Melissa Snover
Founder of Get Nourished
Digital Transformation | DAY 1 - 11.25am
Founder & CEO of Nourished and Scripted (operated under Rem3dy Group).
Melissa Snover (aka Melissa Burton) is an entrepreneur, visionary, and a trendsetter in the world of food technology and 3D printing. She is passionate about developing innovations which offer solutions to her customers, challenge her competitors and disrupt current market offerings.
She is currently the founder and CEO of Rem3dy Group which pioneers personalised health solutions across nutrition and medicine under the brands Nourished and Scripted.
Nourished is the world's first truly customised nutrition product which uses patented 3D printing technology and a vegan encapsulation formula to combine 7 different active ingredients into one personalised nutrition gummy stack.
Scripted is set to be the first 3D printed personalised medicine dispensary and combination solution to the market. The tech start-up has conducted successful human clinical trials in hospitals in Spain and are set to launch their innovative product in the pharmaceutical industry in 2021.
The foundations for Nourished and Scripted were set in motion by her first 3D printing food tech company, Katjes Fassin UK Ltd (aka Katjes Magic Candy Factory). Early in 2015 Ms. Snover partnered with the successful German Katjes family corporation and immersed herself in the world of food technology and 3D printing. Katjes Magic Candy Factory is an innovative, pioneering concept which allows the consumer to 3D print delicious vegan gummy candy in anything from Sweet Selfies and logos to 3D messages and shapes in just 5 minutes. Ms. Snover has successfully launched her 3D printers into specialty retail outlets throughout Europe, the USA
the Middle East, China, New Zealand and Australia, and often her company is hired to 3D print customised candy at private parties and corporate events all over the world by
prestigious clients such as KPMG, Facebook and Nickelodeon. Ms. Snover is also frequently asked to give presentations on the benefits of 3D printing in the food industry at exhibitions and to share her entrepreneurial journey with aspiring business owners and students.
It was whilst travelling internationally back in 2018 to one such speaking engagement that Ms. Snover first came up with the idea for Nourished. With a keen interest in nutrition and a consumer of supplements, she used to carry a container of personally selected vitamins, supplements and active ingredients with her when she travels. On this occasion, she accidentally spilt them all over the floor at airport security. Crawling around in her suit and heels picking them up, she was inspired to develop her own 3D printing technology which could combine multiple active ingredients into one personalised product without compromising their efficacy. Nourished was subsequently launched exclusively into the UK market in October 2019 and offers its customers the benefit of taking all their preferred vitamins and supplements in one edible stack with less hassle, less waste and lower cost than buying and taking them all individually.
Still in her thirties, Ms. Snover has already won numerous awards and prizes for her business achievements, having been recognised as Innovator Award Winner 2019 at the Women in Tech Awards, Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year at the Nat-West GBEA in 2017 and Insider Magazine 100 Most influential Women 2014, to name a few. Nourished has also won multiple awards since launching late last year including Best Food Tech Innovation 2019 at the Food Matters Awards, Start-up Company of the Year 2019 at the Silicon Canal Awards and Supreme Champion at the Future Food Awards.
Ms. Snover laid the foundations for her success at an early age. At 23, having studied Business Management and Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA and the renowned Lancaster University, Great Britain, she co-founded the financial services company Burton Mortgage Services, which she managed to guide to treble-figure growth in its first three years. In 2009, the target-oriented entrepreneur, who has American roots, sold her interest in Burton Mortgage Services and redirected her creativity and skills to the confectionary industry.
In 2010 she founded the company FTF Sweets Ltd, UK, creating the world's first vegan, natural and allergen-free fruit gum with the brand name Goody Good Stuff. In 2013, as an owner and Managing Director of Goody Good Stuff, Ms. Snover sold the company to Cloetta PLC. By the time she withdrew from the company in February 2015, Ms. Snover and her team had developed a sales network with 30,000 sales points in more than 33 countries worldwide – all in less than 40 months; making Goody Good Stuff one of the fastest growing brands in Europe.
Ms. Snover's unique understanding of current trends and a strong interest in technology has created her vision of the future for the food and health and wellness industries, which includes integrating 3D printing with best food practices that can customise products for each consumer's individual needs and desires.
When Ms. Snover isn't working directly on her own businesses she is often invited for speaking engagements and interviews around the world, most notably:
The Ian King Live Show, Sky News
Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst, BBC World News
Fox 31 Denver Good Morning Show
Sat 1 – Fruhstruck
Good Morning Sacramento
Speaker for Entrepreneurs at TIPP Agreement Negotiations – Houses of Parliament
Her Majesty The Queen's Royal Garden Party (Guest)
HSBC International Managers Conference
UK First Women Conference
Nectar Business Awards (Judge)
UKTI & International Chambers of Conference Speaker (various)
UK DIGICAL CONFERENCE Free time for Ms. Snover is a rare commodity these days, but she manages to go for a run most days. When time allows, she also enjoys playing golf, reading and supporting her charities.


US exceeds 164,400 deaths and 5.13 million COVID-19 infections | Society | America Edition
The United States reached 5,138,850 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 164,480 deaths on Tuesday, according to the independent count from Johns Hopkins University.
This balance at 20:00 local time (00:00 GMT on Wednesday) is 53,029 more infections than on Monday and 1,110 new deaths.
Although New York is no longer the state with the highest number of infections, it is still the hardest hit in terms of deaths in the United States with 32,787, more than in France or Spain.
In New York City alone, 23,592 people died.
New York is followed in number of deaths by neighboring New Jersey with 15,890, California with 10,528, Texas with 9,196 and Massachusetts with 8,751.
Other states with a high death toll include Florida with 8,553, Illinois with 7,866, Pennsylvania with 7,343 and Michigan with 6,533.
In terms of infections, California has 578,946, followed by Florida with 542,792, the third is Texas with 516,904 and New York is fourth with 422,003.
The number of provisional deaths -164,480- has already far exceeded the lower limit of the White House's initial estimates, which at best projected between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths due to the pandemic.
United States President Donald Trump lowered those estimates and was confident that the final number would be between 50,000 and 60,000 deaths, although he later predicted up to 110,000 deaths, a number that was also exceeded.
In turn, the University of Washington's Institute of Health Metrics and Assessments (IHME), whose models for predicting the evolution of the pandemic are usually established by the White House, calculates this for the November 3 presidential elections. The United States will have surpassed 250,000 deaths and on December 1, 295,000. EFE
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Blackstone has contract to buy 49 percent of One Liberty Plaza
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For the second time in a month, a publicly traded real estate company is selling a big minority stake in a premier Broadway office building — although the addresses are miles apart.
Blackstone Real Estate Core+ fund has a contract to buy 49 percent of One Liberty Plaza from Brookfield Property Partners, downtown industry sources told The Post. It will be the first time Brookfield has brought in a minority partner at the iconic skyscraper.
The purchase is expected to close by year's end. It's likely to be the buzz of Tuesday night's holiday-season party hosted by Fried Frank at Cipriani East 42nd Street, the annual gala that draws the city's elite developers, landlords and deal makers.
The prospective sale values the famous black steel tower at slightly over $1.5 billion, the sources said. The move by traditionally cautious Blackstone signifies confidence in the lower Manhattan office market. At roughly $660 per square foot, it's among the largest investment-sale deals ever downtown on a square-foot basis.
The news comes on the recent heels of the sale of a 43 percent interest in 1515 Broadway by SL Green to Allianz SE, which valued the Times Square skyscraper at $1.95 billion including debt, as The Post's Lois Weiss first reported.
One Liberty Plaza's 2.3 million square feet on 54 floors make it one of Manhattan's largest towers — and one of its most unusual. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as the headquarters of US Steel in the early 1970s, its exposed-steel facade is described in the AIA Guide to New York City as "handsome and somber as the Renaissance of Florence."
Brookfield has owned it since the 1990s. The tower is over 94 percent leased thanks in part to recent commitments by Aon and the city's Economic Development Corp.
Brookfield tapped Cushman & Wakefield in October to market One Liberty, the Real Deal reported at the time. The team will be led by Doug Harmon and Adam Spies, who also handled the 1515 Broadway sale for SL Green.
The impending partial sale of One Liberty nets Brookfield a heap of cash as it continues to develop and lease its office-and-residential complex on the Upper West Side. It also gives the company, led by Chairman Ric Clark, a strong relationship with Blackstone, which boasts $200 billion in gross assets worldwide.
In Manhattan, Blackstone owns major stakes in Stuyvesant Town, the JW Marriott and 230 Park Avenue.
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French composer (born 1916, Angers – died 2013, Paris)
Henri Dutilleux is a 20th century French composer, among those most frequently performed in France and abroad. His role in contemporary music is defined by a certain continuity with French tradition, great attention to detail in each new composition, and a body of work that, though sparse, is comprised of immensely inspired works.
Dutilleux follows on from the impressionist movement and its main representative, Debussy, and provides a transition between the broadening of the harmonic spectrum in the early 20th century (Ravel) and the spectral music of the latter half of the century (Murail or Grisey). He also adopts a symphonist approach that situates him closer to Mahler or Bruckner, in search of new orchestral sonorities.
« Basically, aside from any question of personal inclination, I think I might very well have become a serial musician, momentarily. There's a certain mindset, a sort of rigorousness that was quite in keeping with my character. »
He began studying music in Douai, then entered the Paris Conservatoire. His early compositions reflect a certain cautiousness in the choice of genre, harmony, rhythmic and stylistic content (the sonata form and counterpoint), but at the same time endeavour to break free from the established, formal models. In the 1950s, Henri Dutilleux became increasingly recognised, asserting his originality through measured but decisive innovations.
« This concern for musical time can be felt in the form of my scores. I think the broader forms were the result of two quite major, strong influences: first Beethoven's influence (translated quite freely, moreover), then that of the Vienna School, which definitely marked me, not to mention our whole French musical background. I also received a distinctive perception of time from the oriental world: this is where I felt a certain influence from oriental art, more than in timbres or new instruments. »
However Dutilleux remained on the sidelines of the musical world and was considered old-fashioned by his contemporaries. Dutilleux was popular with international audiences into the 1980s. His works, which were the outcome of a lengthy creative process and painstakingly attention to detail, were performed and sometimes commissioned by leading performers, such as Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.
« I've always wanted to work in the field of form and feel I'd discovered something, whether it was by writing 'Mystère de l'instant' for Paul Sacher or, in a totally different approach, my symphony "Le Double", or "Métaboles". I constantly avoided adjusting my style to a prefabricated form. »
Dutilleux's body of work is not made up of a large number of pieces. They are inspired by and reflect the composer's thoughts on another work (pictorial, literary or a musical genre), or his work on a specific atmosphere, generated by the performer (a soloist or an orchestra) and the orchestration effects.
Six landmark dates in the life of Dutilleux:
• 1935-38: graduated from the Conservatoire in 3 subjects (harmony, counterpoint and fugue) and won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata, L'Anneau du Roi.
• 1943: got a job at Radio France, where Dutilleux worked for 20 years.
• 1961: became a teacher at the Ecole Normale de Musique.
• 1967: Awarded the Grand prix national de la musique for his entire body of work.
• 2004: Received the Grand-Croix de la Légion d'Honneur medal.
• 2005: Ernst von Siemens Prize; awarded to Dutilleux for the "poetic clarity" of his body of work.
Six key works by Dutilleux:
• 1959: Symphony No. 2 "Le Double", written for the 75th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This dialogue between a chamber ensemble and an orchestra is reminiscent of the concerto principle.
• 1965: Métaboles, an orchestral work commissioned by George Szell to mark the 40th anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra. The recording of this work earned Dutilleux the President of the Republic's Grand Prix.
• 1970: Tout un monde lointain, a concerto for cello in 5 movements, first performed by Rostropovitch and the Orchestre de Paris. The work captures the universe of Baudelaire's poetry, as suggested by the title, which is taken from "La Chevelure" (a poem in Les Fleurs du mal). It was a huge success.
• 1978: Timbres, espace, mouvement, a work for orchestra subtitled "La nuit étoilée" (The Starry Night) in reference to the painting by Van Gogh. First performed by the Washington Orchestra conducted by Rostropovich.
• 1985: Violin Concero, or L'Arbre des Songes (The Tree of Dreams), commissioned by Radio France for Isaac Stern.
• 2003: Correspondances pour voix et orchestre, commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Related contentHenri Dutilleux
Dutilleux - Symphonie n° 2 « Le Double »
Ingo Metzmacher conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France performing Dutilleux's Symphony no.2 "Le Double". Concert recorded live...


Anastasia Themed Paint & Sip at Uncorked Creations
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Broadway in Binghamton and Uncorked Creations are hosting a special event in honor of the upcoming show Anastasia The Musical, making its way to the Forum stage January 30 & 31. On January 21, 2023 at 7:00PM Uncorked Creations will be hosting a painting class for the upcoming Broadway in Binghamton show where attendees will paint a Paris inspired design, and those who attend will have the opportunity to win tickets to the opening night of the Anastasia. Tickets for the Anastasia themed paint & sip can be purchased on Uncorked Creations' website.
From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
Tickets to Uncorked Creations' Anastasia themed paint & sip can be purchased here https://bit.ly/UncorkedAnastasia
Anastasia The Musical comes to the Forum Theatre January 30 & 31 at 7:30PM. Tickets can be purchased at the Arena Box Office or online at https://bit.ly/BINGANASTASIA
For more information about the show visit www.BroadwayInBinghamton.com
For more information about Uncorked Creations visit www.uncorkedbinghamton.com
https://bit.ly/UncorkedAnastasia
Broadway in Binghamton
info@broadwayinbinghamton.com
Uncorked Creations
205 State St.
Binghamton, NY 13901 United States + Google Map
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Interstate quarantine
Quarantine zones
Major pests
Disposing of produce
Traveller's news
Moving plant goods
Quarantine regulators
Schedule of National ICA Documents
Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) is widely recognised as one of the world's worst economic pests of fruit. Apart from lowering production and making fruit inedible, it has severe effects on trade to sensitive local and international markets.
About the pest
Adult Qfly are about 7mm long and brownish in colour, with distinctive yellow markings. Females lay their eggs into soft and ripening host fruit. Larvae (maggots – up to 10mm long) emerge from the eggs and cause damage by living and feeding within the fruit, which may appear intact from the outside.
It's found in Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. If you think you've seen Queensland fruit fly any where else in Australia, call 1800 084 881.
Qfly are spread by the movement of uncertified host fruit out of infested areas. A number of management zones have been established to protect horticultural production areas from Qfly.
Watch the video Australia's fruit fly pest free areas
Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources video: Australia's fruit fly pest free areas
This video by the Australia Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources gives an overview of the quarantine measures in place to prevent the spread of Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly in Australia.
Watch the video (YouTube external link)
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New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Agriculture Victoria


A-ho-ho-ho! Alan Partridge to co-present TFI Friday Christmas special
Alan Partridge is to co-present the TFI Friday Christmas special alongside Chris Evans.
Steve Coogan will reprise his most famous character for the 90-minute special on Friday 18th December.
Joining the pair will be James Corden, who is jetting in for his first UK chat show appearance since taking over the Late Late Show in the US, Sir Tom Jones, Fresh Meat and Bad Education star Jack Whitehall and comedian Lee Mack.
Bryan Adams, Lianne La Havas and Elle King will be providing the music.
Evans said: "Having staggered through nearly 200 TFI Friday rehearsals and live shows over the years, it'll be a relief to see how it should be done by Norfolk's master of broadcasting."
Alan Partridge added: "'I was honoured to receive the invitation to co-present 'Thank Frig It's Friday'. The fee being offered was more than generous, and as soon as I received photographic evidence that my dressing room had its own shower, I signed on the dotted line. My only slight niggle is that they refused to pay for my transport."
TFI Friday was commissioned by Channel 4's Commissioning Editor for Live & Events, Tom Beck. The Executive Producers are Clare Barton, Suzi Aplin and Will MacDonald. The producer is Pete Pitwood.
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The India Saga > Social Sector > Study Says Addressing Vulnerabilities Of Female Sex Workers Key To HIV-Prevention
Study Says Addressing Vulnerabilities Of Female Sex Workers Key To HIV-Prevention
posted on Oct. 06, 2018 at 2:55 pm June 18, 2020
Vulnerabilities of female sex workers (FSWs) should not be seen from the context of sex work alone, rather their structural, social and financial vulnerabilities need to be addressed to provide them with a safe and enabling environment.
This was the among the key conclusions of a landmark study undertaken by researchers from the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, and Population Council, an international nonprofit that conducts research in public health and biomedicine. The research found that 55% of sex workers surveyed were vulnerable. The study was published in the prestigious journal of PLoS ONE and the findings have important policy implications for programs working with sex workers.
Titled 'Measuring vulnerability among female sex workers in India using a multidimensional framework,' the study was conducted in four Southern States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) and a Western (Maharashtra) State.
The four Southern States were chosen as they are historically known for high HIV prevalence, and large number of FSWs. The HIV prevalence among FSWs in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana and Karnataka is around 6% each, 7% in Maharashtra, 1% in Tamil Nadu. The living condition of FSWs in these areas was one of the poorest with a large proportion of FSWs being exposed to harsh socio-environmental stress such as lack of proper health care and security. Nearly half the FSWs in Maharashtra, two-thirds in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, one-fifth in Karnataka and two-fifth in Tamil Nadu depended solely on earnings from sex work to make a living.
Measurement of vulnerability and identifying the context leading to vulnerability is important for strategic planning for any intervention. FSWs in India face multiple vulnerabilities by nature of their profession.
Speaking about the importance of this study, Dr. Ruchira Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Centre for Gender Studies and Development, NIRDPR, said, "this study is of profound importance to a range of development enthusiasts, starting from research scholars who are looking for an appropriate methodology to measure multidimensional vulnerability, to the policy makers who are designing solutions for public health and need appropriate, comparable and yet simple measures to monitor the situations of extremely marginalized communities."
The study found that not having insurance, in particular, was a key factor in defining the financial vulnerability of the sex workers. Given the increasing emphasis on ensuring access to insurance for all individuals by the Government of India, this is yet another opportunity for the policymakers to leverage and provide this vulnerable group with financial security.
It was found that lack of insurance contributed most (32%) to financial vulnerabilities, followed by lack of savings or investment in gold, land or property (26%),lack of alternative income other than sex work (20%) and not having saving accounts in bank orpost office (16%). Loan from an informal source contributed only 6% to the overall vulnerabilities.
Lack of awareness of their legal rights is another area which needs to be addressed, which will enable them to become more resilient to exploitation.
The study revealed that the absence of social support and network contributed about one quarter to the overall vulnerability level. The absence of social coherence – as indicated by the reluctance of community members to come together to offer aid to the FSW in times of crises – alludes to the need for concerted efforts to building community collectivization.
In addition, the findings suggested that 23% of the vulnerabilities among FSWs were due to their personal attributes, with their degree of dependency and being mobile/migrant for sex work contributing to 42% and 34% of the vulnerabilities respectively. Street based solicitation contributed to only 4% of the overall vulnerability, claimed the study.
The study also showed positive associations between vulnerability and HIV-related sexual risk factors suggesting that addressing vulnerabilities of FSWs would eventually lead to better HIV risk behavior among them.
The highest vulnerability was among sex workers surveyed in Maharashtra. The study also found that vulnerable FSWs were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The research is of profound importance for health policy enthusiasts, as higher vulnerability means a greater chance to engage in behaviors that put them at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Intervention programs need to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to address multidimensional vulnerabilities and should be specifically designed to address financial vulnerabilities. This can be achieved by facilitating access to formal financial services and helping them to increase their saving habits and make investments in different movable and immovable assets. This study demonstrated that a multidimensional approach to measuring vulnerabilities among FSWs may help in identifying a range of factors that can be prioritized by interventions.
In light of the fact that India has been dealing with an HIV epidemic and FSWs continue to be one of the core sources of transmission, the existing interventions aimed at HIV-prevention among this group must continue uninhibited. Further strengthening of these efforts will require the system to address some of the vulnerabilities as mentioned in this study. This will enable and empower the FSWs to adopt safe and free behavior without any compulsion or fear. The first step in this direction is identifying vulnerable FSWs and measuring the degree of vulnerability faced by them.
By TIS Staffer October 6, 2018
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ABOUT OCHA
Daily Noon Briefing Highlights: Afghanistan - Ethiopia
A World Food Programme convoy of trucks prepares to depart for Kandahar, Afghanistan, carrying nutrition supplies.© WFP Afghanistan
Daily Noon Briefing Highlights – 29 September 2021
The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned of a deteriorating health situation in the country. Access to health care is decreasing. There are more cases of measles and diarrhoea, and less response to COVID-19. And there is also a resurgence of polio.
According to WHO, only 17 per cent of the over 2,300 health facilities previously supported by the World Bank [Sehatmandi project] are fully functional. Two thirds of these health facilities have run out of essential medicines. WHO is working with donors to sustain these [World Bank-supported] health facilities to prevent a surge in deaths.
Also, today, several humanitarian partners working in Afghanistan [Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Heads of WHO, OCHA, UNICEF and the International Committee for the Red Cross] reiterated their commitment to continue working together to support Afghanistan's health system.
Yesterday, 28 September, the heads of the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF in Afghanistan said that they will scale up, up to 100 new mobile health and nutrition teams for maximum reach and continuity of services.
WFP, UNICEF and other partners will support health service providers whose services would otherwise be put on hold at the end of September due to the suspension of funding. This will allow the continued provision of services, including treatment of acute malnutrition.
Afghanistan's Flash Appeal seeks US$606 million to help 11 million people in the remaining months of 2021. The appeal is 22 per cent funded [$135 million].
The UN urges donors to fast-track funding to prevent avoidable deaths, prevent displacement and reduce suffering. The UN also calls on donors to ensure that funding is flexible enough to adapt to the fast-changing conditions on the ground.
OCHA reports that the delivery of humanitarian supplies, including fuel into Tigray, remains heavily constrained through the only road access route in Afar (the Semera-Abala-Mekelle corridor).
In the past week [between 21 and 28 September], 79 trucks with humanitarian supplies arrived in Tigray via the Semera-Abala-Mekelle corridor. This brings the total number of humanitarian trucks that have entered Tigray since 12 July to 606 trucks. One hundred trucks are needed daily.
There is still a denial of access into Tigray for trucks with fuel and medical supplies, with trucks waiting in Semera to move to Mekelle.
Commercial supplies have been blocked since 28 June, causing severe shortages of essential commodities and a sharp rise in prices. The price of cooking oil has increased by 400 per cent, salt by 300 per cent, rice by 100 per cent and teff by 90 per cent.
Humanitarian partners continue to respond to urgent needs in Tigray, but with a significantly reduced capacity due to the depletion of stocks and resources.
Between 16 and 22 September, partners provided food to more than 126,000 people. But more than half of these people received less food than planned due to shortages of stocks. In comparison, more than 242,000 people received food assistance a week earlier. At least 5.2 million people need food aid in Tigray.
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to scale up the humanitarian response in conflict affected areas of Afar and Amhara.
The World Food Programme provided food to more than 52,000 internally displaced people in Afar, and to more than 163,000 people in Amhara. International NGO partners also provided food to more than 201,000 people in Amhara.
The UN welcomes the arrival of additional trucks to Tigray this week and continues to urgently call on the Government of Ethiopia to allow and facilitate the unimpeded entry of supplies and equipment, including cash and fuel into Tigray.
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Código 1530 Crowned Tequila Producer of the Year
Código 1530 Blanco from Mexico won a gold medal and "Tequila Producer of the Year" at the 2019 Bartender Spirits Awards held on May 19 in San Francisco, USA.
The mouth of Blanco (Silver) is earthy and has a mineral character that balances out the citrusy sweetness. Blanco (Silver) is an expression that reflects the pure taste of Código 1530's perfect inputs. It is unrested and it never touches a barrel so that the rich flavor of agave can be fully appreciated. The makers of Código 1530 Blanco take pride in every step of the production process, carefully sourcing only the best ingredients to produce a spirit that requires no resting. The agave used is made sure to be fully matured over 7 years to ensure each agave's Brix level (sugar content) meets the standards.
In Amaitán, every drop of Código 1530's offerings, Blanco, Rosa, Reposado, Añejo, and "Origen," the Extra Añejo is perfected over several generations. The Tequila begins with fully-matured agave aged over seven years, which is cooked in stainless steel ovens, fermented utilizing an organic family baker's yeast in Amatitán, and distilled twice in stills handmade by the distilling family themselves. The Blanco is perfected over a lengthy, 15-day process. The tequilas are rested in French White Oak red wine barrels procured from the Napa Valley, which ensures that each and every barrel is worthy of bearing the Código 1530 name.
For generations, there has been a closely guarded secret among a select group of Mexico's most respected families and Los Bajos' finest jimadors. There are a fortunate few who have had the privilege to taste a private recipe from a little distillery in Amatitán, which they now call it - El Tequila Privado. With no commercial pressure to bring this nameless and unlabeled tequila to market, El Tequila Privado only existed to satisfy the discerning palates of its benefactors. In the small village of Amatián, a local artisan distilling family has passionately crafted this spirit, never veering from the centuries-old codes and customs of Los Bajos: "Los Códigos"
The Bartenders Spirits Awards, organized by the Beverage Trade Network is the leading spirits competition in the USA that rates the spirits with the focus of the bar industry. To evaluate the entrants, the Bartenders Spirits Awards invites Bartenders, On-Premise Buyers and Bar Managers from around the world. These leading spirits experts judge the spirits with the aim to provide independent and honest reviews for brands targeting the US on-premise trade.
To check out other winners, click here.
To know more about the competition, click here.


D.L. Hughley explains why Trumpcare failed
by Nicholas Robinson
Photo Credit: Twitter – @RealDLHughley
Before this past week, millions of Americans feared that President Donald Trump would be successful in repealing Barack Obama's much-talked-about Affordable Care Act. But much to the relief of those Americans, this week, Trump's administration pulled their repeal at the last minute, leaving the ACA intact and millions of Americans with the healthcare they've been dependent on for years. And while many have been talking and debating on why the repeal failed, politically vocal comedian and actor D.L. Hughley recently claimed that Trumpcare failed because people realized Obamacare wasn't just for Black people.
In a new interview with the paparazzi, Hughley claimed that Trump was never the right man to lead the charge about a healthcare bill that would benefit all people.
"That's an oxymoron. Trump has to care before there can be Trumpcare, wouldn't he?" Hughley asked.
The comedian then discussed how the GOP failed to get the repeal to succeed because the GOP tried to get Americans to favor the bill through racist tactics but ultimately failed to provide a healthcare system that could outdo Obamacare.
"I think that they were successful making people believe that this was all about poor Black people but it wasn't. When they saw the faces of the people really affected by Obamacare, I think we learned this that people hated the Obama part but the care part they were alright with," Hughley explained.
Hughley was then asked where he thinks Trump will lead our healthcare system in the next four years.
"I think you just see a contrast. If you voted for President Trump and you have a pre-existing condition like type 2 diabetes, that means you hated the Black dude more than you love your feet," Hughley said.
Well, what do you think of Hughley's comments about Trump's failed Obamacare repeal? Let us know in the comments.
Tags: Affordable Healthcare Act, D.L. Hughley, Obamacare, Trump Obamacare Repeal, Trumpcare
I'm a lover of quirks and writing compelling pieces for my readers.
Nicholas Robinson March 26, 2017


Dossal
Dossal Explained
A Dossal (or dossel, dorsel, dosel), from French dos (back), is one of a number of terms for something rising from the back of a church altar. In modern usage it is generally restricted to, firstly, a cloth hanging or,[1] secondly, a board, often carved or containing a painting, rising vertically from the back of the altar, to which it is attached.[2] Retable and reredos are alternative terms for solid structures, as is altarpiece, all of them rather more commonly used today.
Dossal remains the usual term for an ornamental cloth suspended behind an altar,[3] probably attached to the wall behind. This is often called a dossal curtain, and altar screen is also sometimes used as a synonym for a cloth dossal,[4] as well as, more dubiously, for wood or stone screens in various locations in the sanctuary. Curtains at the side of an altar may be called riddels; these may be suspended between riddel posts at the corners of the altar. More rarely, a cloth dossal may continue as a horizontal "tester" hanging immediately over the altar, giving the cloth of honour configuration typical for enthroned monarchs and others in the Middle Ages, and often seen in medieval and Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary in particular.[5] "Dossal" may also be used for a secular vertical cloth of honour, or the vertical part of one.
A refinement of the definition of a painted dossal is that it could be easily detached and fitted between poles (or some similar arrangement), and was carried in processions on particular feast-days. This definition is especially found relating to medieval Italy, and the Franciscans, who are thought to have begun this practice, commissioning Berlinghiero Berlinghieri soon after St Francis' canonization in 1228. The Bardi Dossal illustrated is such a piece, typical in that it shows a saint, here Saint Francis of Assissi, as the main image, surrounded by scenes from his life.[6] In a larger altarpiece these would be predella scenes running below the main painting. However, dossal is used of some large polytychs which could not be taken on procession in this way. In academic art history, "dossal" is today only likely to be used for such paintings, or the textiles.
Cloth dossals rarely achieve much individual notability, but the "Lanercost Dossal" at Lanercost Priory, Cumbria, was specially designed by William Morris and embroidered by local ladies. It is 24 feet wide, in "worsted wools on a felted ground".[7] It was removed for restoration in 2012, which was completed by 2014.[8]
"Guild" = "Dossals, and Riddles and Testers", The Altar Guild Resource for the Diocese of Rhode Island
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/dossal "Dossal" in National Gallery Glossary
Guild; Dossal. 8. 438.
Altar Screen.
Szakolczai, Arpad, Sociology, Religion and Grace, pp. 94-95, 2007,, 9781134194506, google books; Franco, Bradley R., "The Functions of Early Franciscan Art", in The World of St. Francis of Assisi: Essays in Honor of William R. Cook, eds. Bradley Franco, Beth Mulvaney, 2015, BRILL,, 9789004290280, google books
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2012/jun/14/arts-art "William Morris and his 'Cumbrian ladies' will be strumming their harps as their masterpiece is restored"
http://www.lanercostpriory.org.uk/priory/dossal.html The William Morris Lanercost Priory Dossal - History and Conservation
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dossal".


Losing ground at the wrong time: trends in self-reported influenza vaccination uptake in Switzerland, Swiss Health Survey 2007-2017.
Zürcher, Kathrin; Zwahlen, Marcel; Berlin, Claudia; Egger, Matthias; Fenner, Lukas (2021). Losing ground at the wrong time: trends in self-reported influenza vaccination uptake in Switzerland, Swiss Health Survey 2007-2017. BMJ open, 11(2), e041354. BMJ Publishing Group 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041354
Z_rcher_BMJOpen_2021.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial (CC-BY-NC).
We studied time trends in seasonal influenza vaccination and associations with socioeconomic and health-related determinants in Switzerland, overall and in people aged ≥65 years.
Three cross-sectional surveys.
Individuals who participated in the Swiss Health Surveys 2007, 2012 and 2017. We calculated the proportion reporting influenza vaccination in the last 12 months, and performed multivariable logistic regression analyses.
We included 51 582 individuals in this analysis. The median age was 49 years (IQR 25-64), and 27 518 were women (53.3%). The proportion of reporting a history of influenza vaccination overall was 31.9% (95% CI 31.4 to 32.4); and dropped from 34.5% in 2007 to 28.8% in 2017. The uptake of vaccination within the past 12 months was 16% in 2007 and similar in 2012 and 2017 (around 14%). In people with chronic disease, uptake dropped from 43.8% in 2007 to 37.1% in 2012 and to 31.6% in 2017 (p<0.001). In people aged ≥65 years, uptake dropped from 47.8% in 2007 to 38.5% in 2012 to 36.2% in 2017 (p<0.001). In logistic regression, self-reported vaccination coverage decreased in the 65-75 years old (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.56, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.66 between 2007 and 2012; aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.03 between 2012 and 2017). Uptake was positively associated with the ≥65 age group, living in French-speaking and urban areas, history of smoking, bad self-reported health status, private/semiprivate health insurance, having a medical profession and having any underlying chronic disease.
Influenza vaccination coverage was low in older and chronically ill persons. Significant efforts are required in preparing for the influenza season 2020/2021 to reduce the double burden of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. These efforts should include campaigns but also novel approaches using social media.
20 since deposited on 17 Feb 2021
20 in the past 12 months
Journal Article (Original Article)
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Zürcher, Kathrin; Zwahlen, Marcel; Berlin, Claudia; Egger, Matthias and Fenner, Lukas
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 360 Social problems & social services
BMJ Publishing Group
[4] Swiss National Science Foundation
Doris Kopp Heim
10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041354
epidemiology infectious diseases public health
BORIS DOI:
10.48350/152398
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/152398


⚠Information and Updates Regarding COVID-19's Impact on the College of Natural Sciences
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Carl Patton
B.S., MIT (1963)
Ph.D., Cal. Tech. (1967)
Life Fellow of the American Physical Society
Life Fellow of the IEEE
Past President of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Magnetism
IEEE Magnetics Society Distinguished Lecturer (1994)
IEEE Millenium Medal (2000)
IEEE Magnetics Society Lifetime Achievement Award (2003)
President of the IEEE Magnetics Society (2007 – 2008)
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
The magnetics laboratory is engaged in a variety of basic and applied problems which range from the fundamental understanding of magnetic order to the study of materials and device structures for memory and high frequency applications. The present emphasis is on microwave and millimeter wave excitations, nonlinear processes, thin films, and ferrite materials. These research activities have been supported by numerous government agencies and industrial sponsors, such as the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force (RADC), NASA, NATO, IREX, Rockwell International, Seagate, Honeywell, Verbatim, TRW, Ampex, Westinghouse, Pacific Ceramics, and Northrop Grumman. The group has an international flavor, with present and past research students and visiting scientists from Bulgaria, China, England, Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Ukraine, as well as from the USA.
Fundamental research in magnetism has been in such diverse areas as domain wall dynamics in thin films, the effect of chemical short range and long range atomic order on the magnetic state of systems with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic order, spin canting in ferrites with nonmagnetic substitutions, microwave relaxation processes in ferromagnetic thin films, microwave loss mechanisms in ferrites, nonlinear dynamics in magnetic systems, magnetism in spin glasses, Brillouin light scattering on magnetic excitations, giant magnetoresistance in thin film sandwiches, microwave magnetic envelope solitons in thin films, composite magneto-electric materials, and ferrite-ferroelectric heterostructures. Applied research has been concerned with studies of lunar soil magnetism, microstructure in ferrites, magnetic films for perpendicular recording and high density storage, metallic powders for absorber applications, new materials for millimeter wave applications, microwave soliton thin film devices, and surface damage effects in recording head materials.
Inquiries are welcome from senior scientists interested in visiting sabbatical appointments or other visiting appointments, recently graduated Ph.D. scientists interested in postdoctoral appointments, and prospective graduate students with an interest in magnetics research.
The Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Program offers opportunities for creative basic and applied research, productive work with an international team of students and scientists, individual accomplishment and teamwork toward project goals, archival publications, participation in international conferences, and interaction with scientists and engineers in basic and applied magnetics from around the world.
Current Research Support
New magnetic materials and phenomena for radar and microwave signal processing devices – bulk and thin film ferrites and metallic thin films, Office of Naval Research
Giga-hertz electromagnetic wave science and devices for advanced battlefield communications, U. S. Army Research Office [Multi-university research initiative (MURI) CSU component]
Ferrite-ferroelectric composite bulk and thin film materials for electric field tunable microwave and millimeter wave devices. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – U. S. Army Research Office
Millimeter wave ferromagnetic resonance system development and AMFer collaboration, University of Idaho
Linear and nonlinear precession dynamics and spin wave loss in heads and media materials, Information Storage Industry Consortium
T. Gerrits, P. Krivosik, M. L. Schneider, C. E. Patton, and T. J. Silva, "MOKE-NLFMR – Direct detection of nonlinear ferromagnetic resonance in thin films by the magneto-optic Kerr effect," Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 207602 1 to 4 (2007).
J. Das, S. S. Kalarickal, K. S. Kim, and Carl E. Patton, "Fundamental magnetic properties and structural implications for nanocrystalline Fe-Ti-N thin films," Phys. Rev. B75, 094435 1 to 11 (2007).
P. Krivosik, N. Mo, S. Kalarickal, and C. E. Patton, "Hamiltonian formalism for two magnon scattering microwave relaxation – theory and applications," J. Appl. Phys. 101, 083901 1 to 13 (2007).
K. R. Smith, V. I. Vasyuchka, M. Wu, G. A. Melkov, and C. E. Patton, "The Cloning and Trapping of Magnetostatic Spin Wave Pulses by Parametric Pumping," Phys. Rev. B76, 054412 1 to 6 (2007).
M. Wu and Carl E. Patton, "Experimental observation of bona fide Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence in a nonlinear ring system," Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 047202-1 to 4 (2007).
N. Mo, J. J. Green, P. Krivosik, and C. E. Patton, "The low field microwave effective linewidth in polycrystalline ferrites," J. Appl. Phys. 101, 023914-1 to 10 (2007).
H. M. Olson, P. Krivosik, K. Sirnivasan, and C. E. Patton, "Ferromagnetic resonance saturation and second order Suhl spin wave instability processes in thin Permalloy films," J. Appl. Phys. 102, 023904 1 to 12 (2007).
M. Wu, P. Krivosik, B. A. Kalinikos, and C. E. Patton, "Random generation of coherent solitary waves from incoherent waves," Rev. Lett. 96, 227202-1 to 4 (2006).
M. Wu, B. A. Kalinikos, L. D. Carr, and C. E. Patton, "Observation of spin wave soliton fractals in magnetic film active feedback rings," Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 187202-1 to 5 (2006).
S. S. Kalarickal, P. Krivosik, C. E. Patton, M. L. Schneider, P. Kabos, T. J. Silva, and J. P. Nibarger, "Ferromagnetic resonance linewidth in metallic thin films – comparison of measurement methods," J. Appl. Phys. 99, 093909 1-7 (2006).
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🇸🇮 #SLOVENIA: Joker Out To Perform "Carpe Diem" In Liverpool
Eurovision Finals 2013
SPAIN Eurovision 2014 : "Talent Search Thursday's" Spanish Edition
By eurovisionireland on July 4, 2013 • ( 4 Comments )
Monica Naranjo – one of our picks to represent Spain at Eurovision 2014. Photograph courtesy of MonicaNaranjo.com
Who will represent Spain at Eurovision 2014? As it is the "Thursday Talent Search" here at Eurovision Ireland we thought we would speak to some of our Spanish readers and get their opinions on who would be a strong representative for Spain at Eurovision 2014.
So who do we think could bring Spain to the Top 10 at Eurovision 2014?
Ruth Lorenzo
There has been a lot of media coverage about Diana Navarro and how she has said publicly that she would like to represent her country and music at Eurovision – so we thought it would be good to mention the above artists also. There is no doubting that Diana Navarro would be amazing on a Eurovision stage also.
In 1994 Monica recorded her debut album, "Mónica Naranjo", after being signed to Sony Music. The album gave Monica many hits including "Sola" and "Fuego de pasión". Later she was nominated for the "Eres Awards". In November 1995 Monica performed at Mexico City's Metropolitan Theater which was a huge accomplishment.
In 1997 she released her second album, "Palabra de Mujer". The album was a commercial success and managed to sell more than 2 million copies in the United States, Latin America and Spain with songs like "Entender el amor and Las campanas del amor".
In 2000 she released her third album,Minage which was a tribute to the Italian singer Mina.
Since then she has released several more albums and scored several #1 singles in Spain like "Enamorada de ti", "Europa" and "Amor y lujo" whilst still constantly touring in Spain and Latin America.
Monica is a passionate singer and her stage performances are always stunning. She is a Diva but has the amazing husky voice to back up her claim to the title. She would be a visual and vocal feast at Eurovision. Please TVE speak to Monica Naranjo for Eurovision 2014!!
Now we have already written about Ruth Lorenzo on our site as we are very familiar with her. She appeared on the X-Factor in the UK in 2008 and came 5th. She has said that she would like to enter Eurovision either for Spain or the United Kingdom. She was a firm favorite of music mogul Simon Cowell.
Lorenzo was approached by Spanish TV Channel Cuatro and asked to write a song for the fictional drama "Valientes". She accepted and composed two songs for the show, one for the opening ('Quiero Ser Valiente') and one for the end credits ('Te Puedo Ver'). Ruth has also written songs for Dannii Minogues comeback album.
Ruth has released her debut album "Raspberry Pattern" in both the UK and Spain. The first song from the album, "Burn" was released in Spain and reached #16 in the charts.
Ruth is a rock singer at heart, as she proved on X-Factor, but as you can hear in "The Night", she can turn her hand to dance music too. Again another strong female singer that Spain has at the ready for Eurovision – and she said she would like to perform too at the contest.
Now it's time for some serious testosterone in the form of David Bustamante. You know you are successful when you are known just by one name and that is the case for David – as he is more commonly known as "Bustamente". He shot to fame on the Spanish talent television show "Operación Triunfo" – that brought us Rosa and the song "Europe's Living a Celebration" and gave Spain it's best placing at Eurovision since 2002. David came third in the contest that year in Spain but has gone on to much success following the show.
To date he has sold over 2 million albums in Spain and Latin America and has 2 very well known fans – Ricky Martin and Mark Anthony – who would be classed as artists of David's genre of music. Not only this but David has had two of his albums produced by highly successful men. Emelio Estefan (Of The Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan fame) was the main producer on the album Así soy yo (That's the way I am).
From this, David went on in 2011 to have "Mio" produced by Christian Leuzzi who is one of Celine Dion's main producers. David is a Latin Pop singer and this is a sound that will translate well at Eurovision. The man has an amazing voice and certainly knows how to use his handsome good looks on camera – so you would be assured of a strong performance from him. Again TVE please speak to David Bustamante.
In case you needed another reason to like David – he only recorded the above duet with Spanish Eurovision favorite Pastora Soler. All the Eurovision credentials are there for him to be a success in 2014 at the contest.
Now we are taking a shot in the dark with this one. "La Casa Azul" have to be one of the best acts that have never made it to Eurovision from Spain. In 2008 they came third in the Spanish National Eurovision Final with the amazing song "La Revolución Sexual". When you think that Spain sent Rodolfo Chikilicuatre to Belgrade – you have to ask "Why?". Well ireland sent a Turkey that year so who are we to judge! But this song La Casa Azul is amazing and was one of the most successful Spanish Eurovision related songs in Latin American history.
La Casa Azul are a band that remind me of "Jamiroquai" with a more defined pop sound to them. Created and fronted by the producer Guille Milkyway – they also contain David, Virginia, Oscar, Clara and Sergio – who appear in the videos but never perform live with him – it is always Milkyway on his own. No matter who is in the band, they are a great funky/indie band. We are not sure if they are even still performing, but up until last year we saw this great song from them
They are an Independent Band and produce their music on their record label ElefantRecords – so they are a true home-grown talent and rather unique. Personally I would love to see them at Eurovision. TVE – I hope you are listening!
So there you have our selection of possible candidates for Spain at Eurovision 2014. One thing for sure is that there is certainly no shortage of great musical talent in Spain – TVE just needs to engage with them and get them to enter Eurovision 2014!
What do you think of our selection of Spanish artists for Eurovision 2014?
Author/Website co-founder and Editor in Chief Garrett Mulhall
Source – Eurovision Ireland
Categories: Eurovision Finals 2013, Spain, Thursday's Talent Search for Eurovision 2014
Tagged as: David Bustamante, Eurovision, eurovision 2014, Eurovision Song Contest, La Casa Azul, Mónica Naranjo, Ruth Lorenzo, Spain
NEWSFLASH UPDATE- Herning now out of the running for Eurovision 2014?
Eurovision Friday Favorites – Ireland V Azerbaijan in the "Lovely Horse Races"
David Bustamante please
Please Bustamante must represent Espana he has great voice))))
eurovisionireland says:
Who do you think they will select Dana?
Pingback: SPAIN : Confirm Eurovision 2014 Participation « eurovisionireland
The Pots for the #ESC23 Semi Final #ALLOCATION Draw are here... eurovisionireland.net/2023/01/30/%f0… 22 hours ago


Power of 9: India
StoveTrace provides a mobile-based monitoring device to enable widespread participation in a voluntary carbon market when individuals in India use clean cookstoves: https://bit.ly/3CNgOlo via @Qualcomm
StoveTrace: A Mobile Application to Monitor Use and Promote Adoption of Clean Cooking Technologies
The StoveTrace program demonstrates how mobile networks can aid in advancing the economic, health and environmental objectives of individuals and communities. StoveTrace provides an affordable, reliable, mobile-phone-based monitoring device to enable widespread participation in a voluntary carbon market when individuals use clean cookstoves instead of traditional biomass burning cookstoves.
Nearly three billion people, about 40 percent of the world's population, depend on traditional cookstoves that use fuels like firewood, cow dung and crop residues for their cooking needs.1
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 estimates that four million people die each year as a result of inhaling the smoke and soot produced by cooking over traditional cookstoves.2
Switching to clean cookstoves can reduce the amount of firewood used for cooking, as well as the amount of smoke produced indoors and outdoors, reducing pollution and improving health for the women and children who are most exposed to the smoke.
Unfortunately not all clean cookstoves perform well in the field. Advanced clean biomassburning cookstoves still burn locally available biomass, but dramatically and measurably reduce harmful emissions.
At a cost of approximately 2700-6500 Indian rupees (US $42-$100) each, advanced clean cookstoves are currently unaffordable for the estimated two billion people worldwide living on less than US $3 per day.
Registered carbon credit programs are beginning to provide financial incentives for reducing carbon emissions through the use of clean cookstoves. However, it is difficult and expensive to verify that these stoves are being used and measure the reduction in carbon emissions that results from use of clean cookstoves, making it a challenge to apply carbon credits for improved cooking technologies.
To address this challenge of accurately and affordably verifying the use of a clean cookstove, StoveTrace, a state-of-the-art mobile-phonebased temperature sensing application, has been developed.
StoveTrace was created to support Project Surya, an international collaboration between the University of California, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Nexleaf Analytics. Project Surya is an initiative focused on mitigating climate change by integrating clean cooking technologies with innovative sensing and climate financing for reduction of carbon dioxide and black carbon.
The StoveTrace system includes a mobile-phone-based temperature sensing application, a thermal sensor that connects to the mobile device and a web-based analytics dashboard. Each time the clean cookstove is fired up, the StoveTrace senses the cooking event via the temperature probe and stores and uploads cooking event data.
The temperature data is wirelessly uploaded from the mobile phone to a central server via a wireless broadband network.
The data collected includes the number of times a stove is used and the duration of each use, enabling remote verification of stove usage. This data can be used by carbon market investors as verification of reduction in carbon emissions.
A web-based dashboard has been developed which shows the number of times the stove has been lit and duration of cooking.
Vodafone mPesa enables remittance of the carbon market payments directly to the clean cookstove users.
Accurate Tracking: StoveTrace sensors have been determined to be the most accurate in tracking cookstove usage and more reliable than other methods like selfreporting and data loggers.
Over 140,000 Hours Logged: StoveTrace has been tested and validated in field settings involving more than 700 households in rural villages in Uttar Pradesh and Orissa, India. Participating families have logged over 140,000 cooking hours on clean cookstoves, saving 530 combined tons of carbon dioxide and black carbon.
Insightful Data: Continuous monitoring of clean cookstoves through StoveTrace improves understanding of cookstove usage and reveals insights to drive behavior change for increased adoption of clean cooking technology without using tedious and unreliable surveys.
Less Downtime: StoveTrace data has also enabled clean cookstove implementers (including NGOs, manufacturers and entrepreneurs) to detect mechanical breakdowns, allowing implementation teams to quickly repair the stoves resulting in resumed usage by the families.
Micro-payments: Stove users have been rewarded thus far with a combined total of nearly US $1500 in micro-payments, commensurate with hours of usage, paid directly to their bank accounts. Additionally, remittance of carbon credits to families based on clean cookstove usage has led to increased clean cookstove usage among families.
Successful Collaboration: The Gold Standard Foundation, Nexleaf Analytics, and the University of California San Diego among other experts in climate and development, have collaborated in launching a pioneering methodology for quantifying and monitoring emissions from black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants which will drive finance into projects that provide an immediate and measurable impact on mitigating climate change at a local level
1 http://cleancookstoves.org/resources/reports/fiveyears.html
2 Lim S.S. et al., 2012, A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, Lancet, 380: 2224-60.
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Jason Rosenhouse
Games for Your Mind
The History and Future of Logic Puzzles
Princeton University Press 2020
Jason Rosenhouse's Games for Your Mind: The History and Future of Logic Puzzles (Princeton UP, 2020) is about a panoply of logic puzzles. You'll find Mastermind and sudoku discussed early on, and then you'll be hit with an incredible array of some of the most intriguing logic puzzles that have ever been devised. Some will be familiar to you, but some will almost certainly be brain-teasers you have never heard of. It's absolutely amazing what a truly deep field grew from recreational pastimes – and this book is an absolute treasure trove of stuff you can't help thinking about. If you like logic, you're certain to be sucked in – but you'll enjoy the ride.
Logic puzzles were first introduced to the public by Lewis Carroll in the late nineteenth century and have been popular ever since. Games like Sudoku and Mastermind are fun and engrossing recreational activities, but they also share deep foundations in mathematical logic and are worthy of serious intellectual inquiry. Games for Your Mind explores the history and future of logic puzzles while enabling you to test your skill against a variety of puzzles yourself.
In this informative and entertaining book, Jason Rosenhouse begins by introducing readers to logic and logic puzzles and goes on to reveal the rich history of these puzzles. He shows how Carroll's puzzles presented Aristotelian logic as a game for children, yet also informed his scholarly work on logic. He reveals how another pioneer of logic puzzles, Raymond Smullyan, drew on classic puzzles about liars and truthtellers to illustrate Kurt Gödel's theorems and illuminate profound questions in mathematical logic. Rosenhouse then presents a new vision for the future of logic puzzles based on nonclassical logic, which is used today in computer science and automated reasoning to manipulate large and sometimes contradictory sets of data.
Featuring a wealth of sample puzzles ranging from simple to extremely challenging, this lively and engaging book brings together many of the most ingenious puzzles ever devised, including the Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever, metapuzzles, paradoxes, and the logic puzzles in detective stories.
Jim Stein
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The Joy of Geometry
Mathematics Entertainment for the Millions
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Satyan Devadoss and Matt Harvey
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Wade Roush
Beautiful Symmetry


Walking for community impact
Norlane resident Ben Le Fevre has completed a significant personal challenge to honour lost loved ones, raise money and awareness of suicide prevention activities in Geelong.
As well as playing a key role in the annual Geelong Suicide Prevention Awareness Network (SPAN) walk this month, during July he walked 200 kilometres on his way to raising $2791 for RUOK?
The RUOK? event raised money to help provide counselling in remote areas and develop programs for schools and workplaces about how to ask RUOK? and know how to follow up if the answer is no.
The 200 kilometres, about six kilometres a day, were at night and mostly alone. Sponsors supported his effort and contributed to his fundraising result, which exceeded his original goal of $1000.
"I decided to do the kilometres at night because my loved ones were in a dark place at the time," he said. "I also carried a weighted bag, because I know they would have been carrying a lot of emotions with them."
Ben, 26, is a Geelong SPAN committee member and has joined its annual walk since it began in 2010. Ben has lost six loved ones to suicide since 2008 and joined SPAN to get support for himself.
"I then realised that Geelong still had an issue with suicide and depression being a taboo subject," he said. "I wanted to help raise awareness."
The traditional SPAN walk was replaced by a virtual walk on September 13, with Ben providing a welcome to participants via a Facebook live feed. He said the walk helps dismantle the stigma around the taboo subject and is a safe place to talk about loved ones lost to suicide.
Ben said he has experienced depression himself and knows what a merry-go-round it can be. He wants everyone to have access to support when they need it most.
If you or someone you know needs help phone, Lifeline on 131-114 or Beyond Blue on 1300-224-636. You can support SPAN Geelong by going to its website https://www.spangeelong.com/
Help is a phone call away
Bethany Community Support has launched a new program to support people as they work through impacts of COVID-19. These include sudden loss of income and jobs, social distancing, working from home and daily messaging in the media that can increase levels of stress and anxiety.
Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. The Bethany COVID-19 Support Line – 1300-655-598 – is a new and easy pathway to speak with a trained counsellor.
Bethany's support services include the provision of emergency relief to help those who are struggling to cope with financial stress, support for individuals and families including therapeutic counselling, family support and housing services, occupational therapists and speech pathologists to assist with your NDIS journey and support for gambling-related harm.
Bethany is committed to supporting the community and has adapted the way staff deliver all of their services, which are now effectively delivered over the phone; online via secure video conference or video calls; or in person with strict precautions to manage safety.
Therapists can also invite carers, support co-ordinators, language interpreters and any other people the participant would like to include in the session.
Bethany COVID-19 Support Line counsellors will listen, provide support, advice and helpful strategies as well as guide you to services that might be useful for your particular situation.
No problem is too big or small.
If you, or someone you know needs someone to talk to, call the Bethany COVID-19 Support Line on 1300-655-598, from Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm.
Keeping active at home
The City of Greater Geelong has put together a health and wellbeing resource to help residents create and live a healthy lifestyle, particularly in times of isolation.
Healthy at Home shares a range of ideas that can be easily adopted, like nutritious recipes, mental health support, information about positive relationships and tips for keeping active at home.
Increasing your daily activity can come from small movements around the house that build up throughout the day. Cleaning and doing laundry, working in the garden, or trying some stretches during TV ad breaks all count.
Aiming for a little more movement whenever, wherever and however you can, is a great way to boost your physical and mental health.
Mayor Stephanie Asher said the Healthy at Home toolkit has been designed to help people support the health and wellbeing of themselves and their families.
"It can be a difficult balance, juggling this new way of living, supporting others' wellbeing and trying to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep yourself" she said. "The toolkit features a lot of very helpful information and practical tools."
Cr Pat Murnane, Chair Community Health, Wellbeing and Safety portfolio is encouraging residents to check out the toolkit, as there's something for everyone.
"There are tips on sleeping well, mindfulness exercises, links to online fitness classes, recipes for delicious infused water, and even a meal planning template and sample shopping list," Cr Murnane said.
Find the Healthy at Home toolkit at www.geelongaustralia.com.au/healthyathome
Residents without access to the internet can register for a printed toolkit by phoning 5272-5272.
Barwon Health North is making a difference
Northern suburbs residents are turning to Barwon Health North's Urgent Care Centre for treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, as well as x-ray and medical imaging. The new facility, located on the corner of Cox Road and Princes Highway, opened in late January and is a walk-in service for people with minor illnesses and injuries.
The Urgent Care Centre is staffed by highly-skilled nurse practitioners, registered nurses, medical imaging staff and patient services assistants.
Nurse practitioners can examine, diagnose illnesses/injuries, treat wounds including sutures, plaster, prescribe medication/treatment and make referrals. Nurse practitioners have a direct video link to doctors at University Hospital Geelong's Emergency Department.
Barwon Health North's Urgent Care Centre is open seven days, 2pm to 10pm, including x-ray and medical imaging. More services including child and family, healthy at home and adult and paediatric specialist clinics will open in the coming months.
Bell Park mother Tiana Dawes used Barwon Health North's walk-in service for a quick result after their two-year-old son Ollie swallowed a coin.
Tiana called her mother in a panic after Ollie lodged a 10-cent coin in his throat, anticipating spending hours waiting at the Emergency Department as a less urgent patient.
"I was about to head into town, but Mum told me Barwon Health North was open and it was closer," she said.
"We came here and by that time he had swallowed the coin. It was two days before he was due for a tonsillectomy, so that was my main concern. The facility is excellent and the staff were great. They made us feel welcome and took us straight through.
"The staff observed his breathing while he had a bit of a run around and play, and made sure he was OK before they sent us home with the all-clear."
For more information about Barwon Health North go to www.barwonhealthnorth.org.au or phone 4215-8000.
Cancer screening in the north
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) is leading a Bowel Cancer Screening Project in Corio and Norlane until June 2020 to increase screening participation rates among 50-74 year-olds.
The community-led project has funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and is made up of an advisory committee, comprising five community members, who advise and inform WVPHN on initiatives. The Cancer Screening Community Project Officer is also available for group presentations and sets up regular information stalls.
Bowel screening has been recognised as a priority for 50-74 year-olds. Corio and Norlane National Bowel Screening Program rates sit below the national average, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015-16 Cancer Screening Rates.
To help prevent bowel cancer in men and women aged 50-74, WVPHN is also running a Peer Education Project in Corio/Norlane. It is seeking Peer Educators, who will be paid $40 an hour for approximately 8-10 hours of training, peer sessions and evaluations.
To get involved or if you are interested in more information or a bowel cancer screening presentation at your organisation/community group, please contact: Anne O'Callaghan, Cancer Screening Community Project Officer, Western Victoria Primary Health Network, phone 5222-0876 or email anne.ocallaghan@westvicphn.com.au.
Peace of mind for isolated
Do you know someone who lives alone and feels isolated? The Community Support Regster can help.
First established in 2006, the Community Support Register operates from the Corio Police Station and is staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers, supported by local donations and sponsorship.
The register collects health and other personal information to be accessed if the person cannot provide it themselves due to an accident, fall or illness. Police, ambulance, hospital and fire services can quickly access the register, but only in an emergency.
Information may include:
Doctor/pharmacist details.
Medical history and details about any disabilities.
People to contact in an emergency.
Pets and who is to care for them.
How access can be gained to property in an emergency.
Participants can choose what information they wish to provide. Regular phone calls can be arranged with the volunteers to people who are feeling isolated and would benefit from social contact.
The Community Support Register is open to people of all ages and abilities and is a free service – there is no cost to register.
To find out more contact: Geelong register, phone 5275-1607 or email info@geelongregister.org.au.
Posted in Community, Health
Day hospice in Norlane
Day respite is available in Norlane for people with life-limiting illness. Anam Cara Hospice is hosting weekly sessions at Dorothy Thompson Centre in Wendover Avenue.
The day program runs every Wednesday from 10.30am until 3pm, co-ordinated by Day Hospice Nurse Manager Tessa Davis, with support from palliative care-trained volunteers.
"People with life-limiting illness can come and have quality time with a palliative care-trained nurse," Tessa said. "They can enjoy some time to chat, socialise and meet new people. We can advocate for them in terms of pain management, as well as liaise with their family, GP and specialist."
Tessa said day program is the first outreach in the northern suburbs and is also an opportunity to give carers a break.
For more information, call 5222-5831.
Gardening: Time to think about winter vegies
We've said goodbye to summer and the labour-intensive work in the garden over the warmer months and hello to the lower maintenance time of the cooler weather.
A crop of onions, leeks and garlic is always a bonus to the home cook and some can be stored after they mature and used during the coming seasons. They are not hard to grow and their flavor fresh out of your garden makes the produce out of the supermarket seem very bland and uninteresting, lacking in looks and flavor.
Another keeper is pumpkins – if they are cut after the vine withers and dies off, stored in a cool, dry place with a constant temperature, they will keep for months and the flavor is amazing.
Top of the agenda during the winter months are cabbages, cauliflowers and brussels sprouts. Grown from seedlings they seem to take forever to reach maturity, but the wait is worth it.
They do need monitoring to make sure that the white cabbage moths don't eat them all for dinner and they must be kept dusted or covered under fine netting to keep them safe. They are at their best both in flavor and in vitamin content when fresh from the garden.
A spare cauliflower can be used to make a lovely pot of Picalily Pickles – the recipe is an old one my Gran brought out from England in 1921. It's easy to make and a great keeper, I've kept it for three years in storage.
Now is also the time to buy in your bulbs ready for spring and summer flowers. Bulbs grow well in pots so they're great for balconies or patios. Look for big, firm bulbs and plant them three times as deep as their height, with their shoot facing upwards. You'd be amazed how many people plant them upside down. Don't overwater them or they may rot.
PICALILY PICKLES
Start with: 1 cauliflower, 3 zucchinis, 3 large onions, ½ cup salt.
Finely chop all vegetables and put into a large plastic bowl or bucket with salt. Mix through and cover with water. Leave overnight.
Next day, tip into large boiler, bring to boil for five minutes, then strain off the water.
Add 3 to 4 cups sugar, 1 level tablespoon salt, a pack of pickling spice tied in a cloth and cover with enough white vinegar to cover plus an extra 1.2 centimentres (usually takes 2 bottles). Bring to boil for approximately 15 minutes.
Thicken with a mixture of 1 ½ cups plain flour, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1 heaped tablespoon turmeric mixed together with water. Boil a further 10-15 minutes to cook the flour, stirring frequently, remove the spices tied in the cloth and bottle into hot bottles. Seal with paraffin wax.
If it's too thick add more vinegar; if too thin add more flour mixture.
If it's not spicy enough add more mustard, but remember that flavor will improve and grow stronger when stored before using.
Barwon Health's Oral Health Service is continuing its early intervention program Wide Smiles, visiting thousands of students across Geelong this year.
Led by Dr Michael Smith and Sharon Lewis, Barwon Health developed a method to improve the oral health of children by visiting 44 kindergartens and 25 schools.
During the 2018 school year, children received two dental check-ups and were provided with toothbrushes and toothpaste. Students with early 'white spot' decay had fluoride varnish applied.
Parent engagement sessions were also conducted and information on sugar content in different foods was shared. To date, more than 16,000 children have benefited from the program.
Children at Northern Bay College requiring dental procedures benefited from Barwon Health's outreach dental van, which is equipped to provide a variety of more complex dental treatments.
2018 was the third year the program has operated at Northern Bay College's Wexford Campus and the service has now expanded to the school's Peacock Campus. The response from both parents and students has been positive.
Adults with a Health Care Card or a Pension Card can access dental services at the Corio Community Health Centre Dental Clinic. Appointments can be made by phoning 4215-7240 – children under the age of 13 years access the service free.
Coasthaven development to open early 2019
Construction at Baptcare Coasthaven Community in Robin Avenue, Norlane is proceeding on schedule and the development will be open to the public in early 2019.
It will deliver a 90-bed residential aged care facility and a Community Hub, designed to serve the needs of the local community.
To receive updates and news on this new Community, as well as special offers, giveaways and information on the Open Day to be held early next year, visit www.baptcare.org.au to register your interest.
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When animals attack: Death databases indicate that our fondest phobias may be misdirected
By Rachel Nuwer on January 25, 2011
Left: Although this python could probably consume a small child, according to the CDC's death statistics it most likely won't. [Credit: Rachel Nuwer]
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Messages warning us of the dangers of ferocious and venomous animals surround us. From the serpent lurking in the Garden of Eden to the critter villains in movies such as Jaws, it often seems the animal world is out to get us. But how many deaths do animals actually cause per year, and which species are really the ones to blame? The answer may surprise you.
At the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's WONDER site, compressed mortality figures for 1999-2007 can be neatly sorted by location, age, race, and gender. The database compiles official death information reported in the United States and assigns a detailed code for cause of death ranging from frostbite to falls.
From these figures, statistics for death caused by furry, scaly, or winged creatures can be calculated based upon the overall population of the United States. For example, the probability of getting eaten by a bear is 0.00007 out of 100,000 people. However, unless you're a backpacker (or the grizzly man), most of us do not encounter bears on a daily basis. If statistics are broken down to include only backpackers, the risk goes up to 0.1 out of 100,000, although this probably isn't enough of a risk to deter most nature enthusiasts from taking the gamble.
Right: Alligator wrestlers will be relieved to know that only nine people died from alligator or crocodile attacks in the United States between 1999-2007. [Credit: Rachel Nuwer]
Taking a look at venomous animals, a total of 714 people kicked the bucket after receiving a dose of animal-induced poison. Snakes come to mind as an obvious culprit. Listed as the fourth most common phobia in the United States, ophidiophobia affects millions though scientists disagree on whether this fear is an innate evolutionary hard wiring or a learned reaction. The CDC's figures reveals, however, that only 59 people died from snake or lizard bites in the eight-year period between 1999-2007. Similarly, arachnophobia ranks just after ophidiophobia on the list of common fears, yet according to the CDC venomous spiders caused lights out for just 70 people.
If snakes and spiders account for only 18 percent of the venomous animal deaths over the eight year period, just where are these other figures coming from? Anyone who remembers the tragic ending to "My Girl" or the equally distressing "Invasion of the Bee Girls" is on the right track: bee, wasp, and hornet stings caused 509 of the 714 total venomous animal deaths, or about 71 percent. About 0.5 percent of children and three percent of adults are prone to anaphylaxis after contact with insect venom, a potentially fatal full-blown allergic response that can occur within seconds of exposure to an insect sting.
Left: If you encounter a beehive, best leave it alone or risk becoming a statistic! [Credit: Rachel Nuwer]
Like the bear attack example, though, not all death risks are created equally. Rather than backpackers, it seems that venomous animals such as bees are much more likely to claim the lives of men rather than women. Of the 509 deaths due to bees, wasps, and hornets, 412 of these—or 81 percent—were men. Unfortunately, the CDC does not categorize the scenarios or reasons behind death events, though we can speculate over the statistical discrepancy behind the gender divide. For example, men perhaps put themselves in positions more prone to encounter bees or wasps, like doing yard work, construction, or clearing timber. Stereotypical male behavior, though, most likely accounts for a fair number of these deaths. Just as poor little Macaulay Culkin's first instinct upon seeing a beehive in "My Girl" was to poke it with a stick, men seem to be universally prone to such needlessly risky, even dumb behavior.
Although a healthy respect for venomous and dangerous animals can go a long way in avoiding potentially deadly situations, an out-and-out terror of spiders in the attic, alligators in the swimming pool, and snakes on a plane seems mostly unfounded and gives otherwise intriguing animals a bad rep. An accurate understanding of animal dangers—and better yet, how to avoid them—would be much more useful than unfounded phobias. And especially if you're male, you'd better think twice before picking up that stick.
About the author: Rachel Nuwer is a graduate student at New York University's Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. Her keen interest in science and nature was fostered in the bayous of southern Mississippi. Taking this love to an extreme, she investigated illegal wildlife trade in the peat swamp forests of Vietnam for her ecology master's thesis at the University of East Anglia, England. When not writing about science Rachel can be found taking photos, exploring the world, or rehabilitating stray kittens.
The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
Rachel Nuwer is a freelance journalist and author of Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking (Da Capo Press, 2018). She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Follow Nuwer on Twitter @RachelNuwer Credit: Nick Higgins
Recent Articles by Rachel Nuwer
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Plumes and Pathogens: Human fascination with birds can jeopardize our health
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Can you hear me now? Animals all over the world are finding interesting ways to get around the human din
By Rose Eveleth on January 24, 2011
Biting the hand that feeds: The evolution of snake venom
By David Manly on January 26, 2011


Choosing Capacitors for Crossover Audio Circuits
Knowles Reflecting on 2022 and 2023 Plans
The article discuses design considerations and applications of capacitors for crossover audio circuits.
Capacitors have a broad range of applications in audio circuits and systems. One of the main subsystems of a typical audio system is a crossover network. A crossover network is used to separate an audio signal into different frequency-dependent components. The separated components are then sent to specific driver circuits and speakers. The placement of this circuit can vary depending on the design of an audio system.
Capacitors are key components in virtually all types of crossover networks. Other passive components that are essential in these networks include resistors and inductors. For this article, we will primarily focus on the role of capacitors and the types that are commonly used in crossover networks. The article will also explore some of the key considerations when designing crossover circuits.
Why the components of an audio signal are separated
The audio frequency ranges between approximately 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Although this frequency range can be handled by a single driver, such a configuration does not yield optimum sound output. Using a single driver usually results in distorted and low quality sound output.
Similarly, a low quality sound output is obtained when a single speaker is used for the entire audio frequency. To prevent signal distortion in audio systems, most of today's speakers are designed to operate optimally for a specific audio frequency range. This means that a combination of different speakers is required for optimum performance of an audio system.
For a full range loudspeaker, the frequency range is usually characterized by unsatisfactory bass and treble. The frequency response for such a system usually has an irregular frequency response. Due to this poor performance of full-range speakers, they are rarely used in high performance audio systems.
Using a single diaphragm for both bass and treble makes it difficult to lower distortion in an audio system. This characteristic makes full-range audio devices unsuitable for systems in which high quality output is desired.
The design of a diaphragm has a significant effect on the quality of the sound produced by a loudspeaker. To start with, low frequencies are known to introduce harmonic distortion in the diaphragm. The low frequencies also cause inter-modulation between treble and bass.
The distortion caused by low frequencies can be reduced by decreasing diaphragm excursion. This requires the diaphragm area to be increased. High frequency reproduction worsens with an increase in the size of a loudspeaker. To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to separate the components of an audio signal into different components and use audio devices that are optimized for limited audio frequency ranges.
Design considerations for crossover networks
Crossover networks are essential components in most of today's audio systems. In a typical audio system, a crossover network is inserted after the amplifier. It separates and sends the high frequency components to the tweeter, the bass audio signals to the woofer, and the mid-range components to the mid-range speakers.
Figure 1: A simplified circuit of a typical crossover network; image source: diyaudioandvideo.com
Filters, low pass and high pass, are the building blocks of crossover networks. These sub-circuits consist of capacitors, resistors and inductors in different configurations. These passive components are selected and configured depending on the frequency range of the audio component.
A low pass filter allows low frequency components of an audio signal to pass while blocking high frequency components. On the other hand, a high pass filter blocks both the low frequency and mid-range frequency components while allowing the high pass components to pass.
Although various passive components are used in a crossover network, the overall performance of a circuit is mainly determined by the capacitors used. In most crossover networks, inductors and resistors of fixed values are used. Furthermore, there is no need to replace these passive components (inductors and resistors) when upgrading a network. The only time replacement is needed is when a component is damaged.
Choosing capacitors for crossover networks
The types of capacitors that are commonly used for audio applications include ceramic, electrolytic and film capacitors. These types of capacitors differ in design, construction and performance characteristics. It is usually important to consider the unique needs of your audio application when selecting a capacitor.
Aluminium electrolytic capacitors come in a variety of designs but they are not widely used in audio applications. However, the characteristics of these components make them a suitable choice for some audio applications. When operated at a high voltage and high frequency, the temperature of an electrolytic capacitor can increase rapidly. As such, it is important to consider the temperature characteristics of a capacitor when selecting a capacitor for a crossover network.
Some electrolytic capacitors, for example non-polar electrolytic capacitors, produce distortions and are unsuitable for audio ac applications. Moreover, the high dissipation factor of these components can cause extreme heating in components. Overheating shortens the service life of a component and lowers the overall performance of a circuit.
For special miniature designs such as mobile phones, music players, hearing aids also tantalum/NbO capacitors can be considered, providing excellent audio performance with high stability and reliability. Nevertheless, these are polar devices that has to be considered in the design and thus not preferred in many applications.
Ceramic capacitors have a broad range of applications in today's audio systems. However, their performance characteristics make them unsuitable for use in crossover networks. To start with, these components are susceptible to microphonic effects. This occurs when a ceramic capacitor converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. These unwanted electrical signals can significantly distort audio signals.
The quality of sound produced by an audio circuit is greatly dependent on the audio frequency response of capacitors used. In general, ceramic capacitors have poor audio frequency response. Moreover, the low insulation resistance and relatively high equivalent series resistance of ceramic capacitors make them unsuitable for crossover networks.
Film capacitors are widely used in audio circuits for a wide range of applications. For the optimum performance of a crossover network, film capacitors with low dielectric absorption and equivalent series resistance are commonly used. The characteristics of film capacitors make them the number one choice for audio applications. It is common for circuit designers to use a combination of different types of capacitors.
Audio devices that are optimized for narrow frequency ranges produce better sound output when compared to full-range audio devices. Audio crossover networks are used in audio systems to separate the different components of an audio signal. The separated components are then sent to different hardware devices (drivers and speakers). This separation helps to optimize the quality of output produced by an audio system. Capacitors are widely used in audio crossover networks. Some of the characteristics of a capacitor that greatly determine the performance of a crossover network include equivalent series resistance, dielectric absorption and insulation resistance. The impressive characteristics of film capacitors make them an unrivalled choice for crossover networks.
featured image source: Duelund Capacitors
Volatiles Control in Hermetic Electronic Components
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General Cinema / Framingham, Mass / 1985
What resonated with me most in John's work was his juxtaposition of movement and stillness. I loved that most of the scenes were places that are loud, messy, and full of people (movie theatre, Fenway park, a factory, a diner) or have a clear sense of directional movement (cars on streets, man at the top of a staircase) and they all did have that sense of potential movement but, interestingly, there was a stronger sense of arrested motion. There was such a sense of stillness in almost all of those moments he captured when stillness and absence were the last things you thought you would find. The man at the top of the stairs had both feet planted even though he clearly should have been headed down the stairs; there was no one in the theatre and it was clean, lacking any sense of the messiness of human presence. The baseball game, which should show the cacophony of thousands of people in an intense situation, instead was quiet and introspective. The game was clearly over and the Red Sox lost. Framed in the center of the dugout is a single player, without a face, unaware of the crowd in the stands, alone and introspective, perhaps full of self-doubt. It all felt very human and had that tension that good art has when two things that seem incompatible come together at the same time and you can't stop thinking about them.
An observation by Tucker Crum


Ballot and voting information for San Luis Obispo County.
San Luis Obispo County Superior Court
Judge, Office 2
County of San Luis Obispo
Measure B-18 Imposition of Cannabis Business Tax in Unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County
Cambria Community Services District
Measure A-18
Judge, Office 2, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court
Hernaldo Baltodano
Andy Cadena
Tim Covello
Ilan Funke-Bilu
Superintendent of Schools, San Luis Obispo County
James Joseph Brescia
Supervisor, District 2, San Luis Obispo County
Bruce Gibson
Jeff Eckles
Patrick E.B. Sparks
1,097 votes (6.47%)
Lynn Compton
Jimmy Paulding
Assessor, San Luis Obispo County
Tom J. Bordonaro, Jr.
David Boyer
District Attorney, San Luis Obispo County
Dan Dow
Judge Mike Cummins
Auditor/Controller, San Luis Obispo County
James W. Hamilton
Clerk/Recorder, San Luis Obispo County
Tommy Gong
67,047 votes (100%)
Sheriff, San Luis Obispo County
Ian S. Parkinson
Gregory Morris Clayton
Measure B-18 — Imposition of Cannabis Business Tax in Unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County
Shall an ordinance be adopted imposing a Cannabis Business Tax of up to 10% on gross receipts of cannabis businesses operating in unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County, estimated to initially raise between 1.4 to 5 million dollars annually, depending on amount of gross receipts, with funds staying...
Failed1,472 votes yes (53.64%)1,272 votes no (46.36%)
Shall Cambria Community Services District Ordinance 01-2018, which imposes an annual special tax of sixty-two dollars and fifteen cents ($62.15) on each parcel of real property in the Cambria Community Services District to fund three (3) full time firefighters, be approved and shall the Cambria Community...