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International Journal of Polymer Science
International Journal of Polymer Science / 2018 / Article
AbstractIntroductionMaterials and MethodsResults and DiscussionConclusionsConflicts of InterestAcknowledgmentsReferencesCopyright
Volume 2018 |Article ID 9670565 | https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9670565
A. A. Mohamed, S. Hussain, M. S. Alamri, M. A. Ibraheem, Akram A. Abdo Qasem, "Amidolysis of Oxirane: Effect of Protein Type, Oils, and ZnCl2 on the Rheological Properties of Cross-Linked Protein and Oxirane", International Journal of Polymer Science, vol. 2018, Article ID 9670565, 11 pages, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9670565
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Amidolysis of Oxirane: Effect of Protein Type, Oils, and ZnCl2 on the Rheological Properties of Cross-Linked Protein and Oxirane
A. A. Mohamed ,1 S. Hussain ,1 M. S. Alamri,1 M. A. Ibraheem,1 and Akram A. Abdo Qasem1
1Department of Food Science and Nutrition, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Academic Editor: Domenico Acierno
Received26 Oct 2017
Accepted13 Feb 2018
Amidolysis of oxirane group of epoxidized sesame, sunflower, and cottonseed oils was achieved by reaction with primary amide of millet and gluten proteins. Gluten is a coproduct of wheat starch industry and available commercially. Millet is a major part of the staple food of the semiarid region of the tropics. Gluten is a mixture of glutenins and gliadins rich in glutamine residues; however, millet is rich in glutamine and leucine. We have taken advantage of the available primary amide of glutamine for cross-linking with the oxirane of sunflower, sesame, and cottonseed oils under controlled conditions to give a resin of amidohydroxy of gluten and millet proteins. Cross-linking gave a resin with a wide range of textural properties. The texture of the resin was dependent on the source of the oxirane, the amide group, and the amount of the catalyst (ZnCl2). The thermal properties, textural, solubility, and rheological properties were determined as well as the reaction time. The data showed direct relationships between the ZnCl2, nature of oil, and protein type and the properties of the final resin. Consistently, the results pointed to similarity among the outcome of the reactions between sesame and sunflower oils. Depending on the amount of ZnCl2, the texture of the resin can range from viscose to rubbery. The reaction time was influenced by oxirane source, protein type, and catalyst and ranged from 30 min to 4 hr.
The development and use of biodegradable plastics in packaging for environmental protection have been stimulated by public concerns and interest [1]. This has been instigated by the polluting effect of nondegradable synthetic polymers in ocean and landfills. To facilitate for faster degradation, photo-degradation is one of the methods used to degrade specific type of synthetic polymers, which is a combination of oxidation and hydrolysis catalysed by light [2, 3].
A number of packing materials, especially food packing, have been developed to meet consumer needs. Petroleum-based materials, used commonly, have many advantages such as gas permeability is easy to control, and are resilient. On the other hand, these materials are not environmentally friendly because of disposal difficulties, and generate much heat and exhaust gases when burned, thus posing a global issue of environmental pollution. Consequently, consumer demands and rising petroleum prices are inspiring the utilization of environmentally friendly packaging as an alternative to nonrenewable resources originating from agricultural sources. These materials, can be classified into three groups: (1) extracted directly from agricultural raw materials (e.g., protein, starch, or lipids); (2) produced by microorganisms (e.g., polyhydroxyalcanoates, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate); and (3) synthesized from bioderived monomers (such as polylactic acid). Wheat gluten is a biopolymer consists primarily of glutenin and gliadins [4–6]. Glutenins is the elastic portion of gluten and gliadin is the viscous part. Therefore, gluten is a viscoelastic polymer. Gluten heat denaturation reduces the viscoelastic properties of flour dough and results in low bread quality [7]. Gluten can aggregate and forms new intermolecular disulphide bonds, which changes dough rheology and gluten extractability as a result of heating [8]. Wheat gluten can be isolated from wheat flour by washing away other flour components of the dough [9]. Vital gluten is a by-product of wheat starch industry and is commercially available. Millet total protein content ranged from 11–17% dependent on variety, of which 11.3–17.2% was albumin/globulins, 6.8–11.6 prolamins, 5.9–54.4% glutelin [10, 11]. It is also rich in glutamine (26%), alanine (11%), and leucine (16%), but it is deficient in lysine. Electrophoretic analysis showed that millet proteins exhibited three albumin/globulin fractions and five prolamin and glutelin fractions, where the glutelin fraction had the highest molecular weight compared to the other fractions [12].
Despite the extensive research, thermoplastic materials obtained from plant-based materials do not have the properties that can match the properties of films made from synthetic plastics [13]. Plant-based films possess two major drawbacks, water stability and brittleness. The limitation of agricultural based materials is mainly due to their insolubility in common solvent which makes it difficult to process [14]. This can be resolved by a combination of chemical modification and specialized processes. Gliadin (one of the main wheat gluten fractions) is richer in proline, (glutamic acid + glutamine) and the mean percentage of (glutamic + aspartic) acids in the amide form is 82 for glutenin and 92 for gliadin [15].
Previously we have exploited the availability of the glutamine residues of gliadin as a reaction site to produce elastomeric products by cross-linking different oils with gliadin [16].
The reaction was on the oxirane group of the epoxydized oils which is considered as amidolysis process [17]. The oxirane group is also called epoxy group. The reaction of primary amide (O=C-NH2), found in protein (gliadin or millets), with the oxirane (epoxy) group from epoxidized oils generates the secondary amide which in turn reacts with the oxirane of another epoxy group. This reaction constitutes amidolysis of oxirane which is considered to be as an addition reaction.
Unlike the previous work, this study is focused on developing epoxy resin using the entire gluten protein, not only gliadin fraction, as well as millet protein. The produced resin will constitute a reaction between epoxy groups and primary amide groups of gluten and millet proteins. The epoxydized oils include sesame oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oil. Gluten and millet proteins will be isolated from their respective flour. The developed resin will be characterized for its mechanical properties and the effect of the oil and the protein source will be explored.
2.1. Materials
2.1.1. Oils
Epoxy resin was developed by using three types of oils and two types of proteins. Sesame oil was extracted from sesame seeds purchased from the local market using a traditional press while sunflower and cottonseed oils were donated by the Arab Sudanese Vegetable Oil Company (Khartoum North, Sudan). Wheat gluten was isolated from hard red spring wheat grown locally in Saudi Arabia and millet proteins were extracted from millet grains from the local market.
2.1.2. Isolation of Wheat Gluten and Millet Proteins
Millet flour (100 g) was suspended in 1 liter of 0.1 N NaOH, pH was adjusted to 9.9, stirred for 30 minutes, and the pH was then dropped to 9 using 0.1 N HCl. The suspension was centrifuged at 10000 ×g for 30 min at 10°C where the precipitated was resuspended in NaOH and extracted twice. The pH of the combined supernatants was adjusted to 4.6 using 1.0 N HCl. The acidified dispersion was centrifuged at 10000 ×g and the precipitate was freeze dried.
Gluten was isolated from wheat flour as described by Eliasson and Larsson (1993) [18] with the exception that the isolated gluten was freeze dried instead of oven dried. Dough was formed and washed under running water to remove the starch and the water-solubles. The washing continued until no more nongluten material was observed. After washing, the result was a visco-elastic material composed of glutenins and gliadins. Glutenins are elastic part of the gluten, while gliadins are viscous.
2.2. Methods
2.2.1. Synthesis of Epoxydized Oils
The epoxy was developed by reacting sunflower, sesame oil or cottonseed oil with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of formic acid. The oil of interest (about 280 g) was placed in a three neck flask with a heating jacket and placed in water bath. On the top of the flask, a mechanical stirrer with different speed was used to maintain good mixing and stable temperature during the reaction. The initial temperature of the reaction was 40°C. After adding 25 ml formic acid and while stirring, 200 ml of 50% peroxide was added and the reactor temperature was set at 70°C. After 7–9 hours reaction time, the product was washed with saturated ethyl acetate and NaCl at pH adjusted to 7.5 and dried at 60°C in a vacuum oven
2.2.2. Analysis of Epoxidized Oils
The yield of the reaction was tested by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Attenuated total reflection (ATR) method. Bands at 824–842 cm−1 of the C-O-C stretching of the epoxy ring were detected by the FTIR [19]. The end of the reaction was determined by observing the size of the oxirane peak.
2.2.3. Development of Epoxy Resin
The epoxy resin preparation starts by adding epoxidized oil of choice (50 g) in a jacketed glass reactor with three openings. The reaction was carried out at 50°C or 70°C and three different amounts of catalyst (zinc chloride). When the temperature reached 50°C or 70°C, 20 g of gluten or millet protein was added slowly, followed by 1, 2 or 3 g of ZnCl2 under continuous stirring at 650 rpm in the beginning for few minutes and then at 550 rpm until the reaction is completed. Under constant stirring, the material in the reactor became thick and reached the point of preventing the stirrer from turning signifying the end of the reaction. A slight nitrogen purge was applied during the reaction. In the event that the product did not reach rubbery texture, the end of the reaction was determined by the disappearance of the C-O-C bond of the oxirane at 845–824 cm−1 using FTIR as mentioned earlier. The reduction on the amide I at 1655 cm−1 and II at 1533 cm−1 on the IR spectrum is also another indication of the reaction completion. Resins were also prepared by using a cell connected directly to the rheometer where data was collected automatically during resin development. Unlike the reactor method, (12.5 g) epoxidized oil, (5 g) protein of choice and 0.75 g zinc chloride were placed in the cell and stirred at 50/s shear rate. The operational gap was set at 5500 μm.
2.2.4. Testing of Epoxy Resin Product
Thermal Analysis (TGA). The reaction product was tested for its thermomechanical properties using thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis. Samples with different types of protein, oil, and amount of catalyst were tested. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed using a 2050 TGA (TA Instruments, New Castle, DE). Each sample (~10 mg) was heated at 10°C/min to 800°C and held at an isotherm for 3 min. The furnace was purged with nitrogen throughout the testing time.
Textural Properties of Epoxy Cubes. Epoxy resin texture was determined by a TA-XT2 texture analyzer (Stable Microsystems, Surrey, UK) provided with the software "Texture Expert." The firmness (g) and springiness (%) of the epoxy cubes having dimensions of 1 cm width, 1 cm length, and 1 cm height was measured by P/20 cylindrical aluminum probe using 50 KG load cell. The samples were compressed to 20% of their original thicknesses at a cross-head speed of 1 mm/sec and held for 30 seconds.
Solubility. Resin solubility was administered by cutting resin cubes with similar dimensions (10 mm wide × 10 mm long × 3.5 mm thickness) [20] and immersing for 72 hr in 1.0 M or 0.5 M HCl and 1.0 M or 0.5 M NaOH. Samples were then rinsed with distilled water and dried under vacuum for 24 hr. The difference in weight before and after immersion was recorded as present weight loss.
Reaction Time. The time needed for the reaction to end was measured from the time of adding the epoxidized oil and the protein up to the formation of the rubber-like resin which was determined by the complete stop of the stirrer. However, when reactions did not result in rubbery material, FTIR was used to determine the depletion of the epoxy group which signifies the end of the reaction.
Rheological Properties of Epoxy Resin Samples. Steady shear and dynamic shear rheological data were obtained with Discovery HR-1 rheometer (TA Instruments, New Castle, USA). Rheological properties were carried out in two different ways. The first was done on a resin developed in the reactor and then transferred into the rheometer, while in the second it was developed using the rheometer cell.
Rheological Measurements of Epoxy Cured Directly Using the Rheometer. Monitoring the resin development was carried out directly during reaction in the cell connected to the rheometer. The data was recorded in 7 steps. In the first five steps, samples were held for 20 minutes at each step starting at 30°C with an increment of 10°C. In the sixth step, the sample was cooled down from 70°C to 30°C at 5°C/minute and data was plotted to get the effect of cooling on the viscosity (Pa·s) buildup of the developed epoxy resin and to obtain values for the elastic and loss moduli as well as the complex viscosity.
Dynamic Rheological Measurements of the Resin Cured in the Reactor. Resin samples were transferred from the reactor during the cross-linking reaction done in the water bath. Dynamic rheological measurements were performed by taking samples during reaction progress at different time intervals (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes). Epoxy resin was placed in 40 mm diameter plate with cone plate angle of 2.002° and the temperature was set at 50°C. The gap between the plates was set at 200 μm and dynamic shear data was obtained at frequency sweeps ranging from 0.1 to 100 rad/s at 5% strain. Experimental data was processed to obtain storage modulus and loss modulus .
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Analysis of Epoxidized Oils
The analysis of the epoxidized oils showed that sunflower oil exhibited the highest number of oxirane groups (epoxy groups) as displayed by the FTIR scan of the three oils followed by the sesame oil and cottonseed oil (Figure 1). The high number of oxirane is expected to influence the reaction time during resin preparation, as well as the texture of the final product.
FTIR spectra of epoxidized sunflower, sesame, and cottonseed oils.
3.2. Thermogravimetric Test (TGA)
The TGA thermal degradation of the resins in nitrogen environment showed three peaks ranging from 190°C to 447°C depending on the protein type and the level of zinc chloride. Although resins containing 3 g zinc chloride should be more tolerating to heat degradation elicited by cross-linking, that was not true for millet protein resin, where the 2 g zinc chloride started degrading at higher temperature. In general, resins with gluten protein exhibited higher degradation temperature compared to millet protein. The weight loss associated with these transitions appeared to depend on zinc chloride content in the blend and the type of protein and less with the type of oil. The exact effect of the oil type and catalyst level on the degradation profile of these resins is clear on the shape of the profile (Figure 2), that is, whether the degradation profile is comprised of more than one peak or whether the resin starts degrading at a lower or higher temperature relative to other resins. Like most proteins, gluten protein thermal degradation starts around 210–215°C [20]. This data showed comparable onset degradation of gluten-containing resin compared with the neat gluten reported in the literature. Overall, samples comprising gluten appeared to degrade at higher temperature and faster rate than millet samples and that was obvious on the TGA profile shape and the way it drops as sample loses weight (Figure 2). Gradual drop in weight loss beyond degradation onset, as in millet samples, could indicate the presence of a material resulting from the reaction of millet protein resin and the positive effect of the catalyst on the cross-linking progression. This behavior is more obvious in millet samples than gluten regardless of oil type (Figure 2). Although the TGA results appear to indicate some degree of thermal stability occurring in some resins, this change is an indication of the effect of the cross-linking reaction resulting in favourable thermal stability of the blend.
TGA degradation kinetics of epoxy resins.
3.3. Resin Texture
Firmness is the force required to compress a material and defined as the force necessary to attain a given deformation. Texture was performed on samples prepared in the reactor, after being allowed to take room temperature, where samples were collected at 50°C and 70°C. The firmness of the cross-linked material depended on the type of protein, oil, catalyst, or reaction temperature as shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c). In general, samples with 3 g zinc chloride and 70°C exhibited the highest firmness indicating maximum cross-linking. Sesame oil-gluten resin sample at 70°C and 3 g zinc chloride exceeded the firmness of other samples by twofold firmness (Figure 3(a)), while cottonseed oil resin exhibited the least firmness at the same cross-linking conditions (Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c)). Contrary to the overall firmness trend of other resins within cottonseed oil, millet protein exhibited the highest firmness at 50°C and 3 g zinc chloride compared to gluten resin at the same cross-linking conditions (Figure 3(b)). However, sunflower oil-gluten resin exhibited the highest firmness at 50°C and 3 g zinc chloride (Figure 3(c)). This data showed the direct effect of the oil source as well as the protein type and the processing conditions on the resin firmness, where 50°C was more effective in producing firmer resin from sunflower and cottonseed oils than 70°C and the opposite was true for sesame oil. Therefore, these results mean that epoxidized sesame oil generated more cross-linking sites which resulted in more coherent and firmer material. These observations are in line with the effect of cross-linking conditions on the reaction time. Although cottonseed oil data showed longer reaction time especially with gluten, it generated the least firm product except for gluten and millet resins at 70°C and 50°C, respectively (Figure 3(b)). Springiness represents the ratio of the highest point at which the sample springs back after the first compression compared to the maximum deformation. Despite the clear difference between all three oils in terms of firmness, springiness data did not show clear difference between the samples regardless of the composition of the material.
(a) Effect of cottonseed oil, temperature, and zinc chloride on the firmness of gluten or millet resin prepared in water bath at 50°C and 70°C
(b) Effect of sesame oil, temperature, and zinc chloride on the firmness of gluten or millet resin prepared in water bath at 50°C and 70°C
(c) Effect of sunflower oil, temperature, and zinc chloride on the firmness of gluten or millet resin prepared in water bath at 50°C and 70°C
3.4. Resin Solubility
The resin prepared with millet protein and epoxidized oils was tested for its solubility in alkaline or acid solutions with different pH. All samples regardless of oil or protein types gained weight after immersion in solutions, but some samples maintained the gained weight and other lost weight after longer time in solution. The lost weight indicates that the sample started dissolving in the solution. Cottonseed-millet protein resin gained about 3.6% in acidic environment regardless of HCl molarity, whereas it gained 36% and 17.8% in 1 M and 0.5 M NaOH, respectively. After 72 hr the sample lost weight in alkaline solution which indicates that some part of the sample started degrading, but the gained weight remained in acidic environment. This sample was more stable in acid environment than alkaline. The sesame oil resin followed the same trend as cottonseed oil but with less weight gain in alkaline environment. The sunflower oil sample was the most stable of all in both acidic and alkaline environment because it maintained weight with minimal variation through the 72 hr. The most weight was gained by cottonseed oil resin indicating less cross-linking sits due to fewer epoxy rings, while the least weight gain was by sunflower oil resin. The resin prepared from gluten protein exhibited similar trend with respect to interaction with acidic and alkaline solutions where samples gained more weight in alkaline environment compared to acidic and specifically more weight gain in 1 M NaOH for cottonseed oil and less weight gain in the 0.5 M NaOH. All three oils performed the same way regarding weight increase after 72 hr. the most weight was gained by sesame oil resin in 0.5 M NaOH and the least was by sunflower at 1 M HCl indicating stability of the resin due to the presence of more epoxy rings leading to more cross-linking sites.
3.5. Reaction Time
The time needed to complete the cross-linking reaction was dependent on the, protein type, oil type, temperature, and amount of zinc chloride catalyst (Figures 4(a), 4(b), and 4(c)). Some reactions did not develop rubbery material at the reaction temperature except when removed from the reactor to take room temperature, but other resins were rubbery at reaction temperature. It is apparent that more catalyst at higher temperature and millet protein presented the least time needed for reaction completion, while gluten protein, 50°C, and cottonseed oil required the longest time. Sunflower oil in terms of reaction time was the best compared to the other oils. The least reaction time is directly related to the number of epoxy rings found in the epoxidized oil, which is in turn correlated with the number of the double bonds of the oil.
(a) Reaction time of gluten and millet proteins interaction with cottonseed oil epoxy a a function of zinc chloride
(b) Reaction time of gluten and millet proteins interaction with sunflower oil epoxy as a function of zinc chloride
(c) Reaction time of gluten and millet proteins interaction with sesame oil epoxy as a function of zinc chloride
As mentioned above, sunflower oil exhibited the highest stability (least solubility) in different pH compared to the other oils.
3.6. Rheological Properties
Linear viscoelastic measurements were conducted for the various cross-linked epoxidized, sesame, cottonseed, and sunflower oils with gluten or millet proteins. So as to ensure that all the measurements were made within the linear viscoelastic range, a strain-sweep experiment was performed initially. Applied shear strain in the linear range was adopted (0.1%) for the other viscoelastic property measurements for the same material. Linear viscoelasticity indicates that the measured parameters are independent of applied shear strain. Oscillatory shear tests were conducted over a frequency (ω) range of 0.1–100 rad/s, yielding the shear storage and loss moduli. The storage modulus represents the nondissipative (elastic) component of mechanical properties. The elastic or "rubber-like" behavior is suggested if the profile is independent of frequency and greater than the loss modulus over a certain range of frequency. The loss modulus (viscous) represents the dissipative component of the mechanical properties and is characteristic of viscous flow.
3.7. Rheological Measurements of Epoxy Cured Directly Using the Rheometer
As described above, the stepwise heating-cooling during resin development created a typical viscous fluid, where of all samples exceeded across the frequency range investigated. Cottonseed oil exhibited the lowest value (293 Pas) compared to the other oils, while sesame and sunflower oils exhibited 1395 and 1760 Pas, respectively (Figure 5(a)). This fact makes cottonseed oil less effective as a binding material relative to the other oils. Cross-linking epoxidized oil (EPO) with millet protein exhibited viscous properties as well (Figure 5(b)), but the of the three oils showed significant difference in the magnitude of the viscosity as indicated by the regression slope of sunflower oil, sesame, and cottonseed oil, where 0.83, 0.78, and 0.82 slope and intercept as 0.44, 1.49, and 1.75, respectively. Compared to gluten protein, millet protein performed better by producing a resin more viscous; however, sunflower oil was the most effective of the three oils (Figures 5(a) and 5(b)). The continuous increase of the storage and the loss moduli as a function of frequency indicates frequency dependence. It is apparent that millet protein has more primary amide groups which is the main group involved in the cross-linking process with the oxirane of the oil to generate amidohydroxy product. The elastic modulus was lower than the loss modulus and followed the same trend (Figures 5(c) and 5(d)).
(a) The loss modulus of cottonseed, sesame, sunflower epoxidized-cross-linked oils with gluten protein as a function of frequency
(b) Viscous properties of cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower epoxidized-cross-linked oils with millet flour as a function of frequency
(c) The storage modulus of cottonseed, sesame, sunflower epoxidized-cross-linked oils with gluten protein as a function of frequency
(d) The storage modulus of cottonseed, sesame, sunflower epoxidized-cross-linked oils with millet protein as a function of frequency
At the end of the cross-linking using the cell and after holding for 20 min at 70°C, the sample was cooled down to 30°C and the change in the viscosity was monitored. The data showed increase in the viscosity as a function of drop in the temperature (Figures 6(a) and 6(b)). Once again, sunflower oil exhibited significantly higher viscosity followed by the sesame oil. The rate of the viscosity increase was not the same for all oils where the regression slopes were 0.04, 0.12, and 0.13 for gluten and cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower oil, respectively. The low slope indicates slow buildup of viscosity (Figure 6(a)). Millet protein reaction showed the same trend of increase in viscosity upon cooling but with significantly different rates among oils. The slopes of cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower oils were 0.02, 0.06, and 0.18, respectively (Figure 6(b)). Once more, the resin containing sunflower oil exhibited the highest viscosity. The effect of protein type was obvious in Figure 6, where gluten protein profile showed that the viscosity of sesame and sunflower was closer, but millet protein indicated sesame and cottonseed oils closer in viscosity and far less than sunflower oil. The performance of sunflower oil stands out most of the time but sometimes it was closer to sesame oil rather than cottonseed oil.
(a) Change in epoxidized oil-gluten protein resin viscosity as a function of Temperature ramp down from 70°C to 30°C
(b) Change in epoxidized oil-millet protein resin viscosity as a function of temperature ramp down from 70°C to 30°C
The complex viscosity which is frequency-dependent viscosity is the complex modulus divided by angular frequency and represents the overall resistance to deformation of a material, regardless of whether that deformation is recoverable (elastic) or nonrecoverable (viscous). The of the gluten-sunflower oil resin was higher than the other two resins but sesame resin was closer to sunflower oil resin (Figure 7(a)). Millet protein resin exhibited with clear difference between the three oils according to the following ranking, sunflower oil resin > sesame > cottonseed, despite the fact that all three resins were far apart. The magnitude of of the gluten resin was higher compared to millet protein resin (Figures 7(a) and 7(b)). Unlike millet protein resin, the of gluten resin as a function of temperature of sunflower and sesame was similar (Figure 6(a)), but cottonseed oil resin exhibited lower complex viscosity. As a function of time, increased exponentially (Figure 7(c)) indicating the different behavior of cottonseed oil resin compared to the other two. Once again, cottonseed oxirane is different from the other oils. One can speculate that this profile of the resins can be confirmed by the steady shear rheological behavior of the resins.
(a) Complex viscosity of epoxidized cottonseed, sesame and sunflower oils cross-linked with gluten as function of frequency
(b) Complex viscosity of epoxidized cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower oils cross-linked with millet as a function of frequency
(c) Complex viscosity as a function of time of gluten-sunflower, sesame, and cottonseed oils composites during cooling from 70 to 30°C
As it was mentioned above, the progress of resins formation prepared in water bath at steady 70°C was monitored by pulling a sample at specific time during reaction so as to test for the level (degree) of cross-linking as a function of time. This test included resins made from sesame and cottonseed oils. The , , and were used to determine the phase of the resin texture development as the reaction time. Higher indicates viscous properties which are due to low degree of cross-linking. The was time and zinc chloride dependent since in some cases samples start showing elastic properties in the first 15 min and others need more than 40 min, which can be attributed to the type of protein and the availability of the amide groups. Samples with 2 g zinc chloride exhibited inconsistent behavior, where at the beginning of the test samples exhibited higher , due to low cross-linking, and after one hour converted abruptly to higher . Wheat gluten samples containing cottonseed oil had unusual profile, because for a small drop in the sample exhibited exponential increase in as well as in . The profiles of gluten and millet with sesame oil signified longer reaction time and the millet protein reaction became more frequency-dependent (Figure 8(a)); however, gluten protein exhibited more frequency dependency than millet protein (Figure 8(b)). The relationship between , , and is illustrated in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), where the material after 45 min was not fully cross-linked but it was showing signs of becoming more elastic due to the increase in . Cottonseed oil profile was consistently moving from more viscose to more elastic as indicated by the increase of at higher frequencies. The same behavior was observed for the sesame oil resin but around 10 rad/sec the resin changed to a more elastic resin (Figure 9(b)). For the samples prepared at steady 70°C, the values were in the range of 0.07–4.30, 0.44–1.35 for cottonseed-gluten resin and cottonseed resin-millet protein, respectively, indicating a more elastic gluten resin. However, for the sesame resin, the range was 0.19–5.70, and 0.11–3.38 for gluten and millet, respectively indicating more elastic millet protein resins. The for samples prepared in the rheometer cell exhibited higher signifying less elastic resin (low cross-linking). The conditions of the resin made in the cell can be used for preparing viscose material good for adhesive application, whereas the other method is for rubber-like application. By cooking millet-sesame resin in 3 g ZnCl2, the was 1.1 × 103 P which can be considered lightly cross-linked Hevea rubber (7.0 × 105 Pas) [21–23].
(a) Linear dynamic of sesame-millet resin prepared in water bath at 50°C with 1.0% starin. as a function of frequency
(b) Linear dynamic of sesame-gluten resin repared in water bath at 50°C with 1.0% starin. as a function of frequency
(a) Cottonseed-gluten resin water bath at 45°C
(b) Sasame-gluten resin water bath at 45°C 3 g ZnCl
It is possible to produce biodegradable resins with a wide range textural property by reacting oxirane with available amide. The reaction is dependent on source of oxirane and proteins and the amount of catalyst. Sunflower oil exhibited textural and thermal properties better than sesame and cottonseed oils elicited by the higher amounts of oxirane as shown by the FTIR scan. Millet protein gave superior performance than gluten with respect to the reaction time and rheological properties. The texture of the millet-sesame oil oxirane resin was similar to a lightly cross-linked synthetic rubber.
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
This project was funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH) (Grant no. 11-AGR-1602-02), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Copyright © 2018 A. A. Mohamed et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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The Ray White Group in 2018 celebrates 25 years of operation in the New Zealand real estate industry. Each year the Group has an annual recognition evening that acknowledges outstanding performance by members across New Zealand. Ray White today has 166 offices and annually completes property sales for over 18,000 clients and holds a property management portfolio of 17,700 properties.
Chief Executive, Carey Smith, has, since 1998, annually given acknowledgement to an individual member for their significant contribution to the success of the Ray White Group. Being in its 21st year of presentation, this year's award was presented to Adam Thomson from Ray White Manukau.
The Ray White Group internationally has over 1,000 offices and across each of the markets, the Chief Executives select their personal awards and this year was the 21st time the award was presented in New Zealand.


Lenin had heralded his call—Homeward!
Greetings to the suffering land and men!
Greetings to the foe! Hail to the vanquished!
Ceased to beat for an instant?
But lo and behold! Myth or miracle?
A man took a stand!
A fugitive from miracle, a miraculous man.
When there was no God, and heaven was wicked?
Was he Haik's grandson? An issue of Vardan?
Was he the young David?
A specter born of Armenia's mountains?
Do you recall his radiant forehead?
On the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920), the Armenian Weekly announced that it will be periodically publishing the English translation of Andranik Tzarukian's epic 1945 poem "Tught ar Yerevan" ("Letter to Yerevan").
The translation, which will be published in parts and culminate on the Centennial of the First Republic of Armenia, is a collaborative effort between the editor of the Armenian Weekly Rupen Janbazian and former editor of the Armenian Review and former director of the ARF and First Republic of Armenia Archives Tatul Sonentz-Papazian.
Read parts I , II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII in the Armenian Weekly.
Was the Poet Amdranik Atheist …???
The same bloody-snouted monster is anew chasing another victim with the same accompanying world silence if not shocking indifference !!
Thank you Dear Rupen for your great efforts in highlighting anew the sufferings of our nation which hopefully will contribute in enhancing further the determination of the Armenian nation to reward our heroes through regaining the rest of our motherland while strengthening the Republic of Armenian through consolidating good governance and good citizenship !


text:
The 5th Wave is a weekly gag cartoon by Rich Tennant, published on Sundays. Started in 1981, the comic usually deals with computers and technology. Tennant's cartoons regularly appear in the For Dummies book series, and have appeared in PC Magazine and Computerworld, a magazine for which he worked from 1987 to 1999. Like most gag cartoons, Tennant's comics have no continuity, no recurring characters, and no storylines that continue into the next week.

The name of the comic comes from Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. In this book, societies are listed in waves, e.g., the Agricultural Age is the First Wave, the Industrial Age is the Second Wave, and the Information Age is the Third Wave. Tennant wanted to call his comic The Fourth Wave, but "through a series of missteps and miscommunications", it was first published in a newspaper under the title The 5th Wave, and the name stuck.

See also
User Friendly, a character-oriented comic that also heavily features technical humor

References

External links

 The 5th Wave at the Washington Post FAQ

1981 comics debuts
Computer humor
Workplace comics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: how to log http request message(not body) and response message(not body) in asp.net core(Kestrel) Sample of my request
GET http://localhost:5000/api/values HTTP/1.1
cache-control: no-cache
User-Agent: PostmanRuntime/6.4.1
Accept: */*
Host: localhost:5000
accept-encoding: gzip, deflate
Connection: keep-alive

and the response
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 07:18:08 GMT
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 19

["value1","value2"]

i want get that all http message for log
how am I supposed to get request message and response message
because log that i can find any error(like error request message(custom TCP))

A: An option would be to create custom Middleware where you can then inspect the request/response to build up the logs you need.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/middleware/?tabs=aspnetcore2x#writing-middleware
Middleware allows you to grab the request on the way in and the response on the way out.
On the context (HttpContext) you should be able to get the data you expect - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/microsoft.aspnetcore.http.httpcontext?view=aspnetcore-2.0

A: I wrote a middleware to log a (nearly) access log in the nginx style.
You could do roughly the same and add and populate your own fields in the LogData class, and then change the DefaultFormatter function.
public class RequestLogMiddleware
{

    public class LogData {
        public IPAddress RemoteAddr {get;set;}
        public string User {get; set;}
        public int ResponseStatus {get; set;}

        public string RequestMethod {get;set;}
        public string RequestTimestamp {get;set;}
        public string RequestPath {get;set;}

        public string RequestProtocol {get;set;}
        public string UserAgent {get;set;}

        public long DurationMs {get;set;}
    }

    private readonly RequestDelegate _next;
    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    public RequestLogMiddleware(RequestDelegate next, ILoggerFactory factory)
    {
        _next = next;
        _logger = factory.CreateLogger("RequestLog");

    }

    private Func<LogData, string> _logLineFormatter;
    private Func<LogData,string> logLineFormatter{
        get  {

            if (this._logLineFormatter != null) {
                return this._logLineFormatter;
            }
            return this.DefaultFormatter();
        }
        set {
            this._logLineFormatter = value;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Override this to set the default formatter if none was supplied
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns></returns>
    protected Func<LogData, string> DefaultFormatter() {
            return (logData => $"{logData.RemoteAddr} - {logData.User} {logData.RequestTimestamp} \"{logData.RequestMethod} {logData.RequestPath} {logData.RequestProtocol}\" {logData.ResponseStatus} \"{logData.UserAgent}\" {logData.DurationMs}ms");
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Used to set a custom formatter for this instance
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="formatter"></param>
    public void SetLogLineFormat(Func<LogData, string> formatter) {
        this._logLineFormatter = formatter;
    }

    public async Task Invoke(HttpContext context)
    {

        var now = DateTime.Now;
        var watch = Stopwatch.StartNew();
        await _next.Invoke(context);
        watch.Stop();

        var nowString = now.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.fffzzz", DateTimeFormatInfo.InvariantInfo);
        var user = context.User.Identity.Name ?? "-";
        var request = context.Request.Path +  (string.IsNullOrEmpty(context.Request.QueryString.ToString()) ? "" : context.Request.QueryString.ToString());
        var responseStatus = context.Response.StatusCode;
        var userAgent = context.Request.Headers.ContainsKey("User-Agent") ? context.Request.Headers["User-Agent"].ToString() : "-";
        var protocol = context.Request.Protocol;
        var duration = watch.ElapsedMilliseconds;
        var remoteAddr = context.Connection.RemoteIpAddress;
        var method = context.Request.Method;

        var logData = new LogData {
            RemoteAddr = remoteAddr,
            RequestMethod = method,
            RequestPath = request,
            RequestProtocol = protocol,
            RequestTimestamp = nowString,
            ResponseStatus = responseStatus,
            User = user,
            UserAgent = userAgent,
            DurationMs = duration,
        };

        _logger.LogInformation(this.logLineFormatter(logData));

    }
}

Just wire it up in the Configure method in Startup.cs:
app.UseMiddleware(typeof(RequestLogMiddleware));

Make sure it's the first middleware you add.
Example output:
info: RequestLog[0]
      ::1 - - 2018-08-10T14:23:04.183+02:00 "GET /api/ping HTTP/1.1" 200 "-" 266ms
info: RequestLog[0]
      ::1 - - 2018-08-10T14:23:04.569+02:00 "POST /api/search HTTP/1.1" 401 "-" 31ms
info: RequestLog[0]
      ::1 - - 2018-08-10T14:23:04.375+02:00 "POST /api/search HTTP/1.1" 200 "-" 3453ms
info: RequestLog[0]
      ::1 - - 2018-08-10T14:23:04.375+02:00 "POST /api/search HTTP/1.1" 200 "-" 4341ms
info: RequestLog[0]
      ::1 - - 2018-08-10T14:23:08.932+02:00 "POST /api/search HTTP/1.1" 400 "-" 16ms

The logger can be turned on/off in configuration:
"Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Warning",
      "RequestLog": "Information"
    }
},

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Darkest Hour è un cortometraggio muto del 1916 diretto da James W. Horne.Dodicesimo e ultimo episodio del serial cinematografico Stingaree.

Trama

Produzione
Il film fu prodotto dalla Kalem Company.

Distribuzione
Distribuito dalla General Film Company, il film - un cortometraggio in due bobine - uscì nelle sale cinematografiche USA il 9 febbraio.

Voci correlate
Serial cinematografico

Collegamenti esterni

Cortometraggi drammatici
Stingaree (serial cinematografico)


You will then need to create an account and register for our contest. Each person will get a virtual $100,000 to invest in the stock market however they want. The contest begins today and ends on Tuesday, May 26th. Whoever has the most money at the final bell on that day is our winner (prize to be determined).
You may make as many trades as you want, but each transaction (buying or selling) costs you a commission of $10. You may invest in any stocks traded on the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ stock exchanges, as well as any mutual funds. Remember, do your research before you invest! Have a reason for purchasing any stock.


Life in the nonprofit world is often hectic. Nonprofit employees are often asked to do more with less, to wear the proverbial many different hats. JustGive is no different: every day, our energetic and creative team members jump in to help make the organization run. They do it because they believe that the nonprofits we support are making a difference and that our mission to increase charitable giving is an important one.
As JustGive celebrates its tenth anniversary, we asked staff to step back and reflect on their work with JustGive and the causes that motivate them to do more each day.
Seven years ago, Kim Applegate, an Engineer at JustGive, was looking for a position outside of the corporate world, that had a purpose other then profit and that was supportive of her family life. She found all these things at JustGive.
Jill Cohen, an Engineer at JustGive, joined JustGive because she wanted a job with a company whose mission she could get excited about and believe in. "Working at JustGive and supporting our online platform gives me great satisfaction in that we have the ability to reach a wide audience and help a variety of charitable organizations," Jill says.
Kelly Lloyd, Program Manager, first came to JustGive in the fall of 2007, after desperately seeking a way out of the for-profit world and into the nonprofit arena. She thought JustGive was a good fit. Three years later, she is a happy member of the JustGive family.
"One of the many things that has kept me at JustGive is the dedication of the team," says Kelly. "Like many families, although we may disagree or have heated discussion, it all comes down to the fact that we want to do our best to continue to carry out the mission of JustGive.
"It's very hard for me to pick a favorite cause—there are so many! One organization that has inspired me lately is Immigration Equality, a charity that addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of immigration laws on the lives of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV through education, outreach, advocacy and direct legal services," Kelly states.
We'll share more of our staff's stories and favorite charities over the next as we continue to celebrate!


text:
The Jehovah's Witnesses are no longer a "religious community" in Norway
friendlyatheist.substack.com
Government officials cited the Jehovah's Witnesses' exclusionary policies as justification for the punishment
I would appreciate it greatly if you became a full subscriber! You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or use my usual Patreon page!
In a move that's both long overdue and shocking, the government of Norway has rescinded the "religious community" status of the Jehovah's Witnesses. While that move won't ban members of the religion from gathering or practicing their faith, it will prevent the JWs from receiving taxpayer-funded subsidies and performing legal marriages. It comes a year after the government warned JW leaders they were heading down this path and cut off their funding.
Norway's odd relationship with religion
Norway, which has a national Church but no longer has a national religion, is one of those countries where religion is literally supported by taxpayers; the more members you have, the more money your preferred religious (or Humanist) organization receives. Any "religious" group with 50 registered members is allowed to apply for state subsidies, and 724 groups received that kind of funding in 2021.
The law is very open regarding the kinds of religious or non-religious groups that can receive that money. However there are some lines in the sand:
If a religious or philosophical community, or individuals acting on behalf of the community, commits violence or coercion, makes threats, violates children's rights, violates statutory discrimination prohibitions or in other ways seriously violates the rights and freedoms of others, society may be denied grants or grants may be suspended. Grants may also be refused or reduced if society encourages or provides support for violations mentioned in this section.
Religious or philosophical communities that accept grants from states that do not respect the right to freedom of religion or belief may be denied grants.
That makes sense. A group that endorses violence shouldn't get taxpayer money, nor should any group hurting children or violating human rights. Sure, there are atheists who might argue that any form of religious indoctrination is child abuse, but these rules are theoretically limited to things that are irrefutable and not up for debate.
More specifically, groups that receive these subsidies can't force people to remain members. They can't ban interactions with non-members. They can't make children pledge a lifelong commitment to them. While practicing faith is fine, cult-like behavior is not tolerated.
If groups cross those boundaries, then they might lose that government funding.
The Jehovah's Witnesses in Norway
According to the Norwegian government's Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, in 2021, there were 12,686 registered Jehovah's Witnesses in the country. That number meant taxpayers were on the hook to give the Witnesses more than NOK 16 million (roughly $1,778,793 in U.S. dollars) in support. About $140 per member.
In 2021, the government also said it would begin looking into the Witnesses after two former members and a separate (anonymous) whistleblower sent letters explaining that the Witnesses were in violation of the rules. It's not that the JW beliefs were secrets but rather that government officials needed to act deliberately and get their paperwork in order before they could take any kind of action. Those letters got the ball rolling.
Some of those claims were open to debate. For example, the Witnesses say members can't get involved in politics, which is why JWs never vote in elections. One former member argued that since voting in an election could lead to expulsion by the Witnesses—which meant members couldn't interact with you—the No Voting rule qualified as a violation of the law. The Witnesses responded by saying they had every right to set their own policies, and if someone wanted to vote, they were freely deciding to leave the fold. There was nothing coercive about it.
But there were other concerns that the government took very seriously.
The concerns about the Jehovah's Witnesses
In a written statement from the state administrator in Oslo and Viken, there were two Jehovah's Witness beliefs that were particularly egregious as far as the law went:
The Witnesses engage in the practice of Disfellowshipping. That means former JWs who leave the religion are effectively excommunicated and members are told not to have any interactions with them. (The idea here is that the former members will get so lonely or depressed that they'll eventually come crawling back. There's no shortage of families that have been torn apart because of this.)
The state administrator wrote that Norwegian law requires all religions that receive government subsidies to practice a "right to free withdrawal." If there's a serious obstacle to leaving a religion, that's arguably a violation. Disfellowshipping, the administrator wrote, "can cause members to feel pressured to remain in the faith community."
A similar policy applied to children. If a child in a JW family "makes it a habit to break the moral standards of the Bible and does not repent," the Witnesses teach, they are also to be treated as pariahs. That means a young teenager (baptized or not) who quits the religion is subject to exclusion from religious members.
While their immediate families don't have to kick them out of the house, the state administrator said the Witnesses believe that rebellious child can no longer "have contact with other close family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) or friends." That puts pressure on the child to remain in the fold—a violation of their own rights under the law. ("We consider social isolation as a form of punishment against the child.")
Because of those two "systematic and intentional" offenses, neither of which could be denied by the Witnesses themselves, the state administrator concluded that the Witnesses were not deserving of the subsidies. They were still allowed to practice their faith; they just wouldn't get any taxpayer money for it.
They Jehovah'ed themselves out of nearly $2 million.
The Witnesses said at the time that they planned to appeal the decision:
Fabian Fond at the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses in Scandinavia, writes in an e-mail to NRK that they are disappointed:
"The decision will be appealed. The appeal process will give us an opportunity to clearly explain why our faith and religious practices fully respect the rights and freedoms of others."
Fond further writes that no one is forced or pressured to become, or continue to be, one of Jehovah's Witnesses:
"It is worth noting that trials in several lands have confirmed the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to exclude persons who choose not to live by the moral standards of the Bible. As a registered religious community in Norway, Jehovah's Witnesses have been eligible to receive government grants for more than 30 years. "
The appeal went nowhere because the JWs had no actual counterpoint. The Witnesses still maintained the right to exclude non-members. What they didn't have is a right to be rewarded for it. For a group of people who want nothing to do with the government, they were incredibly upset over not receiving a government handout.
The decision wasn't unfair, though. The Catholic Church (just to name one example) has its share of problems, too, but if you quit the Church, there's no formal policy in place designed to make you suffer for it. You might have arguments with family members, and you might struggle with the loss of a community with shared beliefs (at least for a while), but the Church itself doesn't go out of its way to make your life worse. Jehovah's Witnesses do.
If nothing else, the move by the Norwegian government would hopefully spur other religious groups to take a fresh look at their own policies. If they wanted access to taxpayer money, they needed to play by the rules.
The latest sanctions against the Jehovah's Witnesses
Now the temporary sanctions against the Jehovah's Witnesses have been made permanent. The state administrator in Oslo and Viken recently revoked the group's official "religious community" status, depriving them of those taxpayer funds and the ability to bless marriages that are accepted by the government. It's a far more serious sanction than the Witnesses received last year.
... In our opinion, the religious community violates the members' right to freedom of expression. We believe this violates the members' right to freedom of religion. We also believe that they violate children's rights by allowing them to exclude baptized minors, and by encouraging members to socially isolate children who do not follow the religious community's rules.
... We have come to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses violate the members' right to free expression of religious communities and that they violate children's rights. On this background, we have come to the conclusion that the society cannot be registered under the Religious Societies Act. We believe that this corresponds to the provisions of the Religious Communities Act.
In a more formal response, the official explained how the government had taken several steps to give the Witnesses a chance to remedy this problem, but there was never any indication the Witnesses were going to change their policies:
The fact that a religious community violates its members' right to freedom of expression and thus violates the right to freedom of religion is considered particularly serious. The same applies to the negative social control of children, which violates children's human rights protection under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
However, as the preparations for the religious community regulations indicate, the State Administrator must, even in the case of serious violations, check whether the community has taken measures to prevent the violations from continuing.
As mentioned in the letter of December 14, 2022, Jehovah's Witnesses state that practice will not be changed. The organization will therefore not take measures to prevent the conditions that led to refusal.
This means that the conditions are persistent. After the above preparatory work, particularly serious or persistent conditions shall lead to loss of registration.
On this background, we have assessed that the conditions for withdrawing the registration of Jehovah's Witnesses as a registered religious community have been met...
There is still an opportunity to appeal the decision, but again, it's not clear on what grounds the Jehovah's Witnesses have a case. These really are their beliefs. These are their policies. Unless they're willing to change the rules of their faith, an appeal won't go anywhere.
Ever since this threat was first issued, conservatives in the country have been making all kinds of slippery slope arguments about this, suggesting the government was just going after religions they didn't like—as if the JW funding decision would lead to future funding bans on religious groups that oppose issues like LGBTQ+ rights. Government officials quickly rejected that stance and reiterated that beliefs were irrelevant; it was the undeniable actions of the Witnesses that mattered and that's why they weren't going to receive the subsidies. It's not like Catholics or evangelicals are being targeted here.
That didn't stop the JW Governing Body from acting like this move was unconstitutional in their latest update.
Jørgen Pedersen, a Jehovah's Witnesses Scandinavian Branch Office Board Member, attempts to spin the decision to JW followers
How this would play in the United States
In the U.S., the IRS prohibits churches from telling people how to vote under a rule called the Johnson Amendment. If they break those rules, they stand to lose their non-profit status, which would be a death blow for many of them. But because the IRS pretty much ignores those violations for a whole host of reasons, we've seen plenty of conservative Christian churches have their cake and eat it too. They get to function like an arm of the Republican Party while receiving all the benefits of a non-profit group. Unless the government enforces its own rules, those rules are worthless.
In Norway, with this decision, the government is making it clear that religious institutions aren't going to get a free pass just because they happen to be religious. The Jehovah's Witnesses deserved to lose their funding. So do any other groups acting in the same awful ways.
It's about damn time a religious group that breaks rules while receiving benefits for agreeing to those same rules faces some kind of punishment.
The subsidies have unintended consequences
These Norwegian religious subsidies have led to some fascinating (and unintentional) effects, mostly because citizens are now wise to the fact that they don't need to prop up churches for which they hold no special allegiance. (They still have to pay a church tax, so to speak—which is a very different kind of problem altogether—but less money given to certain institutions means more money for the remaining ones.)
For example, in 2016, the nation's evangelical Lutheran Church launched a website to make it easier to track members and enroll new ones... but that plan backfired after thousands of people used the website to opt out of Church membership altogether, depriving the Church of that government funding. (Considering that roughly 75% of the country were officially members, though, the exodus wasn't all that shocking. They realistically could only go lower.)
There was also a mini-scandal in 2015 when the Catholic Church owed the Norwegian government more than $5 million for "fraudulently registering thousands of people on its membership lists" precisely because they got taxpayer money for that act of manipulation. No wonder that after the Church created an app for members, more than 11,000 Norwegians resigned shortly thereafter because it was simple to remove themselves from the membership rolls.
Those weren't just symbolic acts. The reason so many people actively went through the motions of getting off those membership rolls was because they didn't want the government giving those institutions money in their name. There are plenty of people there (as in the United States) who just keep a Catholic or Lutheran label because their families raised them in those traditions or they simply don't care enough to go through the formal process of changing it. But those subsidies have pushed some people to formally declare themselves not Catholic or not Lutheran. It just shows you how many religious institutions in Norway have financially benefitted from the apathy of many of their own lapsed members.
For now, though, the Jehovah's Witnesses won't be receiving any federal benefits. It's their own fault for making cruelty and manipulation cores of their faith.
As I was preparing this piece, the Jehovah's Witnesses published a brief notice on their official website saying a Norwegian court had issued a temporary injunction "to stop the government from taking away our registration as a religious community."
There's no linked document or explanation of the pause, but this may just be a brief delay before the suspension goes into effect.
(Portions of this article were published earlier. Thanks to @mrfunnysmart for the link)
xenubarb
Hey Norway,
Now do Scientology!
GrandmascienCe
He is blessed...he's married to me. ;)
I am also blessed; I found the love of my life. Love is the most important thing in your bible, yes? Where did you pick up the hatred?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
és una persona no-binària estatunidenca membre de la Cambra de Representants d'Oklahoma com a part del Partit Demòcrata. És la primera persona no-binària a formar part d'una legislatura estatal als Estats Units i la primera persona musulmana de la Cambra de Representants d'Oklahoma. Pertany també als Socialistes Democràtics d'Amèrica i pren part de l'organització comunitària tot sovint.

Primers anys
Turner és d'Ardmore, a Oklahoma. És de religió musulmana, però es va criar en una família mixta de religió baptista i musulmana. La seua família va haver de rebre ajuda del Programa Assistencial de Nutrició Suplementària, i el seu pare va passar temps a la presó. Es va graduar a l'Ardmore High School i va assistir a la Universitat Estatal d'Oklahoma.

Ha estat membre de la junta del Consell de Relacions Americano-Islàmiques i ha liderat iniciatives per a la reforma de la justícia penal al país amb la Unió Americana per les Llibertats Civils.

Carrera política
A les eleccions del 2020, Turner es va presentar com a demòcrata a la Cambra de Representants d'Oklahoma al districte 88, en mans del demòcrata en funcions Jason Dunnington. El districte es troba al centre d'Oklahoma City i conté el campus de la Universitat d'Oklahoma City. La seua campanya electoral es va centrar en la reforma de la justícia penal. Turner va superar a Dunnington a les eleccions primàries amb un 52,13% dels vots i va comptar amb el suport de la diputada del Congrés Ilhan Omar.

A les eleccions generals, va derrotar amb contundència Kelly Barlean, la candidata republicana, amb el 71,36% dels vots. Durant les eleccions generals, Turner també va rebre el suport de l'alcalde Pete Buttigieg i la senadora Elizabeth Warren.

Vida personal
Turner es defineix com a queer i femme no-binària. A més, empra el pronom neutre they en anglès.

Referències

Polítics d'Oklahoma
Musulmans
Afroamericans estatunidencs
Naixements del 1993
Biografies del segle XXI
Membres del Partit Demòcrata dels Estats Units
Alumnes de la Universitat Estatal d'Oklahoma a Stillwater
Membres dels Socialistes Democràtics d'Amèrica


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Auckland Castle Welcome to the home of power in the North
Auckland Castle, former seat of power in the North and now our wonderful home. We share the passion of the previous tenants for entertaining, so you're formally invited to enjoy the lavish monument to opulence and influence, steeped in 1,000 years of political, economic and religious history. Wipe your feet at the door, please.
The Auckland Castle is now closed following a successful summer 2021.
Re-opening March 2022.
If you'd allow us a brief history lesson about Auckland Castle: It used to be that the power of the Prince Bishops of Durham was second only to the English monarchy. Commissioned to defend that monarchy, the Bishops were placed strategically close to the border between England and Scotland – who weren't always on the best of terms – so they needed a home to match their status.
These men were so powerful that they could raise their own armies and mint their own coins. It's no surprise then that they enjoyed Auckland Castle and its lush surroundings as their countryside estate, when the pressures of London, York and Durham became too much. While their role has changed with the passage of time, the Bishop of Durham still has influence throughout the modern world.
Discover the Bishop Trevor Gallery
Named after Richard Trevor, who was Bishop of Durham from 1752 to 1771. Bishop Trevor played an important role in the story of Auckland Castle, having purchased the series of paintings of Jacob and his Twelve Sons by Francisco de Zurbarán, which have hung in the Long Dining Room at the Castle for over 250 years.
The Castle is one of the best preserved Bishops' palaces in Europe, sitting right at the heart of The Auckland Project. Auckland Castle has reopened its doors in 2019 after major conservation work with State Rooms restored to their original Georgian Gothic splendour, designed by architect James Wyatt. We invite you to step back in time in some very powerful shoes.
Long Dining Room
St Peter's Chapel
St Peter's is acknowledged as one of the largest private chapels in Europe. Originally a medieval banqueting hall, it replaced the original 12th century chapel, which was lost during the English Civil War. In the 1660s, Bishop Cosin transformed the Great Hall into the beautiful sacred space you can see today. He added the decorative ceiling and elaborately carved woodwork screen and pulpits, to inspire people to feel the glory of God and the beauty of holiness.
Conservation, conservation, conservation.
As custodians of this great establishment, we take great pride in maintaining its splendour for our guests to enjoy. After discovering the original wall colourings, furniture, and textiles that decorated this resplendent castle in the 18th century, we've restored them to their former luxury so you can bask in all their glory; please, bask away.
Thanks to the work of an incredible team of restorers and conservators, we can now appreciate the scope of the power, wealth, influence, and faith, held by the residents of this beautiful castle. It's waiting for you to enjoy at your leisure.
If you fancy a break from the noise of modern life, we've got a series of suggested walks and things to look out for around our stunning grounds. Fancy a stroll?
Destination Map


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Пакистано-филиппинские отношения — двусторонние дипломатические отношения между Пакистаном и Филиппинами, которые были установлены 8 сентября 1949 года.

История
В сентябре 1949 года Пакистан открыл посольство в Маниле, филиппинское посольство было открыто в Карачи в 1956 году. В мае 1957 года премьер-министр Пакистана Хусейн Шахид Сухраварди стал первым руководителем государства, посетившим Филиппины с официальным визитом. В июле 1962 года президент Филиппин Диосдадо Макапагал осуществил официальный визит в Пакистан.

Экономические отношения
По данным Управления развития торговли Пакистана, в 2011 году товарооборот между странами составил сумму 142 млн. долларов США. В 2015 году товарооборот между странами составил сумму 104 млн. долларов США. Экспорт Пакистана из Филиппины: одежда, бумажная продукция, косметика, молочные продукты, фрукты, кокосы, табак, электронные механизмы, железо, сталь, цемент и химикаты. Импорт из Пакистана на Филиппины: предметы домашнего обихода, текстиль, пищевые продукты, молочные продукты, морские продукты, табак,  а также промышленные товары.

Диаспора
В ноябре 2016 года в Пакистане проживало 1543 филиппинца, из них: 180 имели статус постоянного резидента и состояли в браке с гражданами Пакистана, 728 находились в Пакистане по рабочей визе, 635 филиппинцев проживали в Пакистане не декларируя своей цели нахождения в этой стране.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Пакистано-филиппинские отношения на сайте посольства Пакистана в Маниле.

Филиппины
Пакистан


This is a pretty good offer all around. Google treats the Android One flavor of the Moto X4 as if it was one of its own Nexus phones—first dibs on operating system updates, full compatibility with Project Fi, and so forth. The phone is unlocked, so if you should decide to move it to some other service later that won't be a problem. And last but not least, Amazon won't be commandeering the lock screen to show its own special offers—something I'd been prepared to accept as a necessary evil to save a C-note, but now I won't have to.
Project Fi is a great service for people who don't need a huge amount of data–it's just $20 per month, plus $10 per gigabyte, and they credit you back for any data you don't use. Both David Rothman and I use and are happy with it. You can also add on a $5 per month device protection service when you buy your phone direct from Google.
So, while there may still be some doubt in certain circles as to whether other versions of the Moto X4 are fully compatible with Project Fi, Google's Black Friday offer allows you to save $100 and avoid all that uncertainty by getting a phone that you can be sure will work with the service. The only down side is that it's going to take about a week for them to ship it out to me. But I've gotten by without my phone for most of the month; I'll get by for another week or so.
Meanwhile, if you don't have or don't want Project Fi, or would to prefer to save your $100 up front, that $299 Amazon version is still a pretty good offer.
So far Google Fi has been great – thrilled that I switched from AT&T.


A 1960's Slingerland shell kit. The shells are 3 ply mahogany shells with Milk Chocolate interiors. One bass drum hoop is unoriginal. Brand New Ambassador heads on top and bottom of drums. Originally designed to for Gene Krupa's exact specifications this kit is an absolute classic. The 3 ply mahogany shells provide a classic smooth warm tone. The original consolette holder is included. The Blue Ripple Pearl wrap really catches the eye, providing an extremely unique looking and iconic kit.


CBT-I, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, works by making incremental changes to many different aspects of our natural sleep systems. It is like going to a fitness instructor for a comprehensive program to get your body in better shape. CBT-I is designed to get your sleep on track, but without the sweat and exertion of a fitness program. CBT-I programs retrain the systems of your brain and body to fall asleep naturally and sleep through the night. Once you know how to work with your body's sleep system, you will always know how to get a good night's sleep.
Rest Assured Sleep Seminars are a CBT-I program that teach you to do several things differently in everyday life. When you follow our instructions, your natural body systems habituate in several ways that cause good, healthy sleep. Like a fitness program, your overall health and safety are the top priority with CBT-I. A good fitness trainer won't have you running long distances, or lifting huge amounts of weight, in the first week. Through careful planning and action you steadily work up to this. A good CBT-I program thoroughly assesses all aspects of your sleep, sets realistic goals, and motivates you to achieve them.
Our CBT-I program uses research-based assessment, along with principles of cognitive-behavioral psychology, psychodynamic psychology, health/sports psychology, and sleep physiology, to retrain you for healthy sleep. Science has shown us that our body systems can adapt through training to be healthier and stronger. This is true for our sleep systems. Small, steady changes in our daily routines over time lead to big changes in the way we sleep.
We help you change your body's natural sleep system with step-by-step coaching in how to get the right amount of healthy sleep. Our program is much like a fitness training for getting in better shape. In this program you are strengthening neurological systems that affect sleep, rather than your muscles. Most people can improve their physical fitness if they follow a comprehensive training plan step-by-step. In the same way, most people can achieve healthy sleep from our CBT-I program. This is not a quick, or temporary, fix. We coach you to make steady progress with addressing the changing factors that cause insomnia.
Rest Assured Sleep Seminars are delivered through teleseminars, once a week, for 90 minutes, over the course of six weeks. Each weekly session is a conference call with Dr. James Rainwater, a licensed clinical psychologist, and other seminar participants. In each session, Dr. Rainwater will present the material for the week, discuss your progress from last week, and answer questions from participants. Materials are emailed to participants several days before the session. Time is allotted each week for question-and-answer discussion. Each session is recorded and participants receive a link to the recording by email, so they can listen again at any time. Participants may also ask questions by an online forum that is private for each seminar group.
The first step of each seminar is a thorough assessment of your insomnia. Insomnia is usually complex problem that has many contributing factors. For this reason, insomnia is best addressed by attending to your individual needs. Session One takes you step-by-step through an assessment questionnaire where we gather information about all of the aspects of your insomnia. You will then be guided through how to use a simple method for tracking your sleep, and you will begin tracking that very night. Your answers to the assessment questions, and the information you gather from tracking your sleep, will be used to design your CBT-I program.
The remaining five sessions consist of using information you have gathered to make plans for addressing each factor that affects your sleep. As you work your way through the seminar you will understand what causes your insomnia, and how to fix each aspect. At the beginning of each session we assess your progress, and show you methods to use to keep moving forward. Ultimately you will learn how to take control of your sleep.
The main objective of our program is to train you in how to get consistent restorative sleep. Restorative sleep is just what it sounds like, it restores your mind and body. Healing, recovery, resetting, growth, consolidation of memory, detoxification, nourishing, oxygenation, electrolyte balancing, metabolization and other critical processes occur during restorative sleep.
Our CBT-I program organizes numerous methods for changing sleep patterns, thinking, behavior, and neurological functions. While this might sound complicated, it comes down to making simple, decisive changes in day-to-day living. All you have to do follow our steps. You will complete our program with everything you need to know about how to get your sleep on track, and how to keep it that way.
Your Health Seminar is dedicated to providing the highest quality programs for improving your health, and your life.


What is World Class SME?
According to the Chartered Management Institute, effective leadership and the right culture can improve productivity by 23%. Yet, surprisingly, one in five SME Leaders (22%) don't measure business productivity at all and an astounding 60% of SME leaders consider company culture as a 'nice to have' in their business.
One way to boost productivity levels is by improving management quality and giving employees autonomy and purpose. World Class managers lead effective teams, create great culture, increase productivity and reduce absenteeism and employee turnover.
What World Class SME means for businesses.
Built on global best practice from 1000's of great managers, World Class SME enhances the performance of your teams and organisation. It's a 21st century solution for today's time poor manager and cost constrained world.
World Class SME gives managers a foundation in management best practice and the habits of a great 21st century manager.
It's CPD Accredited giving 12 CPD points upon completion.
Please click the button below to pay for licences. You will then receive confirmation of your order and instructions on how to access the online platform.
Please complete our booking form and return to helen@the-redthread.co.uk We will then be in touch to manage your booking and invoice your company.
need to Know more?...We'd love to hear from you.


After that Sam says "Oh, I like that!" just the way it's written in the book as if it is part of the riddle. He practically creates the illusion that he can read since he's memorized so many pages from his books. Particularly entertaining is when he "reads" car brochures talking about "Xenon Adapative Headlights" and "Active Cruise Control".
For his next trick, I'll try to get some video of him identifying car makes and models. He's dazzled the neighborhood with his uncanny ability to spot Honda Pilots and such from great distances- even in the dark.
he's so fantastic, it's ridiculous.


We are very excited to announce that we are continuing to strengthen our retail presence, with our limited edition LVB X now stocked across 11 selected Booths stores. LVB X hit Booths shelves this week and is expected to perform well over the festive period.
Our LVB X will be stocked in selected Booths stores including Clitheroe, Ikley and Media City in Manchester at the price of £5.00 per gift box. Based on a traditional English brewing method, LVB X is fruity and malty, with a 10% ABV, as well as being vegan-friendly and made from 100% organic agricultural ingredients. Our award-winning beer is presented in a bespoke gift box, making it the perfect Christmas present for beer lovers.


Named one of the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine, XPO Logistics is growing rapidly across France. Are you ready to share in our success?
We're seeking talented professionals to join our operations. In Supply Chain, we're looking for material handlers, forklift operators and managers at every level. In Transport, we need drivers, dockworkers and other professionals in our Less-Than-Truckload, Full Truckload, Global Forwarding, Last Kilometer, Freight Brokerage and Managed Transport businesses.


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By: Megan Biesele
Angelina County (G-22) is on U.S. Highways 59 and 69 northeast of Houston in the East Texas Timberlands region of northeast Texas. Lufkin, the county seat and largest town, is ninety-six miles northwest of Beaumont and 120 miles northeast of Houston, at 31°20' north latitude and 94°43' west longitude. The county is bounded on the north by the Angelina River and on the south by the Neches River. It comprises 807 square miles of gently rolling terrain and is densely forested with pine and a great variety of hardwoods. Altitudes range from 200 to 380 feet above sea level. The Angelina River drains the northern and eastern parts of the county, and the Neches drains the southern and western parts. The largest body of water in the county is Sam Rayburn Reservoir, on the Angelina River; the lake, which extends into Jasper, Sabine, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine counties, covers 114,500 acres and affords county residents good boating, fishing, and swimming, as well as water storage for municipal, agricultural, and industrial needs and for flood control and electric power. Most of the county is surfaced by sand and mud containing lignite and bentonite. This soil underlies rangeland and cropland and is exploited for mineral production. The northernmost edge of the county (generally, the area north of Lufkin) is covered by thin to moderately thick clayey sands over steep slopes and rolling hills. In the piney woods area, longleaf, shortleaf, loblolly, and slash pines provide excellent timber. Hardwoods in Angelina County include several types of gum, magnolia, elm, hickory, and oak. Between 21 and 30 percent of the land is considered good for farming. Mineral resources include natural gas and oil. Temperatures range from an average high of 94° F in June to an average low of 39° in January. Rainfall averages 42.99 inches per year. The growing season extends for 244 days.
The area that is now Angelina County was originally occupied by agricultural Indians of Caddoan and Atakapan-related stock. The county was named for a Hainai Indian girl who, according to Spanish legend, helped early Spanish missionaries of the area around 1690. Settlers who came to the county in the early nineteenth century found Indians of the Hasinai branch of the Caddo confederacies. The Hasinai, to which the Indian girl's group belonged, had an abundant food supply, a relatively dense population, and a complex social organization.
The settlement by Whites in the future Angelina County began before the Texas Revolution of 1836. The first deed on record, dated May 10, 1801, conveyed 5½ leagues of land to Vincente Micheli from Surdo, chief of the Bedias Indians, in exchange for a white shirt, eight brass bracelets, a handful of vermilion, a fathom of ribbon, a gun, and fifty charges of powder and ball. The first Anglo settlers in the district were the Burris family, who in 1820 settled in the northern part of what is now Lufkin at a place then called Burris Prairie. Within a few years other families came from Alto and Nacogdoches, and from other states, to settle along the rivers. Mexican authorities made land grants in the area in 1834–35.
Settlement was still thin when Texas won its independence. Angelina County was organized on April 22, 1846, when Nacogdoches County was divided. The first permanent settler after the county was formed is thought to have been George W. Collins. The population increased quickly thereafter due to the good farming land and to the rivers, which made steamboat transportation possible. The population reached 1,165, 196 of whom were slaves, in 1850. The first county seat was Marion; successively, Jonesville became county seat in 1854, Homer in 1858, and Lufkin in 1892. Lufkin was favored by the route of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway (now the Southern Pacific), which had been built in 1882 from Houston to Shreveport.
Angelina County was settled predominantly by natives of the southern United States, some of them slaveowners who established plantations in their new Texas home. Large plantations were owned by the Stearns, Oates, Kalty, Stovall, and Ewing families. However, many Angelina County farmers were relatively poor men who owned no slaves. In 1847 slaves numbered 154, out of a total population of 834. In 1859 the number of slaves had grown to 427, valued at $269,550, and the total population was 4,271. Cotton culture, however, occupied only 2,048 acres of county land in 1858, a relatively small area for East Texas. Between 1850 and 1860 improved land in the county increased from about 3,000 to about 16,000 acres.
In 1861 Angelina County was the only county in East Texas, and one of only a handful of other Texas counties, to reject secession. This election result was startling when compared with that of Angelina County's neighbor to the immediate south, Tyler County, which supported secession by a 99 percent vote. Angelina County had also given the Constitutional Union party candidate, John Bell, a strong minority vote in the 1860 election. Two companies of county men were organized to fight in the Civil War, but they saw only limited action; only nineteen Angelina County men lost their lives in the war, and no Union soldiers entered the county before 1866.
Before the war, a principal source of wealth in Angelina County was the raising of livestock, since most of the early settlers were not slaveholding planters able to concentrate on agriculture. After the war, livestock was largely supplanted by the lumber industry, and therefore the numbers of cattle did not increase proportionately with the population. Residents declined by 1870 to 3,985, but in 1880 they numbered 5,239. In 1890 the population was 6,306; in 1900, 13,481; and in 1910, 17,705, 2,435 of whom were black.
Economically Angelina County improved greatly in the 1880s because of the arrival of the railroads. Exploitation of the county's pine and hardwood timber became possible, and lumber began quickly to return a bonanza. The construction in 1882 of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway was followed in a few years by the Kansas and Gulf Short Line, which later became the Cotton Belt. Other railroads of the county included the St. Louis and Southwestern, the Texas Southeastern, the Shreveport, Houston and Gulf, the Groveton, Lufkin and Northern, and the Texas and New Orleans, as well as many small tram lines for lumbering. Lufkin is the hub at which most of these rail lines met.
In 1880 county farmers cultivated only about 25,000 acres; landowners were waiting for the railroads so that they could develop their timber. The county had 10,000 cattle and twice as many hogs at this time. It was estimated that the county had 1.3 billion board feet of longleaf and a billion board feet of loblolly pine. After the railroads arrived, the foundation was laid for a way of life and an economy in Angelina County built upon timber and forest products. By 1900 there were at least seventeen sawmills operating in the county, and the population, which had increased only from 4,271 to 5,239 in the period 1860–80, more than doubled in the period 1880–1900, when it reached 13,481. It doubled again by 1930, when it was 27,803.
The World's Fair of 1893 gave a boost to the popularity of southern pine as a building material, and thus to the new economic base of Angelina County. The Angelina County Lumber Company, founded by Joseph H. Kurth, Sr., and others in 1887 at Keltys, along with the Southern Pine Lumber Company, founded at Diboll in 1893 by T. L. L. Temple, became giant industries as southern pine became the chief commercial wood used in America. In addition to the two large mills, about fifteen other lumber companies were begun around the turn of the century in Angelina County. From a modest beginning in 1855, when Dr. W. W. Manning operated the first Angelina County sawmill and employed twelve men, to today, when the annual payroll of a single sawmill may be in the millions of dollars, Angelina County has built steadily on its timber resources. Property increased in value from $401,000 in 1870 to $732,282 in 1881, to $4,372,655 in 1903, and to $10,078,407 in 1913. The county also profited greatly from the development of a method for turning southern pine wood into paper. The Southland Paper Mill, established in 1939 near Lufkin, was the pioneer in the manufacture of newsprint from southern pine.
Lumber and other industries such as foundry and the manufacture of oilfield equipment made Lufkin the fifth largest industrial area in Texas by the mid-1980s. Such smaller towns in the county as Diboll, Huntington, Fuller Springs, Hudson, Zavalla, and Burke were maintained chiefly by the lumber industry. Still other towns, now defunct or severely depopulated, flourished around early sawmills until the timber was cut out: these included Homer, Baker, Clawson, Emporia, Hamlet, Lay, Popher, Yuno, Baber, Davisville, Renova, and Retrieve. Despite the many ghost towns, lumbering continued to form the economic backbone of Angelina County through the early part of the present century. However, after the lumber industry's 1913 peak in the area, Angelina County's potential as an agricultural center was much discussed. Of 601,600 total acres in the county, 158,646 was in cultivation in 1916, when the county had 1,569 farms, as compared with 1,403 in 1900. In 1916 the agricultural census counted 18,877 cattle, 3,300 horses and mules, 32,266 hogs, 4,500 sheep and goats, and 50,000 chickens and turkeys. As timber production began to fall off due to wasteful harvesting practices, conservation and sustained maintenance of forest resources led to more stable town and population growth as well. By 1950, lumber-related industries were still the major employer for the county, providing work for many.
The Great Depression hit Angelina County quite hard. By 1933 more than 2,500 residents were on relief rolls—about 10 percent of the county population. This was mainly because the timber industry in Texas was particularly vulnerable to the depression. The boom in housing and other businesses that depended on lumber ceased abruptly with the failure of banks and lending institutions and with unemployment. Many Angelina County lumber companies were forced to close or to decrease their activities sharply. County inhabitants turned back to small farming and stock raising to feed themselves; the 1935 census numbered more than 18,000 cattle and 17,000 hogs. The Civilian Conservation Corps for East Texas was headquartered in Lufkin during the depression. It served twenty-six counties and seventeen camps in efforts to bring about financial recovery.
Angelina County had a respectable total of both state highways (103.22 miles) and county roads (871.56 miles) by 1937, towards the end of the depression. It also had more farms (2,802) and more cattle (18,659) than five of the eight counties that bound it. By 1944, Angelina County had forty-four firms employing 400 persons, and the value of manufactured goods in 1945 was $25 million. Principal industries at that time were foundries, a creosoting plant, sawmills, and a $10 million newsprint mill, Southland Paper Mills. In 1954 and 1958 wholesale trade in Angelina County amounted to $37,114,000; the county topped a list of ten East Texas counties. Angelina County was also at or near the top of these ten counties in the 1950s and 1960s for retail trade, retail trade increases, service industries receipts, bank deposits, poll taxes, auto registrations (16,518), and chamber of commerce budgets.
The population of Angelina County was 36,032 in 1950, 39,814 in 1960, and 67,600 in 1986. Between 1970 and 1980 the rural population increased by 34 percent, while urban areas had a slightly lower growth rate. The largest ethnic group in the county is Anglo (62 percent), then Hispanic (20.8 percent), and then African Amercian (15.6 percent) next. In 1984 the county had 36,081 persons aged twenty-five and over; 22 percent had only an elementary education, 29 percent high school, and 8 percent college. In 1979 about 10 percent of Angelina County residents income was below the poverty level. The county is a major producer of timber products. It ranked only twenty-first in the state for agricultural receipts in 1982, 82 percent of which were from livestock. County farmers also raise hay, rye, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, peaches, and pecans.
Between 1970 and 1980 the number of housing units increased by 42 percent. Current production of minerals includes bentonite, clay, fire clay, and drilling mud. In 1982 tourism generated 939 jobs and $7,529,000 in payrolls. Angelina County has generally been staunchly Democratic, although Republican presidential candidates won a majority of votes in the 1972, 1984, and 1988 elections, and Democrat Bill Clinton managed to win only by a narrow margin in the 1992 election. Republican senatorial candidates also fared well during this time. Nevertheless, as in most Texas counties, Democratic officials continued to maintain control of most county offices.
The county's 117 churches have about 38,000 members. The county supports one daily newspaper, the Lufkin Daily News, and two weeklies, the Diboll Free Press and the Zavalla Herald. Recreational institutions include the Texas Forestry Museum, the Lufkin Historical and Creative Arts Center, and the Ellen Trout Zoo, all at Lufkin. The population of Angelina County in 2014 was 87,750.
Effie Mattox Boon, The History of Angelina County (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1937).
Megan Biesele, "Angelina County," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed January 22, 2022, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/angelina-county.


ANOTHER ANTIGUA VS. USA DELAY WTO negotiations drag on, with new deadline of July 11 now set Antigua and the United States remain locked in negotiations this week as yet another World Trade Organisation deadline (see previous InfoPowa reports) has passed without a positive result. The two parties in the dispute over online gambling informed the World Trade Organisation this week that they had mutually agreed to another deferral of arbitration proceedings and continue to seek an amicable agreement to bring years of litigation to an end. The new deadline agreed by the parties is July 11 2008. Antigua's Minister of Finance and the Economy Dr. Errol Cort told the Antigua Sun newspaper that both sides will continue discussions in the hope of coming to an agreement. Dr. Cort and Ambassador to the WTO John Ashe are leading Antigua and Barbuda's negotiations, facing a US delegation headed by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador John Veroneau.
FINAL CHAPTER IN U.S. VS. ANTIGUA NEGOTIATIONS ?