Melbourne - they will all have updates. Where do you think more pace could come?
KM: Probably more downforce. It is the main thing in F1. Otherwise the car has a lot of potential. It is as Jenson (Button) said yesterday - much easier to drive. You really can feel that - it feels like a Formula One car should feel. We have a pretty clear route ahead. We know where we want to go and where we can improve.
Q: Is ERS giving you a headache as it has for many of your colleagues?
KM: There is a lot to think about, but I think it is cool having to do so many things in the cockpit. The rhythm of a race has changed completely with all the things that you have to do. It is exciting.
Q: The last time the team has took on a rookie was Lewis Hamilton, so you have pretty big shoes to fill. Is that a worry?
KM: No. The team knows what I am capable of. And for myself: I will push it to the limit.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Canopy Growth est une entreprise canadienne spécialisée dans la production et la distribution de cannabis à usage médical.

Histoire
En juillet 2018, Canopy Growth annonce l'acquisition de Hiku Brands, qui possède la marque Tokyo Smoke, pour 298 millions de dollars canadiens.

En août 2018, Canopy Growth reçoit un investissement de 4 milliards de dollars de la part de Constellation Brands, via une augmentation de son capital, faisant monter la participation de Constellation Brands à 38 %.

En avril 2019, Canopy Growth annonce avoir obtenu un accord avec d'Acreage Holdings, une entreprise américaine de production et de distribution de cannabis, pour l'acquérir pour 3,4 milliards de dollars, quand la consommation de cannabis aura été légalisé au niveau fédéral aux États-Unis.

En mai 2019, Canopy Growth annonce l'acquisition pour 55 millions de dollars américains de This Works, pour se diversifier dans les produits de beautés et d'aides au sommeil contenant du CBD.

En avril 2021, Canopy Growth annonce l'acquisition de Supreme Cannabis pour 247 millions de dollars américains, lui permettant d'avoir une part de marché de 13,6 % du marché du cannabis au Canada.

En septembre 2022, l'entreprise annonce se retirer du retail au Canada, en vendant ses 28 magasins à travers le pays à d'autres entreprises de vente de cannabis.

Principaux actionnaires
Au 17 février 2020:

Références

Entreprise ayant son siège en Ontario
Société cotée au TSX
Entreprise liée au cannabis
Cannabis au Canada

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Old barn with tin roof needs to be demoed and removed.
Demolition of two partial mobile homes and 1 frame only with debris around all three structures. Need all removed to comply with city notice of violation.
Roughly 1200 sq ft home needs to be demolished and removed.


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N.Y.C. Water Story Hits Front Pages, but Vegetables are Kosher
A New York story first reported in Kosher Today about a concern that New York's water supply might not be fit for drinking by kosher consumers has captured headlines in Israel and around the nation. The New York Times showed an enlarged photo of the copepods, insects found in New York's water, which health officials say are harmless but rabbis say may not be ingested because of the prohibition of eating insects. Most rabbis advised congregants to purchase water filters. Sources say that sales of water filters to Orthodox Jews in New York are brisk. "There's absolutely no health risk," said Charles Sturcken, a spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Protection.
Southern Gaza Palestinians Begin Rebuilding
By Sonja Pace (VOA-Rafah, Gaza)
Israel has begun to ease a three-week closure of the Gaza Strip, allowing shipments of badly needed consumer goods, including milk products, fruits and cigarettes. Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, was the area hit hardest by last month's Israeli military incursion.
The troops came with tanks and bulldozers to demolish dozens of houses in Rafah that Israel says were being used by militants to hide tunnel entrances and to shoot at Israeli soldiers patrolling the border. The heavy machines also knocked down power lines, broke sewage and water pipes, and dug up the streets.
Juma'a Abu Hamad, 57, has pitched a makeshift tent made of old blankets. Inside, some cushions are scattered on the ground. This is where he spends much of his day now. "The tanks came here," he said. "First thing they did was open fire on our home. There were a lot of people inside the house, and then they went back and brought the bulldozer with them and started demolishing our home while we were in, like what you see, the whole house has been wrecked."
Abu Hamad says the family lost everything in the demolition, including cash, gold jewelry and other belongings. The family now spends nights at a local school, which has become a temporary shelter. Just around the corner, the Qishta family has fared no better. They have put a few plastic chairs on the broken concrete slabs where the family home once stood.
Fathiya Qishta, 55, remembers the commotion outside the day the Israeli troops came. "I heard people, children screaming outside," she said. "I went outside to see what was going on and I saw that everyone was just grabbing the children and leaving. Then they came to our house and started demolishing it. We took the children and left. We lost everything."
The children in Rafah are back in school, shops are open even though there is a shortage of goods to buy due to the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip, and traffic is back on the streets. But there is no talk of any return to normalcy, and those living here express a mixture of despair, frustration and anger.
Rafah's mayor, Sayid Zorob, says he believes he has failed his people. "You feel that you are nothing when any kid in your city asks you for the minimum service and you fail to achieve it," said Zorob. "We feel that we are nothing and I am thinking to leave my job because I failed to achieve the minimum for a secure, safe life for my city. All the playing cards are in the Israeli hands, it is not in our hand."
The Israeli operation lasted a week. Then the soldiers withdrew. But they are never far away and move in periodically to continue their search for suspected militants and weapons. The border to neighboring Egypt is closed off by Israeli troops and soldiers guard nearby Jewish settlements.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is vowing to dismantle Israeli settlements and pull his troops out of the Gaza Strip. While the political debate over the Sharon plan rages in Israel, there is little debate about it in Rafah. Palestinians say they would welcome any Israeli withdrawal, but they do not believe it will really happen.
Former Chief Rabbi Calls for Abolishment of Religious Marriage Law
Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, who served as the Rishon LeTzion - Israel's Chief Sephardic Rabbi - from 1993-2003, made this shocking statement: "Israel's Marriage and Divorce Law should be abolished." The law states that all Jewish marriages in Israel must be performed according to Jewish Law. The rabbi made the call at a conference of the Tzohar Rabbis organization in Jerusalem.
Bakshi-Doron later explained that many secular Jews do not abide by this law, and that they either marry in Greece or Cyprus, or do not marry their partners at all. "Compulsion merely causes antagonism towards religion among the secular," the rabbi said. "Just as brit milah [ritual circumcision] is not mandated by law, and yet 95% of Jewish parents in Israel perform this ceremony, I feel that if marriage is not in a forced framework, more people will choose to marry via the rabbinate."
Many religious leaders reacted with fury to the Rishon LeTzion's statements. Knesset member Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) said, "This opinion is more Shinui than Shinui... It is a deviation from the opinion of all the rabbis and Orthodox circles in the Jewish world. According to his logic, we should also permit public Sabbath violation, since the trend is towards opening malls on the Sabbath and holy days... David Ben-Gurion himself signed a 'status quo' document with [the hareidi party] Agudat Yisrael that stipulated that everything would be done to prevent a division of the Nation of Israel into two.
Ben-Gurion understood that marriages and divorces according to Jewish Law was the way to preserve the nation's unity [as otherwise many Jews would not recognize others as 'kosher' Jews]. Just a few weeks ago, the Knesset rejected a bill that would recognize non-Halakhic marriages, understanding that this would destroy the nation's Jewish character."
New Law Allows Solitary Confinement of Divorce Dodgers
Men who refuse to comply with rabbinical court rulings to grant their wives a "get" allowing them to divorce will be sentenced to 14 days in solitary confinement, in accordance with a new law approved in its second and third readings on Tuesday by the Knesset.
According to the law, initiated by Gila Finkelstein (National Religious Party) and approved by a majority of 14 supporters with no opposition, rabbinical courts are authorized to send men who refuse to grant divorces to seven straight days of solitary confinement in prison. If the husband continues to refuse to grant his wife a divorce after the first week of imprisonment, the court is authorized to sentence him to another seven days in solitary confinement.
Up until now, rabbinical courts were authorized to take other, less severe, sanctions against men refusing to grant divorces to their wives. These measures included forbidding men to leave the country, not permitting the renewal of their driver's license and the placing of restrictions on their bank accounts. There are currently four men sitting in jail for refusing to grant their wives a divorce.
New Home in Samaria For Ohio's Banned 10 Commandments
Church leaders and clergy from Adams County, Ohio, traveled to Israel last week in order to dedicate a Ten Commandments monument they had previously shipped to Israel. The monument is to be erected in the Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) community of Barkan.
The monument is similar to ones removed by court order from four public schools in Adams County after a federal court ruled that having the monuments in the county's high schools and middle schools violated the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause.
Christians in Adams County facing the threat of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union were surprised when their case aroused the sympathies of Jews living "halfway across the world, in Israel," said Rev. Ken Johnson. Rev. Johnson is pastor of the Seaman United Methodist Church and is also the president of a group called Adams County for the Ten Commandments (ACTC).
Pinchas Gerber, director of the Shomron (Samaria) Development Fund in the town of Barkan, said he decided to make contact with the group when he saw a small picture in the paper of a bulldozer tearing a Ten Commandments monument out of an Adams County school.
Upon the Christian groups arrival in Barkan, Gerber told them, "I looked at it and said, 'I was born in Ohio. This doesn't sit right with me... It's not the way you want to have the Ten Commandments being treated." Minutes after seeing the item in the paper, Gerber got the high school's telephone number off of the Internet and called the school's principal, who put him in contact with Johnson. Gerber introduced himself, explained the Jewish people's love for and connection to the Ten Commandments and suggested to Johnson that he send one of the monuments to Israel.
Johnson said he was amazed at how his rural river county of some 28,000 residents, with more than 100 churches, had made national and international headlines for its stand in support of the Ten Commandments, and he said hearing from Israel was a highlight. "That was probably one of the greatest joys that I've ever had in my whole life, is when [Gerber] called...saying [he'd] like to have one of these monuments that were removed from the schools," said Johnson. "I was elated."
Because the Adams County legal appeal is still pending -- and due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in a few weeks -- Johnson said the county did not want to part with one of its own monuments, which the committee hopes to be allowed to re-install. Nevertheless, the ACTC decided that the Israeli request was important enough to have a new, similar monument built and shipped to Barkan.
The 800-pound granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments was a gift from the ACTC and cost about $3,000. It now stands in front of the mayor's office of the Samaria Regional Council in Barkan, in the northern Shomron. The only difference in the monuments, which both bear engravings of an American flag, is that the Israeli version bears an engraving of an Israeli flag in place of the America Eagle inscribed on the American monuments.
Tom Claibourne, senior pastor of Bethlehem Church of Christ in Winchester, Ohio, accompanied Johnson to Israel. Claibourne said he was happy to be involved with "bringing the Ten Commandments home, just to be a part of seeing them here in Israel again with the people God originally gave them to."
According to the Torah, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Jewish people. "The Ten Commandments are not only for the Jewish people but...are a moral compass for our society," Gerber said at the dedication ceremony. He also linked them to the rest of the Torah, which he said gives the Jewish people the "fortitude" to continue living in the Biblical land of Samaria.
People Attracted to Religion for 16 Reasons Israel Faxx News Services
People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion. There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University In Columbus.
These basic human needs - which include honor, idealism, curiosity and acceptance - can explain why certain people are attracted to religion, why God images express psychologically opposite qualities, and the relationship between personality and religious experiences.
"Previous psychologists tried to explain religion in terms of just one or two overarching psychological needs. The most common reason they cite is that people embrace religion because of a fear of death, as expressed in the saying 'there are no atheists in foxholes," Reiss said. "But religion is multi-faceted - it can't be reduced to just one or two desires."
Reiss described his new theory - which he said may be the most comprehensive psychological theory of religion since Freud's work more than a century ago -- in the June issue of Zygon, a journal devoted to issues of science and religion. "I don't think there has been a comprehensive theory of religion that was scientifically testable," he said.
The theory is based on his overall theory of human motivation, which he calls sensitivity theory. Sensitivity theory is explained in his 2000 book Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Action and Define Our Personalities (Tarcher Putnam).
Reiss said that each of the 16 basic desires outlined in the book influence the psychological appeal of religious behavior. The desires are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honor, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise and tranquility.
In fact, Reiss has already done some initial research that suggests the desire for independence is a key psychological desire that separates religious and non-religious people. In a study published in 2000, Reiss found that religious people (the study included mostly Christians) expressed a strong desire for interdependence with others. Those who were not religious, however, showed a stronger need to be self-reliant and independent.
The study also showed that religious people valued honor more than non-religious people, which Reiss said suggests many people embrace religion to show loyalty to parents and ancestors. In the Zygon paper, Reiss explained that every religious person balances their 16 basic human needs to fit their own personality. "They embrace those aspects of religious imagery that express their strongest psychological needs and deepest personal values."
One example is the desire for curiosity, Reiss said. Religious intellectuals, who are high in curiosity, value a God who is knowable through reason, while doers, who have weak curiosity, may value a God that is knowable only through revelation. "People who have a strong need for order should enjoy ritualized religious experiences, whereas those with a weak need for order may prefer more spontaneous expression of faith," he said.
"The prophecy that the meek will inherit the earth should appeal especially to people with a weak need for status, whereas the teaching that everybody is equal before God should appeal especially to people with a strong need for idealism."
If religion and personality are linked, religion must provide a range of images and symbols sufficiently diverse to appeal to all the different kinds of personalities in the human population, Reiss says. Religious imagery potentially accommodates everybody because in many instances the images and symbols are psychological opposites. "How we value and balance the 16 psychological needs is what makes us an individual, and for every individual there are appealing religious images," he said.
"The values that guide a personality with a strong need for vindication are expressed by a God of wrath, or a war God, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need for vindication are expressed by a God of forgiveness. The values that guide a personality with a strong need to socialize are expressed by religious fellowship and festivals, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need to socialize are expressed by religious asceticism."
The need for acceptance makes meaningful images of God as a savior, while its opposite inspires the concept of original sin, according to Reiss. The need to eat motives some people to value abstinence and others to value sustenance. "Because this theory can be tested scientifically, we can learn its strengths and weaknesses, and gradually improve it," Reiss said. "Eventually, we may understand better the psychological basis of religion."
Reiss emphasized that the theory addresses the psychology of religious experiences and has no implications for the validity or invalidity of religious beliefs.


At the Halloween party, Mary thought he was just another cute guy in costume. She had no idea she was speaking to a real Genie when she drunkenly admitted there were times she wished her husband was dead.
On Halloween, Benny hunted ghouls in the Shiners' cemetery, even though he doubted they existed. Then after a Fez tassel slapped his face and a corpse bit into his skull, he believed, briefly.


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Příjmení Jaeger nosí více významných osobností:

 Andrea Jaegerová (* 1965) – americká profesionální tenistka
 Johannes Jaeger (1832–1908) – německý fotograf

jiný význam
 Jaeger-LeCoultre – švýcarská hodinářská firma


text:
Latest Article News World Affairs
World Affairs 21 January 2023
सोशल मीडिया पर Jatin Gupta के मेम्स का सफर बहुत ही मजेदार रहा है। जतिन गुप्ता को सोशल मीडिया पर फनी कमेंटर के रूप में जाना जाता है। उनके कमेंट से सबको हंसी मिलती है।
जतिन गुप्ता के कमेंट सोशल मीडिया पर शेयर किए जाने वाले हैं, जिससे उनकी प्रसिद्धता और पसंद बढ़ रही है। जतिन गुप्ता के कमेंट को पढ़ने के बाद आपको समय की बर्बादी नहीं करनी पड़ेगी, क्योंकिनी आपको हंसी मिलेगी।
Jatin Gupta, a social media commentator, has become a popular figure on the internet due to his funny and relatable memes. He has gained a large following on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where memer's pages shares his memes with social media public.
Jatin Gupta Memes
Many of Jatin Gupta's memes are based on everyday situations and relatable scenarios, such as dealing with work stress or the struggles of online dating. He also often uses popular culture references and internet memes to add humor to his posts. Jatin Gupta Memes below
In addition to his funny memes, Jatin Gupta is known for his witty and clever captions. He has a unique ability to put his own spin on things and make them relatable to his audience.
Jatin Gupta Funny Memes
Jatin's memes have become so popular that they have been shared widely across the internet and have even been featured on popular meme pages. Many of his fans have even started creating their own memes based on his content. Jatin Gupta Funny Memes below
Jatin Gupta funny comments
Despite his growing fame, Jatin remains humble and grateful for his followers. He continues to create relatable and funny memes that keep his fans entertained and engaged.
Jatin Gupta's memes have become a source of laughter and joy for many people on social media. With his relatable content and clever captions, he has become a popular figure on the internet and has gained a large following of fans who eagerly await his next post.
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Landslip closes Esplanade
October 5, 2020 Stephen Taylor Latest News
WORKERS clear the Esplanade, Mount Martha, above after a landslide on Thursday. Below, the scene that greeted drivers before road blocks were installed. Pictures: Yanni
STORMWATER run-off is being blamed for a landslip which closed the Esplanade at Mount Martha last week.
The scenic, two-lane road was closed between Bradford and Ellerina roads after about 2200 cubic metres of soil and debris came crashing down, Tuesday 29 September.
Up to 14 workers using excavators and front end loaders worked to clear the soil while Mornington Peninsula Shire Council engineers assessed the stability of houses above the road. The council also installed water barriers on an upper access road.
The shire on Friday said it hoped the road would be reopened sometime this week.
Picture: Josie Jones
Graeme Ainsley, of Ellerina Road, said that during 50 years' living and visiting the area he had become aware of stormwater flowing over and under the ground causing washaways.
"The same thing happened about 10 years ago," he said. "It's stormwater from the houses up the back [fronting Bradford Road] which back onto me."
Mr Ainsley said he had also been told by a South East Water employee that mains water from a burst pipe up the hill had been welling up over the past few weeks. This had added to pressure on soil below before it finally gave way last week.
He said storm water pipes should have been laid at the same time as sewerage pipes.
The VicEmergency app warned residents and drivers to stay away from the landslide "as it can continue to move for days afterward".
Department of Transport director of metro assets Mark Koliba said most of the debris had been cleared by Thursday, but the road would be closed until a geotechnical engineer was satisfied it could be reopened.
Graeme Ainsley believes the landslide was caused by poor drainage, below.
He said the department would then "work on long-term rectification plan".
Motorists were advised to use the Nepean Highway between Mount Martha and Safety Beach. A neighbourhood detour was suggested via Bradford Road, Forest Drive, Nepean Highway and Bruce Road.
The collapse of the road after heavy rains in mid-2012 led to it being closed for a month south of the old quarry prompting Mornington MP David Morris to call for a cultural heritage management plan before any extensive road works were carried out.
In August 2013, a section of the Esplanade between Hearn and Bruce roads was closed for a week after an old terracotta drain failed. It was replaced by a concrete pipe.
First published in the Mornington News – 6 October 2020
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10 km/h, ESE


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Revealed! What does Nikitin Dheer want to stay away from?
06:13 AM Nov 27, 2021 | Rohit Bhatnagar
He was pitted against Shah Rukh Khan onscreen in Chennai Express, and, despite playing the bad guy, Nikitin Dheer became immensely popular. Opening up about the fame he tasted after playing Thangabali, Nikitin shares, "I truly believe that Chennai Express is a landmark film in my career. After the release and success of the film, I got several offers on the same lines. But unfortunately, they weren't convincing enough since they all were just encashing on the film's popularity and my character Thangabali. Earlier, people used to see my physicality, but now they are appreciating my work as an actor and thinking beyond my body structure. They have overcome my physicality, and it is a great feeling."
Also Read: Shocking! This is what made Shahid Kapoor cry!
Nikitin wants to steer clear from any kind of typecasting. "People in the industry tend to typecast, and to break that stereotype is difficult. Action is the genre that I am definitely comfortable with. However, as an actor, sometimes it takes a little longer to break that norm. I am absolutely loving the change, and things are looking good," he adds.
Being an integral part of big massy films such as Sooryavanshi and Antim: The Final Truth seems like a formula for the actor. "I feel audiences are hypocrites, specifically the self-proclaimed cooler gen-z, who accept Fast & Furious but seek logic to our potboilers. I feel people should watch your films to like you. It is amazing to work with people like Rohit Shetty sir, Akshay (Kumar) sir, Salman Khan sir, I have learned a lot from them. Their love for cinema is amazing," he says.
Also Read: Which beauty queen does Prateik Babbar have a crush on?
Nikitin is excited as he will soon welcome a baby with wife, Kratika Sengar. He feels very lucky that his family is staying with the couple as they are about to embrace parenthood for the first time. "I and Kratika are taking one step at a time. We are fortunate enough to be staying with our parents. They are there to guide us," Nikitin says.
Talking further about his future projects, he reveals, "I am shooting a Telugu film nearly after four to five years. I just finished a film titled Khiladi with Ravi Teja. I am about to start my first ever Kannada film too. Besides these, I have interesting line-ups in Hindi as well, but it is too early for me to talk about it."
Also Read: Shocking! This is what Flora Saini thinks about doing steamy scenes!
Thangabali Chennai Express Nikitin Dheer
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' starring Alia Bhatt to release on Feb 25
'Hrithik came in a Maruti, she came in a Mercedes': Ameesha Patel reacts to being projected as an arrogant and snobbish rich brat
Bhopal: Police register FIR against TV actress Shweta Tiwari


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Amazon Alexa Is Now HIPAA-Eligible, What's Next for Healthcare?
HIT Consultant Posted On April 24, 2019
Big News, But Just The Beginning
These days, big news stories in healthcare are just as likely to come from large technology companies as from major healthcare institutions. Case in point: In early 2018, Amazon created a huge stir in the industry early by announcing a venture with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway that promised to go after the "hungry tapeworm" that is the cost of healthcare in the U.S.
And now Amazon has a new headline…
Amazon has announced that a version of their virtual assistant technology, Alexa, is now HIPAA-eligible. This means it's available for applications that are subject to the data privacy and security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (known as HIPAA). HIPAA legislation was enacted in the United States to establish requirements for protecting data privacy and security of healthcare information. The new HIPAA-eligible version of Alexa, more specifically, the Alexa Skills Kit, is available to a limited number of developers by invitation only.
While Amazon's latest announcement may not seem quite as dramatic or broad-sweeping as the aforementioned tapeworm remedy, it is, in fact, very big news for both Amazon and for the U.S. healthcare industry.
Since it was first rolled out more than four years ago, Alexa has generated significant interest for its potential as a virtual healthcare assistant.
While other digital healthcare technologies have long promised to address key problems in healthcare, many of these have been plagued with problems and bottlenecks when it comes to patient engagement – particularly among elderly individuals and others who, for one reason or another, can't or won't use traditional digital devices like PCs, tablets, or smartphones.
The idea of a smart, always-available, hands-free, voice-powered virtual assistant that can answer health-related questions, deliver medication reminders, facilitate communication with one's doctor, provide health coaching, and more, has more than piqued the interest of the healthcare community – and Amazon has responded.
Up until now, use of Alexa for healthcare has been limited to question answering services – voice apps, or "skills" in the Alexa parlance – that can answer general questions about health conditions, treatments, symptoms, etc. If you own an Amazon Echo, you may have tried one of these skills, like Answers by Cigna or one of the many symptom checker skills available in the Alexa marketplace.
The big change is that Alexa can now be used in certain applications that collect and transmit Protected Healthcare Information or PHI.
PHI is any health information about an individual related to things like treatments, diagnoses, test results, or prescriptions. ePHI is PHI that is created, stored, or transmitted electronically. Personally Identifiable Information, or PII, is any information that can be used to identify an individual. HIPAA identifies 18 specific types of PII, which include obvious information like name, social security number, and phone numbers, as well as biomarkers like fingerprints and, relevant to voice assistants, "voice prints."
To support HIPAA, Amazon likely made a few changes to the way they handle data by Alexa. Importantly, Amazon, as a business associate in the HIPAA parlance, is now also able to execute Business Associates Agreements (BAAs) with HIPAA covered entities, like hospitals, as well as other business associates, to guarantee protection of data in compliance with HIPAA guidelines. BAAs are required contracts for any organization (a "business associate") providing a HIPAA-eligible service to a covered entity. Amazon has offered BAAs for other services like Amazon Web Services, but Alexa was a hold out.
What Are The Applications?
To application developers, Amazon Alexa and other virtual assistant platforms are frameworks for creating human-like conversational interfaces that leverage voice. Theoretically, any healthcare application that has a digital user interface (web, mobile, kiosk, etc.) – whether for a patient, clinician, caregiver, etc. – could benefit from a voice-powered virtual assistant. Amazon's announcement is limited to the Alexa Skills Kit, so it applies to consumer-facing Alexa skills used at home over Alexa-powered devices like the Amazon Echo. The examples among the early adopters described in Amazon's announcement, including Cigna, Express Scripts, and Boston Children's Hospital, demonstrate this.
Beyond the early examples, there are other applications of Alexa for healthcare that bridge consumer and clinical gaps:
Remote Patient Monitoring/Population Health
Applications that track patient health between clinical visits are key to providing both the patient and their care providers visibility into wellness and ensuring more timely and informed interventions. Early pilots of voice-powered remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions have showed very promising results with respect to patient engagement and quality of care. Solutions that deliver care plans generated by real-time voice-driven responses are on the horizon.
Clinical Trial Optimization
For most drug and device development, the FDA requires pharmaceutical and biotech companies to collect data from the clinical trial participants. Accuracy and timeliness of these data are critical to the success of any trial. Hands-free, voice-powered experiences through which trial participants can easily receive reminders and respond to regular, requisite assessment surveys improve engagement and, correspondingly data quality. Drop off rates – a nemesis of trial timeliness – are reduced. Drugs come to market more quickly and more cost-effectively. Orbita has teamed with Brigham & Women's Hospital is teaming with pharmaceutical manufacturers to explore the use of voice-powered virtual assistants in these types of applications.
Patients who understand and are educated about their conditions, know everything they need to know about the use of their prescribed drugs and are supported in their care journeys are more likely to adhere to treatment and medication. Leading pharmaceutical brands, providers, and payers are teaming up to develop beyond-the-pill virtual assistant experiences that improve post-prescription patient engagement and adherence. Lack of medication adherence is one of the costliest burdens to the healthcare system. Real-world savings are realized.
Amazon's announcement is very promising for the U.S. healthcare industry. If you work for a provider, payer, pharmaceutical firm, or a healthcare solution vendor and you carry any responsibility for patient experience, this news from Amazon impacts you. Clinicians and patients alike have been using hands-free, voice interfaces in their homes and have been demanding the same usability for clinical care applications, so it has seemed inevitable that voice assistants like Alexa and smart speaker-equipped devices like the Amazon Echo would find their way into clinical applications.
Amazon's announcement confirms this, but it's important that you understand everything you can about the what, why, and how of making voice-first healthcare applications secure.
Healthcare will see continued deployment of consumer-facing skills that do not require HIPAA's rigor, as well as a morphing of these customer service-centric offerings into more clinical use cases where HIPAA will be mandated. Consider a basic Q&A member benefit voice skill offered by a health plan. A much richer and more personalized experience can be created by adding PHI to the mix. The lines will blur in this regard and as value-based care brings in new shared risk revenue models across the various sectors within healthcare.
HIPAA is just the start. There is no formal certification process for HIPAA, and it applies only in the U.S. healthcare market. Also, many IT departments at healthcare organizations use standards from other industries or have their own standards for data privacy and security. In their eyes, completely securing a voice application may go well beyond ensuring that a service provider will sign a BAA. Issues like user authentication, data privacy in shared spaces, eavesdropping, network and device hacking, secure system integration (e.g. with an EHR), all remain as concerns that should be addressed. Enterprise-grade considerations are critical from a planning perspective, not only for HIPAA compliance but well beyond.
Interested in healthcare IT? Read more about the role of predictive analytics in healthcare.
About Nathan Treloar
Nathan Treloar is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Orbita, Inc. In his role at Orbita, he's helped create and bring to market leading conversational AI technologies and services for healthcare organizations to create secure voice- and chatbot-powered virtual assistants across the enterprise to increase operational efficiencies and improve consumer, patient, and member experiences.
This article was written by Nathan Treloar, President, COO at Orbita, Inc. from HIT Consultant and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
HealthcareTech Trends
HIT Consultant
Founded in 2012, HIT Consultant is the leading source of healthcare technology news, analysis and insights for healthcare executives, physicians and providers. Our content provides editorial insights on health IT, EHRs, population health management, digital health, telehealth, accountable care, patient engagement and startups. With more than 100k unique visits a month, it is the leading destination for forward-thinking healthcare business leaders and influencers.
How to Make the Most of Your Business Valuation (Even if You're Not Ready to Sell)


Your small business clients are adopting cloud computing at a frantic rate. The anytime, anywhere access to key business and financial information allows them to be more efficient and organized than ever.
With this fact in mind, it's important to understand the implications and opportunities that you, as an accountant, have in delivering more value to your small business clients.
In this article, I lay out the 3 key trends with cloud computing and the opportunities this provides to accountants.
The cloud is proving to be an essential platform for small business owners across the globe and managing their finances often leads the way. Business owners love the anytime, anywhere access to their key financial information and leaving the 'paper-chase' behind makes them more efficient and organized than ever.
By integrating other key systems into their unique blend of tools, businesses can now manage everything from inventory and cash flow through to bill payments and expense reports, all connecting with their accounting system and keeping everything organized and up-to-date.
Their confidence in cloud systems matches the high-level of security offered. Key data is automatically backed up and the checks and balances in the systems reduce mistakes and even fraud.
37% had already migrated to cloud computing in 2015. That figure will more than double to nearly 80% in under 4 years.
The reasons are varied as to why small business is embracing cloud computing more than ever, but one of the key reasons is decreased IT costs. A recent study reveals IT labour expenses were cut in half among 82% of the business that take advantage of cloud computing.
Although accountants and bookkeepers have the opportunity to drive the growth in cloud accounting, their clients are currently the driving force behind adoption.
Financial pros continue to recognize that the success and failure of their clients often rests in cash flow and sales growth. It appears that too often, accountants remain focused on offering cost-effective solutions for their customers, rather than advising on systems that will help address the most pressing needs.
Helping customers take advantage of cloud computing goes beyond accounting and bookkeeping systems. Accountants have an opportunity to offer valuable advice on business processes and help create a custom system that meets the unique requirements of small business. Accounting and finances often sit at centre of the system and form the foundation for the business.
As many of the processes become more automated, accounting professionals find themselves in an industry experiencing upheaval, yet there is no one in a better position, nor one that small business owners trust more to advise on their business decisions. This situation means that accountants have an opportunity to offer more valuable services if they ride the new wave of technology.
One factor is clear – business owners require systems that fit their specific needs. One size does not fit all.
A company that ships inventory, online, daily has a vastly different set of needs than a service business that tackles a few massive projects each year. Internal and external pressures, industry norms and hundreds of other factors truly make comparing businesses apples and oranges when it comes to processes and systems.
If those needs aren't addressed, or more likely, a competitor offers a better solution, that customer is gone.
This means that accountants must offer specific packages that address a wide range of needs by prospective customers. Although the simplicity of the offering is enticing, in the end, the business owner has specific pinch points that they see as core issues. If those needs aren't addressed, or more likely, a competitor offers a better solution, that customer is gone.
In addition to those business pinch points, there are key metrics and performance indicators that are necessary for small business health. Accountants can provide advice around these key metrics and performance indicators and the cloud solutions that can bring those together in an integrated and easily accessible manner.
This trend provides a window of opportunity for accountants to become up-to-speed on the growing list of small business cloud solutions that impact the financial health of small business. The add-on markets for cloud accounting programs can be a good place to start. The increasing power of cloud connecting apps such as Zapier have opened the door to bringing connection to previously unconnected online software.
So, how are businesses approaching this need for customer solutions?
Good enough for lots of things is no longer accepted.
"Best in breed is replacing integrated solutions as the paradigm for B2B software. SaaS products need to solve one problem well. Good enough for lots of things is no longer accepted. …Build clever software that solves a specific problem. – SaaScribe.com Link it with others to offer customers an end to end business solution.
With the plethora of niche products, it's easy to get overwhelmed and confused with what is important.
Small business owners are not immune to the "shiny object syndrome" where software is considered cool, but doesn't deliver on the goals of the small business. As an accountant, you have an intimate understanding of their key financial indicators and ratios and that information and insight can help guide and coach a small business through the cloud computing priorities and systems.
Are you as an accountant the best professional to offer advice? And if so, how do you take advantage of this new paradigm?
Not only is it a clear competitive advantage to know and understand how different tools can be hooked together to solve problems, expect your client to demand it of you.
To answer this question we need to look at the core problem that cloud computing solutions solve. They are solving business problems that relate to finances and the processes that impact the financial health of the small business. Cloud computing solutions work to bring improved integration of business processes so as to improve the financial health and visibility of the organization.
With this in mind, it is clear to see that this is a business problem first and a technology problem second. And small business owners need help to engage in the systems thinking that will bring about the right technology solution by identifying the business challenges first.
It's important to ask which business professional are small business owners talking to gain the insight into the right cloud computing solutions. Not only is it a clear competitive advantage to know and understand how different tools can be hooked together to solve problems, expect your client to demand it of you. Who else is likely to fill this void?
Your small business clients may begin the conversation around the best cloud accounting system they should adopt, but this is only the beginning.
If you understand the cloud landscape and are able to advise on a truly custom system for your clients, you will have gained their trust, their loyalty and their hard-earned dollars. Not only can you expect your customers to seek help in setting up the systems and processes but an ongoing need for advice translating the data into actionable moves that will help them grow their businesses.
It's easy to watch this trend grow while sitting on the sidelines. It may feel a little outside of your wheelhouse. Here are a few suggestions to start dipping your toes into these waters.
1. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the cloud accounting systems on the market. Which product would serve your client segments and why?
2. Explore the add-ons that exist for these cloud accounting programs and the specific apps that touch on the financial health and performance metrics tracking important to your client.
3. Review a few of your key client accounts and identify the challenges and frustrations around growing their business. With this in mind, think of the ways that cloud computing could help address these problems.
Becoming an expert in cloud accounting is just the beginning. By becoming an expert in identifying key business processes, advising on customized systems and offering ongoing advice will result in healthier, growing businesses and happier clients. Likewise, it will mean business growth for you.


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PopCap Games® Equips Heavy Weapon:™ Atomic Tank For Xbox Live® Arcade
Classic Retro-Arcade Side-Scroller Evolved for Xbox Live Arcade with Multiplayer Modes, Leader Boards, High-Def Graphics and More
News by GamesIndustry International Contributor
SEATTLE, Washington - January 18, 2007 - PopCap Games®, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced that its popular arcade-action game Heavy Weapon is now available on Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. The new version, titled Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank, features new multiplayer Mission and Survival modes, as well as an all-new "Boss Rush" mode, leader boards, high-definition graphics and other features and is available exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade. Available now for 800 Microsoft Points, Heavy Weapon can be played in trial mode prior to purchase.
"Our goal with Heavy Weapon was to make a game in the vein of the old collaborative-style arcade games like Ikari Warriors, where you and a friend could play together as a team, just enjoying the visceral sensation of blowing lots of stuff up," said Jason Kapalka, Chief Creative Officer at PopCap. "We spent a lot of time revamping Heavy Weapon for Xbox Live Arcade, and I think it shows; the game plays and looks better, and works beautifully with the Xbox 360 controller. We haven't been able to stop playing the beta version here in our offices, so it should be well received by the XBLA masses!"
"PopCap has done it again with Heavy Weapon - delivering classic arcade-style action with a sense of humor and a deep understanding of what makes a game truly fun," said Greg Canessa, GM of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "Heavy Weapon is perfect for our audience: it's simple enough for even the novice player to enjoy immediately while also offering the most inveterate gamer plenty of action and excitement. And the multiplayer modes in the new version make Heavy Weapon different every time you play with friends, whether over Xbox Live or in person."
Heavy Weapon is a side-scrolling action game in which the player strives to defeat hordes of enemy armies in the form of tanks, jeeps, fighter jets, helicopters and other land and air vehicles. Power-ups and secret weapons that provide additional speed, shields, firepower and more help the player overcome increasingly nasty enemy forces and bosses while progressing through levels representing the oppressed (fictitious) countries over which the war is being waged. Multiplayer functionality exclusively available for the XBLA version of the game enables players to join with up to two friends in Mission mode or three friends in a Survival game, locally or on the Live Arcade service.
Heavy Weapon for Xbox Live Arcade includes the following enhanced features and functionality:
· Three action-packed game modes:
o Mission - play your way thru 19 exciting missions, invading countries and beating challenging bosses along the way
o Survival, Arms Race & War Party - How long can you last against ever-increasing waves of enemies?
o Boss Rush - exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade, challenge all the bosses of Heavy Weapon in succession!
· Intense multiplayer action with up to 4 players! - exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade:
o Play Survival games with up to four friends, locally or on Xbox Live
o Roll over Red Star forces with a friend in co-op Mission mode
· 6 upgradeable secret weapons
· 19 missions with nukes, mega-lasers, and more
· Voice chat with your friends while battling together online
· Online leaderboards let you track your results
· Enhanced sound effects and original music
· Amazing enemy landscapes and graphics
· Expanded mayhem with full high-definition widescreen support
About PopCap
PopCap Games ( www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of "casual games" - easy-to-play yet utterly entertaining and engaging brain food enjoyed by players young and old, male and female. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000, and has approximately 100 employees in its Seattle, San Francisco and Dublin offices. PopCap's games have been downloaded more than 200 million times by consumers world-wide, and its flagship title Bejeweled® has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. PopCap games are available for Web, PC, Mac, mobile phones, PalmOS and Windows Mobile PDAs, Xbox Live Arcade, iPods, in-flight on leading airlines, as scratch-off lottery tickets, and more. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major channels, including web portals, mobile phones, Xbox 360, retail, and PDA.
PR Contact:
Garth Chouteau
garth@popcap.com
GamesIndustry International
GamesIndustry International is the world's leading games industry website, incorporating GamesIndustry.biz and IndustryGamers.com.


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Home Energy and the Environment Oil Battles Wind on the Great Plains
Oil Battles Wind on the Great Plains
The wind industry's rising success in Oklahoma has kicked off a high-dollar lobbying fight by fossil fuels executives determined to regain ground.
by Caroline Preston
AP Photo/David Crenshaw, File
The Great Plains of Oklahoma are dotted with cattle, wheat fields, and the seesawing donkey-shaped jacks that drag crude oil from the shale rock beneath. Notwithstanding the collapse of commodity prices, some 190,000 active oil and gas wells in the state provide jobs, directly and indirectly, to an estimated one in six Oklahomans. Even the statehouse in Oklahoma City is surrounded by wells; one is nicknamed Petunia, after the flower bed on which it was drilled.
But increasingly, in Oklahoma's western half, the land is also populated by wind turbines-giant, white structures on farms with names like Blue Canyon and Renewable Frontier.
Those turbines are turning the storied wind that comes sweeping down Oklahoma's plains into an increasingly critical statewide energy source. Wind now provides 18 percent of the state's electricity, a higher share nationally than any states besides Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota. In many Oklahoma counties, wind energy equipment-including more than 2,000 turbines statewide-has put cash in the hands of landowners and driven up property values, freeing up money for schools and public services.
But a handful of oil and gas executives have set out to trim the wind industry's sails. Starting in March, billboards began popping up along the Interstate in Oklahoma City, near the capitol building and the Petunia well. Their origin wasn't clear at first, but their message was: The tax credits that have spurred Oklahoma's wind energy boomlet are bad for the state. Blared one billboard: "Cost to Oklahoma taxpayers in 2016 is $242 million. Out-of-state wind companies benefited. That BLOWS."
The provenance of the signs didn't remain a mystery for long, however. News reports disclosed that they were paid for by the Windfall Coalition, a nonprofit group started by Harold Hamm, the billionaire founder of oil-and-gas behemoth Continental Resources. Other supporters include Pete Delaney, the former chief executive of coal company OGE, and Jeff McDougall, president of JMA Energy Co., an oil-and-gas producer.
As Oklahoma's legislators struggle to close a $1.3 billion state budget deficit before the end of May, the fossil fuel tycoons are leading an anti-wind campaign that wields the state budget crisis as a convenient cudgel. Hamm argues that wind, an industry no longer in its infancy, should be subject to the same production tax rate as oil and gas-2 percent in the first three years, and 7 percent after that. He also wants to see the end of all state tax incentives for wind energy. (At press time, Hamm and the Windfall Coalition had not responded to an interview request for this story).
"They have put a grand spotlight on the excessive costs of the wind power incentives that has really helped educate and motivate a lot of legislators," says state Senator Mike Mazzei, a Republican who represents parts of South Tulsa, Broken Arrow, and Bixby, in eastern Oklahoma. While Mazzei says that a production tax on wind wouldn't have the votes to pass, he has drafted legislation that would cap the zero emissions tax credit for new wind energy projects. He says that subsidy, in its current form, will cost the state $58 million this next fiscal year.
But some legislators say it's the fossil fuels industry that should be getting more scrutiny. They point to a dramatic rise in earthquakes linked to the drilling technique known as fracking, a raft of tax breaks that exceed those given to wind, and millions in state spending each year to import coal from Wyoming. Industry critics say the problem is not wind, but the influence that Hamm and his coalition's influence in the Greco-Roman halls of the Capitol.
Hamm and the coalition took out a full-page ad in The Oklahoman last Sunday, at a price of $33,000, the paper says. A package of three billboards cost roughly $17,500 all told. (The wind energy industry has meanwhile countered with its own billboards). Shelley Shelby, a lobbyist for Hamm's oil company who is also affiliated with Windfall, disclosed more than $1,400 in lobbying expenses last month, including nearly $1,000 on lunch events for state representatives and $160 on basketball tickets for the state's governor, Mary Fallin. (Hamm and other Windfall Coalition officials were not available for comment.)
"Why are we looking at wind?" asks Cory Williams, a Democratic state representative from Stillwater. "Because that's where we're being told to look. Who is telling us to look there? The Windfall Coalition. Who is running that? Harold Hamm. The greed of oil and gas in Oklahoma and the ineptitude of politicians is like nothing you've seen."
Wind energy supporters say the fossil fuel industry's influence threatens to slow the state's progress toward a clean energy future. They note that last year, the wind industry already gave up an exemption on property taxes, and that the industry's only remaining state tax credit is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2020. Altering that credit now would destabilize investments and put projects at risk, say environmental advocates. Industry backers also say that many of the Windfall Coalition's arguments rely on misleading math, anti-foreign sentiment, and a heaping helping of hypocrisy. "They are trying to destroy wind energy at all cost, lying included," declares Johnson Bridgewater, executive director of the Sierra Club's Oklahoma chapter.
Oklahoma's anti-wind campaign has roots in one man's "not in my backyard" sentiments. Two years ago, a company called EDP Renewables sought to build a 59-turbine wind farm in northeast Oklahoma's Craig County. One nearby landowner objected to the turbines, which he said would mar the view from his Double R Ranch. That landowner happened to be Frank Robson, a real-estate executive and the brother-in-law of the late Walmart founder, Sam Walton.
Robson started a nonprofit dubbed WindWaste, to educate Oklahomans about what it calls "the harmful effects of industrial wind." The group argued, among other things, that wind farms cause "wind turbine syndrome," a controversial diagnosis (for headaches and dizziness) that has not been recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Energy and Policy Institute, a pro-clean-energy think tank, Robson began to refocus his attacks on wind after hiring consultants who advised him to drop the NIMBY talk and highlight instead the state's financial support of the industry. Hamm has credited Robson for introducing him to the issue. (Robson, who has also become a key supporter of the Windfall Coalition, declined to comment for this story).
Last year, anti-wind forces gained a victory in the legislature, with the passage of bills that amended two tax breaks. Jeff Clark, executive director of the Wind Coalition, which represents wind industry developers, says his group recognized that the existing incentives were "overly generous." Particularly given the state budget crisis, wind officials were prepared to give them up, he says. "They worked extremely well with me," says Earl Sears, a Republican state representative from Bartlesville, in eastern Oklahoma, who authored one of the bills.
Around the same time that Oklahoma's politicians were looking to hike taxes on wind, they were busy slashing taxes on the wealthy, and on oil and gas.
In 2014, in the era of $100-a-barrel oil, the legislature cut production taxes on new wells from 7 percent to 2 percent, after three oil companies, including Hamm's, threatened to haul up their rigs and drill elsewhere. Legislators have also reduced income taxes on Oklahoma's top earners, from 6.65 percent in 2004 to 5 percent beginning this year.
Now, with oil prices in the tank, politicians are scrambling to repair this partially self-inflicted wound. Signs of financial strain are everywhere. Some schools have gone to four days a week. The tough-on-crime state is laying off prison guards and contemplating criminal justice reform. The state Department of Human Services has cut 700 positions and expects to slash more.
In recent months, Hamm's pressure on Oklahoma officials has become more overt. In March, the Office of the State Treasurer released a report featuring guest commentary from Hamm and Pete Delaney. It also included a chart, similar to one used by the Windfall Coalition that appears to suggest that Oklahoma's wind energy is contributing to a drop in natural gas prices. (Economists, including Stanford University's Frank Wolak, says linking the state's wind energy production with falling gas prices worldwide is a stretch.) Wind industry officials say that after they queried the treasury office about the numbers, state officials issued a clarification.
Hamm's group has also sought to whip up public angst over the number of out-of-state and foreign wind farm owners. His billboards feature images of turbines affixed with flags from South Korea, Maryland, Texas, and Germany. Wind advocates say that part of balancing the budget is bringing in money from out of state and overseas. "You would never turn away British Petroleum when they want to invest, or Shell when they want to invest," says Clark. "That's terrible for Oklahoma's economy."
As Hamm has hammered wind, however, tax incentives for his own industry, oil and gas, have slowly begun to receive greater scrutiny. According to the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a think tank, tax breaks and cuts to oil and gas cost the state more than $600 million last year, significantly more than those for wind. One break, in particular, seems made for satire. The state offers a rebate to wells that lose money, meaning that Oklahoma is subsidizing oil producers to pump even more crude into an already oversaturated market. That break would cost taxpayers around $158 million next year, according to the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Last Thursday, the state Senate voted to suspend the oil credit, and the House is expected to take it up soon.
Mazzei, the GOP state senator, says the legislature is taking responsible action to halt that "out of control" incentive. But he says that people who try to equate oil and gas credits with those offered to the wind industry need to keep in mind the drilling industries' broader economic benefits. "Oil and gas, which do have their fair share of incentives, produce thousands and thousands of jobs and millions and millions of payroll taxes," he says, something that he argues is not true for wind.
In Enid, the northern Oklahoma town of 50,000 where Hamm started his oil business, the reality on the ground is starting to look a little different. The surrounding county has two wind farms, 300-megawatt Chisholm View, run by a Boston company, and 100-megawatt Breckenridge, owned by a Florida firm. Brent Kisling, executive director of the Enid Regional Development Alliance, says the payments landowners get from the wind farm operators are equivalent to a manufacturing plant coming to town and hiring 80 people at the county average wage of $35,000. "We love out-of-state companies investing here," he says. As the legislative session ends, Kisling is hoping that Oklahoma's attempts to diversify its energy future aren't blown off course.
Energy & the Environment Science, Tech, Environment Oklahoma
Caroline Preston
Caroline Preston is a journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. She worked most recently as a features editor for Al Jazeera America Digital, and before that was a senior reporter with The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
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