text:
Bakken Crude, Bomb Trains, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Emergency Readiness & Response, Explosion, Fire, Hazmat notification, Rail routing, Spill, Unit trains
CHICAGO MAGAZINE: BOMB TRAINS – The scariest threat you didn't know about
April 26, 2016 Roger Straw
Repost from Chicago Magazine
BOMB TRAINS – THE SCARIEST THREAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
They're explosive. Pervasive. And their movements are cloaked in secrecy. Their nickname? Bomb trains. And they roll through the heart of Chicago.
A train carrying hazardous material, potentially crude oil, heads south through Chinatown's Ping Tom Memorial Park, photographed at dusk on March 15, 2016. PHOTO: JON LOWNENSTEIN
BY Ted C. Fishman, April 25, 2016 9:35 A.M.
They could not look more ominous. The long coal-black tubes announce themselves by their distinctive shape and color, their markings too small to read from the street. The 30,000-gallon tank cars roll, sometimes 100 at a time, in trains of up to one mile in length. Their cargo? Crude oil—as much as three million gallons per train. Nearly all of it is light sweet Bakken crude, a type that is particularly explosive. In whole, these trains constitute likely the biggest, heaviest, and longest combustibles to ever traverse America, and they do so routinely. More pass through Chicago than any other big metro area. Their blast potential has earned them a terrifying nickname: bomb trains.
Stand long enough at 18th and Wentworth, on the traffic bridge that separates the newer sections of Chinatown from the largely residential South Loop, and you will spot the tank cars wending their way across neighborhoods on the Near South and West Sides, past playgrounds, schoolyards, and row after row of houses. An estimated 40 of these trains cut through the metro area weekly. There's no public information on exact routes or timetables; revealing their paths, the logic goes, might aid potential saboteurs, a real risk in an age of terrorism.
Until recently, crude on the rails was relatively rare. But since 2008, when Bakken oil began rolling out of newly active fields in the United States—North Dakota is the biggest producer—and toward Eastern refineries, the number of oil tank car shipments has grown 50-fold. That's pushed the number of accidents up, too. According to U.S. government data, from 1975 to 2012, an average of 25 crude oil spills from tank cars occurred on the rails each year. In 2014, that number rose to 141. Most incidents are minor, such as small leaks. But in cases of a major derailment, the result can be catastrophic, even fatal (see "Terrifying Incidents," below).
Chicago found that in the last three years there were 17 derailments of crude oil trains in North America significant enough to generate news coverage. In eight of them, the tank cars blew, sending fireballs hundreds of feet into the air, filling the sky with black mushroom clouds. In the most severe cases, the flames produced are so hot that firefighters almost inevitably choose to let them burn out, which can take days, rather than extinguish them. (The Wall Street Journal calculated that a single tank car of sweet crude carries the energy equivalent of two million sticks of dynamite.) Even when there are no explosions, the spills can wreak havoc on the environment: five of the 17 accidents resulted in the pollution of major waterways, affecting thousands of people across the continent.
Chicago is particularly vulnerable. As the Western Hemisphere's busiest freight hub, the city has become a center for crude oil traffic, too. High volumes, combined with a densely populated urban setting, have watchdogs such as the Natural Resources Defense Council alarmed. Henry Henderson, the NRDC's Midwest program director, sums up the threat this way: "Trains with highly explosive materials are traveling through the city on aging tracks in cars that are easily punctured, which can result in devastating explosions."
Many of these trains cut through what were once industrial rail yards in the city and suburbs. Over the last 35 years, however, much of that property has turned into residential and commercial clusters. "You should assume that if you live in the Chicago area, near a railroad track, that there are trains carrying Bakken crude oil," says Jim Healy, a member of the DuPage County Board.
Though Chicago has so far been spared a crude oil train crash, the potential of one presents a horrifying picture. One particular nightmare is emblazoned in the minds of first responders, and regulators. On July 6, 2013, a runaway crude oil train, which had been left unattended, sped through the center of the small Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic. Sixty-three cars derailed. Forty-seven people were killed, some literally incinerated while they drank at a bar.
The catastrophic 2013 derailment in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic PHOTO: PAUL CHIASSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Emergency responders in the Chicago area say they are confident any derailment here could be managed before it reached neighborhood-destroying levels. "Crude is not the threat that everyone says it is," says Gene Ryan, chief of planning for Cook County's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Ryan and a group of first responders looked closely at 29 major accidents across North America and found that "even though the crude is full of all kinds of volatile materials, the cars did not completely blow apart and hit homes," he says.
But in a city as dense as Chicago, it takes only one freak incident to have a titanic effect on the urban landscape. Just last year, on March 5, on a stretch of track near Galena, Illinois, 21 BNSF Railway train cars carrying 630,000 gallons of Bakken crude derailed and tumbled down an embankment. Five of them burned for three days. At the time, James Joseph, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, told the Chicago Tribune: "We're fortunate this occurred where it did, in a remote area, and there were no homes around it."
Experts believe the train was likely headed for Chicago, 160 miles to the east.
Historically, oil in America moved from south (think Texas and Louisiana) to north mostly through pipelines, the safest conduits for it. When newly deployed technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—opened access to sources of oil in North Dakota and elsewhere in the West, few pipelines were in place to move the crude to the refineries back east that could handle it. (A proposed pipeline for Bakken crude running from Stanley, North Dakota, to Patoka, Illinois, has faced political and jurisdictional challenges.) With limited alternatives, oil producers and refiners turned to railroads. In 2014, trains carried 11 percent of the nation's crude oil.
So what paths do these tank cars take? The exact routes are state secrets. But assuming 40 trains, carrying three million gallons of crude oil each, pass through the Chicago area weekly, that means more than 17 million gallons roll through the city daily. It's an inexact count, and the NRDC has continued to push to get accurate information. "A lot of people don't know their residences are adjacent to hazardous cargo," says Henderson. "The issue should be subject to public discussion, but the public has been cut off from it."
Using freight maps and firsthand reporting, the West Coast environmental advocacy group Stand has assembled a national map of the most common crude oil train routes and created an interactive website that allows users to determine how far any U.S. location is from these routes. For example, according to the site, half of Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, home to 32,000 people and U.S. Cellular Field, falls squarely within a half-mile "evacuation zone," established by the U.S. Department of Transportation for areas vulnerable to crude oil train explosions. Stretch that to the one-mile "impact zone" and you include the Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Cook County Juvenile Court.
It's not just Chicago proper that sees traffic from crude oil trains. They cut through Joliet, Naperville, Barrington, Aurora, and dozens of other suburbs. "I can look outside my office and see them passing through downtown," says Tom Weisner, Aurora's mayor. "About 120,000 tanker cars a year now come through our city."
Last April, the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered a maximum speed for crude oil trains of 40 miles an hour in populous areas. The majority of railroads run them 10 miles slower than that, an acknowledgment, in effect, that the trains aren't invulnerable. Most often, it is a flawed track, wheel, or axle that leads to a derailment, which can then cause tank cars to rupture.
Bakken crude was first shipped using tank cars designed for nonhazardous materials and ill suited to its volatility. (Most tank cars are owned not by the railroads but by the oil producers and refiners, such as Valero Energy and Phillips 66, that ship crude.) Those first-generation tank cars, called DOT-111s, have almost all been subjected to new protections, including having their shells reinforced with steel a sixteenth of an inch thicker than used in earlier models. Federal regulations passed in 2015 mandate that by 2025 haulers must replace all cars with new models featuring even thicker steel shells and other safety measures.
Railroads know the dangers. In addition to the human and environmental costs, one terrible accident could put a railroad company out of business. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, which ran the train that devastated Lac-Mégantic, could only cover a fraction of its hundreds of millions of dollars in liabilities and went bankrupt.
The big railroads hauling crude in the United States and Canada have spent heavily on new technology to make their lines safer, including an Association of American Rails app called AskRail, which identifies the contents and location of rail cars carrying hazardous materials. What railroad companies cannot yet do is reroute trains away from the populous areas whose growth their lines once spurred. There simply isn't the infrastructure in place to do so.
And while the American Association of Railroads reports that rail companies have spent $600 billion since 1980 improving their current routes, even well-maintained tracks remain vulnerable. Department of Transportation accident data shows that broken rails were the main cause of freight derailments from 2001 to 2010. What's more, the Federal Rail Administration, the agency charged with overseeing the integrity of America's tracks, says it can only monitor less than 1 percent of the federally regulated rail system annually due to a shortage of manpower.
"There's a lackadaisical attitude among people, including officials, about infrastructure that is not up to the threats against it, even as the threats are manifesting," says Henderson. "You saw that in Flint, Michigan, and in other places with drinking water. And now with crude oil trains, which deal with very serious materials moving [on a system] not adequate to protect people from mistakes."
10 Terrifying incidents
With crude oil rail shipments growing 50-fold in the last eight years, the number of accidents has risen too. Below, 10 of the most damaging. —Katie Campbell
Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
In the worst recent accident, 63 cars on a runaway train derailed in the heart of this Canadian town. The resulting blast and flames killed 47 residents and destroyed 30 buildings in the small downtown.
Aliceville, Alabama
Outside this tiny Southern town, 25 cars spilled nearly 750,000 gallons of oil into surrounding wetlands, creating an environmental nightmare.
Casselton, North Dakota
After two trains collided, 18 cars on the one carrying crude oil spilled nearly 400,000 gallons.
Vandergrift, Pennsylvania
Enroute from Chicago, a train went off the track and crashed into a downtown industrail building.
Lynchburg PHOTO: STEVE HELBER/AP
A train from Chicago derailed near a pedestrian waterfront area, sending three cars—and 30,000 gallons of oil—into the James River.
Mount Carbon, West Virginia
After 27 cars went off the track during a snowstorm and exploded, the fire burned for four days.
Galena PHOTO: MIKE BURLEY/AP/TELEGRAPH HERALD
Galena, Illinois
A train likely headed to Chicago derailed on a remote stretch of track, sending cars down an embankment. Even though the cars had been reinforced with half an inch of steel, the fire burned for three days.
Gogama, Ontario
Just one month after a derailment in the same area, five cars fell into the Makami River, leaking oil into waterways used by locals for drinking and fishing.
Heimdal, North Dakota
Five cars exploded and spilled nearly 60,000 gallons of oil. Fire crews from three nearby towns were called to help fight the blaze.
Culbertson, Montana
Twenty cars toppled from the track, with three spilling a total of 35,000 gallons of oil, forcing 30 people to evacuate.
Benicia City Council, Crude By Rail, Federal pre-emption, Surface Transportation Board, Valero Benicia Appeal, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail
DAVIS ENTERPRISE COLUMN: Benicia council calls a timeout on oil train issue
Repost from the Davis Enterprise FORUM
Benicia council calls a timeout on oil train issue
Special to the Enterprise by Elizabeth Lasensky, April 24, 2016
On Tuesday night, a majority of the Benicia City Council voted to allow the Valero refinery a continuance on hearings on its oil train project request. Valero wants the delay to petition the federal Surface Transportation Board for clarification on federal pre-emption and indirect pre-emption of its project.
Although Valero is an oil refinery, now calling itself a "shipper," the crude oil will be traveling in rail cars on Union Pacific tracks. However, the project itself will be on Valero property within the city of Benicia.
The Surface Transportation Board's website states this about its oversight:
"The agency has jurisdiction over railroad rate and service issues and rail restructuring transactions (mergers, line sales, line construction and line abandonments); certain trucking company, moving van and non-contiguous ocean shipping company rate matters; certain intercity passenger bus company structure, financial and operational matters; and rates and services of certain pipelines not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
"The agency has authority to investigate rail service matters of regional and national significance."
Federal pre-emption dates to the founding of the railroads. Only the federal government has regulatory authority over railroads. Cities and states cannot create regulations regarding railroads.
The majority of the Benicia City Council members commented that they did not have enough information on pre-emption to move forward with a vote on the environmental impact report and the use permit. Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson attempted to point out that there is sufficient evidence to know how the STB would rule and that the council should move forward. In her view, there are other issues and projects on which city staff need to spend time.
By making this decision, the council chose to ignore three years of work and a unanimous opposition decision by its own Planning Commission; public comments by many of their own residents; countless hours of staff time; testimony by up- and down-rail elected officials, agencies and citizens; comments and recommendations by experts from various air quality boards; opinions by lawyers from several nonprofit agencies; and expert comments from the office of California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Based on their questions and comments, it was apparent that those council members had not read the EIR and the subsequent public comments. Rather, they chose to accept the opinion of the city's contract attorney in lieu of doing their homework.
By allowing Valero this delay to submit a petition to the Surface Transportation Board, the council has opened the door to abdicating its authority to determine its own land-use policy within the city boundaries. The EIR likely will become stale and all the work that went into that document might need to be redone. Further, any opinion offered by the STB still could be challenged in court.
Whether or not an opinion has been made by the STB, the Benicia City Council will reconvene hearings on Sept. 21. Two members insist they must have this information to make a decision and want to reconsider what to do if the decision is not returned by this date.
Up- and down-rail communities, agencies and activists will be closely following the process.
— Elizabeth Lasensky is a Davis resident and oil train activist.
Benicia City Council, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Emergency Readiness & Response, Evacuation zone, Explosion, Foam, High Hazard Flammable Trains (HHFTs), Spill prevention and response, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail
SACRAMENTO BEE: Northern California towns lack resources to handle oil train fires, spills
Repost from the Sacramento Bee
Northern California towns lack resources to handle oil train fires, spills
By Jane Braxton Little, April 23, 2016 7:49 AM
• Lassen County town has no reliable water supply for firefighting
• Crude oil transport by rail grew 1,700 percent in 2015
• Federal government providing hands-on response training
A BNSF train carrying dozens of tank cars crosses an 80-year-old trestle heading south to Union Pacific Railroad tracks through the Feather River Canyon. Jane Braxton Little
WESTWOOD – BNSF Railway trains carrying crude oil and other hazardous materials rumble through this Lassen County community every day – past homes, churches and a scant block from the downtown commercial center.
If a tank car were to derail and explode, Westwood Fire Chief Forest Duerksen would take the only action he's equipped for: Evacuation. Of all 1,000 residents.
Westwood Fire Chief Forest Duerksen CQ stands next to the BNSF Railway tracks, a stone's throw from the fire station in this Lassen County community. Jane Braxton Little
Westwood has no consistent source of water, and the closest trailers with enough foam to extinguish a large blaze are a full four hours away, he said: "We'd just have to get everybody out and go from there."
Rural officials like Duerksen have been worried for decades about the chlorine, ammonia, propane and crude oil transported through their northern California communities by BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad. But a dramatic surge in production in oil fields in the Midwest and Canada increased the volume from about 10,000 railroad tank cars in 2008 to nearly half a million in 2014. In 2015, the U.S. Energy Information Agency reported a 1,700 percent increase in crude oil transportation by rail.
That's slowed significantly in the last year, a change generally attributed to a drop in the price of oil. But emergency responders worry that the volume will swell again when crude oil prices rise. In recent weeks, many have observed an increase in the number of tank cars on trains running south toward Sacramento and San Francisco.
That could be a precursor to the half-mile long oil trains planned for travel through Northern California to Benicia. Valero Refining Co. has proposed building a rail loading station that would allow importing oil on two 50-car trains a day to the city 40 miles northeast of San Francisco.
The trains would run through Roseville, downtown Sacramento, West Sacramento, downtown Davis, Dixon and other cities. East of Roseville, the route is uncertain. Trains could arrive via Donner Summit, Feather River Canyon, or through the Shasta and Redding areas.
WE'D JUST HAVE TO GET EVERYBODY OUT AND GO FROM THERE.
Westwood Fire Chief Forest Duerksen
On Tuesday, the Benicia City Council postponed until September a decision on Valero's appeal of a February planning commission recommendation that unanimously rejected the proposal.
Accidents have mounted with the increase in the number of trains transporting oil around the country. A 2013 oil train explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, haunts firefighters across the continent. The fire and detonation of multiple tank cars carrying Bakken crude oil killed 47 people and destroyed dozens of buildings.
No one was hurt in 2014, when 11 cars derailed on Union Pacific tracks in the Feather River Canyon, spilling corn down a hillside above the river that supplies drinking water to millions of people as far south as Los Angeles. The cars could easily have been carrying crude oil, with substantial environmental consequences far beyond the Feather River, said Jerry Sipe, director of Plumas County's Office of Emergency Services.
"We were lucky," he said.
In 2015 there were 574 railway "incidents" involving hazardous materials while in transport, according to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Of these, 114 were in California, and three in Roseville, site of a large rail yard. Most were minor, and none involved fatalities.
Officials in California's up-rail cities, including Sacramento, have raised objections to plans to expand oil train traffic, saying not enough attention is being given to safety concerns. But these large urban jurisdictions are far better equipped to respond to incidents than their counterparts in rural Northern California, where train tracks pass through some of the state's roughest terrain.
In these rural areas, the people responding first to oil spills and accidents are generally local fire departments like Duerksen's, one of the nation's 20,000 all-volunteer fire organizations. Among the small rural communities along BNSF's tracks through Northern California, the Westwood Fire Department is one of the better equipped for a hazardous materials accident.
Duerksen took advantage of a BNSF program at the railroad industry's training and research center in Pueblo, Colo. That gave him hands-on experience in using water and foam on a burning railcar, and taught him advanced techniques for containing spills.
1,700 percent
Increase in crude oil transportation by rail in 2015
Since then, several volunteer firefighters from Westwood and communities along the BNSF line have attended the training. Quincy and other fire departments along the Union Pacific line have also sent volunteers to Pueblo.
Plumas County was recently awarded a grant to acquire an oil spill trailer with firefighting foam and 1,200 feet of "hard booms," which can contain large quantities of hazardous materials. Sipe said it will be positioned along Highway 70 at Rogers Flat for quick deployment in the Feather River Canyon, where aging trestles and sharp curves make it among the most accident-prone rail lines in the state.
"We're better protected now than a year ago," Sipe said.
Despite the improvements, many fire departments remain untrained and poorly equipped. In Greenville, where the BNSF line passes directly through residential and commercial areas, none of the 25 volunteers has been to the oil-spill training in Pueblo, said Chris Gallagher, general manager of the Indian Valley Community Services District, which oversees the fire department. Four of the department's 10 pieces of equipment have been deemed inoperable by the California Highway Patrol, he said.
"We definitely need some help," said Gallagher.
That could come through an innovative program taking the Pueblo emergency response training on the road. Rail safety experts will travel to communities around the country providing hands-on accident preparedness to firefighters. Funded by a $2.4 million award from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the mobile training program is expected to train about 18,000 first responders from remote rural communities in 2016.
The award is part of a $5.9 million grant to provide hazardous materials training for volunteer or remote emergency responders. Plumas County has already requested the mobile training, Sipe said.
BNSF strongly supports these programs, said Lena Kent, a company spokeswoman. Last year alone it trained 10,000 first responders, 1,500 of them in California.
Duerksen, the Westwood fire chief, said he feels much safer than he did two years ago, when the increase in oil-train traffic had emergency responders on edge. "We're better trained and better prepared now," he said.
But not everyone is content with the increased training and beefed-up emergency response equipment. Larry Bradshaw, a retired therapist and community activist in Westwood, is advocating for additional safety requirements for BNSF. He wants to see a high-risk rail designation extended from Greenville to Westwood, imposing a 45 mph maximum speed and increasing the number of inspections.
"We're not prepared at all. There's no way we can respond to a spill. The only thing we can do is evacuate," Bradshaw said.
Dixon CAdonnerDonner SummitFeather River CanyonLac-Megantic QuebecPlumas County CARedding CARoseville CASacramento CAShasta CAWest Sacramento CAWestwood CA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Top 5 Shakespeare Bromances: Who Do You Ship?
You are here: Home1 / Welcome To The No Sweat Shakespeare Blog!2 / Random Fun Stuff3 / Top 5 Shakespeare Bromances: Who Do You Ship?
Shakespeare created some of the most famous romantic couples in literature: Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello and Desdemona, etc.
But what about the Shakespeare bromances? Those are pretty abundant in the Bard's works, too. From his sonnets, some of which are written to a handsome boy called the "fair youth," to his plays where the male pals share some pretty intimate moments, Shakespeare's works are full of male love of all kinds.
But which of those male bonds achieve the true status of the "bromance"? Here are a few of our favorites.
Hamlet and Horatio, Hamlet
Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio in Hamlet (1996).
We couldn't begin this list with anyone other than the OG, ultimate Shakespeare bromance: Hamlet and Horatio from Hamlet. Whether you think that Hamlet and Horatio are best friends or… a little something more is up to you, but one thing's for sure: they have a whole lot of affection for each other.
Horatio looks out for Hamlet from the beginning. Claudius may bring in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be Hamlet's "buddies," but they're sort of like those guys you meet at welcome week at school and then occasionally sit with in the dining hall. Horatio is a true friend, there for Hamlet whenever he needs him.
That said, Horatio's friendship with Hamlet may border a little too on the trusting side, which sends it into the world of bromance. Hamlet acts crazy crazy. He does a lot of terrible things — stabbing Polonius, degrading Ophelia, killing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and apparently a bunch of pirates (what is that plot point??), etc, but Horatio still sticks by him.
That's not to say that we shouldn't hold our loved ones accountable — in fact, his blind love for Hamlet is probably one of Horatio's biggest flaws — but it does show how much he cares for him. In fact, when it looks like Hamlet is going to die, Horatio is ready to give up his own life, too; like Juliet, he searches for any drop of poison left to drink so he can die, as well. But Hamlet, who is still hanging onto life, uses one of his last actions to stop Horatio from drinking the rest.
Then comes the most important bromance moment: Hamlet trusts Horatio to tell his story to the world after he is gone. In some of his last words, Hamlet pleads:
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart
Absent thee from felicity a while,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
To tell my story. (V.II.343-346)
And, so, while he wants nothing more than to be with his dear friend, Horatio lives on to tell his tale. That's a heart-wrenching bromance.
Mercutio and Romeo, Romeo and Juliet
Mercutio (Harold Perrineau) shields Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996)
So, you could set Mercutio up with a couple of guys in Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio and Benvolio, Mercutio and Tybalt… we've heard all the ships. But for now we're gonna stick with Mercutio and Romeo.
Mercutio is an interesting character in that he talks a lot about love and sexuality, but we never see him expressing any desire himself. He eschews romantic love, telling Romeo when he seems to have gotten over Rosaline, "Why, is not this better than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable. Now art thou Romeo" (II.IV.37-39).
Actually, Mercutio spends a whole lot of time either trying to dissuade Romeo from loving women or making fun of him for being in love. Yeah, he could just be messing with him… but it seems like Mercutio doesn't like this romance getting in the way of his bromance. He either wants Romeo the pal back, orrrrr he just wants Romeo for himself.
Romeo, for his part, definitely loves Mercutio dearly as a friend. What else but Mercutio's death could make him so thoroughly lose his mind that he'd murder his wife's cousin after they've been married just three hours?
In fact, Romeo doesn't just want to murder Tybalt as revenge for Mercutio's death; when Romeo confronts Tybalt he cries, "either thou or I or both must go with him," meaning he would give his own life if it meant revenging Mercutio's death (III.I.91).
For a guy who is obsessed with Juliet as Romeo is, he seems pretty willing to give up his life out of grief and vengeance for his friend. Either way, this is a tragic story of both a romance and a bromance ended by death.
Sebastian and Antonio, Twelfth Night
Antonio (Nicholas Farrell) looks lovingly at Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh) in Trevor Nunn's Twelfth Night (1996).
Okay, this is one of the clearest cases of Shakespeare bromance verging on romance. At least for Antonio.
In Twelfth Night, Sebastian and Antonio are not main characters by any stretch — but their bromance packs a punch. Sebastian is the twin brother of Viola, the main character in the play. They were separated in a shipwreck, and both eventually end up in a land called Illyria.
Between the shipwreck and landing on Illyria, Sebastian befriends a pirate named Antonio. Antonio outright professes his affection for him, crying, "If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant" (II.I.34-35). So you know this guy is serious.
When they get to Illyria, Antonio lends Sebastian some money and tells him to go exploring. When Antonio goes to look for him later, he instead finds Viola in the midst of a sword fight. Naturally, Antonio goes in to defend her, thinking that she's Sebastian — and he gets arrested 'cause he's a pirate with warrants and all that. He asks for some of the money back, but of course Viola has no idea what he's talking about.
Antonio feels betrayed, and is humiliated that "Sebastian," whom he loves, refuses to recognize him. In the middle of being arrested, Antonio begs the officers to pause for a sec so he can make a little speech:
Let me speak a little. This youth that you see here
I snatch'd one half out of the jaws of death,
Relieved him with such sanctity of love,
And to his image, which methought did promise
Most venerable worth, did I devotion. (III.IV.325-329)
He then goes on to moan about how evil lies in beauty, because he thinks that Sebastian is forsaking him. If that is not a man head-over-heels in love — even more than regular bromance standards — I don't know what is.
Arcite and Palamon, The Two Noble Kinsmen
Arcite and Palamon battling in an early drawing of their fight depicted in The Canterbury Tales.
Okay, this one is a little weird. These dudes are cousins. Like, blood-related family members. But the bromance is so real.
They get imprisoned together at the beginning of the play, which you'd think would make them pretty angry — but, because they have each other, they find a way to make it joyful. Arcite even points out (as a good thing) that it's like they're married, saying, "We are one another's wife, ever begetting / New births of love," to which Palamon responds, "Is there record of any two that loved better than we do, Arcite?" (II.II.88-89; 124-125). Um, this is one intense bromance.
Now, of course, something had to happen to break these bosom friends up — and it comes in the form of the queen's sister, Emilia. They both fall absolutely in love with her (even more than with each other), and despite saying that nothing will break their friendship they literally plan to kill each other over Emilia.
But as they suit up to fight each other to win their bride, they still can't quite shake the old bromance-y feelings. They put on each other's armor for each other, the whole time commenting on how it fits, how it looks, praising memories of each other's battle skills, etc. Palamon even asks Arcite, "How do I look? Am I much fallen away?" to which Arcite replies, "Faith, very little; love has used you kindly" (III.VI.91-92).
So, basically, Palamon is asking, "Hey dude, do I still look good" and Arcite is saying, "Oh yeah, super handsome, man." While they are gearing up to BATTLE each other. How much more bromance-y can you get??
Leontes and Polixenes, The Winter's Tale
Leontes (Stephen Muterspaugh, left), Hermione (Maryssa Wanlass) and Polixenes (David Everett Moore, right) in the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's The Winter's Tale directed by Rebecca J. Ennals (2016). Photo: Jay Yamada/San Francisco Shakespeare Festival
This is a Shakespeare bromance that stands the test of time — until jealousy takes over. Leontes and Polixenes, kings of Sicilia and Bohemia, were childhood friends. Leontes' man Camillo says that Leontes and Polixenes "were trained together in their childhoods, and there rooted betwixt them then such an affection which cannot choose but branch now" (I.I.23-25). So, we know they have a long bromance history.
The play begins with Leontes trying to convince Polixenes to stay in Sicilia for another month (yeah, people's visits were long back then). When he is unable to persuade him, Leontes' wife Hermione steps in to ask, and Polixenes relents.
This, for some reason, sends Leontes into a flying rage, and he becomes convinced that his wife is cheating on him with Polixenes and that's why he agreed to stay when she asked.
Leontes' sudden turn to jealousy is abrupt and puzzling for a lot of readers and viewers, but it makes a little more sense if we think about it from a bromance perspective. Maybe it's not just that Leontes is jealous regarding Hermione's fidelity (which, of course, is completely intact), but rather that he's jealous that Polixenes might prefer her company to his. Bromance drama!
All the "bromances" where a girl is dressed as a boy and a man seems to fall in love with her anyway. These include:
Viola and Orsino, Twelfth Night
Rosalind and Orlando, As You Like It
Imogen, Arivaragus, and Guiderius, Cymbeline (though this one is even weirder because it turns out they're all siblings)
Which of these bromances do you feel most passionate about? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by Emily JackowayNoSweatShakespeare contributor
Authorship Debate (12)
Historic Shakespeare (111)
Life & Times (51)
Random Fun Stuff (106)
Shakespeare Today (108)
Shakespeare's Works (147)
The Globe Theatre (12)
7 Skills to Master to Become a Prolific Writer
The Romeo and Juliet Story


text:
Facebook expands bug bounty program to include third-party apps and websites
Home → Social Media → Facebook expands bug bounty program to include third-party apps and websites
Facebook announced this morning it's expanding its bug bounty program – which pays researchers who find security vulnerabilities within its platform – to now include issues found in third-party apps and websites. Specifically, Facebook says it will reward valid reports of vulnerabilities that relate to the improper exposure of Facebook user access tokens.
Typically, when a user logs into another app using their Facebook account information, they're able to decide what information the token and, therefore, the app can access and what actions it can take.
But if the token becomes compromised, users' personal information could be misused.
Facebook says it will pay a minimum reward of $500 per vulnerable app or website, if the report is valid. The company also noted it wasn't aware of any other programs offering rewards of this scope for all eligible third-party apps.
If a vulnerability is determined to be legit, Facebook will then work with the affected app developer or website operator to fix their code. Any apps that don't comply with Facebook's request to address the issue will be suspended from the platform until the problem has been solved and undergoes a security review.
In addition, Facebook says it will revoke all the access tokens that could have been compromised in order to prevent potential misuse. If it believes anyone has actually been impacted by the problem, it will notify them, if need be.
The company spells out what sort of information researchers (the white hat hackers) should include in their reports in order to receive the reward. It also says it's only accepting reports where the bug is discovered by passively viewing data sent to and from a device and the affected app or website – not through any more of manipulation on the researchers' part.
The news comes at a time when Facebook is still dealing with the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which compromised the personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users. This was followed by news this summer that a quiz app had been leaking data on 120 million users for years.
Since then, the company has been tightening its API platform, reviewing all apps, suspending hundreds of apps deemed suspicious, rolling out tools to help people better manage their apps, and more.
As a part of those changes, Facebook said earlier this year that its bug bounty program would be expanded.
Separately from this new program, the company now also runs a Data Abuse Bounty program which rewards first-hand knowledge of third-parties that collect user data in order to pass it off to malicious parties.
"We would like to emphasize that our bug bounty program does not replace the obligations on app developers to maintain appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data — either regulatory obligations (for example, if the app developer is a data controller for the purposes of GDPR) or the rigorous controls we require through our terms of service and policies that apply to all developers on the Facebook platform," wrote Dan Gurfinkel, Facebook Security Engineering Manager, in an announcement.
More details on the program are here.
By CarolynClarkDFW on September 17, 2018 / Social Media / Leave a comment


text:
Explore our campus virtually!
WATCH: A tour of OCAD University in 2 minutes!
Discover studios, workspaces and more!
OCAD U campus is located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The university offers an inspiring work environment for over 400 faculty and more than 4,300 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. Studios, galleries and more are at your fingertips!
Shops & Studios
Your creativity will flourish in our 20+ shops and studios filled with state-of-the-art tools and expert technicians. Get support as you develop your creativity!
We're here to help you succeed. Connect with services and resources to support wellness in your health, education, and creative career.
Study & Workspaces
Create, collaborate and connect in on-campus study spaces. Work alongside your fellow students while getting access to resources and spaces designed for developing your creativity.
Gallery Spaces
Develop your creative career and connections. Meet fellow creatives, get inspired or showcase your own work in one of our many downtown Toronto gallery spaces.
Explore OCAD U
Tours & Videos
While you may not be able to explore our campus in-person, explore it digitally! Our studios have been fully updated and redesigned; Check out our virtual walk-through to see the changes! Explore the rest of the campus with our virtual tour!
Updated Studio Tour
Explore our updated studio spaces!
Link to Explore our updated studio spaces!
Immersive Virtual Tour
Take Our Virtual Tour!
Link to Take Our Virtual Tour!
Shops and studios
Learn about our studio spaces!
Link to Learn about our studio spaces!
Living in the City
The location of your school can be a major factor, especially when you're considering studying art, design, or digital media.
We're located in downtown Toronto's Entertainment District and right next to Queen Street West, the Art Gallery of Ontario and beautiful Grange Park. The university has twelve buildings in the heart of the city. Our campus is easily accessible by transit and surrounded by walkable and livable neighbourhoods.
Toronto is an amazing place to live, work and study. It is the 4th largest city in North America, the most multi-cultural city in the world (which means delicious food and amazing cultural festivals), a city of neighbourhoods with something for everyone, a cultural hub with major museums and galleries, a thriving arts community, home to TIFF, fashion weeks, design industries, a hub for wearable technology and start ups, a safe city and consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world to live in. OCAD University is connected to the city through our alumni and the partnerships we have within the creative and cultural sectors. Being located in the heart of the city is a huge benefit to all of OCAD's students.
Acknowledging the Land
OCAD University is a creative space where students are invited to discover and explore themselves and their communities. As we provide a space to explore self and place, we also learn and recognize the history of this land.
In 1805, Tkaranto (Toronto) was surrendered through the Toronto Purchase (Treaty 13) with the Mississaugas of the Credit. We are situated on the Treaty lands and territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, as well as the traditional territories of many nations, including the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat. These are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we stand. Tkaranto (Toronto) is also home to many urban First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
We welcome you to research and learn more about the land you are on. Whose Land and Native Land are great places to begin.
Updated Studio Tours
EXPLORE ONLINE EVENTS


text:
PA PSRS Patient Saf Advis 2005 Dec 2;(Suppl. 2):1-4.
Use of Color-Coded Patient Wristbands Creates Unnecessary Risk
A hospital in Pennsylvania submitted a report to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) describing an event in which clinicians nearly failed to rescue a patient who had a cardiopulmonary arrest because the patient had been incorrectly designated as "DNR" (do not resuscitate). The source of the confusion was that a nurse had incorrectly placed a yellow wristband on the patient. In this hospital, the color yellow signified that the patient should not be resuscitated. In a nearby hospital, in which this nurse also worked, yellow signified "restricted extremity," meaning that this arm is not to be used for drawing blood or obtaining IV access.
Fortunately, in this case, another clinician identified the mistake, and the patient was resuscitated. However, this "near miss" highlights a potential source of error and an opportunity to improve patient safety by re-evaluating the use of color-coded wristbands.
To assess the potential scope of the problem, PA-PSRS surveyed the Patient Safety Officers of all Pennsylvania hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities (ASFs). The 139 survey respondents represented one-third of these healthcare facilities.
Color-Coded Wristbands are Widely Used in Pennsylvania Healthcare Facilities
Nearly four out of five (78%) survey respondents' facilities use patient wristbands to communicate clinical information other than the patient's identity. Of those that do, nearly all (98%) report that color is significant (i.e., used to communicate the meaning) on some or all wristbands. While color-coded wristband use appears more prevalent among hospitals, with nearly 87% reporting that they use them, wristband color-coding is also common among ASFs (67%). Some facilities report using as many as five color-coded wristbands, in addition to the patient identification (ID) band.
There is wide variation among facilities on the types of clinical information they communicate via color-coded wristbands. Among those that use this method of communication, there is little consistency in the colors used to communicate specific clinical information (see Table 1).
Table 1. Variety of Medical "Messages" and Colors Used on Patient Wristbands in Pennsylvania Facilities
The Potential for Confusion is Obvious and Significant
About one in seven survey respondents use wristbands to communicate a patient's DNR status. Of those, over half use the color blue to indicate patients designated as DNR. In other facilities the same message is communicated using purple, yellow, pink, red, and other colors.
While DNR status may be most commonly associated with the color blue, other facilities use this same color to signify that a patient:
Is prone to fall.
Has a pacemaker.
Is an elopement risk (i.e., may wander off).
Has a latex or tape allergy.
Is on anticoagulants (blood thinners).
Has diabetes.
Has a name similar to another patient's.
Should not have blood drawn from this arm.
Is an outpatient.
Another example of the potential for error found in the survey was that one facility uses a pink wristband to communicate patients' blood types, while another facility uses the same color to identify patients who should not receive blood products.
Table 1 shows the wide variety of medical "messages" and colors used to communicate them. Table 2 describes the more common wristband uses.
Table 2. Medical Information Commonly Communicated with Wristbands
Clinical Topic
Number (%) of Facilities Using*
Dominant Color (% of Facilities Using)†
Number (%) of Facilities Using Text/Symbols on Colored Wristbands†
82 (76%) Red (78%) 48 (56%)
45 (42%) Green (31%) 8 (23%)
Restricted Extremity
34 (32%) Purple (27%) 8 (24%)
DNR Status
21 (19%) Blue (52%) 4 (19%)
Blood Type/Blood Bank ID
13 (12%) Red (92%) 9 (69%)
 * Percentages are based on the 108 faciliteis indicating that they do use color-coded wristbands.
 † Percentages are based on the number of facilities indicating that they use a color-coded wristband for this clinical topic.
Compounding the potential for confusion from the lack of standardization across facilities is that many wristbands do not contain text that would provide an additional cue to their meaning. Of the 108 respondents that use these types of wristbands, only 48% use text on all such wristbands in use in their facility.
We asked all respondents whether their facilities require patients to remove colored wristbands they may have been wearing outside the healthcare facility, such as the yellow "Live Strong" wristbands associated with the cyclist Lance Armstrong. Only one-third of the respondents answered affirmatively, and 14% said sometimes. Over half (53%) said no or said that they did not know.
Other Common Wristband Errors
The errors that commonly occur with patient ID bands can also occur with color-coded wristbands used to convey medical information.
Wristbands may be omitted when they should be put on, or they may be removed or covered up by clinicians or patients. PA-PSRS has received a number of reports in which patient allergy bands were not applied. In another report, a patient was mistakenly resuscitated because a DNR wristband had not been applied as ordered by the physician.
Clinicians may not notice a wristband and may therefore provide treatment inconsistent with the patient's condition or preferences. For example, many reports to PA-PSRS describe patients having blood drawn from a restricted extremity or receiving an intervention to which they have a documented allergy, despite having color-coded wristbands applied.
Wristbands are sometimes removed during medical procedures, such as surgery or when starting an IV. Facilities have submitted many reports to PA-PSRS about ID bands or other wristbands being temporarily removed and not reapplied. Forgetting to reapply a wristband can be avoided by instituting a practice of removing a wristband from one extremity only after a duplicate one has been placed on another extremity.
Wristbands are sometimes applied in error. For example, PA-PSRS received a report in which a color-coded wristband was applied to indicate that a patient had been cleared for a surgical procedure and that all necessary documentation was in place. During a pre-surgery "time out," in which critical information is reconfirmed before proceeding, the clinical team discovered the patient had not consented for anesthesia. What kept this "near miss" from becoming an adverse event was that the surgical team did not rely on a single piece of evidence (the wristband) for confirmation. When faced with contradictory information (lack of documentation that consent was obtained), they delayed the procedure to resolve the discrepancy.
What Can Healthcare Facilities Do?
The following guidance will help facilities avoid unanticipated adverse events, if they choose to use color-coded wristbands:
Limit the number of different colors in use on patient wristbands.
Standardize the meanings of specific colors among healthcare facilities. Use only primary and secondary colors. Avoiding use of shades of the same color to convey different messages can help reduce potential confusion. Use brief, pre-printed descriptive text on wristbands to provide clarification to clinicians. This can minimize misperception of colors in dimly lit patient rooms and alleviate confusion for color-blind caregivers. Text may also help reinforce the color-coding system for new clinicians.
Emboss or pre-print text rather than using handwriting. Handwriting on wristbands should only be done in an emergency. Writing on wristbands, as is often done with allergy bracelets, is best avoided. [Remember: an allergy wristband is not intended to be a sole source of information, but is a warning to the clinician to confirm the allergy status with the patient or to review the allergy history on the patient's chart.]
If your facility uses wristbands for pediatric patients that relate to the Broselow color-coding system for pediatric resuscitation carts, consider the potential for confusion between the Broselow bands (which are most likely to be used in the Emergency Department, Pediatrics, and Neonatal Intensive Care) and other colored wristbands your facility uses.
Explain to patients and/or their families the purpose of all wristbands as they are put on. This provides an opportunity for them to identify errors. This also reinforces a facility's commitment to promoting a culture of safety by encouraging patients and their families to participate in efforts to prevent errors.
Consider removing colored wristbands that patients may be wearing when they present to the facility. Explain the hazards to patients who refuse, and cover the wristband with a bandage or medical tape.
Consider instructing staff to periodically reconfirm with the patient or family the meaning of wristbands that have been applied and to correct errors immediately. For example, reconfirmation might be done before invasive procedures, at transfer, and during changes in level of care.
Consider making wristband verification part of the nursing assessment during shift changes.
Make it clear in policies and procedures who has responsibility and authority to place wristbands on patients and that all staff have a role in making sure any errors or omissions are quickly corrected.
While human error can never be eliminated, these steps can help to reduce the potential for the system itself to contribute to errors. Short of eliminating the use of color-coded wristbands or standardizing the meaning of specific colors, facilities should implement procedures to ensure that the messages conveyed through color-coded wristbands are correctly interpreted.
In a recent survey, about four out of five PA facilities responding use color-coded patient wristbands to communicate important medical information.
There are no standard meanings among healthcare facilities for different colors. This problem can be resolved by coordination among PA healthcare facilities.
Limiting the number and colors of wristbands may help to avoid confusion for the many healthcare providers working in multiple facilities.
Printed instructions on wristbands can help to reinforce the message conveyed by a particular color.


text:
Machine Head Reveal Cover Artwork for "Catharsis"
Blog author: Alex Stojanovic
We're not even at the end of 2017 yet, and 2018 is already shaping up to be a huge year for metal with a bunch of new albums scheduled for release. One of those albums in Machine Head's much-anticipated ninth studio album Catharsis, which was announced a couple of weeks ago for release sometime in January. A definitive release date will be announced soon, and a bunch of tour dates across North America and Europe have already been announced. Today, another detail about the album has been revealed and that is the cover artwork, which you can see down below. You can also see the full list of the North American tour dates down below. Tickets are on sale now, so be sure to get them before they disappear.
An Evening With Machine Head 2018 North American tour:
Jan 25 - Phoenix, AZ - Nile Theatre
Jan 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Jan 29 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theatre
Jan 30 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
Jan 31 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
Feb 02 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
Feb 03 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
Feb 05 - Orlando, FL - Plaza Live
Feb 06 - Atlanta, GA - Centerstage
Feb 08 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of Living Arts
Feb 09 - New York City, NY - PlayStation Theatre
Feb 10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Feb 11 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
Feb 13 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
Feb 14 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
Feb 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
Feb 16 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
Feb 17 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
Feb 20 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's
Feb 21 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
Feb 22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Feb 23 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
Feb 24 - St. Louis, MO - Pop's
Feb 27 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
Mar 01 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Mar 02 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theatre
Mar 03 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
Mar 05 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Mar 06 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
Mar 07 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Market


text:
Home » by category » RELIGION » Christian Ministry » Pastoral Resources
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP SKILLS FOR MINISTERS
"This book addresses a major need."
—Christian Standard
Reports from churches indicate that poor interpersonal relationships are the primary reasons for minister failure. Though they are taught the important skills of how to interpret the Bible, how to discern and articulate doctrine, how to direct worship services, and more, ministers are eventually faced with a congregation. While they may frequently call on some skills and others not at all, interpersonal relationship skills are vital to any ministry.
This book is designed to aid ministers, seminary students, denominational leaders, and church members nurture their relationships with one another and with God, and to help the understanding of oneself and of others that is part of the minister's task.
These essays, from the faculty of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, focus on four areas of concern: relationship with oneself, with family, in the church, and in the community. Above all, these lessons are devised to aid in nurturing a secure setting for effectiveness in the ministry and in service to God.
Jeanine Bozeman is a licensed clinical social worker who organizes conferences for couples, youth, and family enrichment in the southeast. She is currently the chair of the Division of Education Ministries and a professor of social work at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Mrs. Bozeman has published articles on a number of relationship issues in national publications.
Argile Smith was the chair of the Division of Pastoral Ministries and the director of communications at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Smith has written a number of Bible studies for Sunday school periodicals. His articles on preaching and pastoral ministry have appeared in such respected publications as The Deacon, Church Administration, and Proclaim. He is currently the pastor at First Baptist Church of Biloxi, Mississippi.
By Jeanine Cannon Bozeman and Argile Smith
RELIGION / CHR MNSTR / Pastoral Resources
176 pp. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
1 b/w illus. Tables Notes Biblio. 2nd ptg.
ISBN: 9781589802483 hc
INTERPERSONAL SKILL SET FOR MINISTERS
epub Edition
EQUIPPED FOR GOOD WORK
A Guide for Pastors, Third Edition


Preheat the oven at 285 F.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and bake the shallot on low heat. Add the turnips and potatoes (the diced parts, not the slices) and bake everything for about 10 minutes. Add the bouillon and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Place the slices of potato and turnip on a piece of baking paper on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Test if the turnips and potatoes are soft enough for easy blending (I always test this by just sticking a fork in them). If they are, blend until you have a creamy substance (don't forget to turn of the heat while you do this, or you risk melting your blender). If the soup turns out too thick, add some water. Add a splash of white wine, some crème fraîche and salt & pepper to your likings. Decorate with the crisps just before serving.


text:
All Hospitality Restaurant Pub & Bar Cafe Takeaway Hotel
Hurry, offer ends January 22! Get the complete solution from £799 £349
What the Covid-19 Shutdown Taught Us About Restaurant Ordering Systems
Written by Austin Chegini
As shutdowns continue, we take a look at the impact it has had on restaurant ordering systems.
Hospitality Point Of Sale COVID19
Across the United States, shutdowns are still in effect due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of these restrictions, the demand for food delivery has exploded. As businesses try to keep up with this trend, some venues have struggled to remain open, largely due to outdated or ineffective restaurant ordering systems.
While some claim these difficulties will not last much longer, officials say the United States is nowhere near ready to fully re-open. For businesses to remain profitable for the duration of this pandemic, they will need a restaurant ordering system that can match changing consumer demands.
What We Learned About Restaurant Ordering Systems
In April, many people tried to see the positives of the pandemic despite its tragic effects. Social media posts painted stay at home orders as a nice break from the rat race of life. For those who could work at home, this was quite true.
However, restaurants had to adapt quickly and work harder to ensure they would weather the storm. We studied how American businesses responded to the crisis, and here is what we learned.
Outdated business models led to closures
Despite being community favorites, many successful restaurants closed their doors permanently or filed for bankruptcy due to the pandemic. While demand fell sharply across all regions, why did some businesses fail when others succeeded?
According to Daniel Shein, a restaurateur in New York City, the pandemic will "force people to revisit the business side and not just the culinary side" of the restaurant industry. Outdated models did not allow businesses to run as efficiently as they should, and many restaurants closed permanently because there was no way to match the shift in dining habits. Establishments that depended entirely on ambiance or alcohol sales soon found themselves with nowhere to turn and closed their doors.
For many other restaurants, however, the pandemic has highlighted the strengths of modern restaurant software. Owners were quickly able to analyze inventory and scheduling needs to cut costs. They used data from reports to calculate the most profitable escape routes.
QSR magazine found that some restaurants took stock of their inventory and found they could create meal kits for families to cook at home, and others realized they could sell surplus ingredients that shoppers could not find in stores due to panic buying.
This data-driven approach is possible with a flexible business model and powerful software that can quickly crunch numbers from the restaurant ordering system to find new business avenues.
A growing need for integrated online ordering
It's no surprise that successful restaurants are using food delivery right now. Demand has skyrocketed, and Uber recently purchased Postmates for $2.65B, showing how much it expects the industry to grow. But merely accepting online orders is not enough, and it can even harm some establishments.
Some restaurant online ordering systems cannot account for food delivery apps. They track each purchase as an external order, but these systems group all delivery services into one bucket. There is no fast and efficient way for a restaurant owner to determine which services are worth the fees and which are cutting into profits. This need for data is best seen in a viral post from a restaurant owner who sold $1,042 in orders via Grubhub but only kept $376 after fees and adjustments.
A restaurant online ordering system should integrate with apps like Deliveroo. An owner can log into their cloud pos software and track all orders in real-time to determine which services to continue supporting.
Curbside/Mobile ordering is a must
As businesses re-open, they must comply with local and state laws regarding sanitation and occupancy. To make up for these rules, restaurants are adding outside seating, and cities are approving permits faster than usual. However, some takeout counter-service restaurants cannot accommodate even a modest line inside their location because of these laws.
With lines stretching outside and down sidewalks, restaurants need to take orders from those in the line, run them to the kitchen, and then have them ready for pickup. Not only is this process exhausting for the workers, but it also is inefficient and can lead to ordering mixups.
Restaurants would benefit by using handheld pos devices that let you take orders from anywhere. Customers standing in line can look at menus on their phones or on signs placed along the sidewalk. Next, an employee can work their way down the line and take orders from those who are ready.
All orders can go to a kitchen display screen, which is a large screen that lists each order. Cooks can briefly look over the monitor and get to work. This modern system improves speed and reduces the chances of cooks making errors during food preparation. Sometimes servers forget to jot down a customer's substitution. Perhaps a cook can't read a waiter's handwriting, wasting time in the kitchen to decipher the order.
With this improved restaurant ordering system, meals have a higher chance of being ready by the time the customer reaches the front of the line. Fewer customers will leave the line due to the long wait, increasing revenue for the restaurant.
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted key weaknesses in the restaurant industry, and the situation can still worsen if consumer demand continues favoring delivery and takeout.
Restaurants should not simply seek to survive until everything returns to normal. Rather, establishments must be ready for the next change in consumer habits by embracing innovative business practices and leveraging data.
Visit Epos Now to learn about implementing cloud pos software and a restaurant ordering system that can keep up with tomorrow's demands.
Epos Now Order and Pay
Epos Now Online
Bounce Back Stories
Epos Now Capital
Copyright © 2021 Epos Now | 0800 2 945 945
GB (EN)
*Discounted price requires a payments, care and support subscription at £39
Was £799 Now from £349
or call us on 0800 2 945 945
Call us on 0800 2 945 945 or fill out your details below.


Everyone has a favorite Christmas Carol. It may not be an easy choice because there are so many good ones, but if you look into your heart of hearts, you know there is one that you like even just a tiny bit more than the rest.
Maybe it's hard to pick because a lot of them feel very similar, but here's the thing, which ever one you do end up selecting as your absolute favorite reveals your true personality.
Just as there are 12 days of Christmas, there are 12 personalities of Christmas below and to find yours all you need to know is your favorite holiday song.
If you have a hard time picking, don't worry because we had to combine a few of them together to create a few categories. Sure, there are also some big standouts who are not comparable to the rest, but some were too close to separate.
Check the list below to see what your favorite Christmas song says about you.
Songs like: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," "Twelve Days of Christmas," and "Jingle Bells."
You are an imaginative, joyful, and optimistic person who always has a song in your heart. Some people may consider these songs simple, but you understand that not all good things have to be overly complex.
You appreciate the little things and aren't afraid to share your joy with the world. During the holidays, you are always generous with your time and you definitely give the best gifts. Some people may try to call you naive, but you just like to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Songs like: "Joy To The World," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing," and "The First Noel."
You are clearly a spiritual person, but just because these songs deal with faith, they aren't just for the most devoted.
Instead, having these songs as your favorite show a level of passion and dedication that extends into your entire life. You always give your whole heart into everything you do. Some people may call you intense, but you'd rather call it enthusiastic.
Songs like: "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Here Comes Santa Claus."
You are someone who always puts their family first. No matter what the year holds for you, you know that Christmas with the family will make it better.
You are kind and thoughtful, with a heart that is capable of giving an incredible amount of love. Some may call out overprotective, but you'd absolutely say that it was the proper level of protective for the ones you love.
Songs like: "Silent Night," "Silver Bells," "Oh Christmas Tree," and "Blue Christmas."
You are a soulful and sensitive person who is empathetic beyond belief. People come to you for sage wisdom and advice, and you never let them down.
You are insightful and considerate, and while some people say you are too quiet, you would explain that it's because you are busy contemplating all of the options before you speak.
Songs like: "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree," "Let It Snow," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," and "Jingle Bell Rock."
You are an outgoing and fun person who is always making everyone laugh. You've always got a story to tell and are never shy when it comes to welcoming people into your social circles.
You've got a knack for making people feel comfortable and keeping conversations lively and enjoyable. Some people may say you talk too much, but you would just say you're facilitating a positive social experience.
You are a creative and imaginative person who likes to reflect on their year as the holiday season approaches.
You are also introspective and analytical, so combined with your natural creativity, you are able to remain highly versatile in everything you do. Some people may say you've got your head in the clouds, but you would explain that it's because you're coming up with your next great idea.
You are a sentimental person with a memory like a trap. You seem to know everything and can pull facts from even the most obscure situations.
Because you remember everything, you are also incredibly intelligent, and while some people call you a know-it-all, you would say that you're just sharing information.
You are an innovative person who always is looking to create the next big thing. You are always on the go and ready to try something new.
You have a non-stop energy about you and you always are moving forward. Some people accuse you of jumping to the next thing before you finish what you are doing, but you would just explain that you can't put a damper on your enthusiasm.
You are a romantic person with an ability to see the love in anything. You always value passion in your relationships and you always spend a lot of time with the ones you love.
People sometimes accuse you of being a little bit "love blind," and end up ignoring any warning signs, but you just say that you are giving true love a chance.
You are a critical person who has an eye for finding the best of the best. You always research all of your choices to make sure that they are objectively the best, and won't stop until you're satisfied you have all the answers.
Some people may call you indecisive or slow to make a move, but you will always point out that there are many sides to a story, and you need to know them all before you make a choice.
You are a gregarious person who is not only ready for a party, but you're also willing to throw them on a moment's notice.
You've always been the perfect host, and you can predict everything that will be needed no matter the situation. Some people may call you distracted, you would just explain that you're trying to keep everything going at once.
MGM Television / Warner Bros.
You have an analytical nature that allows you to quickly interpret a situation faster than anyone. You're a fast-thinking, quick-acting, decisive person who never second guesses themselves.
Some people may call you stubborn, but you know that it's just because you trust your gut and refuse to compromise on your visions.
Does your favorite Christmas song represent your personality accurately?


Playing games, the state of care… and cake. Annabel James rounds up the week's news.
This year's just-published State of Care report is a story of contrasts. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) talks about resilience and vulnerability. Most people, most of the time, get good quality care. Where services work together, health and care is good. Where they don't, quality and safety suffer.
The report highlights the worrying "postcode lottery" that defines whether mum and dad might get great care, or struggle to find it.
It's a chunky report to plough through, but there's a summary here.
Remember the Age Space Forum is a friendly place to share your family's experiences of the state of care in England.
Reckon you're a bit of a player?
The Alzheimer's Society needs you to be a Gamechanger.
As part of a major piece of research they want to encourage as many people as possible who don't have dementia to download a free app and play some brain games for five minutes a day every month.
Milk, cream, butter, cakes… Dieticians are saying the vulnerable and elderly should ignore know-it-all health chiefs and drench poultry in olive oil before roasting and snack on calorific treats to see them through a cold snap.
Shockingly, one in 10 people aged over 65 in the UK, around 1.3 million people, is malnourished and 90 percent of them live on their own.
If you are concerned about an older relative not eating well, or enough, you may want to find out more about the Small Appetite Campaign run by the Malnutrition Task Force.
Your GP appointment is generally just you and the doc, right?
Well maybe not for much longer, as it seems there's a case for offering group appointments for up to 15 people with similar conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and obesity.
Some patients taking part in trials say they have benefited from the support of other participants. And maybe it could be a another small step towards alleviating loneliness? Here's The Guardian take on it… What do you think?
A new BBC website aims to help by connecting dementia patients with the songs they love. Eventually, it's hoped the site will build a database of music that's effective at triggering memories.
The charity Playlist for Life has collaborated with the BBC on the Music Memories website which allows people to browse more than 1,800 songs, classical works and TV theme tunes from the last 100 years, creating a playlist of personally meaningful music.


text:
The Mystery of Lili Marlene
On her April 3rd diary page, Dot mentions seeing the movie Lili Marlene at the Englewood Theatre. Dot's sister recalls that it was wonderful—a tearjerker.
However, in my research, I could find no record of a feature-length film titled Lili Marlene. A 29-min. documentary titled The Story of Lili Marlene was in theatres at this time, however Marlene Dietrich is not listed in the cast. The New York Times described the film:
One of this war's strangest psychological backfires is the basis for a short picture ... a dramatized story of how the war song Lili Marlene was literally captured by the British 8th Army after it had been the outstanding morale device of the German[s]. [...] Lala Andersen, the Swedish actress who had introduced it, was placed in a concentration camp and from that day forward, Lili Marlene became a British marching song.
I originally suspected the film Dot and Sis saw may have actually been a retitled reissue of The Blue Angel—the 1930 German production. It is possible it could also have been Kismet, starring Dietrich (or Blonde Venus, with Dietrich and Cary Grant), and that Dot and Sis got it and the documentary mixed-up. However, Kismet was released only a couple of days earlier, on April 1, and so it would be suprising if it was already at the local Englewood Theatre, which normally showed films that had been in release for some time.
If any readers can shed light on this minor mystery, drop me a line.
Update: My best guess, so far (unless or until I can get some definitive evidence), is that the movie Dot and Sis saw was the short documentary, The Story of Lili Marlene, and that my aunt Louise (Sis) over the years confused, understandably, the song and singer in that film with Marlene Dietrich's frequent and memorable performances of the tune that she gave over the years.
(Today's diary entry >)


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<title>flexbox | computed style | flex: invalid</title>

FAIL, enable javascript

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
About Hillbrow lodge
Hillbrow Members
Join Hillbrow Lodge
About our Coat of Arms
Freemasonry: An Approach to Life
I Am Freemasonry
The Regius Manuscript
The History of our Coat of Arms:
Countries, Kingdoms, Governments, Empires, families, others Institutions and even medieval knights have been using various Symbols, banners, labels etc. to identify, protect and distinguish themselves from others. So was, and still is today, the Coat of Arms one such method of identification. A Coat of Arms consists of various elements, these elements include, but are not limited to; a shield, supporters, crest, and a motto. There are many elements within our lodge's Coat of Arms that can give us some indication of the history of the formation of the Lodge and English Freemasonry in South Africa. Sadly there are no known records available that can give us clear suggestions of exactly when or how our founding brothers chose the elements hidden in the Coat of Arms, but modern experts can still identify these elements and provide us with some interpretation and clarity on what some of those features might have symbolised and what they still represent today. Some of them are clearly associated with Freemasonry – symbols like the All-Seeing Eye and the Square and Compasses, and even some about the History of our Lodge – but what other mysteries are hidden there?
Lets explore some of the elements within our Coat of Arms…
The All-Seeing Eye:
The all-seeing eye, also known as the Eye of Providence, is a symbol showing an eye, often surrounded by rays of light and sometimes enclosed by a triangle. It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of God watching over humankind (or divine providence). Today, the Eye of Providence is also associated with Freemasonry.
The Eye first appeared as part of the standard iconography of Freemasons in 1797, with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb's Freemasons Monitor. Here, it represents the all-seeing eye of God and is a reminder that a Mason's thoughts and deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the Great Architect of the Universe).
The Square and Compasses:
The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry.
Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Malcolm C. Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind". However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.
The Ribbon:
The ribbon on the Coat of Arms displays our Lodge's name, Hillbrow Lodge, and it also indicates that our Constitution was registered as Number 3046 in the English Constitution of Freemasonry.
The Crown:
Our Lodge was founded in 1904, during the reign of Edward VII, the reining monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 1901 until his death in 1910.
King Edward VII was also a Freemason and as Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, he was the 4th Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England from 1874 until his Accession to the throne in 1901.
The Mountain Range:
The mountains depicted in the Coat of Arms could be a reference to South Africa and our vast and beautiful landscape. The mountains could also depict the strength of stone, or the gold reefs and mountains found throughout the Witwatersrand.
Our lodge was one of several lodges founded in Johannesburg following the resumption of normal masonic activities after the South African War. Probably the most important and significant reason for the establishment of Johannesburg (where our lodge is still based to this day), was the discovery of gold back in 1886.
The original Coat of Arms of our lodge is also proudly draped on a gold badge and presented in all of our meetings and formal gatherings.
The Lion, Unicorn and Union Jack:
During the foundation of our lodge, a lot of our brothers might have been British Soldiers serving in Southern Africa under the British Empire. The reference to the Union Jack not only indicates our routs but also clearly marks us as a lodge founded under the English Constitution of Freemasonry.
The Lion and Unicorn are also the Dexter (right) and Sinister (left) Supporters on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom: The Lion, passant guardant representing England and the Unicorn the symbol of Scotland.
The Motto:
Servabo Fidem – Translated from Latin, it means; "I shall keep faith". This motto has been used by various organisations through History and it is fitting to our lodge and Freemasonry in general. Freemasonry places considerable stress on Faith, Hope and Charity.
Faith should not necessarily be connected to Christianity, Judaism, Islam or any other religious believe system, but rather the believe in a Supreme Being, or as we Freemasons generally refer to it, the Great Architect of the Universe.
This is rather appropriate as Freemasonry and our Lodge accepts anyone of lawful age and good report who seeks to join of their own free will, no matter their religious background, social standing and beliefs…
Our Coat of Arms contains a lot of symbolism. We Masons understand that Freemasonry is "a science of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols". How true is this definition of Freemasonry when it comes to something so plain as our Coat of Arms? It contains symbolism about Freemasonry, symbolism of our origins and symbolism of our Lodge in particular.
To the layman, it may look beautiful. It may seem old-fashioned. Or some may only see a picture or logo with a lot of things in it, but to a Freemason, and now to you, it will have a lot more meaning. It is something beautiful to behold and even more beautiful to understand.
Some may say that it hides a lot of secrets about our lodge and about Freemasonry, and this is "so typical of a secret society", but what is so secretive about this? Do you feel that there are hidden objects, elements or symbols contained in our Coat of Arms?
Everything is out there and clearly visible, if you just care to look beyond the obvious, see beyond what you believe, and believe beyond what you see…
Bro. JJ (Kobus) Snyman, Hillbrow Lodge 3046EC, 2014
About Our Lodge


text:
News and Media Center »
Media Releases »
2018 Media Releases »
Repellent Research: Navy Developing Ship Coatings to Reduce Fuel, Energy Costs
2020 Media Releases
Future Force
Fact Sheets: UW16
Corporate Strategic Communications
875 N. Randolph St., #1225-D
Arlington, Va., 22203-1771
E-mail: onrpublicaffairs@navy.mil
Web: www.onr.navy.mil
Facebook: www.facebook.com/officeofnavalresearch
For Immediate Release: June 21, 2018
By Warren Duffie Jr., Office of Naval Research
ARLINGTON, Va.—It can repel water, oil, alcohol and even peanut butter. And it might save the U.S. Navy millions of dollars in ship fuel costs, reduce the amount of energy that vessels consume and improve operational efficiency.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring work by Dr. Anish Tuteja, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, to develop a new type of "omniphobic" coating. This chemical coating is clear, durable, can be applied to numerous surfaces and sheds just about any liquid.
Of particular interest to the Navy is how omniphobic coatings can reduce friction drag—resistance created by the movement of a hull through water—on ships, submarines and unmanned underwater vessels.
Compare friction drag to jogging through a swimming pool. Because of the water's resistance, each stride is more difficult and requires more energy and effort.
"A significant percentage of a ship's fuel consumption [up to 80 percent at lower speeds and 40-50 percent at higher speeds] goes toward maintaining its speed and overcoming friction drag," said Dr. Ki-Han Kim, a program officer in ONR's Sea Warfare and Weapons Department. "If we could find a way to drastically reduce friction drag, vessels would consume less fuel or battery power, and enjoy a greater range of operations."
Tuteja's omniphobic coating could be a solution. Picture two ships sailing at the same speed—one dealing with friction drag and the other covered in a coating that causes water to bead up and slide off the hull easily. The coated vessel theoretically would guzzle less fuel because it doesn't have to fight as much water resistance while maintaining speed.
While repellent coatings aren't new, it's hard to create one that resists most liquids and is tough enough to stick to various surfaces for long periods of time. Take a Teflon-coated pan, for example. Water will bead up and roll off the pan, while cooking oil will spread everywhere.
"Researchers may take a very durable polymer matrix and a very repellent filler and mix them," said Tuteja. "But this doesn't necessarily yield a durable, repellent coating. Different polymers and fillers have different miscibilities [the ability of two substances to mix together]. Simply combining the most durable individual constituents doesn't yield the most durable composite coating."
To engineer their innovative coating, Tuteja and his research team studied vast computer databases of known chemical substances. They then entered complex mathematical equations, based on each substance's molecular properties, to predict how any two would behave when blended. After analyzing hundreds of combinations, researchers found the right mix.
The molecular marriage was a hit during laboratory tests. The rubber-like combo can be sprayed, brushed, dipped or spin-coated onto numerous surfaces, and it binds tightly. The coating also can withstand scratching, denting and other hazards of daily use. And the way the molecules separate makes the coating optically clear.
Besides reducing friction drag, Tuteja envisions other Navy uses for the omniphobic coating—including protecting high-value equipment like sensors, radars and antennas from weather.
In addition to omniphobic coatings to lessen friction drag, ONR is sponsoring other types of coating research to prevent corrosion on both ships and aircraft and fight biofouling (the buildup of barnacles on hulls). Similar coatings can also prevent ice from forming on ships operating in cold regions, or make ice removal much easier than conventional methods like scraping.
Tuteja's team is conducting further tests on the omniphobic coating, but they plan to have it ready for small-scale military and civilian use within the next couple of years.
Watch a video of an omniphobic coating test.
Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.
About the Office of Naval Research
The Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 55 countries, 634 institutions of higher learning and nonprofit institutions, and more than 960 industry partners. ONR, through its commands, including headquarters, ONR Global and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., employs more than 3,800 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.


Mother's Day might be this weekend, but we'll have to wait another week for Universal Pictures' just-announced The Mummy Day, a.k.a. a whole day, starting at noon on May 20, dedicated to erecting a 75-foot-tall sarcophagus at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles. Oh, and Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, and director Alex Kurtzman will be there too.
Deadline reports that the event will also feature two Mummy tie-in experience: a behind-the-scenes look at The Mummy VR Zero Gravity Stunt Experience, and 10-player interactive puzzle game The Mummy Escape Game. Universal had a 75-foot-tall, 7-ton replica of the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet's sarcophagus constructed for the event.
The sarcophagus is the largest single vertical structure ever assembled at the gateway and took two firms a total of eight weeks to construct, and scores of workers more than 160 hours to install. To prepare Princess Ahmanet's sarcophagus for its revealing on The Mummy Day, the tomb required 18 wide-load tractor trailers to move all of the elements into place.
What better way to advertise a movie release than by building a big, scary structure and inviting the populace to come by and play a few games while they wait for the actual movie to premiere two weeks later? If this is what the first installment in Universal's classic movie monster revivals is going to be like, imagine the fanfare that something the Wolfman, or Frankenstein, or Dracula is going to get.
The Mummy hits theaters June 9.


wikimedia.org daily Alexa rank chart positions last 7 days.
Optimize the following images to reduce their size by 14.4KiB (26% reduction).
Losslessly compressing https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/w/images/c/cf/Labslogo_thumb.png could save 6.8KiB (37% reduction).
Losslessly compressing https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thu…x-WiktionaryEn.svg.png could save 5.5KiB (20% reduction).
Losslessly compressing https://www.wikimedia.org/static/images/project-logos/enwikiversity.png could save 2.1KiB (24% reduction).
Welcome to Wikimedia. and 1 others render only 8 pixels tall (20 CSS pixels).
to bring about…all knowledge. and 6 others render only 8 pixels tall (20 CSS pixels).
movement and 4 others render only 8 pixels tall (20 CSS pixels).
Imagine a worl…all knowledge. renders only 5 pixels tall (13 CSS pixels).
That's our commitment. renders only 5 pixels tall (13 CSS pixels).
The tap target strives is close to 1 other tap targets.


Something which our sisters no longer pay heed to!
After all the modern western world has replaced the right of modesty of a woman in Islam to a right of immodesty to portray their beauty to the world in the form of tabarruj (showing off your beautiful features) and all this only in the name of liberation and equality.
1- When she exposes the beauty of her face and body before non-Mahram men.
2- When she exposes the beauty of her clothes and jewelry before them.
This is where our parents didn't understand the concept of hijab. For them hijab only means a black cloth which must cover their body and never taught their children the sin of tabarruj.
Also they ain't being taught how to dress before mahrams and non mahrams. In fact they are being told that hijab is meant to be worn after marriage and before marriage one must enjoy, show their beauty to men and be free.
May Allah help us to get a deeper understanding on this matter so that we can avoid the sins that lead to the displeasure of Allah.
Unfortunately the same attitude continues to persists with many mothers even after marriage where they coax their children to not cover themselves completely with hijab and to wear something that's tight and attractive. The irony is that they argue that hijabs that are loose and unattractive are to be worn when people get old and not when they are young. Thus, they successfully deceive their own children to wear hijab that looks stylish and attractive and end up sowing the seeds of faahish (immortality) in the society!
Sadly this is true in many homes. I really hope we can change this. But to those who feel they are right and can do whatever they wish. Then, let me tell you, you are free to do whatever you wish in this world but you will be held responsible for each of your actions on the day of judgement. Then on that day don't plead as innocent or ignorant instead accept your arrogance of denying the law of Allah.
May Allah forgive us and guide us all so as to not only make us understand the true value of hijab but also the correct way of implementing hijab.
Work for the sake of Allah!


Diabetes mellitus, often called diabetes, is a condition that affects the body's ability to regulate the level of glucose in the blood. Glucose is the main form of sugar in the body.
type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus. A person with this type of diabetes makes little or no insulin and needs regular insulin injections to survive.
type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or adult-onset diabetes. This is by far the most common type of diabetes. Someone with type 2 diabetes might produce normal or even high levels of insulin, but obesity makes his or her body resistant to its effect.
gestational diabetes mellitus, or pregnancy-induced diabetes. This type of diabetes develops in a pregnant woman who has never had diabetes before and usually goes away after the birth of the child.
secondary diabetes, or diabetes mellitus caused by other medical conditions. This category includes diabetes caused by a genetic defect, pancreatic diseases, hormonal abnormalities, or exposure to certain drugs or chemicals.
to provide adequate kilojoules for maintaining or reaching a reasonable weight for adults or normal growth and development in children and adolescents. The diet should also provide enough kilojoules for special events such as breast-feeding or recovery from illness .
A diet plan for a person with type 1 diabetes is designed to coordinate insulin therapy with the person's usual eating and exercise patterns. Eating times are planned around the effects of the insulin injections. The person measures blood glucose levels on an ongoing basis and adjusts the dose and type of insulin accordingly.
a moderate restriction in kilojoules. Generally, this is a restriction of 1000 to 2000 kilojoules less than the average daily intake that is calculated from the person's food history.
protein. Depending on the person's kidney function, 10% to 20% of the person's daily kilojoules be derived from protein. The protein can be from both animal and vegetable sources.
fat. Less than 10% of the person's daily kilojoules should be from saturated fats and less than 10% from unsaturated fats.
monosaturated fats and carbohydrates, which should make up 60% to 70% of the total kilojoules. The breakdown between fats and carbohydrates is individualised. It is based on the person's goals for blood glucose and blood lipid levels, as well as weight.
cholesterol. The person's intake of cholesterol should be watched carefully.
fibre. The person should consume 20 to 35 grams of dietary fibre a day from both soluble and insoluble fibres, using a wide variety of food sources.
sodium. Sodium should be limited to less than 2,400 mg/day for people with mild to moderate high blood pressure. For people with more significant high blood pressure or with diabetic nephropathy, less than 2,000 mg/day of sodium.
alcohol. Men should consume no more than 4 drinks a day, and women no more than 2 drinks a day. One drink is equal to 285ml of beer, 100ml of table wine, or 30ml of distilled spirits. People with a history of alcohol abuse or women who are pregnant should avoid alcohol. Those individuals who have diabetes along with other medical conditions, such as pancreatitis, high triglycerides, or neuropathy, should restrict or avoid alcohol.
vitamins and minerals. If a person with diabetes is able to eat a balanced diet with enough nutrients, there is usually no need for vitamin or mineral supplements. For people in special circumstances, some supplements may be recommended by the doctor.
The percentage of kilojoules from fat should be based on identified blood lipid problems and treatment goals for glucose, lipids, and weight.
People who are at a healthy weight and have normal blood lipid levels should limit fat intake to less than 30% of total kilojoules. Saturated fat should be less than 10% of total kilojoules.
If the person is obese and wants to lose weight, dietary fat may be reduced.
For the person who wants to lower blood triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol, a different approach can be tried. This approach involves a moderate increase in monosaturated fat, a more moderate carbohydrate intake, and less than 10% of the daily kilojoules from saturated fats. However, it is important that the increased fat does not increase weight in an obese person.


God gave humans not only the physical world, but our own talents—gifts and abilities that we can use to serve him.
Despite some historical disagreements over the precise interpretation of "talents," they are basically the tools God gives us to carry out the cultural mandate, the first job description he gave us in the Garden, to fill and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:27-28). He gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do. In calling us to plant a garden, God gives us shovels, trowels, land, seed, strength, and patience.
The Puritan William Perkins defined calling as "a certain kind of life, ordained and imposed on man by God, for the common good." The servants who multiplied their talents had to go out in the marketplace, make deals, and compete to multiply what the master had given them. They must have felt a sense of accomplishment in their work. They served the common good of the community through their investment, and then they received praise from their master for their efforts. For their faithfulness, they receive an invitation to "enter into the joy of your master" (Matt. 25:23).
Editor's note: Content from Monday Morning Success: How Biblical Stewardship Transforms Your Work. Download a free copy here.


Taranakipine is a New Zealand owned business specialising in the design and manufacture of engineered, pine building products. We are a significant exporter to Australia and the USA as well as having a strong market position in New Zealand. We are constantly extending our product offer, brands and manufacturing capability.
Our culture is open, approachable and supportive with a focus on team, continuous improvement and customer service.
As a key member of the Administration Team you will have a significant role to play in ensuring the business meets its Management Accounting requirements.
Continuous improvement and development of financial systems.
A relevant tertiary qualification would be ideal.
We offer a competitive remuneration package for our ideal candidate.
A position description can be supplied, for shortlisted candidates, to provide an overview of the role. If you have any questions about this role, please call Damon Jacobsen on 06 755 9776 for a confidential discussion. Applications should be provided via this website. Applications close on 3rd May 2019.