The considerably lengthy list of titanium uses shows why it is one of the most sought-after metals in various industries. Right from jewelry making and medical equipment production to aviation and marine engineering, titanium is used everywhere.
Titanium is a chemical element typically characterized, in its purest form, by its luster and metallic-white color. It derives its name from the Greek wordtitanos, with respect to the Titans of Greek mythology. Titanium is present in abundance in the Sun and meteorites, and is the 9th most abundant element in the Earth's crust.
In 1946, 155 years after its discovery, William Justin Kroll showed that it is possible to produce titanium by reducing titanium tetrachloride with magnesium. Over the period, the element has gained wide prominence, and a large part of the credit for this goes to its uses, which seem to be increasing with time.
If titanium is considered so useful today, it is because of these properties that it boasts of. It is as strong as steel, and yet very light. In fact, it is known for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. The metal resists corrosion at higher temperature because of the protective oxide coating which forms on it.
Most of the uses of this element revolve around its alloys. Of the total titanium produced commercially, approximately 65 percent is used to make the alloys by mixing it with steel. Owing to its excellent strength, it is added to various metals, including steel, to increase their strength and make them corrosion-resistant. It is also known to make the alloy lighter. An alloy of titanium and steel, for instance, will weigh lesser than what pure steel weighs.
» Being durable and dent-resistant, titanium is quite popular in the jewelry making industry. In fact, titanium rings and bands have become a rage of late, and put their gold and silver counterparts in the backseat. The metal is also used to produce small artificial gemstones, which are relatively softer than the real gemstones.
» Alloys of titanium are used in eyeglass frames, as it makes them highly resistant, light, and long-lasting. Even laptops and a range of cell phones are made of titanium nowadays.
» Being light and strong, titanium is also used in firearms manufacturing, wherein it has replaced steel and aluminum as the most-preferred metal.
» In sports, titanium is used to make a wide variety of sporting equipment, like golf clubs, tennis rackets, cricket bats, hockey sticks, helmet grills, bicycle frames, etc. Other than racing bicycles, it is also used in racing bikes and cars as it provides strength and durability, without increasing the weight of the machine.
» Titanium dioxide, one of the most important compounds of this element, is predominantly used in manufacturing white paint. Other than that, it is also used in production of toothpaste, paper, and plastic.
» A relatively new entry in the long list of titanium uses is the introduction of titanium cookware and metal art, which is gaining wide popularity with time. The titanium cookware in particular -- along with tents and lanterns made of this metal -- are quite popular among backpackers.
» Due to its opaque nature, it is widely used in industrial applications, like ultrasonic welding and wave soldering.
» As it produces thick fumes in moist air, titanium tetrachloride is used for sky writing, which is done by releasing the compound from an aircraft, and for smoke screens.
» In the field of medicine, titanium is used to make pacemakers, artificial replacements for hip and knee joints, crutches, dental implants, surgical instruments, as well as bone plates and screws. An individual using titanium dental implants can undergo MRI examination as these implants are not magnetic.
» Titanium is also used for manufacturing aircraft and spacecraft, i.e., the frame and engine components of these machines. Of the early uses of titanium in the field of aerospace engineering, its use in the production of SR-71 "Blackbird" in 1960s has by far been the most popular. This was, in fact, the first instance wherein it was used extensively in an aircraft. Over the course of time, its uses in this field have increased manifold, and the recent examples of aircraft in which titanium has been used extensively include the likes of Boeing and Airbus.
» The strength of this metal and its ability to resist saline water makes it an immensely popular component of marine engineering. It is widely used for manufacturing propeller shafts and other such components of the ship, which are exposed to saline water for prolonged duration. This corrosion resistance also makes titanium an important component of desalination plants, wherein saline water is converted to fresh water.
Of late, titanium has also become popular in the field of architectural engineering, owing to its superior strength and relatively less weight. Interestingly, its metallic-white color, which is closely associated with space exploration, has contributed to its use in several monuments; one of the most prominent examples being the 350-foot Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow.
The 350-foot titanium-clad Monument to the Conquerors of Space was constructed outside the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (known as the All-Russia Exhibition Centre today) in Moscow in 1964, to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Soviet people in the realms of space exploration.
The Yuri Gagarin memorial -- a 131-foot titanium statue of the Soviet cosmonaut, erected in honor of him being the first human in space -- is yet another architectural marvel, which is built from this metal.
As surprising as it may sound, a detectable amount of titanium is found in our body as well. It is believed that we take in approximately 0.8 mg of the same every day, and the same passes through the body without getting absorbed. In the human body, titanium is non-toxic and non-reactive, which means it wouldn't cause harm to us even if it existed in relatively larger quantities; that also explains why it is widely used in a range of medical procedures.


PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWOR) - Malaysia's fuel prices will go up at midnight by 10 Malaysian cents across the board.
An announcement on the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry website said RON 95 petrol and diesel would be priced at RM2.05 (75 Singapore cents) a litre in June, up from RM1.95 in May.
RON 97 fuel will cost RM2.35 per litre inclusive of the Goods and Service Tax, up from RM2.25 last month.
When contacted, Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek confirmed the fuel price hike.
This follows the Ministry's decision to set the market prices of petrol and diesel on a managed float, starting from Dec 1 last year.


The time has come for visiting day and the girls are so excited. They have learned so much in the short time that we have been here, not only in activities but also socially. I can't wait for you to see your daughters in action. I look forward to meeting you.


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STOCK MARKET BSE NSE
Home Cities Chennai
Greater Chennai Corporation might restore natural tanks in four neighbourhoods
Waste management and flood prevention are given focus at Koyambedu due to its commercial nature.
Published: 12th March 2019 04:42 PM | Last Updated: 12th March 2019 04:42 PM | A+A A-
The 53 temple tanks in the city can provide 50 MLD of water
By Madhumitha Viswanath
Express News Service
CHENNAI: With Chennai expected to face a drought this summer, restoring natural tanks is the only way forward for a sustainable future in terms of water security and groundwater recharge. A new initiative is being formulated by various bodies including the Chennai Corporation on a trial basis in four areas — Koyambedu, Mylapore, Chitra Nagar and Mambalam.
Greater Chennai Corporation has partnered with 100 Resilient Cities along with the Dutch Embassy, experts from fields of urban design, water conservation and social engagement to carry out this project. They have come up with a proposal to identify and restore natural tanks including ponds, temple tanks and other small water bodies within these areas. This will aid in flood and drought prevention, ensure water security and rejuvenate groundwater levels said members of the City of 1000 Tanks team, which is handling this project.
Specific solutions
The four locations were chosen to represent a variety — Mylapore was chosen for its historic value; Chitra Nagar was chosen as it represents a slum tenement; Koyambedu, as it's an important commercial zone; and Mambalam as it comes under the Chennai Smart City project. "According to our calculation, if the 53 temple tanks located across the city are restored, they can supply close to 50 MLD of water to the city and also recharge the groundwater table. Similarly, if water is conserved in 40 commercial sites like Koyambedu, 40 MLD can be tapped," said Archana Y, an architect with Madras Terrace, who is a member of this project.
In Mylapore, two temple tanks — Chitra Kulam and Mylapore Tank — will be surrounded by bioswales, landscape elements used to remove debris from run-off water, to direct surface water into the tanks. At Chitra Nagar, it is proposed to construct detention tanks along the boundary of the tenement to avoid flooding. As most houses here have dry borewells, tanks will increase the groundwater level, decreasing the dependence on water tankers and cans. Constructed wetlands will also enable the treatment of waste water on site.
Waste management and flood prevention are given focus at Koyambedu due to its commercial nature. The area which has a population of around one billion, generates close to 200 tonnes of organic waste every day which can be composted, so that run-off water is not contaminated.
Finally, Mambalam, a densely packed area is chronically polluted with raw sewage and garbage. Cleaning up of the Mambalam Canal will make a big difference to the water scenario. "People from different socio-economic groups collude at Mambalam. Also, real estate and the retail sector is booming here. During flood or drought, both of these are crippled. Hence, reviving the canal and making the buildings adaptive in nature will improve aquifer levels considerably," said Archana.
Now we are on Telegram too. Follow us for updates
Greater Chennai Corporation natural tanks restoration
Ex-Karnataka CM Yediyurappa's granddaughter, a doctor, found hanging at her home in Bengaluru
Why are you apprehensive about handing over phones to investigating officers, HC asks Dileep
INTERVIEW | ED raids, allegations against Channi are nothing but political vendetta: Sidhu
Tata's Maharaja moment as Air India returns to its fold at last
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


To Move Forward, Leave the Past Behind - Would You Consider?
By ccree in Bible Lessons - mini, Commentary, Political Issues on April 21, 2018 .
Sometimes we forget that the Bible is a book for all aspects of life, not just those associated with spiritual living. 90 percent of our life is lived outside church. But the rules of success in God are identical to those for success in life, all 70 to 80 years of it.
Philippians 3:14 says this in the Phillips edition. The J. B. Phillips' version is always very practical about daily living.
Note first there is a goal. We all have them, but before we can realize a future goal we must release the past. In fact the Past isn't the Past until it is dealt with; and not someone else's past, but ours. Constant focus on the past causes a person to atrophy, to become bitter and isolated. Misery finds comfort with other miserable people.
There is no sadder example of this than the 18 month barrage against President Donald Trump by the media and people who are not happy with him as president. If they want real change there is always the next election but instead millions of tax dollars are spent dredging up his past; nothing seems to make any difference to the public, so the public vitriol goes no where. One group wants me to pay "reparations" for some evils of previous generations. I can't pay them; I have to pay my light bill. I am living in today not yesterday.
Living in the past of hatred, blame, accusation, ascribing guilt, all laced with 4 letter cursing (cover the children's ears) has an exhausted American TV viewer cutting the cable and turning on the radio.
One of the first rules of life is that you can't make anyone do anything. We have laws which require lawbreakers to be charged in court with crimes based on past behavior, but we have no way to make other people do right in the future – no drug, no food, no law can force another person to act in any particular better way. All the charges, allegations, denunciations and invective have not changed the President one bit. And it won't affect change on your spouse, your children, or the co-workers on the job.
Expecting others to change simply won't work. If you want change, you start by changing yourself. And if we do not change, our lives become increasingly ineffective. How we spend our money, how we spend our time will determine whether we are living in the past or "pressing on to that high calling in Christ" that Paul refers to, a goal that is beyond ourselves and beyond the touch of others' and their malaise.


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Florida man shot dead after attack on teen's face, drugs suspected
By LEE MORAN
Tony Grein was trying to defend his sister when he was severely bitten on his face. (www.palmbeachpost.com)
Deputies in Florida shot dead a naked psycho high on drugs after he bit a teen's face off in a random street attack.
Anesson Joseph, 28 — described by witnesses as having "super strength" and "obviously on something" — went on the rampage on South Military Trail in Delray Beach at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
First he badly beat retired New York City cop Douglas Kozlik, 66, who happened to be walking down the street with his 10-year-old son, according to CBS 12 News.
Anesson Joseph, 28, above, began attacking people seemingly at random on Tuesday night. (Facebook)
He then chased another child, before clashing with her 18-year-old brother Tony Grein — who tried to defend himself with a box cutter but was severely bitten on the head, the TV station reports.
Deputies from Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrived and tasered Joseph — who was 6-foot-3 and weighs 250 pounds — but he continued ranting and raving.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tasered the naked 6-foot-3, 250-pound man — but he kept ranting. That's when they shot him. (WPTV)
One cop opened fire and shot the West Palm Beach resident in the torso and twice on his lower body. Injured, he was taken to Delray Medical Center where he later died.
An investigation has now been launched into whether Joseph died from the gunshot wounds or a medical condition.
Tony Grein, 18, was trying to defend his little sister when he got in the psycho's path. (WPTV)
An autopsy will also reveal if he had taken any narcotics. Cops are trying to piece together details of his life.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the Palm Beach Post, however, that the attacker was "obviously delirious on something."
Anesson Joseph, 28, was naked an 'obviously on something' when he started going wild on the South Military Trail. (WPTV)
"The people he assaulted … said this guy had like super human strength," he added.
"But he's a big guy to start with. He's not fat, he looks like an NFL linebacker. And he basically was terrorizing people all up and down this street."
Authorities are trying to determine whether Anesson Joseph, 28, above, died from his gunshot wounds or a medical condition. (Facebook)
Kozlik and Grein were both taken to hospital for treatment to their "serious" injuries. Kozlik's condition is currently unknown.
Grein was out of hospital Wednesday sporting stitches on his ear as well as visible cuts and bruising.
The random attack echoes that of Miami cannibal Rudy Eugene, who was shot dead by cops in 2012 after chewing off homeless man Ronald Poppo's face.


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Grant Enfinger wins a nail-biter in Trucks opener at Daytona
Posted on February 15, 2020 by Fan4Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 14: Grant Enfinger, driver of the #98 Champion/Curb Records Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Editors Note: Grant Enfinger is our next guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Race Review at 8:40 pm ET on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. Call 929-477-1790 or join our chat during the LIVE broadcast here.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Grant Enfinger held off charging Jordan Anderson on the final lap of overtime Friday night at Daytona International Speedway to win the NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race by 0.010 seconds.
Enfinger got his shot at the win after a massive wreck on lap 98 of a scheduled 100 took out his ThorSport Racing teammate, Ben Rhodes, and a baker's dozen of other contenders. Enfinger had the lead for a restart on lap 105, but on the final circuit, Anderson made a move to the outside and briefly took the top spot as the drivers sped into the tri-oval.
But Enfinger turned the wheel of his No. 98 Ford to the right, door-slamming Anderson's No. 3 Chevrolet and breaking his momentum just enough to get to the finish line with two feet to spare. Codie Rohrbaugh charged into third place, 0.070 seconds back, followed by rookie Derek Kraus and Natalie Decker, whose fifth-place finish was the highest ever by a female driver in the Truck Series.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Enfinger, who broke a 28-race winless streak in the series. "It's the 100th win for Ford in the series–unbelievable for them. God's blessed us with a great opportunity to come out here and pull it off tonight.
"The biggest thing is we had a really good F-150 to do it with. I made a mistake there with about 20 to go and got hung up there in the sucker hole. I pulled up in front of Ben (Rhodes) too late, and it was either going to wreck me or put me in the middle, and that's what happened.
"It got to be about four or five laps to go, and it was time to go. We were able to get up in the third groove and make some stuff happen and get the lead during that last big wreck."
Enfinger, who led a race-high 41 laps, won both the second stage and the race, but it was Anderson who was perhaps most elated by his runner-up finish—the first top-five of his 102-race Gander Trucks career. Anderson could barely contain his excitement as he watched the replay on pit road.
"Grant, Grant, what are you doing door-slamming me man?" Anderson said with a laugh as the video rolled. "I came here in 2015 and emptied my bank account to try to come down here and run. To be in a position to even go for a win at Daytona, man, I'm a kid that just wanted to go racing from South Carolina…
"I thought we set him up good. We tried to follow Ross (Chastain) there and push him. I know he got loose, and I got up on Grant's bumper there in (turn) four and got a good run. It was like NASCAR Thunder 2003 all over again. I'm like, 'God, I can do this!' And I pushed him out of the way, and I thought we had it."
With five laps left in the first stage, contact from Todd Gilliland's Ford sent the Chevrolet of Tate Fogleman sliding out of control as the field entered turn one. Fogleman's Silverado slammed into the Chevrolet of Austin Wayne Self, collecting the No. 45 of Ty Majeski in the process.
Majeski's Chevrolet tipped over, with help from Fogleman, and the truck slid on its roof through turn one the contact between the sheet metal and asphalt sending a shower of sparks along its path. NASCAR red-flagged the race while the emergency crew righted the truck, enabling Majeski to climb out.
"It's just unfortunate," Majeski said after exiting the infield care center. "It's just a product of this (superspeedway) racing… It wasn't a good feeling (hanging upside-down). I'm not hurt, thankfully—just my pride. It's all good. We'll live to race another day and go get 'em next weekend."
The fiery action-filled race featured three wrecks of nine trucks or more, the last of which set up the overtime finish. Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Chastain, Sheldon Creed, and Jason White completed the top-ten.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Race – 21st Annual NextEra Energy 250
1. (11) Grant Enfinger, Ford, 106.
2. (23) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 106.
3. (21) Codie Rohrbaugh, Chevrolet, 106.
4. (16) Derek Kraus #, Toyota, 106.
5. (30) Natalie Decker, Chevrolet, 106.
6. (15) Austin Hill, Toyota, 106.
7. (5) Johnny Sauter, Ford, 106.
8. (4) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 106.
9. (12) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 106.
10. (31) Jason White, Chevrolet, 106.
11. (6) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 106.
12. (1) Riley Herbst(i), Toyota, 106.
13. (2) Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 106.
14. (19) Cory Roper, Ford, 106.
15. (10) Matt Crafton, Ford, 106.
16. (25) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 106.
17. (27) Brennan Poole(i), Toyota, 106.
18. (9) Korbin Forrister, Toyota, 106.
19. (29) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 105.
20. (8) Raphael Lessard #, Toyota, 105.
21. (28) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 105.
22. (3) Christian Eckes #, Toyota, 105.
23. (14) Tanner Gray #, Ford, Accident, 98.
24. (26) Jesse Little(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 98.
25. (13) Ben Rhodes, Ford, Accident, 97.
26. (20) Gus Dean, Chevrolet, Accident, 97.
27. (7) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, Accident, 97.
28. (32) Angela Ruch, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.
29. (22) Bryan Dauzat, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.
30. (18) Tate Fogleman #, Chevrolet, Accident, 62.
31. (24) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Accident, 15.
32. (17) Ty Majeski #, Chevrolet, Accident, 15.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 127.319 mph.
Time of Race: Two Hrs, four Mins, 53 Secs. The Margin of Victory: 0.010 Seconds.
Caution Flags: Five for 26 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among seven drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Herbst(i) 1-21;G. Enfinger 22-33;S. Creed 34;G. Enfinger 35-41;T. Ankrum 42;B. Rhodes 43-45;A. Hill 46-55;G. Enfinger 56-67;A. Hill 68;S. Friesen 69-80;B. Rhodes 81;S. Friesen 82;B. Rhodes 83-89;S. Creed 90;B. Rhodes 91-96;G. Enfinger 97-106.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Grant Enfinger four times for 41 laps; Riley Herbst(i) one time for 21 laps; Ben Rhodes four times for 17 laps; Stewart Friesen two times for 13 laps; Austin Hill two times for 11 laps; Sheldon Creed two times for two laps; Tyler Ankrum one time for one lap.
Stage #1 Top-Ten: 51,26,18,23,13,52,16,98,4,38
Stage #2 Top-Ten: 98,99,26,16,51,4,52,13,2,15
This entry was posted in NASCAR, NASCAR Gander RV Outdoors Truck Series,, NASCAR Wire Service, Track News and tagged Daytona International Speedway, Grant Enfinger, Jordan Anderson, NASCAR, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, NextEra Energy 250, ThorSport Racing by Fan4Racing. Bookmark the permalink.
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Chris Cockrum to Run Xfinity Race at Daytona, Hoping for More in 2021
Pitbull added to Trackhouse ownership
New look for Alex Bowman's No. 48 Ally Chevrolet
Joey Gase returning to Rick Ware Racing
Ty Dillon running some races for Gaunt Brothers? UPDATE


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MP & Silva Acquires Premier League Rights in Ukraine
Soccer - 18 Feb 2013
The Premier League is pleased to announce that MP & Silva has been awarded the live audio visual broadcast rights for all 380 Barclays Premier League matches per season for seasons 2013/14 – 2015/16 in Ukraine.
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said:
"We know MP & Silva well as they have acquired other Premier League rights for the 2013-2016 period, and in previous seasons. We are pleased to be working with them again and are confident that they will distribute all the best Barclays Premier League action in a comprehensive and innovative manner to fans in Ukraine."
Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva Group CEO, said:
"We are extremely excited by the final outcome of the media rights bidding for the Premier League seasons 2013-2016. With this latest addition of Ukraine, MP & Silva has now acquired Premier League rights in more territories than any other agency.
Our position today means we are a key driver of the Premier League's broadcasting internationally, exclusively distributing football content to a total of 49 territories. We are covering 24 territories in the Asia-Pacific region, 23 in the Middle East and North Africa region and 2 in Europe, reaching out to a combined total of almost 800 million people and a potential TV audience of 142 million households.
We are glad that the Premier League recognises our leadership in the market and we are looking forward to using our network of broadcasters to further engage coverage and audiences of top-class English football in those countries."
MP & Silva will be the exclusive distributor of the Barclays Premier League TV, mobile and digital media rights for 49 territories including of Ukraine, Netherlands, Indonesia, East Timor, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Chad, Djibouti, Somalia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, North Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Papua New Guinea.
About the Barclays Premier League
The Barclays Premier League is the biggest continuous annual global sporting event in the world. Last season more than 13m fans attended matches with average stadium occupancy in excess of 92% for the fourth season in a row. Across nine months of the year 380 matches are viewed in 212 territories worldwide. Coverage of the matches is available in approximately 720m households with an estimated cumulative global audience of 4.7bn
About MP & Silva
MP & Silva is a leading international media company that owns, manages and distributes television and media rights to some of the most prestigious sports events around the world. With an annual turnover in excess of USD 350 million, the MP & Silva's portfolio includes FIFA 2014 World Cup, Italian Serie A, English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Major League Soccer (MLS), Brazilian national league (Brasileirão), Arsenal Football Club, the AC Milan Channel, French Open at Roland Garros, eight ATP World Tour tennis tournaments, EHF Handball Champions League, DTM, World Baseball Classic, National Basketball Association (NBA), Spanish Basketball League (Liga Endesa), the Asian Games and more.
For more information please contact the Premier League Press Office on +44 20 7864 9190 or press@premierleague.com


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aviation News>
Crucial IndiGo EGM today; here's what is on agenda
aviation | December 29, 2021, 05:58 PM IST
By Anu Sharma | Dec 30, 2021, 06:27 AM IST (Updated)
India's top aviation company IndiGo will hold a crucial extraordinary meeting today. Shareholders are likely to take a decision on amending the company's Articles of Association which has been a key point of friction between the company's founders Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal.
The EGM has been called to make several changes to the AOA, which also include the removal of a clause which gives the promoters, Bhatia and Gangwal, the right of first refusal over the acquisition of each other's shares. A removal of this clause will allow either side to sell or transfer shares to a third entity without giving notice to each other.
Some officials say that this EGM may signal a truce because this has been called after joint requisition by both promoters and that there will be more clarity after the EGM. The legal tussle between the two promoters who own around 75 percent of the largest Indian airline became public in July 2019; the corporate battle even reached the London Court of Arbitration and recently in October, Gangwal had approached the Delhi High Court for enforcement of the London award.
(Edited by : Vijay Anand)
IndiGo EGM
Rahul Bhatia
Rakesh Gangwal


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Thousands Rally Against Right-to-Work in Wisconsin
Their numbers may pale in comparison to the peak protest rallies of 2011, but the passion was much the same for those who showed up Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to right-to-work legislation in Wisconsin.
Caroline Cournoyer | March 2, 2015
By Dennis Punzel
State officials pegged Saturday's crowd at between 2,500 and 3,000, a far cry from the 100,000 or so who turned out four years earlier at the peak of the protests against Gov. Scott Walker's Act 10 legislation that crippled most public-employee unions.
Scott Walker Makes Wisconsin the 25th Right-to-Work State
Wisconsin's Right-to-Work Bill Heads to Scott Walker
Right-to-Work Bill Passes Wisconsin Senate
Scott Walker Abandons His Re-Election Pledge to Unions
Why Scott Walker Still Has Some Union Support
Saturday's rally, organized by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, was slightly larger than those earlier in the week as the right-to-work legislation made its way through the state Senate. The Assembly will consider the bill this week and it is expected to move on to Walker, who has said he will sign the bill.
Many of the protesters conceded that there is no hope of stopping the bill, but that didn't stop them from coming out in frigid temperatures to express their displeasure with Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature.
They listened to about an hour of speeches from a variety of labor leaders from the public and private sectors. Most then marched around Capitol Square, many carrying signs or banners, while some went inside the Capitol to warm up and join the Solidarity Singers in song.
Anna Wheelock drove three hours from Antigo to attend the protest, mostly as a matter of principle.
"I came knowing it's futile as far as stopping right-to-work," she said. "But we're getting pumped up. It's reminding us to keep fighting. The more they push back against us, the stronger we're going to become. We're doing everything we can to let America know that Wisconsin is not behind (Walker)."
A number of protesters made a point of highlighting their outrage at Walker comparing protesters to Islamic State terrorists in comments last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Liz O'Donnell, of Columbus, got right to the point, carrying a sign that read, "I am not a terrorist." Her husband, Bill, carried another that read "... me either." The couple, both veterans and state employees, were dismayed that Walker, a likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate, would say such a thing.
"We've got two kids in the service," Liz O'Donnell said. "We don't want Scott Walker leading them. That would be terror."
Bill O'Donnell acknowledged that the effort to stop right-to-work was a "lost cause," but said he's trying to take a longer-term view of the opposition to Walker's anti-labor efforts.
"This guy is going to sign the bill, there's no doubt," he said. "But in the darkest days of World War II there were people in the resistance fighting back. This is the resistance."
The right-to-work law would prohibit private employers from negotiating union contracts that require all workers in a union shop to pay union dues.
Republicans claim they want to give workers freedom of choice when it comes to joining unions.
Walker said last week that right-to-work laws aren't the only reason a business might move to Wisconsin, but it can be a "disqualifier" not to have the provision.
Democrats counter that the law is another attempt by the GOP to financially cripple the opposition party. Unions maintain that it's only fair that workers who benefit from union representation pay their fair share of the cost.
"The Republicans vilify anyone they perceive to be freeloaders," said Bruce McCulloch of Madison, a retired member of the electrical workers union. "And yet they're creating a whole new class of freeloaders. All this is is a thinly veiled attempt to de-fund the unions."
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said the bill "will establish workplace freedom" and improve conditions for business investment.
But McCulloch pointed out that the Wisconsin Contractors Coalition of more than 400 business leaders has said right-to-work would hurt their businesses.
"Where is the public outcry that we need this legislation?" he said.
Bill Carroll of Teamsters Local 344, one of the speakers Saturday, urged union members to become even more active to fight off future attacks.
"If we don't do this we will die a death of a thousand cuts, one scab at a time," Carroll said. "The labor movement is just that -- it's a movement. We've always got to be on our guard and fighting the interests that want to squash us."
Bob Christofferson, a retired UW-Madison employee who lives in Columbia County, brought his dog, Augie, to the protests in 2011 and they came together again Saturday. Christofferson carried a sign that read "Animals for the ethical treatment of people" and joked that Augie, a black lab mix, was not a terrorist. "He's not even a terrier-ist," he said.
But he maintained that there's nothing funny about the Walker administration's repeated attacks on labor. And he said he's appalled that Walker has capitalized on that to strengthen his appeal to GOP primary voters.
"It's an example of how he has a separate reality that he imagines he's some heroic figure for being able to take money from the paychecks of kindergarten teachers," he said. "He thinks that makes him some kind of world leader."
(c)2015 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)
| @TribuneAgency


Hi, I am interested in your 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 (stock #1L8752) listed on Autotrader for $5,499. I'd like to get more information about this vehicle and confirm its availability.
The Burgman 650 Executive is Suzukis flagship scooter. It combines modern styling, scooter-style convenience for daily use, and full-size motorcycle performance for touring rides around town or on the highway. Suzuki Fuel Injection offers instantaneous throttle response, while the liquid-cooled twin cylinder engine makes awesome power. And, for convenient operation and incredibly smooth performance, it has a technically advanced Suzuki Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (SECVTTM). Large floorboards, spacious ergonomics, and ample seating for two (with well-padded seats) deliver comfort, while plenty of storage space (including a cavernous under-seat compartment) provides loads of convenience. The Executive model also comes standard with ABS brakes and a power windscreen. The Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive; Its the perfect blend of unique styling matched with unbeatable performance.


text:
You have searched for "convex mirrors"
Corporate News 11 Jan 2016 | 10:53 AM
Ni Hsin ends Buffalo trademark licence agreement
KUALA LUMPUR: Premium cookware maker Ni Hsin Resources Bhd has terminated its trademark licence agreement (TLA) with US-based Standardworld Holding Ltd, which holds the right to the Buffalo brand, so it can realign its direction to the original design manufacturer (ODM) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) markets.
Business 23 Nov 2015 | 12:59 PM
Ni Hsin ties up with MyAngkasa
KUALA LUMPUR: Ni Hsin Resources Bhd has tied up with MyAngkasa Holdings Bhd to market and distribute a new brand of stainless steel cookware called Pentoli.
Lifestyle 24 Aug 2014 | 12:00 AM
The making of a nation through art
Galeri Petronas gets a nostalgic makeover with 'MY Story: Transforming The Nation', which tells the history of our country through art.
Arts 23 Aug 2014 | 4:00 PM
Community 18 Feb 2014 | 12:00 AM
Public safety of utmost importance to council
ABOUT 140 closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) have been installed on Penang island and they are linked to the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) control room and the northeast district police headquarters.
Crime prevention brochures available at selected stores in Selangor
SHAH ALAM: Brochures on crime prevention and community policing will be made available at selected 24-hour convenient stores in Selangor.
Several residents weigh in on security and public infrastructure in the capital city
AS Kuala Lumpur celebrates the 39th Federal Territories (FT) Day, city folk are looking forward to big changes. But for some, it is the changes happening closer to home that will matter the most.
Community 20 Dec 2012 | 12:00 AM
Yap: Tackle problems before relocating night market
THE Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) has been urged to improve the conditions at Seri Kembangan Commercial Centre before relocating the night market there.
Council installs amber blinking lights at busy T-junction
FOUR amber blinking lights have been installed along Jalan Utama at Serdang Raya in Seri Kembangan to warn motorists of a dangerous T-junction.
Residents hope CCTVs will be installed in Section 14 to curb crime
THE increasing crime rate in Section 14, Petaling Jaya has residents hoping for closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to be installed in hotspots in the neighbourhood.


text:
Q: Htaccess URL rewriting id and name I have my own website and I want this like stackoverflow have
When you look at the url there is a nice url like: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40587870/javascript-variable-in-bootstrap-tooltip
When I only enter https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40587870 it send me to the full url.
This is what I have now: http://www.exmaple.com/projects.php?id=1
How can I make this on my own website?

A: You need some sort of database for this, which maps an id to its appropriate slug. This could be as simple as a text file containing the mappings, e.g.

41960970 htaccess-url-rewriting-id-and-name
  40587870 javascript-variable-in-bootstrap-tooltip

You can then define a RewriteMap
RewriteMap id2slug txt:/path/to/file.txt

and then use it in a rule
RewriteRule ^questions/([^/]+)$ /questions/$1/${id2slug:$1} [R,L]

This rule captures the id from the request and then redirects the client to the same URL with a slug appended.

Instead of a text file, you can also use other forms like dbm, dbd, or even an external program providing the mapping.
Be aware though, that RewriteMap is only available in the main server or virtual host configuration.

When you don't have access to the main config, you might simulate this with a script doing the redirect, e.g.
RewriteRule ^questions/([^/]+)$ /id2slug.php?id=$1 [L]

and in the script, retrieve the slug from a database and send back
$id = $_GET['id'];
$slug = ...;
header('Location: http://www.example.com/questions/' . $id . '/' . $slug);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: CountVectorizer().fit in scikit-learn Python gives Memory error I am working on an 8 class classification problem, Training set contains around 400,000 labeled entities, I am using CountVectorizer.fit() to vectorize the data, but I am getting a Memory error, I tried using HashingVectorizer instead, but in vain.
path = 'data/products.tsv' products = pd.read_table(path , header= None , names = ['label' , 'entry'])
X = products.entry
y = products.label
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, random_state=1)

# Vectorizing the Dataset
vect = CountVectorizer()
vect.fit(X_train.values.astype('U'))
X_train_dtm = vect.transform(X_train)
X_test_dtm = vect.transform(X_test)

A: You can set max_features which limit the memory usage of your vocabulary.
The right value really depends on the task so you should treat it as a hyper parameter and try and tune it. In NLP (english) people usually use ~10,000 as a vocabulary size. You can also do the same with HashVectorizer but you risk hash collusions which will cause multiple words to increase the same counter.
path = 'data/products.tsv' products = pd.read_table(path , header= None , names = ['label' , 'entry'])
X = products.entry
y = products.label
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, random_state=1)

# Vectorizing the Dataset
vect = CountVectorizer(max_features=10000)
vect.fit(X_train.values.astype('U'))
X_train_dtm = vect.transform(X_train)
X_test_dtm = vect.transform(X_test)


text:
Baseline Reports
Environmental and Social Safeguards Reports
You are here: Home / Blog / Frontpage Article / Akufo-Addo inspects GAMA's Kaneshie storm drain construction wor...
Akufo-Addo inspects GAMA's Kaneshie storm drain construction works
May 23, 2019 /0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, News /by Majeed
At Kaneshie First Light junction, where an emergency priority storm drain is being constructed, the project manager, Mr. George Asiedu (left), told President Akufo-Addo that the 630-metre-long storm drain will help end the perennial flooding that occurs in Kaneshie and its environs.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, inspected ongoing dredging works on the Odaw river, and the construction of a storm drain at Kaneshie First Light in Accra.
The Kaneshie First Light storm drain project is aimed at helping to alleviate the perennial flooding at the place.
The project is being implemented under the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources by the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project.
The Project is being funded by the World Bank.
Accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey; Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah; Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama; and the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, President Akufo-Addo first visited the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The site engineer on site, Mr. Wise Ametefe, told President Akufo-Addo that the dredging works currently ongoing are not limited to the Odaw River only, but to the Korle Lagoon and to the estuary.
Upon completion of the project, the site engineer stated that a number of recreational facilities will be constructed on the site of the Odaw River, as part of the Lower Korle Lagoon Redevelopment Project, and urged residents living around the River to desist from throwing refuse into the river, as it has made the process dredging quite difficult.
Mr. Wise Ametefe indicated further that dredging works will be done at Caprice, Avenor, and Agbogbloshie, all in Accra, and in the Korle Lagoon as well.
The site engineer assured President Akufo-Addo that the dredging of the Odaw River will be completed in 18 days' time, to which the President retorted, "I will come back in 18 days to check".
Photo: Ing. George Asiedu (extreme left), Project Coordinator of the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project, President Akufo-Addo and Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources at the Kaneshie First Light project site.
At Kaneshie First Light junction, where an emergency priority storm drain is being constructed, the project manager, Mr. George Asiedu, told the President that the 630-metre-long storm drain will help end the perennial flooding that occurs in Kaneshie and its environs.
"It is heartwarming to note that, after Monday's heavy downpour, there was no flooding at Kaneshie and its environs, even though the work has not been completed. Indeed, the project should have been completed by 15th April, but it is now set to be completed in June this year," Mr. Asiedu added.
Currently, there are some twenty-one (21) dredging and desilting works currently ongoing in Greater Accra. These include works ongoing at South Kaneshie, Sukura-Mampon, Mataheko, Kaneshie Highway, St Mary's at Korle Gonno, Calypso Drain at Kpone Katamanso, Awudome, Kwashie Bu, Bale Down Stream, Castle Drain at Klottey Lagoon and Agbogbloshie.
The rest are at Avenor (Kofi Krom), North Kaneshie (CMB Flats), Amasaman Market Drain, Dansoman (Ave Maria), Opete Kwei (Pambros), Chemu Channel, Tetegu, SCC Junction, Muss (Ofankor), and Shiabu-Glefe.
Additionally, there are 11 storm drains currently under construction at Odawna, Abeka, First Light (Kaneshie), Madina Maye Hot, Gbawe Drain, Awoshie Mangoase, Sukura Mampon, Haatso, Morton International School, Awudome Down Stream, and North Industrial Area.
Source: Graphiconline.com
http://www.mswrpcu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GAMA-New-Logo-Small-1030x719.jpg 0 0 Majeed http://www.mswrpcu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GAMA-New-Logo-Small-1030x719.jpg Majeed2019-05-23 09:18:352019-05-23 09:18:35Akufo-Addo inspects GAMA's Kaneshie storm drain construction works
Minister launches Project to improve Kumasi sanitation and water supplyNovember 25, 2020 - 11:52 am
World Bank approves US$125m additional funding for sanitation and water projectSeptember 28, 2020 - 2:00 pm
Ghana launches corona life TV series campaignJuly 16, 2020 - 11:29 am
Follow us on social media and support the cause 🙂
The GAMA Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana is World Bank grant of US$150 million to support the Government of Ghana's efforts to increase access to improved sanitation and improved water supply in the GAMA.
GAMA-SWP
P.O. Box MB. 50,
Tel: +233 (302)504739/40
+233 0208111602/0507443161
E-Mail: info@www.mswrpcu.com
MSWRPCU
A world bank initiative
© Copyright - Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project
Ministers` Visit to the GAMA-SWP M-Code and GAMA inspect toilet facilities in schools


"You seem to forget he inherited a dumpster fire from the gop"
" She pushed me under the flowing water and handed me the bottle of shampoo. " The icy sensation crept back into her chest and she could feel the ice tickle spots of her heart.
Then I watched Kayko stepping into the dress. I had gotten him pretty tame in the past 10 months, but he didn't like other people. "Well, like I said before, some people do not want to see other people naked.
I guess she went to the business partition of the store because when we met later she had bought some dark grey costume. I could have used the money.
It tasted so good. He was the last one there. "Oh boys, she's wet," he called out. He had given her the larger bedroom she snuggled up under the fluffy blanket for a while, but she was too nervous to fall asleep.
When I recovered I pulled out and lay back on the couch. It was so absurd that this hero would have an alter ego. Both smiled wicked smiles and looked greedily at the two boys. I held on tight and could not let go. "Ok JsmileYou go firstmake me want youxoxxo" Kelli shrieked as she translated what I had just said.
This discussion has nothing to do with ?Bronze Age mythology?.


Cabinetmaker, master builder, lay preacher and civil servant was born in Spalingham, England in October 1807. His parents were apparently people of means. Lazenby was musical and played the cello and the violin. His brother, a Master Mariner, owned his own ship. The family moved to Leeds where George was apprenticed as a cabinetmaker. He suffered from poor health and on medical advice, took sea voyages on his brother's ship visiting Western Australia about 1831.
The climate agreed with him and he saw opportunities for enterprise. On his return to England Lazenby prepared to migrate, sailing to the 'Swan River Colony' arriving in January 1833 on the Cygnet. Also on board were the Methodist banker Barnard Clarkson of Foggarthorpe Hall, and chemist George Shenton of Buriton Manor in England. The Clarkson and Joseph Hardey families had arranged for the migration to Western Australia of the 'Tranby' group of Methodists in 1830 so contacts and openings were already made. Lazenby made a success of his life in the new colony where he was a leader in the Methodist community.
Lazenby arrived with a considerable amount of cash and commenced business as a master builder and cabinet-maker as soon as he arrived. Both professions were greatly sought after in the new colony. In Murray Street, Perth, near where Royal Perth Hospital stands today, he built a comfortable house for himself followed by twelve cottages for rent and a store to supply building industry needs. In 1835, together with newly arrived Anton Helmich, he took up extra lots in the town and no doubt built on them as well. Curiously Lazenby was not listed in the 1837 census and it is possible he was visiting England in search of a wife.
Lazenby married Mary Ann Wells, daughter of Major Wells, on 1 January 1839 the day she arrived on the Brothers to join him. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Wittenoom in the Old Court House. They reared ten children, eight girls and two boys. The eldest Lucy, born 1840, married James Anderton Hall in 1858 and went to join him on his farm in the Canning and later in Roebourne. Samuel was speared by Aborigines in 1871 in the Northwest, Joseph (John F.) farmed on the Canning, Adeline married carpenter-cabinetmaker Edwin Duffield and Hannah married the Northwest explorer and pearler William Shakespeare Hall. Various artefacts belonging to this family are in the collection of the Western Australian Museum. Selena, b. 1843, married W. T. King and moved to Gingin, Joseph (John F.), b. 1844, worked the property on the Canning but by his father's death was on the Dundas goldfields, Mary Elizabeth, b. 1845, married Vernon Birch. Other children were Ellen, b. 1852, Agnes, b.1853, Jane Wesley, b.1859 who married Samuel John Rowe. Mrs Lazenby is said to have had a school in Perth for which her husband made the furniture. The Methodists were particularly keen on educating the girls in more than feminine graces and it may have been to educate their daughters that the school was commenced. The curriculum in 1845 included maths and geography.
Apparently Lazenby had a habit of looking at the ceiling while preaching. In defence the 'Chapel' people were a close-knit group who supported each other. Lazenby employed other Methodists; cabinet and pianoforte maker Joseph Hamblin, and apprentice Benjamin Mason being most notable. As a man of enterprise he tried to establish an export market for local timber, taking samples of furniture made from Jarrah to England aboard the Victoria in 1845. Hamblin's wife and son also sailed while Hamblin remained to run Lazenby's business.
Lazenby was in charge of the repairs to Government House in 1848 and was connected with the handsome jarrah cellarettes made at this time for Government House in Perth. These were most probably the work of Joseph Hamblyn/Hamblin who made him a sideboard of jarrah in 1846. The cellarettes have classic Regency lines – the style brought to the colony by the earliest settlers. The same people preferred their silver in this and Georgian style and as the periods represent a high period in both disciplines they retain their charm and usefulness and are treasured today. Hamblin who had undertaken a nine-year apprenticeship in England was consummate craftsman. According to Lazenbury's orbituary he ceased in business in 1856 and in 1862 became foreman of works for the Imperial Government supervising the erection of the Barracks and the Colonial Hospital. In 1869 he became Supervisor to the Perth City Council and Town Clerk until 1881.
Lazenby bought and built Cardup, near Byford. Here in the 1860s he built a two storey house, a flour mill, dammed a brook and bred cattle, pigs and horses. He also opened a claypit and burnt bricks. The brickworks later became Cardup Bricks still in operation in the 1990s. The son Joseph (John) worked the property in the 1860s. Lazenby died in his "Cedar Villa" in Lake Street, Perth, 9 June 1895 just short of eighty-eight years. He had been hale and hearty until three weeks before his death. When he died he was the oldest of the Methodists in Perth. His pallbearers included prominent Methodists Sir George Shenton, President of the Legislative Council, Walter Padbury, F. F. Armstrong and G. Glyde.


In this tutorial you will learn how to create a simple & smart web layout in Corel Draw. You will learn how to design a smart background, a sleek navigation bar and a neat content section.
Okay, now that you know the steps and elements, we will begin, first of all open your CorelDraw program, now create a new file and set the paper size to Custom and resize it to 30 x 19 cm.
Now that we have our worksheet set, now we will begin to create the Web Background, first go to the " Rectangle Tool ", you can found it on the left toolbar, make a Box shape and resized it same as our worksheet ( 30 x 19 cm ).
Lets put color on the Biggest circle, by going to the " Fountain Fill tool " in the left toolbar and apply the value below, you can create a custom color by double click on the color box.
Now create another box shape with " Rectangle Tool " and apply the value below.
Make the corner rounded by go to the " Shape Tool " in the left toolbar, click and drag the corner to make it rounded.
Arrange the shape on top of the Background.
We are going to make the box shape transparent by go to the " Interactive Transparency Tool " in the left toolbar, now go to the upper toolbar and set the transparency type into uniform.
Copy the Box shape into the bottom of the Background.
Okay now we are going to insert the Box Shape into the Background , select the Box Shape and go to the upper toolbar and find Effect > PowerClip > Place Inside the container, then you will see a black arrow, Left-click it to the Background, and now you will see that the Box Shape is inside the Background.
After that create a custom box shape with " Bezier Tool ", make sure the first click is connected to the last click or else you cant put color in it.
Now go to the " Shape Tool ", right click on the upper middle of the custom box shape and find " Convert to Curves " in the upper toolbar.
Now you see that theres an arrow in the corner of the custom box shape, click and drag in order to shape it, shape similar like below.
Put red color in it, then flip and copy the shape by pressing " Left + Right mouse " while hold and drag it to the opposite side.
Using same way as steps 5 select both of the shape and make it transparent.
Group the shape by selecting both of them and press " Ctrl + G " after that flip and copy the shape.
Now insert the shape into the background using " PowerClip " same as step 5.
Okay now we are going to add a circular texture into the background, go to the " Ellipse Tool " and create a small Circle shape.
Now copy the circle into the right side, make as many circle as you like.
After that copy it again, but this time copy it to the bottom of the original.
Now create a Circle on top of the Texture.
After that go to the upper toolbar and find Effect > Lens, after that set the lens type into fish eye and apply the value below.
After that select the texture and insert it into the Circle shape using " PowerClip " put red color in it.
Make it transparent using " Interactive Transparency Tool " and apply the value below.
Copy the Circle and arrange it on top of the Background.
Put the Circle inside the Background using " PowerClip ".
After that create another Circle using " Ellipse Tool ", put it anywhere outside the Background.
Now go to the " Interactive Shadow Tool " and drag it to the top of the Background select a white color for the shadow and appy the value below.
Break the shadow by pressing " Ctrl + K " this will make the shadow separate from the circle, and copy it into the bottom of the Background.
Put the shadow inside the Background using " PowerClip ".
Okay now create another Box shape using " Rectangle Tool " and apply the value below.
Create another box shape and arrange it on top of the previous one.
Make the corner rounded using " Shape Tool ".
Now select both of the box shape, and go to the upper toolbar find " Weld Tool " and press it.
This will make both of the shape combine, after that put red color in it.
Arrange it on top of the Background, and make it transparent using " Transparency Tool ".
Flip and copy the shape and arrange it on the bottom of the Background.
We are going to create the navigation bar, create a thin box shape using " Rectangle Tool " and apply the value below.
After that go to the " Interactive Contour Tool " in the left toolbar and apply the value below to create an outline.
Lets put color on the navigation bar by go to the " Fountain Fill Tool " and apply the value below.
Put red color on the outline.
Arrange the Navigation Bar on top of the Background similar like below.
Select the Outline and make it transparent using " Interactive Transparency Tool " and apply the value below.
Create a box in the Navigation Bar to make a highlight button using " Rectangle Tool " and apply the value below.
Make the corner rounded using " Shape Tool " and apply the value below.
Create an outline of the button using " Interactive Contour Tool ".
Put color on the button by go to the " Fountain Fill Tool " and apply the value below.
Put red color on the outline and make it transparent using " Interactive Transparency Tool ".
Using same steps as above create a search box on the Right side of the Navigation Bar.
Create a thin line using " Bezier Tool " to create a button separation.
Now we are going to create the content bar, go to the " Rectangle Tool " create a box shape and apply the value below.
Make an outline by go to the " Interactive Contour Tool " and apply the value below.
Put color in the content bar by go to the " Fountain Fill Tool " in the left toolbar and apply the value below.
After that arrange it on top of the Background.
Copy the flow elements on the Background and put black color in it.
Arrange it on top of the Contents Bar.
Put it inside the Content bar using " PowerClip ".
Now select the button in the Navigation Bar and copy it, after that arrange it on the left and right side of the Contents Bar.
Create an arrow shape using Bezier tool on top of the copied button.
Now create another box shape by go to the " Rectangle Tool " and apply the value below.
Create an outline by go to the " Interactive Contour Tool " and apply the value below.
Put color on the Box shape by go to the " Fountain Fill Tool " and apply the value below.
Arrange it on the bottom of the Contents Bar.
After that copy again the Flow element on the background.
Arrange it on top of the Shape that you previously create.
Put it inside the shape using " PowerClip " .


text:
Conference protesters
By JAHS, April 7 in In The News
19 minutes ago, juliann said:
Oh for heaven's sakes. You read stories. Meanwhile, you ignore piles of statistics. There is a difference between glamorizing suicide and talking about it. Maybe you can read some stories about that on your non factual sites.
Suicide is a serious problem amongst our youth. It deserves more scrutiny than a few stories.
I did no such thing, CFR.
Seriously? You really aren't reading what she said. But feel free to mischaracterize her if it helps your data free narrative.
I didn't mischaracterize Calm, CFR.
Storm Rider 5,914
Places Sun, Moon & Stars In The Sky
Location:Leesburg, Virginia
On 4/15/2019 at 10:47 AM, Tacenda said:
At the very end of the article it says that there should be open dialogue over the suicides. I know that Calm mentioned that it's not right to say the church is the reason or attribute the policy to the reason the suicides happened. She may have a point, but why not be open about how the policy could have attributed. Many gay LDS are very believing Mormons and having been told that if they act out on their inborn feelings, and having the church kick them out or condemn children over their decision to marry is what could contribute, amongst many other feelings. At most we as a society need to make it as safe for the LGBTQ crowd as possible. Not all but many have a gay member of the family or community somewhere and we know that these are not the horrible people some make them out to be. The church will not be forced to let them marry in the temple, IMO. Freedom of religion and all that. So the policy was all for naught and only hurt and devasted the LDS crowd and their families. And that is why the church changed their mind on this policy/revelation.
Safe for a specific group? Hmm, what does that look like? What about other groups? Who is safe and who is not?
When you drink the Kool-aid that the media is shoveling, you lose perspective. Step back and think about what is being said, what is actually happening, and what is reality.
You don't need to create reasons for suicide in the gay community - they seem to have a much higher rate of suicide than the majority of other groups. Come to think of it, white men commit suicide more than other groups. How should we make them feel more safe? Or is just being a man enough to make individuals want to kill themselves?
Is sexuality fluid? Read that question several times and then clearly understand the research - HUMAN SEXUALITY IS FLUID. What does that mean? It means that humans can express sexuality relatively easily between the two extremes of heterosexuality and homosexality. That "inborn feelings" thing you were peddling - that is balderdash and propaganda. Do humans feel things? Yes. Can they be drawn to an one end of the spectrum or the other? Yes.
My mom often told me that I could not go down the chimney without getting soot on me. The more times you experience something - as in the first time - the more easily it is to do it again. Before you know it guess what? You are "it". That goes for anything - from stealing, to drug addict, to either end of the spectrum on sexuality.
Tacenda, I really enjoy you. I enjoy your sweet approach to learning. Your challenge is that you are unanchored - you have lost your guiding star. To be a student of truth you must actually grab hold of truth and hold on to it when you find it. It prevents an individual from being blown about by every wind of conflicting doctrines that man creates. You are fighting against yourself and have been for several years now. Seek truth from sources of peace and leave off on those who sole purpose is to destroy, to cause contention, and who don't know truth if she was to hit them over the head with a three ton battle axe.
Edited April 22 by Storm Rider
1 hour ago, Storm Rider said:
Is sexuality fluid? Read that question several times and then clearly understand the research - HUMAN SEXUALITY IS FLUID. What does that mean? It means that humans can express sexuality relatively easily between the two extremes of heterosexuality and homosexality. That "inborn feelings" thing you were peddling - that is balderdash and propaganda. Does humans feel things? Yes. Can they be drawn to an one end of the spectrum or the other? Yes.
Thanks for your kind words Stargazer, I feel a lot less evil now.
On 4/13/2019 at 7:52 AM, gopher said:
Do you read any of Calm's posts? She has done an incredible job of gathering information provided by professionals who warn against drawing the types of conclusions you have drawn. And she is by far the most credible and trustworthy poster on this board so you can't easily dismiss what she has posted.
I think those members of my family who have suffered the tragic loss of gay children to suicide deserve to have accurate information. Do you agree?
Honestly, I believe you could put this article right up with those you disparage for saying being gay and Mormon could lead to depression and suicide. https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/depression-and-suicide?lang=eng
4 hours ago, Tacenda said:
Meaning what please? That it claims being gay AND a Latter-day Saint leads to depression and suicide? If so, please quote where it says that.
On 4/20/2019 at 11:07 PM, Tacenda said:
You are representing it as me excluding any discussion of the Church contributing to increasing vulnerabilities since you not providing my reason to not make those claims about the Church makes it appear that my concern was for the Church when my concern is actualky increasing vulnerability of those at risk; my argument was people shouldn't make inaccurate or unfounded statements as they may be contributing to increasing vulnerabilities by normalizing the idea of suicide.
Some of these inaccurate statements have been the policy caused an increase of suicide or that the Church is the primary cause because the best data available is contrary to both statements. Another inaccurate claim is that there is one cause for suicide when the research shows vulnerabity is highly complex with multiple contributors. I would challenge claims that homosexuality sexual behaviour itself was the cause of the increased risk of depression as I haven't seen any research that differentiates between those who experience same sex attraction but do not act on it with those who don't. If the research isn't there, people shouldn't be making claims as if it is.
Edited April 25 by Calm
I am not Stargazer - Storm Rider. 😁 I haven't read the entire thread; I just don't have that kind of time. I cannot tell if his is serious or you throwing shade my way. I hope you do not feel anyone thinks you are evil. I have never thought that of you to any degree.
Sorry Storm, getting a touch of that sometimers I guess. No, I don't think you thought I was evil, therefore the wink emoji.
5 hours ago, Calm said:
https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/depression-and-suicide?lang=eng The very first line hit me like a ton of bricks. Aren't they talking to LDS members who are gay? Gay and Mormon's website? Maybe I'm going crazy, but I'm sorry I even got into this conversation on the thread. My apologies if I offended with my comments.
People who experience same-sex attraction or identify themselves as gay may be at higher risk for depression or suicide.
You are representing it as me excluding any discussion of the Church contributing to increasing vulnerabilities as not giving the reason makes it appear that my concern was for the Church when my concern is increasing vulnerability; my argument was people shouldn't make inaccurate or unfounded statements as they may be contributing to increasing vulnerabilities by normalizing the idea of suicide.
This is over my brain dead head. Can I call a truce. I'm sorry.
On 4/21/2019 at 8:23 PM, Tacenda said:
I am not offended or even upset at this point, though I went significantly past frustrated earlier in the thread. I still believe it is very, very, very important to approach suicide and depression in mentally and emotionally supportive ways, which may not always be ways we think of as "common sense" according to research. To do so, we need to inform ourselves about the best way to talk about suicide and preferably not in a superficial way that can hurt more than it helps.
Is there any indication in that sentence that being a member of the Church is relevant to that higher risk? The Church isn't even mentioned in it, instead, it is a general statement, much like others found on secular websites discussing mental health and suicide, including various vulnerability factors.
The purpose of the website is informative to anyone who reads it, it is not just for or about gay members. In the About section, there is a purpose statement that is for that section, but can easily be applied to the entire website:
By establishing a common familiarity with these concepts, Church members can better prepare to have healthy conversations about same-sex attraction.
Whether readers are nonmembers or are members who identify as gay, have SSA, or are OSA, this website informs about the how, whys, and whats of Church doctrine and practices and how it impacts people's lives.
That should clearly not be read as every bit of info is meant to apply to all or only gay Mormons.
Avatar4321 3,746
On 4/7/2019 at 1:47 PM, JAHS said:
I have a feeling that for most baptism was not the issue; The issue was that the policy was something the church did to further distance itself from these families and children. To add insult to injury so to speak.
How can we move further away from people who had no affiliation with us to begin with and never wanted it?
On 4/11/2019 at 11:04 AM, The Nehor said:
Are you calling for an Inquisition here?
Worried about visits or having to do more work?
Do they have Iron Maiden's and racks we can borrow?
Iron Maiden? Excellent!
The families have notes and lived with their gay child. I wasn't there nor spoke face to face.
Did you read the article I posted? Toward the end there is a young man that quit believing and left a note that it was because he didn't believe.
If someone leaves a note that they can't not believe in the church and live in the LDS community and took their life over that then it's clear to me that someone could do the same thing over the Nov. 2015 policy that said what it did.
How can we be responsible for what people who dont believe the message we teach do?
The message of the restoration is hope through Jesus Christ. If people dont accept that hope how is it our fault?
7 minutes ago, Avatar4321 said:
Read the article and find out.
1 hour ago, Avatar4321 said:
I can worry about two things.
poptart 287
On 4/15/2019 at 8:26 AM, Stargazer said:
The problem is very fundamental. The only way to get around the problem is for the Church to go all out pro-gay. Same-sex temple marriage, etc. This isn't going to happen. So now what? Are we still going to blame the Church for suicides? The only suicide among people I have known was a young man who did so over chronic and severe depression.
And I have to ask if even with society now full on pro gay with marriage and everything, has the gay suicide rate gone down? I haven't heard that it has, and you'd think that if it were something remarkable people would be talking about it. Or maybe it is being talked about but I haven't heard the talk.
Something I read HERE indicates that LGBT youth commit or attempt to commit suicide at hugely increased rates over heterosexual youth. And this is a general condition -- is the LDS slice of the pie so much larger then, that we have to get super-exercised about it? I don't want anyone to kill themselves, but this blaming of LDS doctrine seems very much misplaced and exaggerated.
Something I'm curious about, just how much damage has been done to the church over LGBT issues?
1 hour ago, poptart said:
I think it is too complicated to tell from what I've seen as it may be seen as problematic in one section of the world, but then seen as quite positive in another, same thing with perception of different communities.
1 hour ago, Calm said:
Damage as in the LGBT doing whatever mean things they can to the LDS church over all this, including general ill will. People brush that off until people in places like the community treat you like absolute garbage, saw it in Seattle all the time.
46 minutes ago, poptart said:
The few LGBT who actually intend harm, yes...but I think likely minor in the long run (property damage and 'terrorist' type threats may end up creating more sympathy than harm). I think given our longtime teaching about homosexual behaviour, I highly doubt many on that current position held positive views of us in the past even if some have moved into more negative views. (Growing up in the Bay Area, I never heard anything positive about the Church from the LGBT community; at best from LGBT friends, I belonged to a community that was self righteously deluded just as many others were). General ill will as the Church gets painted as rigid, unloving, etc. by those who see it that way...yes, that can be a problem, one that might continue to grow causing more doors to be shut as not interested, but maybe some will be curious to hear how we see ourselves.
Hopefully both members and nonmembers will sooner learn to understand most are trying hard to do what it right for not only themselves, but others...but one generally needs to have that desire themselves to first be able to see it in others plus have at least some personal experience that has led to developing that kind of trust of others. If one's life experience hasn't been in line with that belief (someone trusted was malicious and intentionally harmful/abusive), it is understandable why they will reject that world view of others.
But I do believe a lot of people see the world as their extended family. I am grateful I have the Gospel that helps me see others as my brothers and sisters (not perfect, not always talking to each other, but people I want a part of my life when they and I get our lives together well enough to keep doors open).
3 hours ago, poptart said:
I suspect none
Stargazer 4,836
Observing the heavens since 1951.
Location:West Sussex, UK
Interests:Religion, science, technology, computers (especially computer programming), foreign languages!
On 4/25/2019 at 12:36 AM, poptart said:
I have no idea. I am aware of some people who have gone ga-ga over it. I tend to think that it is a small minority who are extremely loud, but like I said, I have no idea.
provoman 706
No hoax, true story.
what is the true story?


Well, it's upgrade time once again! April 23 marked the release of Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), so I'm going to run through a little review while I upgrade my laptop which is currently running Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex). Both my laptop and my desktop are running 8.10, but I use my laptop as my sandbox in case anything goes wrong. Honestly, I've been running Ubuntu since Edgy Eft (6.10) and have never run into any major issues. The last few upgrades have been ridiculously simple and headache-free.
When I install or upgrade Ubuntu, I try to put myself in the shoes of the novice in order to gauge the ease-of-use for the end user. My experience so far has been good, with minimal knowledge required to get your system up and running straight out of the box.
As a "best practice", I usually like to do a full update of the current system (Intrepid Ibex) before doing the upgrade. The upgrade will install all of the newer packages anyway, even if your system is not up to date. I'm impatient today, so we're going straight for the upgrade. So much for best practices, eh?
The number of packages required to download varies from machine to machine. Depending on what (and how many) packages you have installed will have an impact on the update process. In my case, I had to download 822 packages.
Alright, so you may have noticed that I'm not exactly running a bleeding edge system, but that is exactly the kind of system you want to try this out on.You get a good idea about an operating system's performance when you install it on less than state-of-the-art hardware.
The upgrade is slated to take about 3 hours, which is to be expected for my ancient laptop, aka Methuselah. The last time I upgraded my P4 2.8 GHz (2 GB RAM), the upgrade was complete in under an hour.
Now we play the waiting game while the updates install. Once the updates are being installed, there's really no need to hang around and stare at the screen as there are no prompts to wait for until the end. Of course, there will be a reboot.
Part II – Post Reboot Tracker Bug!
Once the upgrade completed and the reboot was initiated, we're treated to a smaller, sleeker, sexier splash screen. The logon screen has also been tweaked with a sleeker look.
Whether you hit yes or no, the initial "Index Corrupted" error message stays on the screen. Hitting Cancel or OK, has no effect, and Re-index all contents isn't an option right now, since we seem to be in a loop. Time to kill it.
I opened up a shell and ran top. tracker-indexer is running with the PID 3488, so let's kill it off. I also noticed that trackerd is also running, which looks like the daemon which is spawning tracker-indexer. Better kill that one off first.
I ran top again and saw no sign of tracker running. Finally I was able to close the Tracker error dialog.
If you're running into the same problem, you can disable indexing like so: System > Preferences > Search and Indexing > General > uncheck Enable Indexing and hit 'apply'.
Well OK. On reboot, tracker isn't harassing me to index anymore.
I'm not going to get into how to remove tracker, since this is just about the upgrade. Unfortunately, this is an annoying little bug which I hope the folks over at Canonical will address quickly. Otherwise, the process was similar to previous upgrades (Gutsy Gibbon, Intrepid Ibex).
So that's it. A "relatively" painless upgrade + 1 annoying and obvious bug. New features? Haven't discovered them yet. Will I upgrade my primary machine? Not yet. I'm still a fan of Ubuntu, but we'll test drive the old laptop for a few weeks first.
I've now updated my main machine to Jaunty. Prior to doing so, I made sure that Search and Indexing was disabled first, and on reboot the tracker bug didn't manifest. So, all in all, a very smooth upgrade with an easy to avoid minor bug. I'm using Gnome at the moment, and dialog boxes have clearer and sharper lines. At first glance the upgrade is easier on the eyes and performance feels lighter, with snappier window switching. So far so good.
P.S. If any of this was at all helpful, we'd love to hear your comments!


text:
Insider Buying: Advantage Energy Ltd. (TSE:AAV) Senior Officer Buys 2,000 Shares of Stock
Advantage Energy Ltd. (TSE:AAV – Get Rating) (NYSE:AAV) Senior Officer Geoffrey Keyser purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$8.86 per share, for a total transaction of C$17,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$302,347.50.
Advantage Energy Stock Performance
Shares of AAV stock opened at C$8.85 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is C$10.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$10.44. Advantage Energy Ltd. has a 52 week low of C$5.98 and a 52 week high of C$12.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.56. The company has a market cap of C$1.52 billion and a PE ratio of 2.98.
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Advantage Energy (TSE:AAV – Get Rating) (NYSE:AAV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 27th. The company reported C$0.21 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$138.69 million during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Advantage Energy Ltd. will post 1.9600001 EPS for the current year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AAV. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Advantage Energy from C$16.50 to C$14.50 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. CIBC decreased their target price on shares of Advantage Energy from C$13.50 to C$12.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Stifel Firstegy restated a "buy" rating on shares of Advantage Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a C$14.25 target price on shares of Advantage Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 13th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Advantage Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from C$14.00 to C$12.00 in a research note on Monday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Advantage Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of C$13.55.
Advantage Energy Company Profile
Advantage Energy Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, exploits, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the Province of Alberta, Canada. The company focuses on the development and production of oil and natural gas resource that includes 228 net sections covering an area of 145,920 net acres of Doig/Montney rights in Glacier, Valhalla, Progress, and Pipestone/Wembley.
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Part of a national organisation which has links with other projects in Letchworth, Leeds and Bury.
Dedicated to supporting over 2500 young people through their infant, primary and secondary school education in Tring and the surrounding villages.
Managed by a group of teachers, business and community representatives.
Build a greater understanding of the learning needs of young people through a shared partnership between schools and the business community.
Develop common learning policies compatible with providing these greater opportunities for young people to enhance their education.
Research and support new ways of delivering the National Curriculum by improved communication between schools, businesses and the community.
Support the learning opportunities for young people by providing new technology and other learning aids.
Identify and support teacher training needs.
Promote lifelong learning opportunities for all sections of the community.
Developed greater co-operation between all schools.
Improved co-operation between schools, business and the local community.
Held a joint staff education training day for all schools to provide for greater awareness of our aims and objectives.
Funded joint education training days for staff development in specific subjects.
Established seven subject liason groups tp identify and implement areas of curriculum development.
Enhanced learning opportunities for pupils, staff and parents through provision of new technology in all schools.
For Goldfield School the last point actually meant that we received new computers for the children, a fax machine and a scanner for the staff.


text:
Home | News
Is Remedial Math Going the Way of the Dinosaur?
In the News May 4, 2018 The Hechinger Report
A stunning drop in remedial math enrollments at community colleges across the country makes clear that a set of reforms designed to eliminate arbitrary barriers to student success are having a big impact, as reported in a new Hechinger Report piece by Senior Project Director, Pamela Burdman.
HECHINGER — Math proficiency requirements, intended to provide students a foundation for college success have too often functioned as filters that arbitrarily prevented students from progressing in their education. Remedial math is not yet extinct, but the new policies being implemented in California and other states have the potential to improve college success and also narrow equity gaps for hundreds of thousands of students across the country.
At first, they were isolated experiments. Community colleges were rolling back their remedial math requirements. Students who would have been required to take anywhere from one to four remedial courses were being placed into shorter sequences of remedial courses – or directly into college-level math courses.
The trend toward dismantling traditional remedial education is unambiguous. Even before California became the latest state to adopt policies limiting remedial enrollments, community college remedial math course-taking had dropped dramatically, falling 30 percent over a five-year period, from 1.1 million to around 780,000.
That decline, recently documented in a survey of math and statistics departments by the Conference Board for Mathematical Sciences (CBMS), is great news for students. Though remedial math was intended to help students succeed in college, research has demonstrated that the courses don't enhance students' chances of completing college and can even worsen them. Plus, the placement tests traditionally used by colleges tend to under-place a significant portion of students, sending them to remedial courses they don't need. Disproportionately, these are students of color.


text:
the world of della mortika
The year is 1888. The place is Melbourne, Australia, not the Melbourne we know today but an alternate one in an alternate universe.
In this world the industrial revolution occurred 150 years earlier than in ours; early efforts at developing electricity were thwarted so that there is no electricity; and machines are powered by steam.
Technical advances have been made – mechanical computers, super-spring technology and flight. On the other hand, this world is not socially or culturally advanced.
Poverty and danger abound; the environment is polluted; ruthless captains of industry flout the law; and children are neglected and exploited.
AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY
The Della Mortika world has diverged from the common view at two important points in history:
i. The Italian Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution started in the early 1600s, 150 years before it did in our world. It started in Italy where Giovanni Baptista della Porta from Naples first invented the steam pressure cooker, was heavily influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's inventions and was funded by the de Medicis, which led to an earlier, more diverse, steam-powered revolution. Thus by the 1880s steam was powering not only industrial machines, but also a variety of other machines, notably flying contraptions and calculating engines. Accompanying this was a more Italian influence on design, particularly in the transport and fashion areas. Thus the world of the Della Mortika Sisters resulted from a divergence that happened because of intelligence (Della Porta), invention (Da Vinci) and philanthropy (de Medici) all set off with a touch of Italian design.
ii. Electricity Pioneers' Tragedy
A tragedy occurred at the Paris World Fair in 1867. All the pioneers in electricity were there, including Swan, Tesla and Edison, attending a demonstration of Edison's electric light when it exploded, blowing up the entire pavilion, killing all the participants. This set back the invention of electricity for decades. No-one claimed responsibility for causing this tragic occurrence but at the time there were reports of a tall, thin, shadowy figure slinking from the scene.
By 1888 when the Della Mortika sisters are in Melbourne, electricity has still not been invented, although there are rumours that brilliant inventors (who reportedly are on their way to the Antipodean World Exposition that year) are working on a secret new power source. Slanderous stories are going around Melbourne that that power is what is known as "electrickery."
THE DELLA MORTIKA WORLD IN 1888
One highly important consequence of these two happenings is that the Victorian era became much more advanced technically. This was accompanied by greater interest in innovation and invention. So much so, in fact, was this the case that even the Queen and her Albert were immersed in invention.
i. A world of elegance and excellence in engineering design
The Della Mortika World is a result of 150 years of invention and mechanical and steam-powered industry. This has produced a society that is rich in engineering excellence:
Clockwork mechanics has been refined and expanded to produce amazing mechanical contraptions, from tiny watches to large wind-up vehicular items. Spring technology has progressed to great heights, with huge amounts of energy able to be stored therein.
Mechanical and computing machines are well advanced. Charles Babbage had received extensive royal backing for his analytical machine and so was able to build and improve his technology, so that it was greatly advanced in this world.
Steam power has progressed, to not only drive machines for industry, but also to drive many and diverse machines inspired by :
da Vinci, such as flying machines,
della Porta, such as high pressure boilers
Stevenson, such as the locomotive
Babbage, such as the difference engine
Zeppelin, such as the dirigible
Natural sources of energy have been harnessed, such as wind and moving water which when combined with steam produce formidable forces.
Design has also been influenced by industry's Italian beginnings. Elegant is the word to describe machines and fashions of this time.
Predominantly, the laws of nature and physics will be as they are in our world. However, fantastical science and the supernatural (as opposed to religious beliefs) exist. Here, there are no wizards, magic, wands or spells. There are on the other hand, alchemists, astrologers, numerologists, phrenologists, science –based ghost hunters and other fringe-dwelling scientists.
 ii. Melbourne, a city under steam power
Gold was discovered in Victoria in 1851 and Melbourne is a thriving city because of it. Migrants flocked to Melbourne to find gold and brought with them a treasure trove of cultural diversity and innovation.
The resulting expansion of industry under steam has come at a cost to a city like Melbourne. Victoria is rich in coal deposits, so steam is produced by burning coal, which produces a dirty smoke byproduct. Melbourne is a Victorian city smothered in coal-fuelled smog. This has extended to the rural areas close to Melbourne, which look more like the Yorkshire Moors than the lush countryside we know.
The city has landmarks that push through the smog to become part of the skyline:
the BVB PowerStation (named after the Baron von Barbicon, a great captain of industry) sits high on a hill overlooking the city belching out its putrid smoke day and night;
the asylum sits on the hill opposite to the PowerStation;
the emporiums, office buildings and government buildings;
the Town Hall;
Luna Park;
the Skipping Girl Orphanage;
the Flinders Street locomotive station;
Port Melbourne;
the State Library;
the Showgrounds;
the University and the Inventorium;
the Sky Port where zeppelins and other flying machines hang and move in and out;
the Museum;
Pentridge Prison;
the Botanical Gardens;
the Planetarium
the Queen Victoria Hospital
the Great Telescope
the Victoria Barracks
The city centre sits on a mile square grid of streets crisscrossed by cable cars. The main streets are broad, but the lanes behind buildings are narrow and dark. By day, the city is busy with people on foot, in stovercraft, or windup short trip cars.
At night, the city streets are lit by gas lamps, which throw a weak circular light into the smog. Paddle steamers move up and down the Yarra River day and night. Suburbs spread out from the City Centre in a less planned fashion.
iii. The Values
The values of the Della Mortika World are similar to those of our Victorian society. Human life, family and freedom are valued, as are respect for property, honesty in dealings and the value of hard work. Position, status and wealth are respected.
Over and above these however, are valued the traits of intelligence, creativity and innovation. Wealth is measured in patents, trademarks and copyrights. Theft of IP is punishable by death; whereas petty theft is punishable by a day in the Carousel of Shame, a Della Mortika version of the stocks. To be labeled a dunce is to suffer a humiliating ostracism. To be named as a Luddite is social death (as well as time in the C of S). To present yourself elegantly is expected; beauty is not mandatory for social acceptance. Respect for others is required in the form of good manners. Bad manners will see the perpetrator in the C of S.
Education is prized in the Della Mortika World. Not going to school brings a half day in the C of S. Schools are provided by the colonial government.
Animals are respected in this society. They are not used as beasts of burden. People do not eat animals. People keep robotic animals and birds on perches, not real animals. They do keep pets however, such as cats and dogs. They do not ride horses. There are no abattoirs, no tanneries, no fishing. Farming is restricted to market gardens and fibres used to produce cloth. The textile industry has evolved to produce fabrics which closely resemble leather and are more durable than leather, obviating the need for real leather. Furs are banned. Cruelty to animals is punishable by dunking in the river Yarra followed by a protracted period in the C of S. These people are particularly targeted by the animal-loving public who pummel them with rotten tomatoes and apples supplied for the purpose at the markets in which the Carousel is usually situated.
iv. The Society
Della Mortika society is basically a Victorian style society. There is class structure based on wealth. The hierarchy reflects the values of the society (refer below).
Monarchy (V & A are great inventors; the V&A Museum is actually the most famous Inventorium in the world).
Successful inventors
Investors (people with money who don't invent)
Public Servants (politicians, army, politicians)
Professionals (doctors, lawyers)
Deal makers (business people)
Service Industry workers
Others (There is certainly an underclass here, who live in poverty).
Some people make a living from investing in, inventing, manufacturing or selling inventions. This economy is supported by people who work in service industries. In addition, artists are seen as visual inventors and are respected. There is great respect for the Monarchy as Victoria is a British Colony. The Governor of Victoria is a member of the Royal Family. (One such governor was sent home at a time when there was a series of particularly nasty murders occurring in the city!)
People with servants are considered to have failed – you don't have a machine for that? – is the question they are asked.
Famous people, in particular female inventors of the time, are often seen visiting Melbourne, as travel is speedier than in pre-steam days and Melbourne has a reputation for being a centre of innovation excellence.
Post was the preferred form of communication, with steam power speeding the process greatly.
v. Government
The British Empire is at its peak. Victoria is a colony of Britain, as is NSW. Victoria was granted responsible government by the Imperial Parliament by the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Thus was established the Victorian Parliament. The government taxes its citizens and funds schools, hospitals, the public service including the police and the army, universities and the Inventorium. Private funds raised through sale and export of inventions pay for infrastructure costs and improvements to transport and communications.
vi. Current Events
The 1888 Antipodean World Exhibition is about to take place in the Exhibition Gardens and Buildings in Melbourne.
The BVB Steam Power Company has just announced record profits.
Victoria is at war with NSW over resources. The disputed area is that around the NE border of Victoria, an area thought to be rich in gold and coal. War is a battle of engineering inventiveness and is very properly conducted. It is a source of innovation in weaponry and is tolerated by the society for this reason.