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Fortune tellers and clairvoyants, fake experts and useful idiots. The topics that Russian disinformation promotes and the methods it uses
Zelensky was initially mentioned neutrally in manipulative news, and sometimes hopes were voiced that he would get rid of the course of Ukraine's previous leadership. However, with time, Zelensky's image in manipulative news becomes reminiscent of Poroshenko's image. Since May, we have been tracking the topics of Russian disinfo which appeared on Ukrainian junk news sites (also called toilet-tank sites) and in Russian disinformation publications targeted at Ukraine (published in the occupied territories of Donbass and in Russia). We are publishing main highlights of our study of Russian disinformation from May to November 2019 below.
Texty.org.ua editorial
Long-term tracking of disinformation makes it possible to see what topics are of most interest to the Russian authorities, who is the biggest irritant to them, and what they plan to do in the future.
You can find weekly reviews in English here, in Ukrainian here
Dashboard showing the dynamics of topics' intensity is here
Strategic and short-term disinformation campaigns
Russian misinformation has different planning horizons. One can talk about long-term, mid-term, and short-term campaigns. In fact, the work of the Russian propaganda machine can be compared to a matryoshka: a large dollop conceals a smaller one, and an even smaller one is inside it.
The most long-term and systematic disinformation campaign is comprised of that entire array of manipulative news which can be logically combined under the umbrella name of "Failed state". The purpose of this campaign is obvious. It aims to create an image of Ukraine as a non-state, an artificial state entity that arose against historical logic.
The attributes of this "Failed state" - in fact, its inherent constituents - are the themes of "impoverishment" and "nationalism". Since they have been actively promoted since the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko, they can also be classified as basic and long-term campaigns of Russian propaganda.
Mid-term campaigns include those aimed against the previous authorities or the current President Zelensky. There's some differentiation: Poroshenko causes a complete rejection, yet it's a bit different with Zelensky. On the one hand, he pursues the same "failed" policy of Poroshenko, risking to become just as "bloody", however, not a "chocolate man" but a "clown". On the other hand, he himself is a potential victim of his predecessor. After all, Poroshenko is "preparing a coup".
These campaigns include short-term operations with more specific goals. One example is the emphasis on the need to imprison Poroshenko. Since the beginning of our monitoring in May 2019, we have seen disinformers regularly write that Poroshenko is being "locked up" or that he is "fleeing the country". Subsequently, 12 cases having to do with Poroshenko did arise.
Disinformation timeline
Any information campaign, disinformation being no exception, is always tied to some specific events, news. Some events cause reaction after the event itself. Other events, on the contrary, are "helped to happen" before they even started.
Failed state
"Failed state" is one of the cornerstones of Russian disinformation. It appears more frequently in Russian disinformation publications than on Ukrainian junk news sites. The main "peak loads" of disinformation can be seen in the media of the occupied territories, and it is here that one can best trace what factors influence the activation of any specific topic of Russian propaganda.
Over the course of our observations, we have noticed several "peaks" of disinformation on the topic of "Failed state". One of the peaks was on June 25, when the topic of external governance comprised over 30% of all the news in the occupied territories, while the number was twice less in the news on Ukrainian junk news sites.
The cause of such activity lies on the surface. It was on the night of June 24 to 25 that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to lift the sanctions mechanism against Russia. Accordingly, Russian propagandists were in a hurry to grab onto the "victory". "News" from Russian sites are eloquent in themselves: "Russia returns to PACE. Ukraine does not seem to be very happy " - Ukraine.ru was writing, for example.
The causes of other spikes in activity on the topic of "Failed state" are not that obvious. They make one recall once again the claim that Russian disinformation is a long term game and its goals are global. For example, a peak of activity was on the 21st and partially on the 22nd of August, just a couple of days before Ukraine's Independence Day. "Betrayal is a non-healing burn of the soul. How "Ukrainian multi-vector policy" finished in a dead end", reports e-news.su, a publication of the occupied territories.
On September 26, Zelensky meets with Trump, and against this background, another major splash of news on the topic of "Failed state" happens. First of all, we are talking about the toilet tank sites in the occupied territories, which can be seen as an echo of the all-Russian wave of negativity and the desire to diminish the results of such a meeting. It can be assumed that Russian propaganda regarded the very fact of such a meeting as a threat to the assertions about Ukraine as a "non-state" or "failed state" and so it decided to strike first.
The oligarchs
"The oligarchs" are a separate sub-theme to the topic of "Failed state". It is disseminated among both "mainstream" Ukrainian audiences and the residents of occupied territories. This topic had a peak of activity on September 21. On the evening before, a live broadcast on the TV channel "Ukraine" featured oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky on the phone. Some of the claims he voiced caused a whole information wave the next day.
All in all, Ihor Kolomoisky remains the most mentioned Ukrainian oligarch in the media. In disinformation publications, he is an excellent piece of material to illustrate the thesis of "Failed state" a non-state actually run by oligarchs. At the same time, Akhmetov, another Ukrainian oligarch, seems to be in the informational shadows, he is mentioned in a perfunctory manner, very often as the opponent of Kolomoisky.
Zelensky
Several peaks of activity peaks can be seen on this topic during June and July, but already in August, the number of news items is declining. Obviously, this is due to the fact that over time, the feeling of novelty of the new president is getting dull, and parliamentary elections also become a thing of the past.
In September and especially in October, the number of manipulative news about Zelensky on Ukrainian junk news websites begins to outweigh similar news on sites of occupied territories. On the one hand, there is a further activity on the Ukrainian sites, on the other, there's a decrease in the number of manipulative and negative news about Zelensky in the publications of the occupied territories.
The strongest divergency in the media on different sides of the demarcation line could be observed on October 27. It was on this day that the maximum activity was recorded on the Ukrainian toilet tank sites when 25% of all manipulative news related to the topic of Zelensky while the media of occupied territories were surprisingly "restrained" with only about 6% of the news.
This discrepancy in numbers can be explained by the events that took place the day before in the unoccupied territory of Donbas. It was on October 26 that Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the village of Zolote, where the separation of troops was planned. On October 27, the country continued to discuss the results of this visit.
However, Russian occupation authorities were in no hurry to inform the residents of occupied Donbas that the President of Ukraine had arrived on the front line.
Zelensky was initially mentioned neutrally in manipulative news, and sometimes hopes were voiced that he would get rid of the course of Ukraine's previous leadership. However, with time, Zelensky's image in manipulative news becomes reminiscent of Poroshenko's image.
The number of manipulative news on the sites of occupied territories and on Ukrainian toilet tank sites on the topic of "War" differs significantly. It is natural that the media of the occupied territories pay more attention to the fighting. Quite often, the focus on this topic in the occupied territories does not correlate in any way with what Ukrainian media are writing at the same time.
June 2 is demonstrative in this respect when the media of the occupied territories were literally "feverish" with reports of another military escalation, while Ukrainian media were completely silent. Of course, one can assume that the purpose of such activity of the sites of the occupied territories is the need to remind residents of the occupied territories once again of the "atrocities" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, by juxtaposing the schedule of "escalation" of hostilities in the media space of the occupied territories, and landmark political events that were taking place at the time, one can see another explanation for such "activity".
For example, a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas Resolution was scheduled for June 5, and Zelensky makes a number of statements on this matter on June 3.
Elections, parties, political forces
The peak of manipulative news on this topic was on July 21-23. On July 21, parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine. Notably, the activity of Russian disinformers here is almost equal on both sides of the frontline.
In the week after the snap parliamentary election, both Ukrainian crap sites and sites of the occupied territories were busy discussing the results.
In the flow of disinformation on the subject, there has been a lot of speculation about the potential of the new parliament. In particular, there were statements that the new parliament would be a little different from the previous one, that there would be "sold out votings" and influence of the oligarchs. The idea was pushed that all new persons in the parliament were in fact puppets controlled by the oligarchs. Partly, manipulation was focused on individual candidates, as well as those who lost the election. Publications of the occupied territories claimed a potential failure of the new parliament if peace was not reached on Russia's terms.
Pro-Russian opposition
In the "Pro-Russian Opposition" section, what draws attention is the focus of the Ukrainian toilet tank sites on a single political force, the OPFL of Viktor Medvedchuk. Based on who the Russian propagandists see as their information partners in Ukraine, it will definitely be OPFL and specifically the person of Viktor Medvedchuk. It is this political force that the lion's share of all disinformation messages is devoted to, and they are positive. The coverage of all other political forces that are considered "pro-Russian" is kept to a minimum.
The topic of "nationalism" is divided into several subtopics. While the "church" topic gets more attention at Ukrainian toilet tank sites, the topic of "Ukrainian nationalists" is more visible in the media of the occupied territories. The peak of activity on the subject of "Ukrainian nationalists" is on October 9. It was then that the media of the occupied territories were fanning information about nationalists arriving at the demarcation line in order to prevent troops from being separated in Zolote village.
Soviet legacy
The main triggers that activate news on this topic are decommunization, activities of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, its ex-head Volodymyr Viatrovych, celebrations of Soviet holidays. The largest peak of reports on junk news sites on both sides of the frontline on the subject of "Soviet legacy" was on June 2, when the bust of Soviet military commander Zhukov in Kharkiv was broken.
Economics and impoverishment
The number of news on the "Economics and impoverishment" topic has been steadily growing throughout the study. In June and July, the amount of such news is rather moderate, especially on Ukrainian junk news sites, but starting from August their number begins to grow steadily on both sides of the frontline. They use old scares about tariffs, pensions and, of course, the threat of default.
To this, a new information campaign is added which is aimed against the land market. It is actively promoted by OPFL and Medvedchuk personally who provide "correct" comments. First and foremost, of course, they talk about the sellout of Ukrainian blacksoil and the threat that the land will be bought up by some foreign structures.
Another permanent line of disinformation is about gas talks. There are some peaks of activity here, several of them, mostly on weekends, correlated with weekly summary issues on propaganda channels in both Russia and Ukraine.
Defamation of the previous government
During June-August, the main disinformation on this topic is focused on President Poroshenko. On the one hand, he is still accused of the "sins" of his time in power, on the other, he is shown as a threat of revanche for the new authorities.
Within the disinformation campaign dealing with Poroshenko, there is another clear line that can be separated out. It is the emphasis on the "need of" criminal prosecution of Poroshenko. Such disinformation, obviously, should create the visibility of public demand and motivate the authorities to take real action.
Since September, in addition to disinformation regarding Poroshenko, a considerable number of manipulative news has been reported regarding his entourage and ex-officials. Among the main victims of disinformation news are NBU ex-chief Valeria Gontareva, ex health minister Ulyana Suprun, ex-member of parliament Tatiana Chornovol and others.
The toolkit of Russian disinformation operations is rich. Professional disinformers have developed a wide range of tools and means.
Fake experts and useful idiots
For example, Russian propaganda uses various newsmakers (a politician or a person at the center of events; he or she says sensational things, and thus, "makes" news). There are many characters like this used by Russian propagandists. These include various "experts", "old" and "new" politicians, not even necessarily from the camp of pro-Russian forces. It is sometimes difficult to understand whether or not Ukrainian politicians are consciously making statements that are useful to Russian propaganda or whether are being used "in the dark."
However, the use of "experts" and newsmakers is not the limit.
Fortune tellers and clairvoyants
The Russian disinformation machine involves representatives of absolutely apolitical spheres. Russian propaganda materials occasionally use the testimony of all kinds of fortune-tellers and clairvoyants who prophesy the collapse of Ukraine or the approach of another apocalypse. For example, in a widely disseminated video, a famous Kazakh fortune-teller reads from a piece of paper, pausing as if she were seeing the text for the first time, her apocalyptic "predictions" about Ukraine.
Shifted accent
Disinformation news are not always pure fakes or voicing someone's thoughts. Very often, the news actually describes real events but shifting accents, having a spin, or "retouching" on certain facts. For example, the news "In Ivano-Frankivsk, MP from Poroshenko Bloc is flung feces at" describes a real attack on ex-MP Olexandr Shevchenko. However, the authors of the news "forgot" one detail, namely that - Mr. Shevchenko had already left the Poroshenko Bloc at the time of the attack. Ignoring this fact gives the news quite a different spin at the time of parliamentary campaign then going on in Ukraine.
Sources of dissemination
Material dissemination schemes also vary. Sometimes, this is reminiscent of genuine information special operations. TEXTY team explored one such case thoroughly. It was the dissemination of fake news about "greedy" and "drunk" Ukrainian soldiers. The primary source in this news was the "blog" of US Lieutenant Colonel Robert Tracy.
He shared his alleged negative impressions about Ukrainian soldiers. Interestingly, the blog itself actually existed. However, a closer look revealed that the blog was created shortly before the news was released, in August 2019. The special operation itself did not end there. This material has been featured not only on the "junk news sites" in Russia and Ukraine but also in seemingly reputable media. Those media later claimed that their websites were hacked and the "news" was featured there retroactively.
The tools and methods described above concern only a small part of the disinformation that is being poured on a daily basis by junk news sites upon the heads of Ukrainian citizens. The Russian propaganda machine continues to operate and, given recent events, its capacity will only continue to grow. Under these circumstances, it is crucial to understand what we are dealing with and how it works. Therefore, TEXTY will continue to explore this topic further.
The project was funded by National Democratic Institute
Russia intimidates Ukraine with "falling into pieces" and calls the hacking attacks "provocations". Disinformation monitor #112


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Uber is on the verge of buying Postmates, report claims
By Trevor Mogg	 June 29, 2020
Uber is close to acquiring on-demand delivery company Postmates, with a report suggesting a deal could be inked as soon as Monday night.
Three people claiming to have knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that Uber has made a takeover offer, though cautioned that discussions were still ongoing and could yet lead nowhere.
News of Uber's interest in Postmates follows the ridesharing company's failed attempt to acquire Grubhub, which was recently snapped up by Europe-based Just Eat Takeaway in a $7.3 billion deal that made it the world's largest online food delivery company outside of China.
Garen M/Creative Commons
Acquiring Postmates could help Uber to strengthen Uber Eats, its meal delivery business, as it seeks ways to boost its income after the coronavirus pandemic decimated its main ridesharing business. Whereas Postmates is a U.S.-only operation, Uber Eats operates globally but struggles to turn a profit.
The Times points out, such a deal could prove also useful for Postmates as the company has found it hard to take on larger outfits in the same game, among them DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats.
Interestingly, Postmates is reported to have been in talks with DoorDash and Grubhub, too, with both companies having also expressed an interest in acquiring the smaller business.
Digital Trends has reached out to Uber and Postmates for confirmation of the discussions, and we will update this article when we hear back.
Postmates launched in 2011 and is currently available in more than 4,200 cities in all 50 states and D.C. While meal delivery is a big part of its business, it also delivers just about anything else you might suddenly need. Indeed, one of its tag lines is "We deliver more than dinner."
Want to find out more about the best meal delivery apps currently available? Digital Trends has you covered.
This LG robot could soon be serving your restaurant meal
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Google Maps is adding new shopping tools for the holiday season
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We can't believe how cheap curved gaming monitors are at Dell today
The XPS 13 Touch laptop is $300 off at Dell today
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How does the digitisation and hashing of the document work? Is an encrypted document made and stored on client server with the encryption key on the blockchain?
To answer this question, let's break it down into 3 parts-
a) How hashing works: In simple terms, hashing means taking an input string of any length (data from your document) and giving out an output of a fixed length. This output string is sent to the blockchain. This is a critical function because this property of hashing leads to one of the greatest qualities of the blockchain, which is, its immutability. That means, if someone makes even a slight change in your input, the hash will no longer match with the one initially generated, protecting you against fraudulent tampering of your document.
b) Digitising the document: Since blockchain itself is not efficient to store digital records (considering the size of digital records and excessive cost of such transactions), VeriDoc Global has come up with a mechanism to store digital documents in client's secured server after the data from the document is added to the blockchain. In simple terms, the digitisation of the document involves, extracting data from the document, storing the document as data on the blockchain and recording the transaction into a unique QR code which is then added on the original document issued by the issuer. This new document is converted into a pdf and is stored locally on client's server.
This is done by cryptographically linking the data extracted from your documentand converting it into a hash which also records the destination of the original source file. VeriDoc Global is responsible for creating that unique hashand storing it on a Blockchain network like Ethereum.This hash is then embedded into a unique QR code. By scanning this QR code,anyone can uniquely identify the content of the original document created by the issuer, which isused to verify your data's integrity and timestamp.
c) Storing encrypted documents on Client's server and data on the blockchain: Once the user creates a document using their VDG account, the document data will be sent to the blockchain (in the form of hash). Once the transaction containing the hash is complete, the hash containing information of the document will be embedded into a QR code. This document will be stored locally on the client's secured server. This will be used as a three-step verification as VeriDoc Global will fetch the original document in a preview mode on the verification page that shows up when the user scans the QR code present on the document. Therefore, from the verification screen, user can visually compare the contents of the document and can also verify the data integrity on the blockchain explorer.
What is the implementation cost?
Implementation costs differ from client to client. In saying that, to integrate VeriDoc Global as a plugin into a client's existing server, VeriDoc Global will work as an API to fetch information from client's domain. To do this, the API will conduct transactions on VeriDoc Global server on behalf of client. This will require our development team to calculate the effort and number of hours required in integrating VeriDoc Global services into client's existing domain. Thus, the cost of implementation will be directly proportional to the hours of work required for integration.
Secondly, each implementation will require one or more template designs dedicated for each document type that the user wants to create documents for. This will also form part of implementation cost.
Also, VDG tokens are used to pay for transactions and to send data to the blockchain. The utility token covers the fees that are associated with creating a new record, such as gas on the Ethereum blockchain.In addition to using gas to perform computations, gas is also used to pay miners who provide their resources to the Ethereum blockchain, in the form of a transaction fee.
Gas is a special unit that quantifies the amount of work needed to perform actions on the Ethereum blockchain. Much like a car which requires a certain amount of gas to get from Point A to Point B, actions performed on the Ethereum network require a certain amount of gas to complete.
In terms of supply chain tracking, can one QR code on a product be used to track the entire history, including transfer of documents?
In simple terms, VeriDoc Global verifies each step in the supply chain by registering a "digital handshake", that marks exactly when and where the goods have changed hands. Thus, a record of entire history including all transfer documents can be added on the same QR for ease of access and supply chain tracking.
Can the system handle different authorisation levels accessing different amounts of information on an encrypted document?
The QR present on all VeriDoc Global generated documents can be access-level controlled. In which case, when a user scans the QR code they will only be able to see the information for which they have access to. To do so, the user will have to scan the access level-protected QR code using our VeriDoc QR Scanner Mobile Application. The application will be linked to user's account using one-time password (OTP) mechanism and will authenticate each scan to ensure only users with certain access levels are given access to the different amount of information linked to the QR code. If the person is not allowed access through their application, then he/she will be unable to see information from the encrypted document.
One-Time Password (OTP) is a technological mechanism through which a single-use password is generated and sent to the registered mobile number for the user to access the application. It is also known as two-factor authentication.
What is metadata and how is it used in VeriDoc?
Metadata is information about an object or resource that describes characteristics such as content, quality, format, location and contact information.Metadata can be used to instantly identify and validate the important information such as document holder name, any reference numbers or values from the document upon scanning.
Metadata for each document is taken as strings of information from the document describing the characteristics of that document and are available to be displayed on the verify screen when the user scans the QR code present on the document.
Our clients have an option to choose between a two-step verification available for the metadata fields. One on verify screen and other on blockchain explorer where certain fields of the data from the document are displayed in the form of metadata in the input field. This comes with an extra cost as sending metadata to the blockchain along with the unique hash of the entire document costs more gas.
What is a DApp, utility tokens and how are they used?
A Decentralized Application (DApp) is very similar to a traditional web application. The front end uses the same technology to render the page. The one critical difference is that instead of an API connecting to a database, there is a smart contract connecting to a blockchain.
Utility tokens are services or units of services that can be purchased. They don't represent a share of the business. They can be compared to API keys, used to access a service.
ERC20 is a guide of rules and regulations that help create a blueprint for Ethereum based smart contracts to create tokens. The VDG token is an ERC20 digital cryptographic utility token issued by VeriDoc Global. VDG is necessary to pay for transaction costs on the blockchain network when protecting an original document.
VDG token is implemented on the application-level on top of Ethereum blockchain. It is integrated within the application and is part of the application incentive mechanism for nodes and/or users. VDG token adheres to the ERC20 token standard ofhow to access information, transfer assets, and fire off events.
How secure is VDG Technology?
Security is a critical responsibility for VeriDoc, and represents an investment that customers using our services can count on.We build security into VeriDoc products and cloud services from the ground up, using Microsoft's fundamentals starting with the Security Development Lifecycle, a process that Microsoft has made publicly available since 2004. This mandatory development process embeds security requirements into the entire software lifecycle, from planning through deployment.
In addition, our clients have access to information about the wide range of technologies we use to help secure your data, including identity and access management, expanded use of encryption and threat management.
Why do we need VDG tokens and what do they do?
VDG is used to pay for transactions and to send data to the blockchain. The utility token covers the fees that are associated with creating a new record, such as gas on the Ethereum blockchain.
In addition to using gas to perform computations, gas is also used to pay miners who provide their resources to the Ethereum blockchain, in the form of a transaction fee.
Why can't users just use ETH to pay for gas?
VeriDoc Global is a DApp and was never intended for just one single blockchain. Limiting payments to ETH would mean that when VeriDoc Global is available on other blockchains, document issuers would need to pay for fees in multiple cryptocurrencies.
For example, a document issuer wants to create a document hash on the Ethereum, Bitcoin, Stellar Lumens, EOS and Cardano networks. Without a VDG token to cover all the transaction fees across the five networks, the document issuer would need to pay VeriDoc Global using five different cryptocurrencies.


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Two London Masons complete a Brewood to Brighton 240-mile Charity Road Challenge
On Saturday 13th April 2019 a team of seven men, in a Top Gear style challenge, arrived at Brighton Pier having left Brewood, South Staffordshire on Wednesday 10th April. The group of seven, which included three freemasons – two from London Lodge Tulse Hill No. 4462 and the other from the Province of Staffordshire – travelled in two teams, one having cycled the whole 240-mile journey and the other as passengers on public buses.
This road journey was undertaken to raise funds for two charities, Cancer Research UK and Music for my Mind. £5000 was the original fundraising target, but to date over £6,000 has been donated and sponsorship is still being received, the proceeds being equally split between both worthy causes.
W Bro Glyn Williams and Bro Robbie Byrne of Tulse Hill Lodge 4462 together with Bro Mac Webb of Dormston Lodge 7821 (Staffordshire) were joined by John and David Tett, Matt Carter and Dan Morris.
Music for my Mind was established two years ago with the sole aim of improving the quality of life experienced by those living with Dementia. It aims to develop personalised music play lists of the sufferer's favourite music. It has long been known that familiar music calms and soothes those with dementia, but this is rarely available. Music for my Mind aims to rectify this.
Cancer Research UK's work is almost entirely funded by the public. It raises money through donations, legacies, community fundraising, events, retail and corporate partnerships. Over 40,000 people are regular volunteers.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/brewoodtobrighton


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Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 06/05/05. © Peter J. Bryant
Bernardino Blue
Euphilotes bernardino
Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae
Back to Butterflies of Orange County, California
Wood Canyon, Orange County, CA. 06/15/09. © Peter J. Bryant
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 6-10-07. © Ron Hemberger
Peter's Canyon, Orange, Orange County, CA. 6-5-06. © Ron Hemberger
Female. Laguna Laurel, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 06/15/09. © Peter J. Bryant
Female. Nix Nature Center, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 6-8-09. © Ron Hemberger
Male. Morgan Trail, Cleveland National Forest, Riverside County, CA. 5/24/13. © Peter J. Bryant.
Characteristics: A small "blue". Ventral wing surface like that of Plebejus acmon, but without metallic scales on spots near outer margin of ventral hindwing. Male--blue on the dorsal wing surface; female--brown, with orange near dorsal hindwing margins. Forewing length: 9-11 mm.
Similar Species: Exceedingly similar to Dammer's Blue which, however, is not likely to be encountered by a beginner. The Bernardino Blue also might be confused with Plebejus acmon. However, the Bernardino Blue's forewing length is smaller than that of acmon. Male bernardino differs from the acmon male by the absence of a strong orange band on the outer margin of the dorsal hindwing, replaced by a heavy black margin. The female Bernardino Blue is often almost undistinguishable from female acmon, except for the smaller size and lack of metallic spots.
Habitats, Behavior: This diminutive butterfly is strongly associated with Wild Buckwheat, the larval foodplant. The Bernardino Blue is a fairly weak flyer and is often overlooked on account of its small size.
Distribution: In Orange County, the species is generally distributed, but local in occurrence. Our records range from near sea level to 4310 feet (Maple Springs, Santa Ana Mtns.). Lowland colonies have been largely wiped out by habitat destruction.
Flight Period: One brood flies from late April into mid July, depending upon elevation. We also have an exceptionally early record from the middle of March. Langston (1974) discusses the phenomenon of longer flight periods for coastal populations when compared to populations occurring inland. In Orange County, coastal populations of bernardino do seem to fly much later than inland populations at comparable elevations.
Larval Foodplants: Eriogonum fasciculatum, (Wild Buckwheat), including subspecies foliolosum and polifolium (Emmel and Emmel, 1973). Eriogonum fasciculatum ssp. fasciculatum is the suspected foodplant in Orange County. Eriogonum parvifolium is a possible foodplant at Scotchman's Cove and at other coastal bluff locations. The larvae are flower feeders and are well camouflaged.
Other Remarks: The Bernardino Blue rarely strays from its larval foodplant. Careful observations are needed before we can determine if bernardino is generally distributed wherever E. fasciculatum grows, or is of spotty distribution in these areas, due to some unknown limiting factor(s). Theodore Hower mentions that individuals from coastal Orange County populations are somewhat different in appearance than those from inland populations. The phenotype of specimens from coastal populations should be compared with specimens of the endangered El Segundo Blue (S. b. allyni), a named subspecies of battoides, found only in a few remnant coastal sand dune localities in Los Angeles County. The Bernardino Blue was placed in the genus Philotes until the recent completion of comparative studies by Shields (1975).
Further Information: Langston (1965) reviews the distribution and foodplants of this subspecies. Shields (1975, 1977) are the latest treatments of the species as a whole.
From Orsak, L. J. (1977). The Butterflies of Orange County, California. Center for Pathobiology Miscellaneous Publication #3. University of California Press, New York. 349pp.
Return to Butterflies and their larval foodplants
Return to Natural History of Orange County, California


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Women's 'Empowerment' Is Not Real Power
By Ruth Whippman
The word empowerment has become the rallying cry of mainstream feminism, with virtually any act performed enthusiastically by a woman–from washing her hair to posting her bikini photos–now designated as "empowering." But while everyone from Unilever to the Republican Party has embraced the background noise of "empowerment," this frenzy has done almost nothing to change our society's structures or understanding of authority.
Women are still drastically underrepresented anywhere that genuine power resides in the U.S., especially in business and politics. And save for Hillary Clinton's nomination, there has been precious little movement on that front in recent years. By advising women to fight this sexist norm through empowerment–the feeling of inner potency, not the material gain in status–the feminist movement has started to sound like a branch of the self-help industry. Lean in! Adopt power positions! Negotiate a raise! Walk tall! Stop apologizing! Think positive! Be assertive! The message is clear: If you want to feel empowered, you need to be improved.
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If we buy into this story–in which feminism is a feel-good anthem and women are to blame for their own oppression–the genuinely powerful woman will remain an exception. Clinton might make it to the presidency, but it will be lonely for her at the top.
Whippman is the author of America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks, out Oct. 4
This appears in the August 08, 2016 issue of TIME.


text:
When Should Children Have Access To Their Inheritances?
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Sep 24, 2012, 01:46pm EDT |
Merrill Lynch Failed To Provide Conducive Workplace For Employee
In a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") Arbitration Statement of Claim filed in September 2010, Claimant Kirkland asserted
wrongful termination,
unfair business practices,
tortious interference with prospective business relations,
negligent infliction of emotional distress, and
malicious defamation.
Claimant sought $1 million in compensatory damages (reduced to $155,000 at the hearing's close) plus punitive damages, interest, costs, and attorneys' fees, and an expungement. In the Matter of the FINRA Arbitration Between Jacquelyn D. Kirkland, Claimant, vs. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc., Respondent (FINRA Arbitration 10-04339, September 21, 2012).
Respondent Merrill Lynch generally denied the allegations and asserted various affirmative defenses.
The FINRA Arbitration Panel found Respondent Merrill Lynch liable and ordered it to pay to Claimant Kirkland $50,000 in compensatory damages and $139,635.03 in attorneys' fees:
based upon the implied contract that Respondent would provide a position that an employee could reasonably perform in a workplace that was conducive to learning reasonable new functions.
Separately, the Panel declined to recommend an expungement.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Regular readers of "Street Sweeper" know that such an introductory grunt at the beginning of my Comment is not a good sign -- it expresses my ongoing frustration with FINRA Arbitration Decisions that titillate us but then fail to deliver adequate facts or rationale. Here is yet another in a too long a line of such disappointments.
For starters, this truly shaped up as an interesting wrongful termination contest between a former employee and employer. Then there was that healthy demand for the good old million bucks in compensatory damages -- which got trimmed down to a mere demand for $155,000.
In ruling in Claimant's favor, the Arbitration Panel informed us that there was an implied contract that Respondent would provide a position that an employee could reasonably perform in a workplace that was conducive to learning reasonable new functions. Unfortunately, there is no meaningful context or fact pattern against which to place that intriguing bit of rationale, and, as such, it's largely a wasted bit of explanation.This case took two years to get adjudicated and we are left with more questions than answers.
What functions did Claimant Kirkland seek to perform? How did her workplace inhibit her performance? What were the new functions that she wanted to learn? Alas, unanswered questions -- all of them.
In the end, we have a former employee who got about $50,000 in damages plus nearly $140,000 in attorneys' fees -- for what or why, I truly don't know. Sadly, thousands of industry employees, many at large firm such as Merrill, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and the like, may be encouraged by the outcome of this case but left with virtually no understanding of what the case was about or why the Panel rendered the award it did. Given the mandatory nature of intra-industry arbitration on Wall Street, that's just not fair!


text:
Culex (Oculeomyia) infula is a species of mosquito belonging to the genus Culex. It is found in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Adults mainly feeds on cattle
but infrequently shows a low proportion of human and bird blood meals. Larvae can be found in water courses with high content of algal populations. In 1998, the species was identified as a vector of Japanese encephalitis virus.

References

External links
Oculeomyia Theobald, 1907 - Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory

infula
Insects described in 1901

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable
Women have a higher number of life goals than men, though a smaller proportion of these goals involves achieving power at work. Women also find high-level positions just as attainable but much less desirable than men, anticipating more negative outcomes and greater conflict with other life goals.
Gino, Francesca, Caroline Ashley Wilmuth, and Alison Wood Brooks. "Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 112.40 (2015): 12354-59.
Gino, F., Wilmuth, C. A., & Brooks, A. W. (2015). Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 112(40), 12354-12359.
Gino, Francesca, Caroline Ashley Wilmuth, and Alison Wood Brooks. "Investors prefer entrepreneurial ventures pitched by attractive men." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 112, no. 40 (October 2015): 12354-59.
Alison Wood Brooks
Francesca Gino
Caroline Ashley Wilmuth
, and was originally published by PNAS in October of 2015
Download from original source
Despite efforts aimed at gender equality in positions of power, women are underrepresented in most high-level positions in organizations. Recent data suggests that less than 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, less than 15% of executive officers, and less than 20% of full professors in the natural sciences. Both "demand-side" factors (such as gender-based backlash and discrimination in the workplace) and "supply-side" factors (such as individual differences in personality and preferences) are cited to help explain this gender gap. On the supply-side, limited research has considered how much women want positions of power (defining power as the desire for the means to influence other people). Though research has provided evidence that bias and discrimination against women contribute to this gender disparity in career advancement, the authors explore a supply-side explanation: they propose that men and women view professional advancement differently, and their views affect their decisions to climb the corporate ladder. Specifically, they hypothesize that women have more life goals than men, among which achieving power is a less dominant but equally achievable goal. This suggests that lower rates of women in leadership roles might be in part due to other priorities that women have rather than only workplace barriers to obtaining those roles. The authors conduct nine studies to examine how men and women may differ in their perceptions of high-power positions.
Though women listed a higher number of life goals than men, far fewer of these goals involved achieving power at work. Women also found high-level positions just as attainable but much less desirable than did their male counterparts, anticipating more negative outcomes and greater conflict with other life goals.
Women listed more life goals than men, with a smaller percent related to achieving power.
For example, in Study 1, women listed a statistically higher average number of life goals than men (9.46 vs. 8.41), with a statistically lower average percentage of the goals about achieving power (3% vs. 7%).
Women viewed high-level positions as equally attainable but less desirable than men.
Women and men reported no differences in current positions in their industries
Women viewed high-level positions and promotions as equally attainable as men
Women viewed high-level positions and promotions as less desirable than men
For example, in Study 4, women had a statistically lower rating of desirability (3.73 vs. 4.19) on a 7-point scale (0 = not at all, 7 = very much so).
Women anticipated similar levels of positive outcomes but more negative outcomes than men after obtaining a high-power position.
When imagining 1) a high-power promotion from their current employer or 2) a high-power position after graduation, women and men anticipated similar levels of positive outcomes (e.g., obtaining prestige within the company and higher income).
In these same scenarios, women anticipated more negative outcomes (e.g., stress or anxiety) than men.
For example, in Study 5, women had a statistically higher score on negative outcomes (6.73 vs. 6.23) on a 10-point scale.
Women said they would be less likely than men to go after high-power positions, even if it required no additional effort.
When imagining 1) a high-power promotion from their current employer or 2) a high-power position after graduation, women said they were less likely than men to go after it. For example, in Study 5, women had a statistically lower likelihood of going after the position (4.77 vs. 5.25) on a 7-point scale.
This held true regardless of whether or not obtaining the high-power promotion or position required extra effort from them.
If it did required extra effort, women reported a statistically lower likelihood of pursuing the position (5.07 vs. 5.41) on a 7-point scale.
If it did not require extra effort, women still reported a statistically lower likelihood of pursuing the position (5.54 vs. 5.97) on a 7-point scale.
Men and women alike rated power as one of the main consequences of professional advancement but women were less interested than men in pursuing power as a goal.
Women's anticipation of more negative outcomes and greater conflict with other life goals than men helped explain why they found high-power positions less desirable and were less likely to pursue them.
In sum, these findings reveal that men and women have different perceptions of what the experience of holding a high-level position will be like, which could help explain the perpetuation of the gender disparity at the top of organizational hierarchies, unrelated to the emphasis placed on power as a corollary of professional development.
Study 1: 781 U.S. working adults wrote a list of their core goals in life (1 to 25, in the order they came to mind). Core goals were defined as "things that occupy your thoughts on a routine basis, things that you deeply care about, or things that motivate your behavior and decisions." Participants then chose among pre-determined goal categories with descriptions to categorize their own list goals.
Study 2: 437 adults from an online panel of employed individuals completed a short survey in which they wrote a list of up to 20 life goals then categorized them into the pre-determined goal categories with descriptions. This study aimed to address a potential confounder (pleasing the experimenter), which did not have an effect.
Study 3: 635 recent MBA graduates completed a short survey to assess the desirability and attainability of professional advancement. Using a ladder with rungs numbered from 1 to 10, participants were asked to imagine it represented the hierarchy of professional advancement in their current industry and to indicate three different positions on the ladder for their own career: 1) their current position in their industry, 2) their ideal position, and 3) the highest position they could realistically attain.
Study 4: 247 U.S. adults answered two questions on goals related to professional advancement: 1) "As one of my core goals in life, I would like to have a powerful position in an organization," and 2) "As one of my core goals in life, I would like to have power over others." Participants rated the desirability and attainability of these two goals.
Study 5: 465 working adults were asked about potential positive and negative outcomes of an imagined promotion. Participants then predicted the extent to which they would experience nine different positive and negative outcomes if they received the promotion (e.g., satisfaction or happiness, stress or anxiety etc), how desirable the promotion would be to them, and their likelihood of pursuing the promotion.
Study 6: 204 executives who were enrolled in executive education courses that focused on leadership, decision-making, and negotiation at a top U.S. business school complete the same questions as part of their coursework.
Study 7: Modified replication of Study 6 among undergraduates who had not yet entered the professional workforce; the scenario was modified from a high-power promotion to a high-power job opportunity after graduation. 516 undergraduates isted their own predicted outcomes then categorized them as positive, neutral or negative. They also indicated how desirable the position would be to them, and their likelihood of pursuing the position either if it did or did not require additional effort.
Study 8: 484 people were asked to imagine a promotion. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) participants told, "As a result of this promotion, your level of power would increase substantially" or 2) participants additionally told a definition of power, "By power, we mean your relative ability to control other people's outcomes, experiences, or behaviors." Participants then indicated the extent to which they thought the promotion would conflict with their other life goals and to what extent it would require them to make tradeoffs and sacrifices.
Study 9: 265 executives who were enrolled in executive education courses were asked about potential positive and negative outcomes of an imagined promotion, their desirability of the promotion, and their likelihood of pursing it. The first two conditions were the same as Study 8. The third condition did not mention an increase of power with the promotion.
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Authors & Citations
Related GAP Studies
A radio program in Mexico decreased personal and perceived social acceptance of violence against women.
How Does Media Influence Social Norms? A Field Experiment on the Role of Common Knowledge.
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De-biasing job application messaging can remove perceived barriers to success that prevent women from entering the technology workforce.
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Kyle Beardsley, Robert Blair, Michael J. Gilligan, Sabrina Karim (2018)
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Harry Pidhirny
American Hockey League legend Harry Pidhirny died on December 20th, 2010, just weeks before he was to be enshrined in the AHL Hall of Fame.
Pidhirny played 1,071 games in the American Hockey League over 17 seasons, starting in 1948 with the Philadelphia Rockets through to 1966 with the Baltimore Clippers. Along the way, he also played for the Springfield Indians (most famously), Syracuse Warriors and Providence Reds. He also played with the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League and Muskegon Mohawks of the International Hockey League. For all his lengthy career in professional hockey, he only appeared in two NHL games - both with the Boston Bruins in the 1957-58 season.
The 82 year old succumbed to his fight with cancer. Pidhirny was due to be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame on January 30th, 2011 along with Mitch Lamoureux, Maurice Podoloff and Larry Wilson. He will still be honoured with a posthumous induction.
Pidhirny was the first player in the history of the AHL to play more than 1,000 games and his total still ranks third all-time. His 376 goals, 453 assists and 829 points place him sixth in league history. He scored at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons, and he once scored 6 goals in a single game, one of only four players in AHL history to do so. He was also known as an ironman, as he rarely missed a game due to injury.
So why was Pidhirny, described as one of the most reliable AHL players in the 1950s, not able to crack a NHL line-up for more than just 2 measly games? Pidhirny himself chimed in on that one back in October 2010 when his Hall of Fame induction was announced.
"To go up to the National League, it was tough. I worked for Eddie Shore. He was a real bugger. He wouldn't let me go, so I was stuck with him for 12 years."
But he always cherished his two games in the big leagues.
"It was great. One was in Montreal and one was in Boston against the Leafs. We were playing against some good hockey players."
"If Harry had played at a different time, he would have been in the NHL," Ted Shore, son of Eddie, told reporter Garry Brown. "But it was so tough back then with only six teams in the league."
"He was a really valuable kind of guy. Good scorer, defensive player, penalty killer, captain, and everything else," added Sam Popei, a retired sports reporter who watch him play closely. He also described him as a "stylish" player who could be counted on in all situations.
Pidhirny had worked as a car salesman in Scarborough after his hockey career was done.
Labels: Harry Pidhirny
Richard Hackett, 10:59 AM
Saw every game he played in Springfield. He was my favorite player on the Indians. A pleasure to watch.The greatest Springfield player ever in my mind


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Facebook offers video chat via Skype
Facebook has also added a group chat option. This works much the same way as the group chat on Google Plus. Once you are chatting with one friend, you can click an icon to add more people to the conversation.
Associated Press New York Last Updated: July 7, 2011 | 11:05 IST
Quick on the heels of Google 's launch of its latest social-networking venture, Facebook said on Wednesday that its 750 million users will now be able to make video calls on the site.
The feature will be powered by the Internet phone service Skype. Facebook also redesigned its chat feature, so that the people a user messages the most often show up first.
To make video calls, Facebook users with webcam-equipped computers have to select the friends they want to chat with. In the chat window that pops up, clicking on a small blue video icon brings up the video chat feature. Currently there is no option to video chat more than one person. That feature is available on Google Plus, a social service that Google began testing last week with a small number of invited users.
Facebook is also adding a group chat option. This works much the same way as the group chat on Google Plus. Once you are chatting with one friend, you can click an icon to add more people to the conversation.
Facebook's new products come after a relatively quiet period for the world's largest online social network. Zuckerberg, 27, said the company is embarking on "launching season 2011." Users can expect "a lot of stuff coming out" from Facebook in the next couple of weeks and months, he said at an event at the company's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters.
Facebook updated its user count - to 750 million users worldwide - for the first time since last summer, when it reached half a billion people. Zuckerberg said that's because "we don't think it's a metric to watch anymore."
Rather, Facebook is paying more attention to how much its users are sharing with one another. That number is growing at a much faster rate than its monthly user base. Currently, people share 4 billion items, such as photos, status updates and links, every day using Facebook.
Without mentioning Google by name, Zuckerberg said that "independent entrepreneurs and companies focused on one particular thing will always do better than companies that try to do everything."
For Facebook, that one thing has been creating an online social infrastructure that other companies, such as Skype, can then add their own products to.
Skype has agreed to be bought by Microsoft Corp. for $8.5 billion in a deal expected to close by the end of the year. Microsoft owns a small stake in Facebook.
Nokia X7 launched in India
Facebook unveils Skype video calling
Care Ratings share price falls over 5% after MD & CEO Rajesh Mokashi sent on indefinite leave
I-T dept attaches Rs 400 crore 'benami' plot in Noida belonging to Mayawati's brother, sister-in-law
Noel Tata's son Neville, Manasi Kirloskar tie knot in a private ceremony
Mi A3 set to launch today at 6:30 pm IST; check specifications, features, price in India


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Home Todays story Discriminatory law against women legacy of Cong, NC: Dr Jitendra
Discriminatory law against women legacy of Cong, NC: Dr Jitendra
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Sept 3: Union Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO), with independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today alleged that discriminatory law against women in the State is legacy of Congress and National Conference (NC), who ruled the State as well as Centre for 67 long years.
Click here to watch video
Talking to media persons on the sidelines of e-foundation laying for PMGSY roads, with 975.50 km length and costing Rs 650 cr in his Kathua, Udhampur and Doda Parliamentary constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh, said that he didn't want to engage in a debate over Article 35 A because the matter was subjudice, but without naming any body, he outrightly refuted the allegation of NC president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah that BJP was being discriminatory against women in handling the court case.
While turning tables on both NC and Congress, he said the fact of the matter is that discriminatory law against women is a legacy of erstwhile Congress-NC regime in the State and they are responsible for denial of rights to daughters of the State.
"If the daughters of the State don't get their rights, it is the blunder of those politicians, who ruled the State as well as Centre for 67 years", he said, adding these leaders had vested interests in denying the rights to daughters of the State in the same way as they are opposing the Triple Talaq law brought by Narendra Modi Government to give justice to women all over the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh, in response to a question regarding regrouping of militants in the Kashmir Valley as more and more youth are joining the terrorists ranks, said that Kashmiri youth are mature enough, aspirational and of strong will, who fully realize that their future will be well secured in Modi's concept of New India. The Kashmiri youth want to be the part of the developmental plank started by Modi Government and they don't want to lag behind the youth in other parts of the country, he added.
He, while denying that Kashmiri youth are joining the militants' ranks, said that during last some years they came as toppers in competitive examinations of Civil Services, NEET and IIT and they will not be misled by those politicians or separatists who are trying to exploit them for their vested interests. Highlighting the Modi Government's Kashmir policy, Dr Jitendra Singh said it is based on clarity and consistency.
He said it is the result of Narendra Modi's policy that its heat has been felt by terrorists and "anti-India forces" working across the border during last four years and they realized that for their every misadventure they will be given a befitting reply. "So far as combating terrorism is concerned there will be no compromise on this front by Modi Government," he added.
He said it is the result of the same policy that during last year, 150 militants were liquidated and this heat was never witnessed before on borders.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while lauding the role of Army, said it is doing a yeoman's service to nation and the nation is indebted to them for their sacrifices. Maintaining that Narendra Modi's policy is paying dividends, he said you will see that youth of Kashmir will give lead to rest of the country in building new India.
On US cancelling USD 300 mn military aid to Pakistan, Dr Jitendra Singh said that those countries who were not considering India's views regarding Pak being hand in glove in promoting terrorism on its soil, have now realized the reality.
Earlier while addressing the main function after laying foundation of roads, Dr Jitendra Singh took serious exception to slow pace of construction of roads under PMGSY in the State. He said while it is 10 km as national average, there can't be any logic in constructing three km road per day in J&K in comparison to seven km per day average fixed in the State.
He said forest clearance and compensation problems as ascribed by the officers are departmental problems and they should be sorted out on a administrative level.
He also took exception to laying of foundation stones by other politicians and changing name plates after the foundations stones are laid by legislators and said that officers should ensure that such practice doesn't occur in future. The issue was raised by Congress MLA Aijaz Ahmed Khan who alleged that the name plates of foundations stones are changed by other politicians and there is no check on it.
However, Dr Jitendra Singh termed it a total slackness on the part of the administration and concerned officers and asked them to ensure that such practice is not repeated in future.
The road projects whose e-foundation was laid today Rs 628.09 cr construction and Rs 21.9 cr maintenance cost.
To be constructed under 110 schemes across Dr Jitendra Singh's home Parliamentary constituency Doda-Udhampur-Kathua, these roads will strengthen the rural connectivity in Billawar, Basohli, Kishtwar, Reasi, Doda, Inderwal, Gool-Arnas, Banihal, Udhampur, Ramanagr, Chenani-Ghordi, Bani, Gulabgarh, Bhaderwah and Ramban.
Legislators Ajay Nanda, R S Pathania, Ajaz Ahmad Khan and Neelam Langeh besides Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Sanjeev Varma, Chief Engineer, PMGSY (JKRRDA) Jammu, S P Manhas, Chief Engineer, PWD, Sudheer Shah along with senior functionaries of concerned departments were present on the occasion.
In his address, Dr Jitendra Singh called for coordinated efforts by all stakeholders towards achieving the common goal of development.
He said that the Prime Minister is sensitive towards J&K and the Government of India is striking a perfect balance through equitable distribution of development works and funds. "Liberal funding has been made for the deserving areas," he added.
Dr Singh said that he has been shouldered with dual responsibilities of North Eastern Region and his Parliamentary constituency and both are facing same issues of topography, connectivity and communication and resolute efforts are being made to resolve them.
He asked the concerned functionaries and the executing agencies to adopt the work culture for not holding up the developmental works for the formal inaugural ceremonies and directed for taking up the left-over areas.
Highlighting several ongoing development projects in his constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that in Kathua, out of 12 bridges constructed by BRO, six bridges will be dedicated to the people by March 2019.
Hydro Electric projects in Kishtwar will make entire region power surplus, he said, adding that development of Sanasar road was approved under CRF. He further informed that the Radio Station in Udhampur will start functioning by December.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that around Rs 1 cr worth roads were constructed in Basohli and work on toilet complex near Atal Setu Bridge has been initiated and food stalls will be developed soon for the convenience of the tourists.
Dr Jitendra Singh also sought a detailed report on the progress made under PMGSY and asked the concerned functionaries to speed up the pace and entrusted upon the officers to increase the per day average target length. He directed for time bound completion of the all the works taken up under PMGSY besides maintaining quality standards.
The Chief Engineer PMGSY informed that the target of 1000 km length roads upto Phase-IX is set for completion by the end of this year.
The MLAs also informed Dr Jitendra Singh about the PMGSY roads facing issues like forest clearance and compensations in their respective constituencies. While discussing the issues pertaining to BRO, CRF and NABARD roads, Dr Jitendra Singh asked the Divisional Commissioner to conduct a meeting with the concerned functionaries to review BRO roads and further assured the MLAs that all their genuine concerns will be taken up.
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As this issue of Plymouth Magazine went to press, the University remained just $192,299 shy of completing funding for the $4 million Stadium and Turf Field project.
The lighted Stadium and Turf Field is a strategic component of Plymouth State's Active Living, Learning, and Wellness (ALLWell) Center and an unmatched Open Laboratory for the Health and Human Enrichment Cluster. Between academic programs, intercollegiate athletics teams, intramurals and recreation programs, club sports, and open recreation, it will be used by approximately 90 percent of the student body and will be a resource that benefits the regional community.
Join your fellow PSU alumni and friends in support of this transformative project! For additional information about supporting this initiative through a philanthropic investment or bequest, please contact Vice President for University Advancement Paula Lee Hobson, (603) 535-2901, phobson@plymouth.edu, or Director of Development John Scheinman '20P, (603) 535-2805, jscheinman@plymouth.edu.
The Center for Research and Innovation (CRI), directed by Dr. Joseph Boyer, is the University's new hub for strategically important, interdisciplinary research and scholarship by students, faculty, and their external partners.
CRI integrates the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Center for the Environment (CFE), and components of the Center for Business and Community Partnerships (CBCP) into one center.
CRI develops, supports, and sustains interdisciplinary research and scholarship initiatives by convening individuals across Clusters to develop ideas for collaborative projects; assisting faculty and students in proposal development and submission; providing seed funding to leverage future research and scholarship; and supporting interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate student projects and programs. For more information, please visit campus.plymouth.edu/research.
Congratulations to Frederick Prince, professor of anatomy and author of Backwoods Brook Trout: Stories of Time and Place. Dr. Prince has fished New Hampshire's backwoods ponds for more than 30 years, and his new book is a compilation of essays on his explorations and discoveries. Available from Amazon.


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Q: Javascript putting comma in text I'm having problems with my (javascript) API. When I use the coinmarketcap API (https://api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/ticker). As for "max_supply" for bitcoin, it gives me "16865112.0" in text. This is a problem. I want to automatically put comma's in the number like 16,865,112.0 normally I use toLocaleString() but it is marked as text and it doesnt work.
$.get("https://api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/ticker/", function(data, status) {
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length - 1; i++) {
    if (data[i].id == "bitcoin") {
     $("#total_supply").html(data[i].total_supply.toLocaleString());
     }
  }
});

Any suggestions?

A: You can still do it, just first convert string to number.

var value = "16865112.0";
value = +value; // convert to number
var fV = Number(value).toLocaleString();
console.log(fV);

A: You are calling Number.toLocaleString on String. You need to convert it to Number first by calling parseInt or Number() constructor (you can change your current locale too).

$.get("https://api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/ticker/", function(data, status) {
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length - 1; i++) {
    if (data[i].id == "bitcoin") {
     $("#total_supply").html(Number(data[i].total_supply).toLocaleString('en-US'));
     }
  }
});

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