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Social Valuessplash2023-01-09T16:24:35+00:00
Clients & Awards
POD Architects support The Architecture Foundation through monthly donations. The Architecture foundation is a coalition of architects, clients, professionals and the public campaigning for a better built environment in the city and society. Find their website and support them here.
POD Architects have made regular monthly donations to UNICEF for the last 5 years and continue to do so.
The built environment has a huge effect on our sense of well-being, and as such, we see it as our responsibility to create spaces that are memorable, comfortable, and engaging. We achieve this through innovative design solutions and our continued research into the latest sustainable construction methods.
No two sites are the same and therefore each project must have a unique response. Our design ethos is driven by a deep understanding of the local history, the stories of the residents, and the vernacular architecture of each site.
With public and private stakeholders seeking to create financially sustainable and socially engaging places, the key to successful placemaking lies in part in understanding place on a local level. The social responsibility of POD Architects is in believing that architecture can create better places, that architecture can affect society, and that it can have a role in making a place civilised by making a community more liveable. This is one of the key drivers through POD's design work.
Supporting charities, Community Groups and Organisations
POD is underpinned by the strong commercial base described within our Place Making. This allows the opportunity for some humanitarian projects to take place that furthers our social responsibility and research. POD has been working in Northern Greece on design initiatives for refugee camps. It involves collaboration with the Worldwide Tribe and the Global Practice Unit. The project has developed dignified solutions for the refugees and has curated an exhibition, completed a school, and has developed a new community space for the residents of the camp.
POD have a collaborative working style which allows clients to bring their knowledge and experience into the design process. We have a system which tracks the design process to understand the development and stakeholder requirements and to determine the priorities. POD has developed its collaborative style to encourage client involvement in producing creative and commercially viable design solutions that make the most of challenging sites and spaces. POD engage with a number of consultants and key stakeholders by identifying the potential of large town centre sites to influence wider town developments. This allows us to deliver appropriate developments that are highly supported by consultants and a proactive design team.
From the outset POD recognise that there needs to establish clear lines of communication and we seek to establish a clear brief for our projects. From this we seek to establish strong connections with key stakeholders such as the local authority and design review panels. Many of the projects Pod are involved in feature strategically important sites, such as the Church Shopping Centre in the heart of Caterham which are closely linked to local authority masterplans. Such key sites require engagement at the outset in order that we can deliver on the full potential. Often Pod and the wider design team can use their expertise to engage with the senior local authority figures such as head of the council or chief executives. This is why we see engagement as critical to driving projects forward.
POD Architects knowledge and expertise in Building Information Modelling will bring added value to the project, enabling a truly collaborative design environment to deliver an exemplary scheme. BIM is transformable when applied well to projects, greatly reducing waste, enabling collaboration and increasing the value of project outcomes. Combined with the emphasis we place on collaboration with our multidisciplinary teams this puts us in a unique position. Our ability to create coordinated structures and service models provide us with insight into the existing and proposed site conditions.
Architects Declare
POD Architects are signatories of Architects Declare who advocate change in the construction industry regarding climate change. The open letter declares a climate and biodiversity emergency and calls for positive action in the construction industry. Find their website and support them here.
POD Architects is committed to going green and tackling climate change by creating a sustainable environment. With this in mind, POD Architects have developed the expertise to calculate carbon efficiencies of buildings and whole life carbon modelling.
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Steve Smith is not one to get overly excited, but the third-year coach of the Johnstown-Monroe High School softball team can't wait for the season to begin.
The Johnnies have five starters back from a team that finished last season 13-14 overall and third (8-6) in the MBC behind Northridge (13-1) and Loudonville (9-5). They also have a standout move-in and a talented freshman class, making Smith optimistic.
"I'm not one to get excited, but I can't wait to see how we come out and play," Smith said. "All of the kids are good athletes, they have a great attitude and they are definitely gifted girls all the way through. Plus, we have been hitting the ball for a change in the preseason and putting it in play. We only had three strikeouts in our three scrimmages, which is great."
The Johnnies, who have moved to the LCL, open with a league game Monday, March 31, at Northridge.
Returning starters are senior second baseman Ashley Bush, senior shortstop Natalie Carpenter, senior outfield Hallie Grinstead, sophomore pitcher Maddi Lusk and sophomore catcher Erin McConnell.
Carpenter (.382 average, .584 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, 3 triples, 10 RBI) was second-team all-league last year and Lusk (.369, .565 OBP, 3 homers, 17 RBI) was honorable mention all-league. In the circle, Lusk was 9-11 with a 3.09 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 132 innings.
Also back from last season are senior outfielder Sierra Reynard and junior outfielder Courtney Fuller.
Junior Anna Torres is a left-handed pitcher who came to Johnstown from Virginia.
Rounding out the roster are freshmen Jordan Dingess (3B), Brianna Potter (OF), Abby Schaffer (INF/OF), Mikala Smith (P/1B) and Sydney Stefanick (P/INF/OF).
"We haven't been this deep in pitching in a few years," Smith said. "We have Maddi, Anna and Sydney, who are all really good.
"One thing I am concerned about is our youth. We are going to have a lot of young kids playing a lot of innings, and even though they seem to have a very good mindset and a good head for the game, you just never know until the season starts."
The baseball team is led by first-year coach Justin Richards, who is in his second stint with the program after leading the Johnnies in 2011.
That season, the Johnnies finished 15-9, losing to Heath 7-2 in a Division III district final. It was the program's first district-final appearance since 2006. Johnstown also finished third (9-5) in the MBC that season, behind Fredericktown (12-1) and Utica (10-4).
Richards replaced interim coach Todd Sammons, who went 1-1 after second-year coach Anthony Cleveland resigned during the final week of the 2013 regular season. The Johnnies finished 9-17 overall and tied Loudonville for fourth (6-8) in the MBC behind co-champions Fredericktown and Northridge (both 12-2).
"I took my time off, figured out where I need to be and I'm glad to be back," said Rich-ards, whose team opens Monday, March 31, with an LCL game at Northridge.
"I'm happy to be back, and we have a great group that is ready to go. Hopefully, we can have a season like we did the first time around. I think we're headed in the right direction."
Johnstown has three starters back in seniors Clayton Bullard (C), Josh Kirkpatrick (1B/P) and Zach LaRue (P/2B).
LaRue (3-3, 32 strikeouts, 10 walks, 3.00 ERA, 42 innings) was honorable mention all-league last season. Bullard batted .300 with 16 RBI, and Kirkpatrick was 3-5 with a 4.51 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 24 walks in 45 innings.
The Johnnies had five players transfer to Northridge, including first-team all-league second baseman Jakob Cramer (.389 batting average, 15 runs, 10 RBI). The others were senior Nic Walker (P/OF) and juniors Trent Baughman (3B/P), Andrew Hollis (P/INF) and Anthony Hollis (P/INF). Because of OHSAA rules, they cannot play in the first 13 games.
Also back from last season are seniors Sam Branstool (utility/P), Harrison Johnson (utility) and David Schaller (OF/P) and juniors Brendan Barasch (OF) and Cody Rayburn (3B/P).
"We spent the first few weeks of practice working on fundamentals and they seem to be catching on," Richards said. "After two scrimmages, we had only given up two runs and committed one error, which is a pretty good start.
"We're still not there with the bats, but pitching and defense wins championships. We need to hit the ball and have some good at-bats."
Seniors new to varsity are Blake Burton (OF), Adam Fahner (2B), Jimmy Knisley (OF/P), Michael Newlon (OF/P) and Ryan Torres (OF), a move-in from Virginia.
Rounding out the roster are juniors Ethan Clift (SS), Trent Coe (OF) and Zack Fleming (C/OF) and sophomore Dalton Hastings (INF).


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The approach to Santeri's paintings is aesthetically pleasing for their subtlety, clarity and beauty. The simple forms are striking, the result of the direct, unhesitating but delicate action of a spray that seems to caress the canvas. A closer look reveals the associations of more or less recognizable forms from an everyday environment, a union of objects and natural elements that one imagines surround the painter in his daily chores and define a way of life.
A bit haiku, a bit mantra, a bit hieroglyphic; the ensembles depicted produce some form of visual poetry. The relationships of seemingly unconnected elements generate a mysterious unity reminiscent of improvisation and jazz tempos. The free associations and the carefree graphic style invoke the casual drawings on napkins, the almost unconscious doodles made during a telephone conversation.
We can guess in the painter the ability to perceive beauty and capture its essence, the product of a mixture of patient attention, philosophical meditation and sentimental journey. The virtue of turning the most mundane into an object of contemplation and making poetry out of the most prosaic, based on deep listening and attentive observation: two meditative ways of inhabiting the environment.
Santeri's work is a search for balance between the initiatory and spiritual transcendence of the alchemists, the unproductiveness of play, aesthetic minimalism and the punk attitude of ignorant style. An exercise in formal reduction and ordinary mysticism. Through his work the door is opened to an experience that is at once metaphysical, playful and irreverent. An invitation to be present and to the dissolution of the self in the face of the abyss of existence.
Words by Maite Muñoz Iglesias
Born in Lappeenranta, Finland in 1982 | Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland
Lehto uses a kind of minimalism, and carefully considered analytical naivety, as his stylistic means. First the viewer notices the childish nature of the works and a certain kind of visual simplicity, but the immersion in the symbolic space of the paintings reveals their completely different, almost paradoxical nature. The deconstruction of Lehto's paintings reveals how visual simplicity underscores the extremely complex and endless question and mystery of existence. So maybe the most important thing in Lehto's works is not what you see, but what you can't see.
Santeri Lehto graduated as a visual artist from the Lahti University of Applied Sciences' Art Institute in 2013 and as a puppet designer from the School of Arts and Crafts in 2005. He has held many solo and group exhibitions, latest at DOJO in 2021 and TM Gallery in 2019. He took part in the Young Artist' Exhibition at Kunsthalle Helsinki in 2011 and his works are found in numerous private collections. Next solo exhibitions coming up 2022.
© 2022 Santeri Lehto

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The jokes, puns, allusions, references, word puzzles, innuendo, and flat out pratfalls never stop in Paul Beatty's The Sellout. My poor brain feels it is missing half of the comedy, even while it is laughing and sighing and gaffawing. Don't get me wrong, this is serious satire, extremely well-done, and I am in love with Mr. Beatty's technique, deft understanding, and careful depiction.
I'm near the end of this novel and I've slowed down my reading considerably because this is a story I don't want to ever end.
It hit me today how fast-paced and funny the pathos of The Sellout is. Like a Rodney Dangerfield routine, or a Tom Robbins riff, Paul Beatty is able to say what we really think – all of it – even the parts we hide from ourselves. It's not that life doesn't matter and nothing is sacred in his writing, it is that everything is sacred and everything is here and gone and it doesn't matter at all, but it felt like something and that feeling is life.
It's the best thing about reading fiction, to me. That feeling. That life.
There are three kinds of novels: the one you stop reading, the one you mean to read but keep forgetting to read, and novels like The Sellout, the kind that threatens to take over your life, demanding to be read now. I am an L.A. native. I love to read stories set in L.A. Paul Beatty has caught the feelings, the thoughts and fears, and the unspoken truth of life in L.A. So far, not a single word has rung untrue.
As I've said, Paul Beatty's The Sellout: A Novel is an extremely visual novel. There is so much I could sketch that it is hard to decide. Then I read this quote, from Kindle Location 853, which includes its own suggested musical accompaniment, and the decision was easy.
I'm trying out a brand new nib. Up until now I've been using Speedball Sketching Project Set ">Speedball nibs. I've been learning about how to use the different sizes. I decided to try MyLifeUNIT Tachikawa Comic G Nib, Manga G-Pen Nib, Pack of 3 ">manga nibs and, be still my heart, I'm in love with them.
For some reason I thought using a Speedball 108 nib for the lettering would be a good idea. Oh well.
Also, that's the first horse I've drawn that even comes close to looking like a horse, so I'm happy.
Normally I dislike info dumps. I've stopped reading a novel or two because of the heavy handed lecture material. So far, I'm loving the way Paul Beatty is using factual information and, as I read, I find I want more and more of the information – factual information as well as fictional portrayal of ways of being – that Paul Beatty is sharing.
Today's sketch is from page 46 of The Sellout: A Novel ">The Sellout. I don't mean to be oblique in what my sketches portray, at the same time I feel I must avoid anything approaching a spoiler. The quote is a real quote, not made up by me. If you want to better understand the sketch, I invite you to read along, . I think is going to be a fantastic novel.
I sketched this in a Global Art Materials Field Watercolor Artist Journal Hand Book, 8 by 8-Inch ">Field Watercolor Journal, using Speedball General Purpose Pen Set two penholders and six pens ">Hunts Speedball nibs and Daler Rowney Simply Black India Ink, 1 oz ">Daler Rowney Black India Ink and Sennelier Watercolor Metal Bx 12 Half Pan Set ">Sennelier watercolors.
I've started a new book, without finishing my old so the next couple of days could be sketches from either. The new book is The Sellout by Paul Beatty. I've never read Paul Beatty before and I'm not far enough into the book to tell where it is going. I love his use of imagery. I think my bear looks more like a Dancing Bear than a Funshine bear, but that's the point, right? We read books, and form our images from our own experience.


Hampton Area Guide - What makes Hampton so great?
Where do Hampton locals go?
Voted one of the top 50 gastro pubs in the UK. On sunny days, grab one of the booths in the back garden.
Located right next to Bushy Park, it is open every day of the year! It holds frequent concerts around the pools that are always sold out. It's one of Hampton's hidden gems!
Whether it's lazing away the summer days watching cricket with a pint from the clubhouse or taking a chilly winter walk to watch the deer, Bushy Park is always a winner!
A picturesque café and restaurant in the Woodland Gardens of Bushy Park. Great, fresh food, cakes, drinks and ice cream.
Really popular cycling shop in the heart of Hampton Wick and right by Bushy Park.
Not just a garden centre. The renovated café is a lunch destination for locals in its own right.
Almost too good to share... Cakes, coffees, delicious wraps and sharing boards.
Encompassing two nature reserves and once home to The Hounslow Gunpowder Works, this beautiful park has some interesting historical features and is somewhere that we love to walk our dog.
A great local pub along Teddington's High Street that does a fantastic Sunday lunch.
Friendly staff, always showing sports - whether it's football, cricket or darts - and a nice beer garden out the back with heaters for when it's chilly. Plus, they sell really good oysters!
A peaceful and safe two acre walled garden in Sunbury Park.
Share your favourite place to go to in Hampton.
"Did you know that you need to have written permission to touch a pelican in London's Royal Parks?"
Deer watching in Bushy Park is fantastic on the weekend!
As well as tours of the palace, there is plenty to see at Hampton Court!
I love walking through the beautifully planted gardens at Hampton Court Palace on a sunny day.
I like the outdoor heated swimming pool in Bushy Park – particularly in the winter with mist coming off the water – Hampton Court Palace and of course, the Thames and boating.
I love Hampton because of Bushy Park and the eccentric individuals that live in the area!
What do you think of Hampton?
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is served by Hampton railway station. The Anglo-Saxon parish of Hampton included present-day Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick and Hampton Court which together are called The Hamptons. The name Hampton may come from the Anglo-Saxon words hamm meaning an enclosure in the bend of a river and ton meaning farmstead or settlement. It is near Bushy Park and the shopping town of Kingston. The Hampton Heated Open Air Pool is one of the few such swimming pools remaining in Greater London. The riverside, on the reach above Molesey Lock, has many period buildings including Garrick's House and Shakespeare's Temple, also on the river is the Astoria Houseboat recording studio. Hampton Ferry provides access across the Thames to East Molesey.
What are your favourite things about Hampton? Find out how much your flat or house is worth om Hampton.
Feedback about living in Hampton has been submitted directly by the public and may not neccessarily reflect the views of Foxtons. The description of Hampton was modified from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons licence. Land Registry data is Crown copyright.
All the views and contributions contained within Foxtons Local Life are those of the contributors. All content is assessed before publishing for taste, however free opinion is encouraged. Foxtons accept no payment or sponsorship for content that is posted about Hampton.


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« Swedish Greens make Åsa Romson the scapegoat for Gustav Fridolin's incompetence
Trump does not need the GOP as much as they need him »
Who's surprised? Facebook's algorithms are dishonest and self-serving
So who's surprised that Facebook's "trending" algorithms are far from objective. In fact they are blatantly dishonest and exhibit the biases of its owners and managers. They also suppress any unfavourable statistics about Facebook itself. They suppress favourable statistics on political viewpoints that Zuckerberg does not share and inject false statistics about political viewpoints that he supports.
Self-serving and dishonest, without a doubt. But no different to any lobby group or news outlet which has a particular point of view. The problem is that Facebook claims that its trending module is objective when it clearly is not. And that is fraud.
Gizmodo: Facebook workers routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers from the social network's influential "trending" news section, according to a former journalist who worked on the project. This individual says that workers prevented stories about the right-wing CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul, and other conservative topics from appearing in the highly-influential section, even though they were organically trending among the site's users.
Several former Facebook "news curators," as they were known internally, also told Gizmodo that they were instructed to artificially "inject" selected stories into the trending news module, even if they weren't popular enough to warrant inclusion—or in some cases weren't trending at all. The former curators, all of whom worked as contractors, also said they were directed not to include news about Facebook itself in the trending module.
In other words, Facebook's news section operates like a traditional newsroom, reflecting the biases of its workers and the institutional imperatives of the corporation. Imposing human editorial values onto the lists of topics an algorithm spits out is by no means a bad thing—but it is in stark contrast to the company's claims that the trending module simply lists "topics that have recently become popular on Facebook."
Tags: Facebook, trending
This entry was posted on May 9, 2016 at 10:42 pm and is filed under Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
One Response to "Who's surprised? Facebook's algorithms are dishonest and self-serving"
Facebook is just another disinformation source | The k2p blog Says:
[…] I find reprehensible is the lie promoted by Facebook that ist is objective and unbiased. After the Gizmodo story this week, Facebook denied that it was spinning the news. But the latest revelations show that the […]


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(Crain's) -- Gov. Pat Quinn brought a dire message to a downtown civic club Monday: If he doesn't get his budget, state spending will have to be cut 37%.
If you want to get something done in government, declare a crisis -- preferably a good one. Gov. Quinn certainly took that old political adage to heart Monday, unveiling his first full-length slasher production.
14,300 public school teachers would be laid off, a $1.5-billion cut.
400,000 college students would lose scholarship aid in a $554-million reduction.
650,000 people would lose health care benefits in cuts totaling $1.2 billion.
271,000 seniors would not be taken care of in the wake of $368 million worth of reductions, cutting things like the state Department on Aging's Circuit Breaker program, and services to help seniors remain in their homes and fight elderly abuse.
6,000 prisoners would be let out of jail early.
$769 million in human services cuts would mean 5,000 disabled people would lose home care services and 45,000 people would no longer get addiction treatment and prevention.
Mass transit cuts of $549 million would eliminate all public funding for public transit and Amtrak.
Local aid to state government would be cut $1 billion.
Another $1 billion in cuts have yet to be determined.
Mr. Quinn's speech to the City Club of Chicago comes just two weeks before the General Assembly is expected to wrap up its work in Springfield. He wants lawmakers to pass a budget that includes a 50% increase in the state income tax rate 4.5%, up from 3%, to help close a budget deficit of $12 billion.
The cuts he detailed in his speech total about $7 billion.
The governor also wants lawmakers to pass ethics reform measures in the wake of the scandals that ousted his predecessor, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, from office.


Liis Teene, MSc1, Kim Tapang, MD2, Ron Linden, MD2.
1MolecuLight Inc, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2Judy Dan Wound Care Centre, North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Presented at SAWC Spring 2016. Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care; 2016 Apr 13-17; Atlanta, GA, USA.
Clinical diagnosis of infection in chronic wounds involves assessment of signs and symptoms based on visual inspection and microbiological cultures. This process is subjective and delayed culture results often prevent prompt treatment. Fluorescence imaging has recently been introduced as a new method to visualize the presence of potentially harmful bacteria in wounds in real time. Multicenter clinical studies (Canada, USA) were performed to evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) of fluorescence imaging for detecting bacteria in wounds.
27 subjects (n = 13 USA, n = 14 Canada) were imaged by standard photography followed by fluorescence imaging using the MolecuLight i:X device. Wounds with positive areas of red fluorescence were sampled using either biopsy or curettage methods to correlate red fluorescence signals to bacterial presence. A red fluorescence signal from a discretely sampled area of the wound resulting in a microbiologically-confirmed presence of bacteria was defined as a true positive (TP) result. PPV was calculated as [TP/(all samples)].
Quantitative qPCR analysis (US sites) of wound tissue biopsies obtained from red fluorescence areas yielded a PPV of 100%. Pathogen load in these areas was > 104 CFU/g with the most prevalent pathogens being Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae. Semi-quantitative results (Canadian site) from culture and sensitivity analysis of curettage scrapings also yielded a PPV of 100%. Pathogen load in red fluorescence areas showed moderate or heavy bacterial growth with Staphylococcus aureus and mixed bacteria being most prevalent.
Real-time fluorescence imaging with the MolecuLight i:X Imaging Device positively predicts the presence of potentially harmful bacteria in wounds at clinically significant levels, irrespective of health care infrastructure, microbiological analysis technique or user training across US and Canadian centers. When combined with clinical best practice, fluorescence imaging of wounds offers clinicians a new guide to early treatments when bioburden levels could impede wound healing.


A deadweight tester is a proven method of pressure calibration that is usually chosen for bench applications when accuracy and reliability are the top requirements. Calibrations are performed at the bench for convenience and to maintain reference conditions. The bench is a convenient location to clean, inspect, calibrate and repair with all the necessary equipment available. Reference conditions are necessary to achieve the reference accuracy of the device under test and the calibration standards. Reference accuracy may be required to maintain the necessary test uncertainty ratios (TUR).
The pressure gauge should be mounted in the same orientation (vertical or horizontal) as in the process.
Measurement points should be distributed uniformly over the calibration range.
Calibrated weights are placed on the instrument corresponding to the measurement points.
Pressure is added with an internal pump or screw press until the piston holding the weights begins to float.
The piston and weight are spun by hand to minimize friction.
While the piston is floating the reading on the device under test is compared to the pressure corresponding to the sum of the selected weights.


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Niki Bezzant: Fed up with the spread?
5 Jan, 2018 08:00 PM 9 minutes to read
In most cases, we're better off spending money not on supplements, but on plenty of vegetables and fruit. Sarah Hanrahan, nutritionist. Photo / Getty Images
By: Niki Bezzant
Middle age need not mean the end of health and vigour, writes Niki Bezzant.
It's when we hit mid-life that we often suddenly become aware of our mortality. Depending on how long you expect to live, somewhere around the 45 mark will come the realisation that half your life is behind you — and if the second half is going to race by at the same speed, it might be a good idea to look after the vessel you've been walking around in and quite possibly ignoring, if not downright mistreating.
This is when we tend to see people embarking on the mid-life health overhaul. These days you could argue that the new mid-life crisis isn't about leaving the wife and buying a sports car; it's going paleo and training for a marathon.
Extreme measures like this are not for everyone, of course. But there are some things that can do a middle-aged body good — and some things we accept as common wisdom that might not, in fact, be so good.
Middle-aged spread is part of the deal
We can't really do anything to slow an expanding waistline as we age, right? For men, after years of eating whatever you want and apparently burning it off, it can come as a surprise to see a belly appearing. Inactivity, alcohol and indulgence on the food front are usually to blame. In women, perimenopause and menopausal hormonal change cause oestrogen levels to drop and, combined with less movement and more food, lead to weight gain around the middle.
We might feel comfortable with a spare tyre — and even more so when everyone around us looks pretty much the same — but fat around the abdomen is problematic, as it tends to be what's known as visceral fat: fat hugging our organs. This is associated with inflammation, heart disease and insulin resistance.
While bodies change with time, and hormones have their impact, there are those who say we don't have to gain weight and lose condition as we age.
The founder of Auckland gym Bodytech, Peter Rana, says in middle age we have to face up to the consequences of our choices. "It seems inevitable, because everyone gets the spread," he says. "But that's because of lifestyle. If we say 'I want to eat dessert while watching movies for six hours of my downtime,' that's going to have a consequence."
Our bodies naturally tend towards decay but there is a way to slow that process down, Rana says. "Get really, really fit. It's not really that hard."
We need to eat well and also "recognise that you don't just have a heart and lungs; you have muscles. The stronger and the better condition your muscles are in, the better you're going to function."
We don't do that with a bit of easy walking. Short, intense, strength-training exercise works better.
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"It is vitally important for middle-aged and older adults to do strength training — they need it more, and they potentially benefit more, than their younger counterparts," says Rana. That's because muscle mass keeps our metabolism working at a higher level. The more muscle we have, the better we burn calories.
"Keep it hard and do it slow. Strength training is not fun. It shouldn't be, if it's working."
A little tipple is good for us
While it's true that certain populations appear to benefit from moderate drinking, it seems the benefits are often overstated. Photo / Getty Images
We love to believe that a glass of red wine is good for the heart. Unfortunately, we're probably doing more harm than good with our therapeutic wine sessions. The World Health Organisation classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same grade as asbestos. It's noted as a cause of at least seven types of cancer, including the big ones that hit at middle age: colorectal and breast cancers.
So far, so depressing. But don't all those Mediterranean types live to 100 by having red wine every day?
While it's true that certain populations appear to benefit from moderate drinking, it seems the benefits are often overstated. The Heart Foundation says the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular disease is complex, and for most people there will be little, if any, benefit. Don't start drinking to get heart-health benefits, is their advice.
We don't necessarily have to go teetotal, although if we do it's probably a health plus. If you do drink, the Ministry of Health recommends no more than two standard drinks a day and no more than 10 a week for women; and three a day and 15 a week for men — plus at least two alcohol-free days. A standard drink is not a generous restaurant pour, either; it's a sherry-glass-sized amount of wine (100ml) or less than a bottle of beer (250ml).
It's worth noting that alcohol is broken down more slowly in the body as we age, so the effects are greater — probably the reason why hangovers feel worse. And if that doesn't send you reaching for the low-alcohol beer, think of the weight effects: three large glasses of wine are equivalent in calories to about six slices of bread.
Supplement your bad diet
The supplement market in New Zealand is huge: we spend more than $200 million every year on pills and potions promising to cure all that ails us. This is despite diet surveys showing we get good nutrition from our food and probably don't need them. One persistent belief, say experts, is that a multivitamin will "fill in the gaps" if we don't happen to eat a healthy diet every day, like a nutritional insurance policy.
Nutrition Foundation nutritionist Sarah Hanrahan says a pill is not a shortcut to health. "In the first instance, it's better to get the nutrition we need from food," she says. "It's not even that difficult to do. Half a plate of vegetables with your evening meal; a couple of pieces of fruit, some protein and some carbohydrate. I don't think you need an insurance policy — it's better just to eat well."
There are some supplements Hanrahan says might be worth considering, though; fish oils for omega-3, for example. "But there can be issues with quality. Because it's a fat, it can go off."
She recommends getting good advice before buying. The same goes for supplements aimed at joint health, such as glucosamine. "I wouldn't just go and buy it off the shelf. I'd talk to your doctor or pharmacist first and find out if that's a good way to go for your particular problem. But certainly there's evidence they can work."
The same applies to therapeutic vitamins such as calcium and vitamin D. In most cases, Hanrahan says, we're better off spending money not on supplements, but on "plenty of vegetables and fruit".
Sex in midlife winds down
Lack of interest in sex can certainly happen but it is not inevitable. Photo / Getty Images
As we get older, our sex lives go downhill, right? It can certainly happen; lack of interest in sex can come with the stress of work, kids and life. Health conditions that come with middle-age like obesity, hypertension and diabetes can also kill desire. But science tells us a sexual decline is not an inevitable part of middle age.
Research published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2015, looking at women's sexual satisfaction in mid-life, found "a considerable proportion of mid-life and older women remain sexually active if they have a partner available". And ageing wasn't really a factor in how satisfied the women were. Things like relationship satisfaction and communication with a romantic partner mattered more to sexual satisfaction than age.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we're also more likely to have a good sex life if we're generally healthy. A study published in the British Medical Journal found middle-aged men who were in good health had more sex, and a better overall sex life. People in very good or excellent health were almost twice as likely to report an interest in sex than those in poorer health; and both sexes gained several years of "sexually active life" when they were in very good or excellent health. Bottom line: the fitter and healthier you are, the healthier your sex life is likely to be.
Creaky joints are part and parcel
Getting up out of a chair can start to feel harder when we're in our 40s and 50s; we may notice ourselves uttering involuntary sounds on sitting and rising, and our knees may start making creaking noises of their own. It's partly down to wear and tear; ligaments and tendons become more brittle and cartilage thins, leading to stiffer joints.
Loss of muscle strength also plays a role, putting increased stress on joints like the knees and making us prone to osteoarthritis. But we can offset this with exercise. Again, building muscle will help. Strong muscles protect joints and help them function better and with less pain.
"Weight training — especially in the negative part of the movement [as in letting down a weight] engages the whole joint structure — the ligaments, the musculature, the synovial fluid", says Peter Rana.
"When you target the muscles, it indirectly affects the joints, too."
Middle age health boosters
Five things that will keep us in tip-top condition from our 40s onwards:
Eat a bit less (processed food)
Eating less overall is not a bad idea as we age. In older age especially, our calorie needs go down and our nutrition needs go up. That means cutting the junky and refined, and choosing whole, nutrient-dense foods.
Eat a bit more (plant food)
Eating more plants is a sure-fire way to boost your chances of staying fighting fit. Adding more veges and fruit will probably mean you'll automatically cut out a bit of meat; not a bad thing since it's associated with some of our most common cancers.
Give up on diets
If you've reached your 40s and have never been on a diet, good for you. If you have dieted, you're old enough to know they don't work. So ditch the detox or juice fast. The only weight-loss solution that really works is to make small, sustainable changes to how you eat that you can keep going for the whole second half of your life.
Take up strength training
Avoiding age-related muscle loss (and accompanying fat gain) can be as simple as getting into moving some heavy weight around. Muscle helps burn fat and protects bones and joints. Switch a couple of your long walks for weight-training sessions.
Cut down on alcohol
Give up on the "it's good for my heart" story. Although moderate drinking is associated with good health, it needs to be very moderate. Less is more, and alcohol-free days are important. Familiarise yourself with a standard drink: it's probably not as much as you think it is.
Niki Bezzant is a food and nutrition writer and editor-at-large for Healthy Food Guide.
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Q: DwinsHs for Inno Setup: How to add an apikey HTTP header of a request? I'm using a third party tool by the name of DwinsHs for Inno Setup.
This third party tool provides me the capability for downloading files as part of the installation.
I want to send an HTTPS request to remote server and I would like to pass an apikey to the header of the request but it returns error 401.
This is the code:
[ISPP]
#define fileURL "https://myserver.xom?apikey=XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"

[Code]
Source: "<path_to_my_file>"; \
  DestDir: "{app}"; \
  Flags: external deleteafterinstall; \
  Check: DwinsHs_Check( ExpandConstant('<path_to_my_file>'), '{#fileURL}', 'mySetup', 'Get', 0, 0)

A: I found the solution;
So, keep the url without ?apkikey=...
[ISPP]
#define fileURL "https://myserver.xom"

And adding the apikey in the header by editing const HTTP_HEADER in dwinshs.iss:
  HTTP_HEADER = 'apikey: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx';

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In the early 1970's, the National Forest Service sold a few lots at Alta. In 1974, the current owners' father purchased one of these coveted and rate lots and built. 41 years later, the family has decided to offer this property to the market for the first time. Introducing a ski in / ski out home located off the Supreme lift in the world-class Alta ski resort. In the winter, the property is accessed on skis or in about 12 minutes by snowcat, which is included in the sale. In the summer, access is gained by a 2.5 mile private road behind a locked gate (opens usually about the 4th of July). About seven years ago, the exterior of the home was rebuilt including a complete replacement of the roof. The inside of the home is clean, simple and livable. It could easily be updated to feature today's style and finishes. This is your chance to ski the greatest powder on the planet right outside your door. And, while the skiing will be epic, the summer sunsets and mountain air and panoramic views will be the thing we think you will love the most.


Atlanta, GA – March 28, 2018 – On Sunday, March 24, 2018, Editor and Chief of IMPACT Magazine, Tunisha Brown, hosted the third Women of IMPACT Honorary Power Dinner Weekend with special guest of honor, Grammy Award Winning Artist, Media Mogul, Entrepreneur, and Television Star, Kandi Burruss. The event took place at the elegant Ritz Carlton and was beautifully decorated by P Scott Events based out of Trenton, New Jersey. Honorees and attendees also experienced fine dining and complimentary drinks throughout the evening, with entertainment by violinist, Angelina Sherie and music by DJ Naturel. Honorees received a special customized semi-precious stone necklace encrusted with Swarovski crystals from Omoyeni. Sponsors for the event included: Young Living Essential Oils, Le Luxe Beauty Studios, SHEDAVI, Hollywood Glam Hair Extensions, and Gwennetta Wright Enterprises. The dinner was preceded by the Women of Impact Beauty Lounge on March 24, 2018 which took place at The League Tavern (located at 30 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30308). At the beauty lounge honorees, sponsors, and guests were treated to body treatments by Massages By Mac featuring essential massage oils of Young Living Essential Oils, shopped fashion with Lady Lisa's Chic Boutique. This event served as an official company launch for Luxe Platinum Label. In addition to the official photographer, Tiara Marei, premier media outlets in attendance included TV One's Sister Circle, Hello Beautiful, Rolling Out, Sheen Magazine and over 20 more of Atlanta's premiere media outlets.
Other honorable guests in attendance included Television Personality and mother of Kandi Burruss, Joyce "Mama Joyce" Jones and Actor and Author, Stevie Baggs Jr.
"I love to see women and business owners come together, network and support one another. It's an honor for IMPACT Magazine to hostThe Women of IMPACT Power Dinner series because I get to show the importance of celebrating the phenomenal work of other women in different industries from all across the nation." explained Tunisha C. Brown, Editor-In-Chief. The private celebratory dinner highlights those women whose values are in line with IMPACT Magazine's mission and purpose is to empower, encourage, and to educate.
IMPACT Magazine will soon announce the next IMPACT dinner set to take place in June 2018. For additional information about the Women of IMPACT Dinner series visit www.TheIMPACTMagazine.com. For media inquiries for Tunisha Brown please contact PRTeam@epimediagroup.com.
Seeing the need in her community for positive imagery, Tunisha C. Brown, began the journey of bringing forth IMPACT Magazine. IMPACT Magazine is a lifestyle print and digital publication. IMPACT's mission is to empower, encourage, and to educate readers through the power of images and words. Since its inception in 2007, IMPACT has been recognized for its intellectual, innovative, and revolutionary coverage of the community.
As the Editor, Tunisha believes magazines should get to the heart of a story; to understand and to communicate the root cause of a thing. To be the curator of each issue as if it's a cultural time capsule is the desire of IMPACT Magazines focus. Brown has created a team of a great designer and writers who are hungry for their words to make a change in the communities it serves.
IMPACT has had the honor of speaking on issues with some of today's influential thinkers and doers. Grammy nominated artists R&B Diva Angie Stone/Musiq Soulchild (The Husel)/Chrisette Michelle, NAACP Image Award Winner and actor Malik Yoba, and media mogul Karen Civil have all graced the cover of IMPACT Magazine.
2014 brought about a change for the number one urban inspirational publication. Well known for its events, IMPACT Magazine evoked on a journey for the reader to have a live experience with the cover features; wherein 'IMPACT Magazine Presents: Cocktails & Conversations' came to life!
Cocktails & Conversations launched in Atlanta, GA with Grammy Nominated R&B Diva, Angie Stone with approximately 200 guests in attendance. From the initial event, Cocktails & Conversations has expanded to include over 100 partners, including sponsors, bloggers, small businesses, and other industry professionals.
2015, IMPACT Magazine partnered with BE100 Radio where Cocktails & Conversations had a featured segment on the station. BE100 Radio is owned by music mogul and Love & Hip Hop ATL star, Debra Antney. The internet radio station is number one for indie artists and heard in over 36 countries.
2017, Tunisha decided to celebrate women who are making an IMPACT in their respective communities during IMPACT's 10-year anniversary dinner where Karen Civil was the guest of honor. From the initial dinner, the Women of IMPACT mantra has become a movement hosting events in various states for women to attend the dinner not only to be honored, but to be in a space where talks to support each other will be initiated.
Tunisha's passion is to awaken those to an understanding of the power they have within. To use their strengths to take charge of their lives and the communities that surrounds them. She brings her gift of inspiration to every reader, sharing her remedy for embracing the best application, both personally and professionally. Through this action, it will aide in finding the fulfillment and success in life to be an effective IMPACT to someone else.


Is Resurrection Atemporally Simultaneous With Death? Using Aquinas's Theory of Eternity to Conceptualize a New Theory of Resurrection, James T. Turner, Jr.
The Historical Nature of Luke's Virgin Birth Account: an Apologetic, David E. Smith Jr.


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Wesak 2020, May 8-10
CELEBRATE THE WESAK FESTIVAL IN MOUNT SHASTA, CALIFORNIA!
Past Wesaks
Anton Mizerak and Laura Berryhill
Music & Mythology: Stories of Transformation
Anton and Laura will guide us in exploring three fascinating, transformative mythologies from diverse cultural traditions and in considering how aspects of these myths may play out in our own spiritual lives. In an entertaining Native American tale from northern California, Coyote goes on a vision quest to Mount Shasta and encounters some surprising truths. From Celtic seas, a Scottish mermaid shows us some identifiable stages that define transformative experience, while learning the strengths of surrender into wholeness.
Finally, through a practice of conscious transformation originating in the Tibetan Buddhist utpattikrama, we will recreate the universe from a point of light as a three-dimensional mandala of universal compassion! Our journey into these mythological realms will be enhanced and deepened by integrated music related to each of the stories.
About the presenters:
Anton Mizerak studied History of Religions from the phenomenological approach, receiving an MA from UCLA. Laura Berryhill holds an MA in Music History from the University of Oregon. As musicians, the two of them have given hundreds of transformational healing music events throughout the western states and at their own performance venue in Mount Shasta. They have gained increasing recognition as speakers and presenters for their unique blend of inspiring musicality, entertaining storytelling, and personal insight.
Our website is www.shastasong.com
Music on the internet at my Pandora and spotify stations and at these youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtFXGIr4WDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHmebCEL9g0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4oWEYB2OJs&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcYX9O8k0A8&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUsRUaNsM8w
All information and graphic content © 2005-© 2021 Wesak.us and Mount Shasta Magazine. Written or verbal permission is required to reproduce any material contained in this website. Layout image courtesy of Blue Skies Unlimited, used with permission.


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Corporate/Commercial Law
Most Read: Contributor United States, December 2021
Worldwide: "Sustainable" Companies Face Increased Pressure To Justify The Sustainability Label Amid Investor Challenges And Demands For Greater Risk Assessment And Disclosure
by Jason M. Halper , Ellen V. Holloman , Mark Grider , Mark Beardsworth , Kevin Roberts , Melis Acuner , Sara Bussiere and Victor Celis
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
The recent IPO for Rivian Automotive Inc., the electric pick-up truck manufacturer whose shares increased 29% on the day following the offering, resulting in an enterprise valuation of more than $86 billion1 – more than the market values of every other automaker except Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen – is evidence that investors may place a significant premium on certain companies that are at the forefront of addressing (and potentially seizing opportunities resulting from) climate change and related sustainability issues. The fact that Rivian has only produced 156 vehicles to date and has never demonstrated the ability to mass produce electric vehicles apparently did not faze investors.2
The Rivian IPO and investor enthusiasm generally for companies perceived to be at the forefront of the "green" economy provide strong incentives for companies to promote their sustainability bona fides. But along with marketplace rewards there has been increasing investor and regulatory scrutiny of whether ostensibly (or self-proclaimed) "sustainable" companies merit the designation.
As we have recently discussed,3 there is significant momentum in the U.S. and abroad for companies to provide sustainability disclosure that is reliable, consistent, and comparable. Certain members of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") repeatedly have signaled the importance of clear, consistent, and accurate disclosure when it comes to climate-related impacts.4 Although the SEC has not updated its corporate disclosure guidance in more than a decade, it has solicited comments regarding the possibility of a mandatory climate-related disclosure regime and we expect the Commission to pursue such an approach in the near term.5 In the meantime, the existing, well-established materiality standard applies, whereby information is material and must be disclosed if there is "a substantial likelihood" that a reasonable investor would view a particular fact as "significantly alter[ing] the 'total mix' of information made available."6 But, as Commissioner Herron Lee and others have observed, application of that standard in the ESG context has resulted in significant variability in terms of the quality and quantity of disclosure provided by issuers, yielding investor complaints, regulatory scrutiny and issuer confusion.
These challenges are well illustrated in the context of recent issues involving some well-known "sustainable" companies. One such company is Allbirds, Inc., the sustainable footwear and attire company that recently filed for its initial public offering.7 Allbirds, a certified B Corporation and Delaware Public Benefit Corporation,8 claims that it manufactures its products with approximately 30 percent less carbon impact than other shoe manufacturers. In addition, in its IPO registration statement, Allbirds emphasized its commitment to ESG and committed to adhere to a novel "sustainability principles and objectives framework" (referred to as a "SPO framework"), which included a commitment to report the company's climate impact and to reduce its impact on the environment by cutting emissions and requiring suppliers to address environmental issues.9 According to the Allbirds website:
As a Delaware public benefit corporation and a certified B Corporation we strive to prioritize positive outcomes, not only for our stockholders, but for all stakeholders, including employees, customers, the community, and the environment. The Business Roundtable's August 2019 statement on the purpose of a corporation articulated that stakeholder-based capitalism will shift from being the exception to the rule.10 We believe that shift is already underway. That is why we believe it is important that we clearly articulate for all stakeholders our performance against, and commitment to, a set of environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, criteria, which we call the Sustainability Principles and Objectives Framework, or the SPO Framework. We believe that stakeholders will benefit from knowing that we have been assessed by one or more independent third parties as having satisfied objective, clearly defined ESG criteria and that we are committed to meeting high ESG standards across our business. The SPO Framework was created in conjunction with, and supported by, an Advisory Council coordinated by BSR, several cross-sector thought-leaders, market participants, and stakeholders from the private and public sectors.
But in an updated prospectus, Allbirds walked back its commitment to the "SPO framework"—references to "SPO framework" in later SEC filings were noticeably reduced, and language that Allbirds was "conducting this offering while following the SPO framework" was removed.11 The amended filings followed a lawsuit filed in the United States District for the Southern District of New York by a consumer claiming violations of the New York Consumer Protection Statute, breaches of express warranties, fraud, and unjust enrichment based on Allbirds' alleged "misleading environmental claims."12 Specifically, the plaintiff alleged that Allbirds' advertising, which is "heavily based on its Products' environmental impact," is false and deceptive because Allbirds' disclosures related to its environmental impact were insufficient and misleading.13 Allbirds has moved to dismiss the case, arguing that many of the statements were non-actionable puffery and that the plaintiff offered no factual support for her allegations.14 Allbirds began publicly trading on November 3, 2021. Allbirds was expected to be the first "sustainable public equity offering," but was forced to drop the label15 after the SEC objected to the phrasing.16 Allbirds' shares surged 90% when they hit the market, resulting in a valuation of roughly $4.1 billion.17
Like Allbirds, Beyond Meat—a plant-based food company that went public in 2019—is facing increased scrutiny over its climate-related disclosures. Beyond Meat strives to "positively affect the planet, the environment, the climate and even ourselves" by facilitating a shift from animal to plant-based food products.18 Critics have taken issue, however, with Beyond Meat's failure to disclose the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions across its operations, supply chain, and consumer waste.19 Researchers have observed that the plant-based industry, which purports to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, "is really a black box."20 The challenges associated with measuring and then accurately reporting carbon emissions are by no means limited to Beyond Meat. All companies most likely will have to confront having to measure and accurately disclose Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, with the latter category posing possibly the most difficult issues in terms of the hurdles involved in accurately measuring emissions across any one company's supply chain.21
Companies like Allbirds and Beyond Meat, in touting their sustainability bona fides, also become targets for challenges by investors and regulators to the accuracy of such statements. Their experiences, therefore, provide important lessons for companies navigating increased demand for, and scrutiny of, climate-related disclosure.
End-to-end climate impact matters. Though U.S. regulators have not provided formal guidance on what ESG-related disclosures will be required going forward, companies should be assessing their environmental impacts for a variety of purposes, including risk management and disclosure. In so doing, as evidenced by the Allbirds and Beyond Meat situations, companies should be mindful that "sustainability" is an end-to-end concept. Emissions from manufacturing, supply chains, and consumer waste have a significant impact on the overall assessment of whether a company operates in a sustainable fashion and should be factored into climate-related disclosures. By most accounts, Allbirds has been a success story—the company has consistently promoted long-term sustainability and has been rewarded for it, raising $300 million in its initial public offering.22 But even well-intentioned companies are not insulated from challenges and scrutiny. For example, the Allbirds lawsuit alleges that Allbirds, while touting its sustainability and lower carbon footprint, misleadingly failed to take into account the environmental impact of its supply chain, as well as the wool it sources from sheep in New Zealand, which purportedly account for 90% of New Zealand's methane emissions. And although Beyond Meat's mission involves "positively affect[ing] the planet, the environment, the climate and even ourselves," and claims to use "significantly less water, land and energy" and "generates fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions than a beef burger," it recently received a zero sustainability rating from one tracking agency, which stated that "[w]e don't feel we have sufficient information to say Beyond Meat is fundamentally different from JBS," an animal-based protein company.23 The criticism stems from the fact that Beyond Meat does not disclose the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions across all of its operations, supply chains or consumer waste. Companies should consider their end-to-end operations when assessing and disclosing its environmental impact.
Companies can and should take certain steps to mitigate the challenges and therefore risks arising from efforts to provide accurate and thorough disclosure. Companies should take precautions to ensure their climate-related disclosures are sufficiently fulsome and accurate. Failure to do so may result in costly litigation. While obviously important for B corporations like Allbirds, whose corporate purpose is to produce a public benefit, the all-encompassing nature of the risks and opportunities presented by climate change imply that certain disclosures in this area will be material for virtually all companies.24 While there is no way to render climate disclosure risk-free, adhering to an established third-party disclosure framework can mitigate risk by providing a rationale for, and guidance in terms of, the company's disclosure. We previously discussed these frameworks,25 but the guidance provided by the Financial Stability Board's Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure ("TCFD") in particular has been gaining traction with regulators and investors. The TCFD, the mostly widely endorsed framework, recommends that companies across all industries disclose: (i) "the organization's governance around climate-related risks and opportunities"; (ii) "the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on the organization's businesses, strategy, and financial planning where such information is material"; (iii) "how the organization identifies, assesses, and manages climate-related risks"; and (iv) "the metrics and targets used to assess and manage relevant climate-related risks and opportunities where such information is material."26 For companies that tout themselves as "sustainable," the EU Taxonomy also provides helpful guidance for U.S. companies considering how or what to disclose in connection with their activities. To be considered an environmentally sustainable economic activity under the EU taxonomy, the activity must, among other things, contribute to at least one of six environmental objectives—climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, or the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems—and do no significant harm to any of the other environmental objectives.27 By defining what constitutes an environmentally sustainable activity, the EU Taxonomy necessarily requires companies, if they claim to engage in such conduct, to make associated disclosures supporting that claim in line with EU Taxonomy's elements.28
Companies should monitor regulatory developments. S. regulators have made it clear that they intend to address ESG disclosure issues. Securities regulators in the UK and EU already have provided guidance, but continue to update and supplement that guidance given the rapidly evolving nature of climate-related issues and analysis.29 Companies should continue to be vigilant in monitoring updated rules from regulators with respect to climate-related disclosures to ensure their disclosures sufficiently detail the impact of their operations on the environment.
Demand for ESG products is soaring—but so is scrutiny. Consumer demand for ESG products is exponentially increasing.30 Despite criticisms concerning its supply chain sustainability, Allbirds closed its first day with its price up more than 90 percent.31 After Beyond Meat went public in 2019, its shares surged 163 percent on its first day of trading—the "best-performing large IPO in the U.S. in more than a decade."32 But companies should not take excess comfort in the apparent unwavering public support for Allbirds and Beyond Meat, which have sustainability as part of their core mission. Regulators are keeping a close eye on so-called "greenwashing," or "branding something as eco-friendly, green or sustainable when this is not the case."33 Given heightened awareness around ESG issues and the demand for sustainable products, companies will find it increasingly difficult to make vague statements about sustainability without substantiating the claim. Regulators, investors, and even consumers are becoming increasingly wary of such exaggerated claims, and holding companies accountable.34
Ostensibly sustainable companies are not immune from challenges to their ESG bona fides. Companies or industries that often are viewed as "green" are not immune from challenges over their true environmental impact. Some contend that "clean" energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power, for instance, have hidden carbon footprints associated with their construction and manufacture. Nuclear plants and wind turbines require concrete and steel for construction, which in turn are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In a similar vein, the batteries in electric vehicles charge on electric power, which is often powered by fossil fuels. The point is not that electric vehicles over their life are less environmentally friendly than combustion engine automobiles or that the operation of clean energy sources results in as much carbon emission as fossil fuels. Rather, the issue is accurate assessment and disclosure of Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions even for "sustainable" companies and their products.
1 Peter Eavis & Neal E. Boudette, Rivian I.P.O. Is Embraced by Investors Looking for Another Tesla, N.Y. Times (Nov. 10, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/automobiles/rivian-stock-price-ipo.html.
2 Id.
3 Jason Halper et al., Investors and Regulators Turning up the Heat on Climate-Change Disclosures: Attempting to Make Sense of the State of Play in the US, EU, and UK, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (Sept. 14, 2021), https://www.cadwalader.com/resources/clients-friends-memos/investors-and-regulators-turning-up-the-heat-on-climate-change-disclosures--attempting-to-make-sense-of-the-state-of-play-in-the-us-eu-and-uk# (discussing the increased focus on climate-change related disclosures).
4 Allison Herren Lee, Remarks at the PRI/LSEG Investor Action on Climate Webinar, SEC (Oct. 20, 2021), https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/lee-remarks-prilseg-investor-action-climate-webinar-102021; see also Jason Halper, et al., Financial Stability Oversight Council Issues Key Report Declaring Climate Change as an Emerging Threat to U.S. Financial Stability, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (Oct. 25, 2021), https://www.cadwalader.com/resources/clients-friends-memos/financial-stability-oversight-council-issues-key-report-declaring-climate-change-as-an-emerging-threat-to-us-financial-stability# (discussing the FSOC's finding that climate change is an emerging threat to U.S. financial security and noting that, among other initiatives, financial regulators should "promote enhanced climate-related disclosures.").
5 Allison Herron Lee, Public Input Welcomed on Climate Change Disclosures, SEC (May 15, 2021), https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/lee-climate-change-disclosures.
6 TSC Indus. Inc. v. Northway, Inc., 426 U.S. 438, 449 (1976); see also Basic, Inc. v. Levinson, 485 U.S. 224 (1988) (applying the TSC Industries Court's definition of materiality to a Rule 10b-5 securities fraud case); SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99, 64 Fed. Reg. 45,150, 45,151 (Aug. 19, 1999) (observing that the Supreme Court's definition is substantially identical to the FASB's definition: "The omission or misstatement of an item in a financial report is material if, in the light of surrounding circumstances, the magnitude of the item is such that it is probable that the judgment of a reasonable person relying upon the report would have been changed or influenced by the inclusion or correction of the item.").
7 Sanford Stein, As Shoemaker Allbirds Files for IPO, It May Become the First 'Sustainable Public Equity Offering', Forbes (Aug. 31, 2021), https://www.forbes.com/sites/sanfordstein/2021/08/31/allbirds-may-become-the-first-sustainable-public-equity-offering-or-spo/?sh=3e504b052058.
8 Delaware public benefit corporations are for-profit corporations created "to produce a public benefit or public benefits and to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner." Michael R. Littenber et al., Delaware Public Benefit Corporations-Recent Developments, Harv. L. Sch. F. on Corp. Governance (Aug. 31, 2021), https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2020/08/31/delaware-public-benefit-corporations-recent-developments/.
9 Allbirds, Inc., Registration Statement (Form S-1), at 149-151 (Aug. 31, 2021), https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001653909/000162828021017824/allbirdss-1.htm#ib1df9298e23644a2a22972a8f1925ea1_2910/.
10 See also Larry Fink, 2021 Letter to CEOs, BlackRock, https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-ceo-letter (last visited Nov. 29, 2021); Cyrus Taraporevala, CEO's Letter on Our 2021 Proxy Voting Agenda, State Street Global Advisors (Jan. 11, 2021), https://www.ssga.com/us/en/individual/mf/insights/ceo-letter-2021-proxy-voting-agenda.
11 Nicholas Megaw and Kristen Talman, Allbirds Walks Back 'Sustainable IPO' Claims Ahead of Market Debut, Financial Times (Oct. 5, 2021), https://www.ft.com/content/27dc4a15-c313-4238-90fc-9e7a2b1c8ca0.
12 Amended Complaint, Dwyer v. Allbirds, Inc., No. 7:21-cv-05238-CS, ECF No. 14 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 25, 2021).
13 Id.
14 Motion to Dismiss, Dwyer v. Allbirds, Inc., No. 7:21-cv-05238-CS, ECF No. 18 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 25, 2021).
15 In Allbirds' registration statement, it described the phrase "sustainable public equity offering" as "an expression of [Allbirds'] belief and commitment that [its] environmental credentials are not in conflict with phenomenal financial outcomes." Allbirds, Inc., Registration Statement (Form S-1), at 106 (Aug. 31, 2021), https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001653909/000162828021017824/allbirdss-1.htm#ib1df9298e23644a2a22972a8f1925ea1_2910/.
16 Megaw, supra note 11.
17 Lauren Thomas, Allbirds Shares Surge 90% in Eco-Friendly Shoe Maker's Market Debut, CNBC (Nov. 3, 2021), https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/03/allbirds-ipo-bird-to-start-trading-on-the-nasdaq.html.
18 Mission, Beyond Meat (last visited Nov. 1, 2021), https://www.beyondmeat.com/mission/.
19 Julie Creswell, Plant-Based Food Companies Face Critics: Environmental Advocates, N.Y. Times (Oct. 15, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/business/beyond-meat-impossible-emissions.html; see also Michael Corkery and Julie Creswell, Corporate Climate Pledges Often Ignore a Key Component: Supply Chains, N.Y. Times (Nov. 2, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/business/corporate-climate-pledge-supply-chain.html (discussing the lack of climate-related disclosures related to corporations' supply chain).
20 Creswell, Plant-Based Food Companies Face Critics: Environmental Advocates, supra note 19.
21 Scope 1 emissions are the direct emissions from a company's operations, owned or controlled sources. See Eric Rosenbaum, Climate Experts Are Worried About the Toughest Carbon Emissions for Companies to Capture, CNBC (Aug. 18, 2021), https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/18/apple-amazon-exxon-and-the-toughest-carbon-emissions-to-capture.html. Scope 2 emissions refers to indirect emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. Id. Scope 3 emissions—which make up between 65% and 95% of a company's carbon impact—encompass the greenhouse gas emissions from other companies in a company's supply chain. Id. Scope 3 emissions are more difficult to measure and report because it involves emissions of entities outside the control of the reporting company. Id.
22 Lauren Debter, Allbirds Valued At Over $4 Billion After Stock Surges In IPO, Forbes (Nov. 3, 2021), https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2021/11/03/allbirds-shares-soar-after-shoemaker-raises-over-300-million-in-ipo/?sh=725f43d76902.
24 A common argument against the SEC issuing updated climate-related disclosure guidance is that the disclosure requirements already cover ESG matters. See Gabriel Rosenberg, Margaret Tahyar, and Betty Huber, Commenters Weigh in on SEC Climate Disclosures Request for Public Input, Harv. L. Sch. F. on Cor. Governance (July 24, 2021), https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2021/07/24/commenters-weigh-in-on-sec-climate-disclosures-request-for-public-input/; Letter, U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to SEC, Re: Public Input on Climate Change Disclosures (June 13, 2021), https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/banking_committee_republicans_letter_to_sec_on_climate_disclosures.pdf.
25 Halper, supra note 3.
26 TCFD, Proposed Guidance on Climate-related Metrics, Targets, and Transition Plans (June 2021), https://assets.bbhub.io/company/sites/60/2021/05/2021-TCFD-Metrics_Targets_Guidance.pdf.
27 Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, Spotlight on Taxonomy, https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/business_economy_euro/banking_and_finance/documents/sustainable-finance-taxonomy-spotlight_en.pdf.
28 European Commission, What is the EU Taxonomy?, https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/sustainable-finance/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en (last visited Sept. 12, 2021).
30 Beyond Compliance: Consumers and Employees Want Business to do More on ESG, PwC, https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/consumer-and-employee-esg-expectations.html (last visited Nov. 29, 2021).
31 Debter, supra note 22.
32 Deena Shanker, Impossible and Beyond Slash Prices as Fake-Meat Market Heats Up, Bloomberg, (Apr. 16, 2021), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-16/beyond-meat-bynd-impossible-foods-battle-over-future-of-fake-meat-industry.
33 Beth Timmins, Climate Change: Seven Ways to Spot Businesses Greenwashing, BBC, (Nov. 8, 2021), https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59119693.
34 Beau River, The Increasing Dangers Of Corporate Greenwashing In The Era Of Sustainability, Forbes, (Apr. 29, 2021), https://www.forbes.com/sites/beauriver/2021/04/29/the-increasing-dangers-of-corporate-greenwashing-in-the-era-of-sustainability/?sh.
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A piece made by Zeng Fanzhi, displayed in the 2017 Hong Kong Art Basel.
From December 5th to the 8th, Miami will be hosting the 2018 Art Basel.
The Art Basel began in Basel, Switzerland with the goal of international art promotion and presentation in the early 1970s. It has now grown to include the cities of Hong Kong, China and Miami, Florida. Artists of the visual persuasion are not the only ones permitted either. According to Mrs. Calderon, a Visual Arts instructor here at Osceola County School for the Arts (OCSA) and annual Miami Art Basel attendant, "I saw Beyonce walk by once, all elegant and regal as usual, but I was close enough to touch her".
A select group of Visual artists from OCSA has the unique privilege to stay in Miami for the Miami Art Basel every year, chaperoned by Mrs. Calderon herself and others. The group's first day will be spent settling into the Spring Hills Suites and that night they view the Wyndwood Walls, an entire neighborhood coated from top to bottom in art. The second day they visit Casa Lin, the Miami Art Basel Convention Center and the Lincoln road galleries. The third day they attend the SCOPE art convention and return to Kissimmee on the fourth day, December 8th.
The trip gives art students "a chance to view the work of artists all over the world", both professionals and rising stars, from "multiple walks of life" Mrs. Calderon commented.
What more could an artist want?
Burnin' Up For A Reunion!


The INFINITI CT-NG QUAD assay is automated by the INFINITI Analyzer.
The INFINITI CT-NG QUAD assay is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Simultaneous Multiplexed Determination of two microorganisms.


Welcome to the Website on Civil Defence.
The web service of the National Civil Defence focus for the most part on informational and educational function in the said scope.
Information on operations of the Polish Civil Defence, as well as sections dedicated to civil protection, global civil defence and cooperation between states in the scope of civil protection, crisis management and civil emergency planning within the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty are to be found here. We aim at ensuring all the interested persons an access to the basic legal and content-related issues concerning civil protection and civil defence as well as providing up-to-date information on the most important events and changes in this area. www.ock.gov.pl web service shall at the same time constitute a medium to provide the society with indispensable knowledge on common self-defence principles and attitudes in case of particular threats, as well as information on educational programs in the area of civil protection, operations of the social rescue organizations, non-governmental organizations and others.
We would like to encourage you to take advantage of the web service editing opportunity. We hope that the Civil Defence Forum shall become a place of heated discussions on the reform and directions of changes in widely-understood civil protection and defence. We would like to encourage you to add new content to the history of civil defence section.


text:
Q: Symfony2 FOSUserBundle error - FileLoaderImportCircularReferenceException I'm trying to install FOSUserBundle on a new symfony2 project. I've followed the steps to get it installed but I'm still having trouble with this error:
FileLoaderImportCircularReferenceException in FileLoader.php line 97:
Circular reference detected in "/Users/tom/Sites/symfony/todo/app/config/routing_dev.yml" ("/Users/tom/Sites/symfony/todo/app/config/routing_dev.yml" > "/Users/tom/Sites/symfony/todo/app/config/routing.yml" > "/Users/tom/Sites/symfony/todo/app/config/routing_dev.yml").

When I try to run php app/console router:debug I am getting the error:
 [Symfony\Component\Config\Exception\FileLoaderLoadException]
  Cannot load resource "@FOSUserBundle/Resources/config/routing/all.xml". Make sure the "FOSUserBundle" bu
  ndle is correctly registered and loaded in the application kernel class.

Even though I am loading the bundle in the AppKernel.
In routing.yml I have (if it helps):
fos_user:
    resource: "@FOSUserBundle/Resources/config/routing/all.xml"

Can't seem to find anything on this however I apologise if I haven't searched around well enough.

A: Had deleted the AcmeDemoBundle from the project but hadn't removed the related routing code from the routing_dev.yml file.

A: If cache does not work for you, look if you are include the required namespaces for use annotations routes in your controller, in my case i was missing to add:
use Sensio\Bundle\FrameworkExtraBundle\Configuration\Method;

in my controller.
I open an issue because the exception throw is wrong for this case, since it says the same error:
FileLoaderImportCircularReferenceException

A: This will also happen if you delete the line:
use Sensio\Bundle\FrameworkExtraBundle\Configuration\Route;

from your Controller. Symfony needs this line for the @Route annotation.

A: I had the same problem and error message, but I could not find any circular reference.
The problem: indentation in the yml file.
abc_bundle_route:
path:     /my-url/{id}
defaults: { _controller: ABCBundle:Monitor:mycontroller, id: 0 }
    requirements:
        id: -?\d+

Is not the same as the (correct):
abc_bundle_route:
path:     /my-url/{id}
defaults: { _controller: ABCBundle:Monitor:mycontroller, id: 0 }
requirements:
    id: -?\d+

By setting the correct indentation, the error was solved.


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The PDU Pocast is a very easy way to get the PDUs you need. Furthermore you get them for a very low price. And the content of the podcast is fine. Thus it is a solution for everybody looking for a good way to get PDUs.
Very informative, very interesting topics. Already listen to so many of them.
The PDU Podcast is a fantastic product.
As a new PMP it not only facilitates PDU accumulation but also provides substantive learning content that is practical and applicable to my day to day project management activities.
I will continue to recommend the PMP Prepcast and PDU Podcast to my colleagues and through my project management networks.
I was initially a bit skeptical about the PDU Podcast concept of acquiring PDUs, but have been convinced that it is a good way to do so in the meantime. One is not required to attend at a certain time on a certain day - I'm really enjoying being fully flexible re deciding on the timing when to complete a podcast. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised that the podcasts come with presentations; I expected a podcast to be a purely audio tool.
The content of the podcasts I completed so far was ok. The quality of the presenters varied though quite a bit.
I'm not sure yet, if I will continue with the PDU Podcasts, once my free promotional year is over. I will take a decision taking cost into account, I guess.
An effective way to earn PDU when your schedule is jam packed.
I passed the PMP Certification last June after preparing myself with The PM PrepCast tool and PM Formula guide. After all, I wrote my testimonial and was the lucky winner of free license of The PDU Podcast last August. Since then, I use this tool in average once a week for about a half an hour on my pc, tablet or smartphone. An absolute ideal and easy tool for every person under pressure knowing to need 60 PDUs in a while. I am sure, that everybody will find 30 minutes a week for his continuing education.
Thanks to Cornelius for the very interesting Podcast-content, this comfortable way to get PDUs and the helpful support to keep the project managers eyes on his business focus.
After I passed the PMP exam, I was concerned about what I would need to do to maintain my certification. I'm already running around to seminars and conferences in order to maintain my other certifications. But then Cornelius came to the rescue! The PDU Podcast is so convenient that I can enjoy these podcasts whenever I can fit them into my schedule. I've gained some interesting insights,learned how to handle challenging situations and have been introduced to some fun, new authors. Job well done!


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text:
Q: Is there a newer alternative to WideImage? I have been recommended the use of WideImage library to generate thumbnails in needed sizes, but looking at the codebase it seems to use quite a lot of deprecated functions.
What would the PHP7/2019 equivalent be?
 38 | ERROR | Function imagepsloadfont() is removed since PHP 7.0
 52 | ERROR | Function imagepstext() is removed since PHP 7.0
 57 | ERROR | Function imagepsfreefont() is removed since PHP 7.0


text:
Israeli massacres continue, 5 Palestinians killed in Gaza and West Bank
A teenager was shot dead at a refugee camp in Bethlehem on Monday morning while four Palestinians, including a protester, were killed in the aftermath of Israel launching another massive round of air strikes
July 23, 2018 by Peoples Dispatch
Arkan Thaer Mizhar was killed when Israeli forces opened fire at a refugee camp. Photo: Tamer Halaseh
East Jerusalem: Israel extends its occupation through illegal settlements
United Nations' second report on Kashmir raises tough questions
Israeli forces target Birzeit university students in raids across West Bank, East Jerusalem
The Israeli military on Monday killed a teenager in the West Bank and on Friday caused the deaths of four Palestinians in Gaza, marking more assaults in Israel's most significant escalation of violence since 2014's Operation Protective Edge.
Arkan Thaer Mizhar, 15, was shot dead at a refugee camp in Bethlehem on Monday morning. The incident took place at the Deisheh camp when soldiers arrived to arrest residents.
The army reportedly used live ammunition to fire on residents who were protesting the arrests. They also used tear gas and stun grenades. 11 Palestinians were arrested. According to WAFA, two other Palestinians were wounded by live ammunition in the foot and were hospitalized.
Earlier, the Israeli military carried out a fresh round of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday after an Israeli soldier was killed by snipers near the border. This marks the first death of a soldier on active duty in Gaza since 2014.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had destroyed 60 Hamas targets in response. The targets included three Hamas battalion headquarters, a drone warehouse, aerial defence systems, observation posts and a factory. Four Palestinians were killed and at least 120 suffered injuries on Friday. Hamas later said that one of the victims had been protesting at the border.
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman demanded that Hamas stop the incendiary kites and balloons being launched from Gaza into Israel, which have led to fires on almost 2,500 hectares of Israeli farmland. However, there have been no deaths due to these incidents so far.
Lieberman threatened that Israel would embark on a broad and painful military operation in response.
Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas's deputy chief in Gaza, responded by saying, "In the face of Zionist threats, we say the resistance will continue, the marches will continue and its tools will continue to vary and take different forms, including the kites."
Israel and Hamas later agreed to a ceasefire after several hours of fighting and airstrikes. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that "with Egyptian and United Nations efforts it has been agreed to return to the era of calm between Israel and Palestinian factions."
An Israeli army spokeswoman also confirmed on Saturday morning that there was no known military activity in the Gaza strip.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, expressed concern over the events.
Last weekend, Israel launched its biggest airstrikes on Gaza since its 2014 invasion, killing two Palestinian teenagers and injuring 30 others. Hamas retaliated by firing over 200 rockets and mortar shells into Israel.
Since March 30, more than 140 Palestinians have been killed by Israel while taking part in the Great March of Return protests on the Gaza-Israel border. Close to 15,000 have been injured.
Categories Israel, PalestineTags GazaGreat March of ReturnHamasHuman rights violationsIsraeli occupationProtests
Colombian organizations condemn arbitrary arrest of peasant leaders
With the arms trade, profit trumps human suffering
Workers of Walmart Chile end strike after reaching an agreement with the company
Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "Israeli massacres continue, 5 Palestinians killed in Gaza and West Bank". Here is the website link: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2018/07/23/israeli-massacres-continue-5-palestinians-killed-in-gaza-and-west-bank/. Thank you.


"An Al-Qaeda suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt during a mourning ceremony organised by the Popular Resistance Committees," a local militia that fought alongside the army, said provincial governor Jamal al-Aqal.
"Bodies were flying in all directions because the explosion was so powerful," a witness said.
Later on Sunday, Jamila told AFP that "three of the wounded have succumbed to their wounds," raising the overall death toll to 45.
The deputy head of Jaar's municipal authority held the government at least partially responsible for the attack because of its slowness in deploying police to the town after its recapture by the army.
"There is no presence of police in Jaar and other towns of Abyan, while Al-Qaeda militants remain underground," said Nasser Abdullah Mansari.
"A drone fired two missiles at an all-terrain vehicle… killing its five occupants, all members of Al-Qaeda," a local official said, requesting anonymity.
Al-Qaeda had taken advantage of a nearly year-long uprising against Hadi's predecessor, veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, to seize large swathes of the south and east.
In July, Yemen announced it had placed its security services on high alert to prevent "terrorist" attacks after it uncovered a plot to launch assaults against security and military checkpoints.


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