Panchayat:Repo18/Law Manual Page0315
Hence, if an entrepreneur produces sufficient positive certification from the competent authorities, then the Panchayat/President is liable to act on the same and issue the permission/licence unless bound by valid policy reasons. - Action Council v. Benny Abraham - 2001 (2) KLT 690 : 2001 (2) KLJ 120. [1996 (2) KLT 719 - Clarified. AIR 1952 SC 17 - Referred to.] [Reversed in 2002 (2) KLT 228 SC).
- Application for license to put up a building to start a S.S.I. unit - No reference to Town Planning Dept. is required - Certified by the Green Channel Committee as a non-polluting unit - No notification under S: 232 issued by the Panchayat - Application to be accepted or rejected within the deadline fixed under S. 233(3) of the Act.- N.S.S. Karayogam, Mevelloor v. Velloor Grama Panchayat - 2001 (3) KLT SN 58 P. 43
- Prosecution for failure to take a licence – Court where prosecution is launched if competent to sit in judgment over validity of bye-laws prescribing the licence and fee - Question of quid pro quo if can be agitated - Panchayat if to prove that special services are rendered to licences - The Court where the prosecution is launched is not called upon to sit in judgement over the validity of the bye-laws prescribing the licence and the fee for the same. If the accused had any idea to question the imposition of licence fee, or the notification insisting on his taking a licence for conducting the tile factory in the area specified therein, he ought to have challenged the bye-laws made by the Panchayat in accordance with the provisions of the Act before the authorities constituted for the said purpose. The question of quid pro quo is not a matter to be agitated before the court where the owner of the tile factory is prosecuted for his failure to take the licence. For sustaining the imposition of licence fee it is net n to prove that special services are rendered to the licensees. If the licences are getting the general services from the Panchayat, which fact is not disputed, then the imposition of the fee has to be sustained. - Kodakara Panchayat v. Sukumaran - 1986 KLT 618 : 1986 KLJ 458.
- Ss.96 & 110 [corresponding to S.232 & S.237 of the Panchayat Raj Act, 1994]– Ration shops er Kerala Rationing Order, 1966 - Not exempted from taking licence under S.110 – The building is under the control of the ration shop dealer and is in no way under the occupation or control of the State Government. The fact that the officials of the State Government have got authority to come and inspect the ration shop does not in any way mean that they have got control over the place of business. Therefore, the ration shops, where the respondents are doing their business are not exempted under S.110 of the Act. - Executive Officer, Atholi Panchayat v. Sreedharan - 1987 (2) KLT 698 : 1987 (2) KLJ 1416.
- Application for licence in respect of a dangerous and offensive trade - Rules not speaking of prohibitory distance - Prescribed form requiring specification of distance - Not to be deemed as prohibitory rule based on distance - Constitution of India, Art.226 - It is true that the Kerala Panchayats (Licensing of Dangerous and Offensive Trades and Factories) Rules, 1963, do not prescribe that a dangerous and offensive trade should be conducted only beyond a particular distance from any residential building. The application form prescribed is part of the rules. The particulars to be furnished are thus on the basis of those rules. The rules enjoin that the licensing authority has to take into consideration several factors and then decide whether the license should be granted or not. The facts furnished in the application have necessarily to guide the authority in the exercise of its discretion, These particulars can have no greater sanctity. It cannot be said that any matter for which a separate column is provided in the application automatically enshrines a statutory prohibition. The particulars directed to be furnished by the applicant thus cannot be deemed to be any prohibitory rule based on distance. When the rules speak of no prohibitory distance, a prohibition cannot be implied from the contents of the application or the particulars to be furnished therein. It follows that when there is no express rule prohibiting the installation of a stone crushing unit within a particular distance of a residential building, the Government was wrong in stating that a distance rule prevented the grant of a licence. The nuisance caused by the working of a 30 H.P. Engine to crush stones is a legal injury to the neighboring residents. If the Government feel that the residents in the neighborhood within 225 feet or 100 meters have to be protected, this court will not exercise its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution without being unmindful of the injustice that is likely to be caused. – Ibrahimkutty v. State of Kerala - 1986 KLT 830: 1986 KLJ 680.
- Object of – Issue of license for installation of factory - Requirements - Government order relaxing the provision contrary to it – is illegal - It is clear from the statutory provisions contained in Rule 12(4) (b) and (c) of the Rules that they are intended to ensure the health of the citizens in the locality as also their safety having regard to possible fire hazards. There is no provision entitling the Government to relax these provisions. That being the position the State ought to take every possible step to ensure that the statutory provisions bearing on the subject intended for ensuring safety of the citizens are strictly obeyed and complied with. - Aboobacker v. State of Kerala - 1988 (1) KLT 232: AIR 1988 Ker 242: ILR 1988 (2) Ker 59.


Peekaboo Pour Nous (Peekaboo For Us) inspires us to live the simple truths, in order to embrace our journey and celebrate life to the fullest.
Celebrate Life Everyday: Do-overs Don’t Exist
1. Appreciate and Live in the Present.
2. Live with Humility. Treat Others with Respect and Kindness.
3. Keep a Sense of Humor. Laugh and Smile More, Especially at Yourself.
4. Forgive Quickly. Allow Yourself and Others to make Mistakes in order to Grow.
5. Give Generously and Give Back Often.
Peekaboo Pour Nous… A Celebration of Life amongst the FAMILY we choose.


have always fascinated me
that is the way I see the world
and the way the world sees me
Stretching across our world,
catching so many brave souls,
May we never forget those precious lives,
May we always celebrate their gentle spirits.
When the Cold War ended, the whole world celebrated. It truly was a victory for all of humanity. That is why it is so sad and disconcerting that we are seeing some of the old jealousies and rivalries flaring up in different parts of the world. The Cold War consumed an entire geneation across the planet and came within a day of ending human history in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Stepping back from the current moves towards a new Cold War is the most important thing the world can do.
This post is taken from my Ebook Horizons which can be purchased on Etsy or from me directly. It is one of several pieces I created about the Cold War. We are not the Baby Boom generation. That is a term invented by corporations to sell products, and by governments to control people. We are the Cold War generation, whether you are from New York, or Moscow, or Brazil, or China, or anywhere in the world. And ending the Cold War without ending human history is our greatest accomplishment.
The Iconic New York Chess & Checker Club on 42nd Street, New York City!
I started playing Chess very young. One of my uncles, from Brooklyn, was really good, and I just picked it up. I went on to play in high school, and briefly in college.
The New York Chess & Checker club was right in midtown Manhattan, and would charge players for the boards. You would meet up with another player, and the loser would pay the tab! Oftentimes the tab would include a coffee or a soft drink.
You could always count on great games and meeting interesting characters, most of whom lived right in the city.
Competitive, egalitarian coffee house chess, right in the middle of downtown Manhattan!
If the weather was ok, after the games, we would walk a few blocks over to Bryant Park and the fabulous Main Branch of The New York City Public Library, a vast storehouse of innumerable books and documents, all available onsite to the general public. Typically (to this day) the Library also would host great exhibits of historical and literary documents which are hard to find elsewhere.
Bryant Park and The Main Library are truly part of the wonders of the world, in my opinion!
If the weather was really nice we would walk all the way downtown, to Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village, where folks might be playing chess outdoors, or playing guitars and singing songs to anyone who would listen!
Friendship, Chess, great books, exhibitions, music!
A great time in a great city!
The club was established by a Canadian in 1950 and lasted until the late 1970s. It became The Disney Store which I always thought was quite interesting!
I feel so lucky I was able to be part of the chess history of New York City, a city that has produced many incredible players, probably most notably Bobby Fischer. There still are many chess clubs scattered throughout the city, but I think it will be quite some time before another one like The New York Chess & Checker Club arrives.


We've long heard of the expression, "To see is to believe," suggesting that the foolproof way of authenticating something is visual perception. But, as another expression goes, there's more than meets the eye—especially when dealing with astronomy and gastronomy.
A French physicist trolled the Twitterverse by posting a photo of a ball with deep red and orange hues, seemingly burning bright against the pitch-black background. Initially saying it's the latest image of a star by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, he eventually admitted that it's just good ol' slice of the smoky, spicy chorizo.
"Photo of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, located 4.2 light years from us," Etienne Klein, research director of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, wrote on July 31. "This level of detail… A new world is revealed day after day."
Photo de Proxima du Centaure, l’étoile la plus proche du Soleil, située à 4,2 année-lumière de nous.
Elle a été prise par le JWST.
Ce niveau de détails… Un nouveau monde se dévoile jour après jour. pic.twitter.com/88UBbHDQ7Z— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) July 31, 2022
Klein's tweet started gaining traction and droves of users are feasting their eyes on the marvelous image. It has over 11,200 likes and 2,300 retweets to date.
But before things blow out of proportion, Klein wrote a follow-up tweet minutes later to set the record straight.
"Well, when it's time for the aperitif, cognitive biases seem to have a field day… Beware, then, of them," he said. "According to contemporary cosmology, no object belonging to Spanish charcuterie exists anywhere but on Earth."
Hours later, he explicitly said that his purported photo of Proxima Centauri was a "form of amusement."
"Let us learn to be wary of arguments from authority as much as of the spontaneous eloquence of certain images," Klein told his 90,000 followers.
Some users, however, were not impressed with what he did, especially since disinformation is ever-prevalent.
"The only way not to fall into the manipulation of ill-intentioned people is to trust scientists. Many have seen your original tweet but not the patch. You should have clarified that it was humor in the same message," one user said.
"Etienne Klein, we need at least a few reliable reference people in this world and a certain number of us have decided that you are one of them," another user said. "So not too many deli jokes, the complexity of the universe stands on its own."
Others, meanwhile, were more forgiving and went along with the would-be joke.
"Can't wait for the first images of the Prosciutto Nebula," one user wrote.
"Flat Earthers are going to develop a new theory. The stars are actually chorizo," another user wrote.
In a separate tweet, Klein apologized for his "hoax," saying there's "nothing original about it" as he shared a report from a local news magazine. He explained that it's a "scientist's joke," and that he "simply wanted to urge caution with images that seem eloquent on their own."
Je viens présenter mes excuses à ceux que mon canular, qui n’avait rien d’original, a pu choquer. Il voulait simplement inciter à la prudence vis-à-vis des images qui semblent éloquentes par elles-mêmes.— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022
La blague d'un scientifique https://t.co/wHiJWxscxq #Astronomie via @LePoint
Klein also tweeted a photo of the Cartwheel Galaxy as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, making sure to include a parenthetical remark stating that the photo is "REAL this time."
Photo (VRAIE cette fois…) de la galaxie de la Roue du Chariot et de ses galaxies compagnes, prise par le JWST. Située à 500 millions d’années-lumière, elle fut sans doute spirale dans son passé, mais a pris cette étrange allure à la suite d’un furieux carambolage galactique. pic.twitter.com/vmiDjU1Gjt— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022


If you are a truck driver, you might be wondering how much health coverage insurance you need to carry. The health coverage for truck drivers can make them secure. You can go through https://www.truckershealthcoverage.com/ to collect the details about insurance and security.
Image Source: Google
The Rights Of A Truck Driver To Health Coverage:
Truck drivers have the right to health coverage under the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rules. The NLRB rules protect workers from being fired for requesting or using health benefits that are part of their union contract. This means that truck drivers have the right to receive health benefits from their union, even if those benefits are not offered by their employer.
The Right To Receive Benefits From Your Union Contract:
If you are a truck driver and your union offers health benefits, you have the right to receive those benefits. These benefits may include medical, dental, and vision care. You also have the right to receive group health insurance, which may cover your spouse and children. If your union does not offer health benefits, you still have the right to receive them from your employer. However, your employer may only offer you limited benefits, such as hospitalization coverage only. You cannot receive all of the benefits
Need For Health Insurance:
Health coverage for truck drivers is a topic of debate amongst employers and workers alike. Employers are unsure if health insurance is necessary for truck drivers, as the nature of their job does not generally involve prolonged periods of sitting or standing. Workers, on the other hand, believe that health insurance is a necessity for those who drive long distances and are potentially exposed to dangerous conditions on the road.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that all workers who are able to do so should have comprehensive health insurance coverage. You can visit https://www.truckershealthcoverage.com/critical-illness-coverage to know more about the illness coverage for truckers.


So far I have tracked this circle alignment from its starting point in North Africa in Algiers, Algeria, through Mali, Guinea, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.
Now the alignment enters the United States in Louisiana.
As I said at the end of the last post, the alignment is moving into the Heart of the Empire Washitaw of the Washitaw Mu’urs, also known as the Ancient Ones, and the Mound Builders.
The Ancient Ones don’t refer to a people that existed a long time ago. It refers to an Ancient People that are living in the present day.
The United Nations recognized the Washitaw Mu’urs as the Oldest Indigenous Civilization on Earth in 1993.
The Washitaw existed far, far back in time, way far, at least as far back as the time of Mu, hence their identification as Mu’urs. Empresses are the ancestral rulers of the Washitaw Empire.
The Washitaw were also called the Ouachita, Wichita, Choctaw, Etowah, Eutaw, Waseti, Waxhaw, Hatchita, Washoe, Uaxactun, to name a few variations of the name. There are many, many other Native American tribes that are also Washitaw, but are considered to be separate from them because of the historical hatchet job that was done to remove the Ancient Ones from the historical record, and to misdirect and misinform.
The Mississippi River Delta is nearby, southeast of Baton Rouge – close to the alignment, as is New Orleans – but not directly on it, like Baton Rouge.
Throughout this post, I will provide reasons why I believe there is an inverse, and intentionally-mirrored relationship between the Mississippi River region and the Nile River region in Africa.
To begin with, I have drawn a red line on this world map to demonstrate that there is a straight, west-to-east, linear relationship between the location of the Mississippi River Delta, and that of the Nile River Delta.
The Mississippi River, also known as the “Father of Waters,” flows southward 2,320 miles, or 3,730 kilometers…
… from its source at Lake Itasca in Minnesota, not far from Lake Superior, and the Great Lakes Region of North America…
…to the Mississippi Delta in southeastern Louisiana.
The Nile River, also known as the “Father of African Rivers,” and along with its major tributary, the White Nile, is 4,130 miles, or 6,650 kilometers, long.
The source of the White Nile is Lake Victoria, in what is called the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa.
The source of the Blue Nile is Lake Tana, a sacred lake in Ethiopia, and it joins the White Nile to become the Nile at Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
From Khartoum, the Nile flows northward to the Nile Delta.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Mississippi River and the Nile River…
…as well as what the Mississippi River Delta and the Nile River Delta look like together in person.
This is an aerial view of the Mississippi Delta, which is on the southeastern coast of Louisiana, showing many geometric and straight channels…
….and the same type of straight, geometric channel is also found in the Nile Delta.
Now to the actual alignment, the first major city we come to being Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Baton Rouge is the State Capital of Louisiana, and its second-largest city.
There are two particular places in Baton Rouge that I would like to highlight.
The first are acknowledged ancient mounds at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. There are two mounds there, believed to be more than 5,000 years old, and considered to be part of the oldest mound system in North America, and part of an acknowledged Louisiana mound system. They are on the U. S. National Register of Historic Places.
But, mounds are actually everywhere, and typically not acknowledged as such.
Like at the old Louisiana State Capital Building in Baton Rouge. Besides the fact that it looks like a castle, I want to draw your attention to what the earthworks, also known as mounds, that it sits on top of…
…which look identical to the earthworks upon which the Akureyrikirkja, or Akureyri Church, sits on top of in Akureyri, Iceland…
…and to the earthworks upon which Mount Clare sits on top of in Baltimore, Maryland…
…and like what is seen at Cahokia Mounds, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Missouri…
…which looks very similar to what is seen at the locks of the Panama Canal, said to have been completed in 1914…
…the Caledonian Canal in Northern Scotland, said to have been completed in 1822…
…and the Bingley Five Rise Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Bingley, England, said to have been completed in 1774. The Algiers Circle Alignment I am currently following will pass directly through Leeds, England, in the latter part of it.
The circle alignment passes through the town of Richwood, on its way to Monroe, Louisiana, the ancient Imperial Seat of the Washitaw Empire, in an area known as Washitaw Proper.
The recently deceased Empress of the Washitaw, Verdiacee Washitaw Turner Goston El Bey signifies many things, but for this example she was the mayor of Richwood, Louisiana, from 1975 – 1976.
Empress Verdiacee passed away in 2014, and her granddaughter Wendy Farica Washitaw succeeded her as the Washitaw Empress.
It is important to note that the Watson Brake Lunar Mounds are in the vicinity of Richwood, Watson Brake is an archeological site in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, dated to 5,400 years ago, and is the oldest earthwork mound complex in North America, acknowledged to be older than the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge in England. It is located on private land, so is not available for public viewing.
Stonehenge, which has an earthwork very similar to Watson Brake around its perimeter, according to what we are told, dates from starting at 3,100 BC, about 5,100 years ago.
Monroe is the parish seat of the Ouachita (pronounced Washitaw) Parish.
Monroe and West Monroe, which together are called the Twin Cities of northeast Louisiana, are situated on either side of the snaky, S-shaped Ouachita River.
Just like the snaky, s-shaped riverbends of the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi…
…and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The Nile River has snaky, S-shaped riverbends as well, like at Juba in South Sudan…
…and here is a photo of the Nile in the Asyut Valley of Upper Egypt.
And here is a comparison of where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet near St. Louis, MIssouri…
…with the place where the White Nile and Blue Nile meet at Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Back to Monroe, Louisiana. Monroe is the Imperial Seat of the Ancient Washitaw Empire, and this part of Louisiana is called Washitaw Proper. This is the Washitaw flag.
Thirty-eight miles northeast of Monroe, near the town of Epps, Louisiana, is Poverty Point.
It is said to have become known as Poverty Point because the farming was terrible here.
Its name is actually Awulmeka, and was an ancient sacred city of the Washitaw Mu’urs.
The story that we are told about all the mound sites is that indians wearing loincloths were responsible for building the perfectly geometrically- and astronomically-aligned mounds and earthworks, one basketful of dirt at a time. This is not the truth, and does not hold up with any scrutiny whatsoever.
These are the kinds of artifacts on display at Poverty Point as being representative of what was found here. While perhaps they were found here, I don’t think they were representative of the highly advanced and sophisticated ancient civilization that lived here.
The artifacts on display at Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma, like this one here, would be more representative of what was found at Poverty Point.
Muurish-American Master Adepts and Teachers in the present day are wisdom-keepers of ancient sacred Kemetic Mysteries and Knowledge about all Creation. They are living practitioners of Egyptian Yoga and Medu Neter, the language of the Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
In this spirit, I am going to the next place on the alignment in an area west of Little Rock, Arkansas, which has special sites that aren’t brought forward into public awareness, and represent how sacred ancient sites are deliberately covered-up.
The first place is Pinnacle Mountain, which is an Arkansas State Park.
I had first heard of Pinnacle Mountain when I learned there was an Earthkeeper Conference there in 2012.
I didn’t think much of the name Pinnacle Mountain until several years later, in 2015, when finding this image on-line. This was the beginning of my “looking” and then “finding” out more and more. It really got my attention!!!
So I had to go there! It was about a 3 – 4 hour drive from where I was living at the time, and I went twice with friends. There is only place you can get this clear view of Pinnacle Mountain as a pyramid, which is from the Education Pond at the park.
And this next view of Pinnacle Mountain and two more pyramids is only obtainable from the Visitor Center Observation Deck on a relatively clear day.
Otherwise, access to all other views is completely cut off by private property and fences, and these are certainly not advertised as pyramids.
The alignment is also close to Mount Magazine, located outside of Paris, Arkansas. Mount Magazine is in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. The memory of the people is in the name. This is called Cameron’s Bluff at Mount Magazine.
I visited Mount Magazine several times, and this is where I started waking up to seeing what was really in the environment around me. As soon as I took to the turn-off for the road that skirts the bluff, I started seeing a wall.
It is such an ancient wall that there is some element of doubt.
But there are some places you can really tell it is a built structure.
The next place on the circle alignment is Springfield, the third largest city in Missouri, and the seat of Greene County.
This is the Pythian Castle in Springfield, said to have been built in 1913 as an orphanage, and similar in appearance to the Old Louisiana State House in Baton Rouge. It was said to have been built by the Knights of Pythias, a secret society founded in Washington, D.C in February of 1864, and was the first fraternal order to receive a charter by an Act of Congress. It is interesting to note that the Civil War didn’t end until 1865. For what purpose would Congress charter a fraternal secret society in wartime?
This is the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque in Springfield, said to have been built in 1923. Again, we just assume the people who said they built these places did so because we have no other information to go by.
Another example of this practice is at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri, north of Springfield on the alignment. The castle here was said to have been started by a Kansas businessman in 1905, finished by his sons in the 1920s before the stock market crash, and destroyed by fire in 1942.
Like the Yucatan Peninsula, Ha Ha Tonka has sinkholes, and caves, and even a huge so-called “natural” bridge…
…and Missouri’s twelfth largest spring.
I am going to pick up the alignment in the next post in Des Moines, Iowa.


Free jazz concerts at La Sierra University help keep American music alive – press enterprise
La Sierra University’s free Pierce Street Jazz concerts regularly bring together Southern California’s top musicians dedicated to the preservation of jazz, considered an original American art form.
The series began in the summer of 2009 when former university president Warren Trenchard and chemistry department chairman Marvin Payne met bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin during his local performances.
Franklin, 77, has his roots in the heyday of Southern California jazz and is well known for playing on Hugh Masekela’s 1968 hit song, “Grazing in the Grass.” He has been featured with many big names in jazz including Freddie Hubbard, Willie Bobo and Count Basie.
Faculty members and Franklin brainstormed the idea of ââa free professional music series that would support jazz and function as a community outreach effort.
Concerts are held on Wednesday evenings, usually once a month, at the Troesh Conference Center of the Zapara School of Business on the La Sierra University campus, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside.
Pianist Theo Saunders joins Franklin in the rhythm section. Ramon Banda is the regular drummer, but recent replacements have included Tina Raymond and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, well known for his years as a drummer on The Tonight Show.
Recent guest artists include LA jazz and blues singer Barbara Morrison and saxophonist Chuck Manning. There will be no concert in September when the students return from summer vacation. The series will resume in October or early November.
For more information on Pierce Street Jazz or to join the program’s mailing list, call 951-785-2148 or visit www.facebook.com/piercestreetjazz/
Nobel laureate Barry Barish joins UCR faculty
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Barry C. Barish will join UC Riverside faculty on September 1.
Barish, Linde Emeritus Professor of Physics at Caltech, shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of gravitational waves with fellow Caltech physicist Kip Thorne and MIT physicist Rainer Weiss.
The award recognized their “contributions to the LIGO detector and gravitational wave observation,” according to a press release from UC Riverside.
On September 14, 2015, LIGO, or Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, first detected the gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago. A collision between two black holes generated the waves, which took 1.3 billion years to reach the LIGO detector. Barish carried out the LIGO project, allowing the first observation of this phenomenon, according to the statement from the UCR.
“I hope to bring new research perspectives, and in particular, to help educate the very special student body at UCR,” Barish said in the statement.
Barish received his bachelor’s degree in physics in 1957 and his doctorate in experimental particle physics in 1962 from UC Berkeley. He joined Caltech as a post-doctoral fellow in 1963, became a professor in 1966, and was appointed Linde Professor of Physics in 1991.
Cal State professor receives award
Cal State San Bernardino professor Francisca Beer will receive the California State University Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award for her work in promoting and facilitating academic research and student creative activities.
Beer, a professor of accounting and finance, is one of 26 academics in the California state system recognized for working to improve student outcomes.
Under his leadership, Cal State San Bernardino created the âMeeting of the Minds,â a campus-wide, one-day symposium that highlights student research across disciplines through poster sessions, oral presentations, creative performances and keynote speakers.
The winners will be honored at the upcoming 2025 Graduation Initiative Symposium in San Diego in mid-October.
Each prize includes a $ 5,000 cash bursary and $ 10,000 to be allocated to university departments to support the activities of the winners.


This summer we are collaborating with Dr. Xiumei Pu in her Project, "Mountains and Stories: Building Community Among Asian and Pacific Islander Refugee and Immigrant Families in Salt Lake Valley," with the support of a Whiting Public Engagement Programs Seed Grant. Anchored in the theme of mountains, the project consists of a twelve-part podcast, a documentary, and a series of story tellling events, the next of which will be a group hike in the Wasatch Mountains (October 23, 2021). It is our hope that these efforts will amplify the environmental voices of Asian and Pacific Islander refugee and immigrant communities, and spark more public interest in thinking about the connection between culture, identity, and the natural environment. You can listen to previous episodes here on the IMR Podcast website.
At the heart of the project is a podcast series featuring the life and work of twelve storytellers who come from a range of age groups, occupations, and ethnic and racial backgrounds. Some of them are born in the United States; many of them are born in another Asian country or Pacific Island and immigrated to the US at a young age. Their stories show fascinating complexities of immigration routes and histories, incredible cultural richness and resilience, and long-lasting contributions of the Asian and Asian Pacific Islander communities to the social life and cultural landscapes of Salt Lake Valley and the broader Utah.
This week we're sharing Anda Xie's story. Anda is a 7th grade student at West High School. He enjoyed acting and doing improv before COVID, and now he enjoys hiking in the mountains and playing WarThunder. He is Chinese American. He loves celebrating his heritage in many ways, especially Chinese food. He is an aspiring entrepreneur and has made quite a sum ($50) by dabbing the food and stock market (selling Kit-Kats and buying one stock of Activision since he likes Call of Duty). He hopes you enjoy his episode of the podcast.
Jeff Nichols and Brent Olson co-direct the Institute for Mountain Research and our 2018-2019 Mountain Fellows are Katie Saad and Naomi Shapiro. Our theme song is “Home” by Pixie and the Partygrass Boys.. As Naomi likes to say, “They are awesome and you should check them out.”
The Institute for Mountain Research is located on the ancestral and traditional lands of the Ute, Goshute, and Shoshone Peoples.


Here you will find the Poem On an Infant dying as soon as born of poet Charles Lamb
I SAW where in the shroud did lurk A curious frame of Nature's work; A floweret crush'd in the bud, A nameless piece of Babyhood, Was in her cradle-coffin lying; Extinct, with scarce the sense of dying: So soon to exchange the imprisoning womb For darker closets of the tomb! She did but ope an eye, and put A clear beam forth, then straight up shut For the long dark: ne'er more to see Through glasses of mortality. Riddle of destiny, who can show What thy short visit meant, or know What thy errand here below? Shall we say that Nature blind Check'd her hand, and changed her mind, Just when she had exactly wrought A finish'd pattern without fault? Could she flag, or could she tire, Or lack'd she the Promethean fire (With her nine moons' long workings sicken'd) That should thy little limbs have quicken'd? Limbs so firm, they seem'd to assure Life of health, and days mature: Woman's self in miniature! Limbs so fair, they might supply (Themselves now but cold imagery) The sculptor to make Beauty by. Or did the stern-eyed Fate descry That babe or mother, one must die; So in mercy left the stock And cut the branch; to save the shock Of young years widow'd, and the pain When single state comes back again To the lone man who, reft of wife, Thenceforward drags a maimed life? The economy of Heaven is dark, And wisest clerks have miss'd the mark, Why human buds, like this, should fall, More brief than fly ephemeral That has his day; while shrivell'd crones Stiffen with age to stocks and stones; And crabbed use the conscience sears In sinners of an hundred years. Mother's prattle, mother's kiss, Baby fond, thou ne'er wilt miss: Rites, which custom does impose, Silver bells, and baby clothes; Coral redder than those lips Which pale death did late eclipse; Music framed for infants' glee, Whistle never tuned for thee; Though thou want'st not, thou shalt have them, Loving hearts were they which gave them. Let not one be missing; nurse, See them laid upon the hearse Of infant slain by doom perverse. Why should kings and nobles have Pictured trophies to their grave, And we, churls, to thee deny Thy pretty toys with thee to lie-- A more harmless vanity?


Bridge The Gap
Having no bridge strong enough to cross, We mirror each other's gap. Only to be tossed back with a big hard slap. What's mine is your's but that's what we so conveniently ignore.
It's you've done this, you've done that. Feeling like a victim we lash out back. So here we are having placed a wall between us so tall. Now we seem to be playing each other like a ping pong ball.
Sadly enough it's not our first attempt's to prove we are worthy of love, but we goabout it all wrong.The ego feels almighty.We hold onto to miss perceptions ever so tightly.
Now the floodgates have opened and yes let it be shown, it is only but our own self haterd we've tried to keep unkown. Being forced to witness what's inside.
It really couldn't have happened at a better time. With so much horror in the world, what one can mindlessly do unto another.
If we don't accept what is our's to own. To gladly take back parts of ourselfs we've disowned,We will be cast into another world so loveless, no feelings shown.
So I thank you brother's and sister's who have been sent to help me shed the illusion that it's not me at fault but you instead.
To be given the grace,the ability to look in the mirror at my own face. where in finding love for oneself makes it possible to love human race.
I allow myself to become fully awake in my self realizations I've choosen to undertake. World peace begins at home and with the ablility to learn from my mistakes.
Vote for this poem


When you own a pool, many responsibilities come with maintaining it – a well-kept pool adds value to a home so you want to make sure you do it right! From cleaning it to maintaining water levels to shocking it, there are many things you should know as a pool owner. So, is it safe to shock the pool once a week when it is hot, and why it’s important? As a rule, yes, it is safe to shock your pool once a week, as it keeps the pool safe and clean to use.
Also, you need to know how often you should do it, and the other things you should do to maintain your pool. Keep reading to find out more!
During Hot Summer Months Is It Safe to Shock Weekly?
Yes, it is recommended that you shock your pool once a week. If you tend to have lots of people over, you may want to do it even more frequently. Shocking the pool maintains your pool’s water chemistry, keeping it safe and clean to use. When shocking the pool, keep in mind that two pounds of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water in your pool is the ratio to go by – this ensures that your pool gets the right amount of chemicals to treat it properly.
How Much Shock Should I Use?
|5,000 Gallon Pool||1lb of Shock|
|10,000 Gallon Pool||2lb of Shock|
|20,000 Gallon Pool||4lb of Shock|
Now that we know the answer to your main question about how often you can shock your pool in the hot summer months, let’s make sure you know what “shocking the pool” is, why it’s important, and how to do it safely.
What Does “Pool Shock” Mean?
The term “shock” refers to a form of chlorine that is used to treat your pool. Two different types can be used, a granular form and a liquid form. In the liquid form, the shock comes in a container that looks similar to bleach – is careful when using it because it can bleach your clothes.
Liquid shock is a bit more expensive than the granular form and not as strong, but it dissolves quickly and leaves no residue. The granular form most likely needs to be dissolved in water before being poured into the pool. Ultimately, either kind can be used, it simply comes down to your preference and whether or not you need a stronger product.
How Do You Shock Your Pool?
As always, be sure to read the instructions on the granular/liquid shock before using it. This will ensure that you see any warnings and can help you do the “shocking” safely.
- Be sure that the pool filter is running before either pouring or sprinkling the shock around the perimeter of the pool.
- You should avoid swimming in the pool for 24-48 hours after shocking so that the chemicals have enough time to filter through the water and not harm your skin or eyes.
- The only shock is when there is no one in the pool, it can be very dangerous if people are in the water.
- Shock the pool after the sun goes down and while the filter is running – this ensures optimal results. With the filter running, you can be sure that the shock is filtered properly throughout the whole pool.
- In the summer, it is recommended to shock the pool once a week to kill off any unwanted germs and maintain the pool’s water chemistry.
- Use the correct ratio: Two pounds of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water that’s in your pool.
If you follow these instructions, your pool will be safe, clean, and ready to swim in throughout the hot summer months!
How to Tell If Your Pools Need Shock
There are specific instances that will alert you to shock your pool outside of the weekly recommendation, these include:
- Opening the pool for the season: when you uncover the pool, shocking it to get started will be sure to kill off any bacteria or algae that has grown in the off-season.
- After a party: germs can build up quickly and the water chemistry doesn’t stay stable for very long. With lots of people in the pool, it is always best to follow up with shock so that it is clean and ready for the next use.
- When it’s hot outside: hot water in the pool can increase bacteria growth and lower the chlorine level in your pool, so if you come upon a hot stretch, be sure to shock the pool more often.
- Shock the pool after rain: if you receive heavy rain, it can increase the pH levels of the water and send contaminants into your pool. To avoid anything dangerous, shock the pool after the rain has stopped.
- Closing the pool at the end of the season: even though you’ll shock the pool when you re-open it, you should close it with clean water. This will help keep it clean for longer and limit the growth of bacteria.
One other thing to consider when wondering if it’s time to shock the pool is the pH level. Many people recommend that you shock the pool when the pH level is between 7.2 and 7.4. As a pool owner, there are many things you need to do to maintain the water, cleanliness, and safety of the pool. You’ll get into a routine and get better at noticing when it’s time to shock the pool.
What You Should Know to Maintain Your Pool
In addition to shocking the pool periodically, there are several other things you should check on to maintain your pool.
- Depending on where your pool is located, you will need to skim off leaves and debris that fall onto the surface of the water. This process is pretty easy with a long-handled pool skimmer and takes just a few minutes to keep the water clean and clear.
- For any debris that is missed, as well as algae that collect on the walls of the pools, you can use a vacuum to clean up anything left behind. Automatic vacuums are recommended – simply plug in the cleaner, set it in the water, and let it go to work.
- Multiple things were built into the pool that is designed to help clean and maintain the pool, such as the skimmer. When you clean off the debris from the surface of the water, check the skimmer as well to make sure it’s working effectively.
- Keep the pool pump running and check the filter as needed. Your pool’s circulation system includes many different pieces and only works properly if everything runs smoothly. Make sure that you run the pump long enough to filter the water. You should also make sure that the filter is clean – check weekly for debris or anything that could have been collected.
It may seem like it’s a lot of work to properly maintain your pool, and in a way, it is. But, each of these steps takes very little time to complete, especially if you do them regularly. Putting a routine in place at the start of pool season with your family can help you ensure that it is safe for everyone to enjoy all summer long!
Where Can I Buy Pool Shock and How Much Does it Cost?
Pool shock is available at several retailers in town, including Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other home and garden shops in town. Depending on the size of your pool and how often you use it, the cost for pool shock could be more than you expect. One container of liquid pool shock costs between $6-$10. Granular shock can cost between $20-$200 depending on how much you buy at one time. You should consider buying in bulk, especially if you plan on using your pool a lot throughout the summer.
Can You Over-Shock a Pool?
Unlike the phrase “everything in moderation”, when it comes to shocking the pool, this can be tossed out. Truthfully, you cannot “over-shock” your pool. It is possible to use more shock than you need or less, but doing it too often is not possible. While this is true, there is still a right and wrong way to shock your pool, especially if you want to get the best results. The only thing that you may be able to notice if you shock the pool a little more than necessary, is green hair for excess chlorine that oxidizes with the copper in the water.
How Do You Choose the Right Pool Equipment?
There are several kinds of equipment out there to help you clean and maintain your swimming pool, so choosing between them all may be a bit overwhelming when you get started. Luckily, almost everything comes down to your preference. If you’ve never had a pool before, go to your nearest home retailer and talk with a professional. They can advise you on how to get started and can walk you through the pieces you need. Things like your long-handled skimmer, shock, how to clean and check your filter, pool covers, automatic pool vacuums vs. manual vacuums, and so much more. Though it seems like a lot, it’s much easier than you think to clean and maintain your pool. You’ll quickly get into a routine and with regular maintenance, you’ll be surprised at how minimal the work is.


All Mascara is Not Created Equal by Jessica Landmon is a great book for all mothers to give to their daughters. This is a combination of God’s words of wisdom and the wisdom of a mother who has raised a young girl. Jessica Landmon is a great role model for young women and this book is a fun way to see what wisdom she has gained over the years of becoming the woman she is today.
All Mascara is Not Created Equal makes the reader smile. No matter what you believe in, I believe that every woman and young girl can relate to what Jessica Landmon is trying to convey in this book. This short read taps into what life is like for a girl growing up and reminds me of the kind of letter a woman would write to her younger self if she could go back in time. I found myself smiling and nodding as if I completely understood why Jessica mentioned certain tips to the younger women in her target audience. Jessica tries to get girls and woman to look deep within themselves and make themselves feel good without needing constant reassurance from outside people. Being a girl is a true gift from God but being a girl is never a walk in the park, especially when you are growing up. This book is proof that along the way, guidance and love from God is all you really need to get through life’s tough days.
This is the type of book that I would be more than happy to give to my future daughters to lightheartedly convey that I feel her pain. It is a casual reminder that we are all in this together. Such a fun read! I hope Jessica Landmon comes out with another one just like this!
All Mascara Is Not Created Equal
by Jessica Landmon


With women at the helm, companies fare better.
According to research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), companies where 30% of the leadership team is female have 15% higher profitability than similar organizations with no female leaders.
Despite this evidence, women hold less than 28% of leadership positions at companies. In fact, a Qualtrics study showed that during the pandemic, men have been promoted three times more than women.
While women are earning more STEM degrees than ever before, the percentage of women employed at the five tech giants (Amazon, Meta, Apple, Google, and Microsoft) is only 34.4%.
So what can we do to elevate more women to success in tech?
Here are four headlines that give us some direction for 2022:
More Than a “Skills Gap”
Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit dedicated to equipping young women with computing skills, has radically changed her stance: She says the answer to inequity in tech is systemic change, not just more coding skills.
Her new book, Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It’s Different Than You Think) says a perceived skills gap isn’t the main problem for women in tech.
Saujani is now working on practical ways to break down barriers. In 2021, Saujani started advocating for a Marshall Plan for Moms that would combat the burnout and systemic inequalities that hold women back in the workplace.
Care coverage is the make-or-break factor. Paid family leave and subsidized child care are at the top of Saujani’s priority list – particularly because the pandemic has forced women to bear the brunt of childcare and distance learning demands caused by school shutdowns. A Morning Consult survey of 468 working mothers showed that 33% of women worked fewer hours during the pandemic due to child care issues, and another 20% of respondents moved to part time.
Read Saujani’s book to learn more about her plan for transforming the future of work.
Increasing Access to Venture Capital
When she launched the nonprofit organization Women Who Tech in 2008, Allyson Kapin’s goal was to increase female representation in the technology industry. Now the organization is one of the largest networks of women-led companies.
Women aren’t getting VCs dollars. In 2021, only 2% of venture capital in the U.S. went to women-led startups, but Women Who Tech is working hard to change that stat.
To date, the program’s cohorts have raised over $200 million, and the organization recently announced the finalists of their inaugural FemTech and HealthTech Challenge. The challenge awarded grants to two startups that are harnessing AI to make big advances in healthcare.
The tech coalition Reboot Representation, led by CEO Dwana Franklin-Davis, is working to double the number of Latina, Black, and Native American women who receive computing degrees by 2025.
The Reboot Representation Tech Coalition is made up of 19 supporting companies, including Amazon, Walmart, Verizon, Best Buy, Adobe, and Salesforce.
In an interview with Forbes, Franklin-Davis says:
“When my daughter decides to go into corporate America, I want her to be able to look to her left and to her right and see other Black and Brown faces that look like hers. I also want that for all of the girls who want to be innovators and technologists as well as CEOs…The time is now to make movement.”
This groundbreaking tech coalition is also partnering with local organizations, including Chicago Public Schools, to increase access to computer science and coding for Black, Latina, and Native American girls.
Learn more by watching Dwana’s panel at last year’s Powderkeg Unvalley virtual conference, How to Build High-Performance Teams in Today’s World.
Growing the Billionaire Women’s Club
We’re delighted that more female tech founders are joining the billionaire club.
The Spanx founder has become a billionaire. In November 2021, Spanx founder Sara Blakely sold a majority share in her company to global investment bank Blackstone. This sale brought the value of Spanx up to $1.2 billion.
She’s not the only woman in this exclusive group.
Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd took her company public in a $2.2 billion IPO in February 2021, and 23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki is now at the helm of a $3.5 billion company after a 2021 SPAC deal with Richard Branson.
This month (and every month!), we invite you to check out these women-founded and women-led tech companies beyond Silicon Valley:
- 4D Healthware (Chicago, IL) — a patient engagement software that makes personalized medicine possible through connected data.
- Anvl (Indianapolis, IN) — a flexible platform that promotes worker engagement and efficiency with an easy to use mobile application that provides in-the-moment guidance through smart, dynamic workflows.
- Authenticx (Indianapolis, IN) — a platform developer that helps healthcare organizations analyze and activate customer interaction data at scale.
- Biomilq (Durham, NC) — a patent-pending technology to produce nutritionally equivalent breastmilk.
- Bumble (Austin, TX) — an app that brings dating, friend-finding, and career-building into a single social networking platform.
- Casted (Indianapolis, IN) — the first Amplified Marketing Platform and the only audio and video podcast solution designed for enterprise marketers.
- ClickMedix (Gaithersburg, MD) — a health platform that expedites quality healthcare delivery, despite income and geographic barriers by extending the reach of physicians through mobile phone/tablet facilitated remote diagnosis.
- Cloverleaf (Cincinnati, OH) — a SaaS platform that provides data-driven insights to empower every person in the organization to increase their relational and communication effectiveness, ultimately improving productivity and engagement.
- Codelicious (Indianapolis, IN) — a software platform providing full-year, customizable, and computer science curriculum for K-12.
- FullStack (Indianapolis, IN) — a Turnkey HR for emerging companies.
- Huma.AI (Los Altos, CA) — a provider of business intelligence platform built to automate healthcare through human language.
- Mamava (Burlington, VT) — the leading expert in lactation space design.
- Mandolin (Indianapolis, IN) — a digital platform designed to help artists, venues, and fans connect through live music.
- Mixtroz (Birmingham, AL) — an analytics platform that increases engagement & collects data in real-time.
- myCOI (Indianapolis, IN) — a SaaS-based certificate of insurance (COI) management solutions.
- Rachio (Denver, CO) — a hardware company that focuses on improving the water efficiency of homes.
- Sign-Speak (Rochester, NY) — an Automated American Sign Language Translator aiming to help businesses to communicate with their Deaf clients with ASL.
- ShearShare (McKinney, TX) — the first mobile marketplace for stylists to manage and grow their small business on their terms, starting with space to work.
Looking for more companies that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in their culture? Check out our list of best companies for DEI.


You’ve seen them and hate them, but how are corrugations made? THERE HAVE BEEN several scientific studies into exactly how corrugations are formed, and the answer is definitive and simple. You get corrugations any time large numbers of wheeled vehicles travel over a soft surface at speed. Exactly how they … Continue reading How are corrugations formed?
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Oncology practice professionals need tools to help themselves and other staff members become and stay effective managers, including resources on conflict management, performance improvement and feedback, and formal performance evaluations. See below for an assortment of tip sheets and best practices.
Keys for Effective Management
- Coaching for Performance Improvement—Coaching is not simply a best practice—it is essential to help employees address performance gaps.
- Conflict Management—Conflict describes differences of ideas, interests, or people. As the definition suggests, no two conflicts are alike. That would explain why there are no hard-and-fast rules for preventing and resolving conflict. There are, however, some tried-and-true best practices for managing conflict.
- Delegation of Responsibilities—Delegation is a necessary component of management. Here are some steps designed to help managers delegate responsibly.
- Email Best Practices—These 10 best practices are designed to ensure email communications remain effective.
Resources for Providing Effective Feedback
- Best Practices—Learn more about the best ways to both give and receive feedback in a way that is beneficial to employees and managers.
- Situation, Behavior, Impact and Consequence—When planning feedback, it’s important to ground the feedback in specifics, ensure it is focused on behaviors (vs. attitudes) and that the recipient understands how effective or ineffective behaviors impact others.
- Feedback and Coaching Techniques—Coaching is a partnership where the manager role shifts from directing and monitoring an employee’s results to facilitating learning and growth led by the employee.
- Manager Evaluation Tips—Here are some strategies for drafting employee evaluations and holding effective evaluation discussions.
In addition to the tip sheets, oncology practice professionals also can access a series of online resources, including:
- MindTools offers tools to help individual staff members grow
- Harvard Business Review provides resources intended to bolster individual leadership skills
- Society for Human Resources Management offers information related to federal and state regulatory responsibilities, including those under the Family Medical Leave and Fair Labor Standards Act


Modern in the Middle
Chicago Houses 1929-75
Susan Benjamin and Michelangelo Sabatino; foreword by Pauline Saliga
THE FIRST SURVEY OF THE CLASSIC TWENTIETH-CENTURY HOUSES THAT DEFINED AMERICAN MIDWESTERN MODERNISM.
“Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–75, a book co-authored by Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture Professor and Ph.D. Program Director Michelangelo Sabatino and preservationist Susan S. Benjamin, has received a prestigious Docomomo Modernism in America Award. The award program, now in its eighth year, recognizes and celebrates work that documents, preserves, or reuses Modernist architecture in the United States.
“The book presents 50 Modernist houses in the greater Chicago area including examples by Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Stanley Tigerman, John Moutoussamy, A. James Speyer, Edmond Zisook, and John Vinci, several of whom were Illinois Tech graduates. The book’s detailed histories include information about the clients in order to show how modern social aspirations transformed the residential realm. Modern in the MIddle also examines how Chicago’s modern homes played a role in the development of the single-family home across the U.S., while helping to establish a unique Midwestern Modern design language.
“‘The histories of Chicago’s built environment that focus on the accomplishments of only a handful of architects inevitably overlook the vital contribution made by a host of architects, and their clients, in shaping the city’s distinctive residential architecture,” says Sabatino.
“The jury, chaired by Marcel Quimby, principal of Quimby Preservation Studio, bestowed Modern in the Middle with an Award of Excellence, citing the variety of subjects within the publication and calling it ‘a dynamic and engaging book that is a useful resource for the public.’
“‘The brilliant thing about Modern in the Middle is that it focuses not just on the architects and their buildings, it also focuses on the clients, the real-life women and men who took a chance and commissioned these buildings,’ says Pauline Saliga, executive director of the Society of Architectural Historians and the author of the book’s foreword. ‘Because of that more personal focus, the public can better relate to these remarkable homes, and better understand how cutting edge these designs were. These were the teams—clients and architects—who helped shape the Midwest’s own unique brand of Modern residential architecture.’
Praise for Modern in the Middle
“Modern in the Middle significantly expands our understanding of modern architecture in the Chicago area by bringing to light a number of lesser-known yet talented architects. The houses and interiors designed by IIT graduates like myself demonstrate that the Miesian legacy was more complex than it might appear at first sight.”
—JOHN VINCI, FAIA
“Modern in the Middle looks beyond Chicago’s iconic skyscrapers to show us that this city’s residential buildings have also been paradigmatic in shaping modern architecture. The book’s scope goes beyond just “midcentury” making the “Middle” a signifier that explores Chicago’s central place in the nation’s geography and the essential role of the American middle class in defining the idea of “modern housing.” Every piece of this carefully assembled volume is insightful and still resonant in our lives today.”
—GWENDOLYN WRIGHT, COLUMBIA GSAPP
“This rich and fascinating compendium places the modern houses in and around Chicago in historical and philosophical context. In addition to the descriptions not only of the houses and architects but also the crucial role of the clients, the accompanying original photographs and plans are important parts of the thorough documentation. There is much to be discovered here!”
—CYNTHIA WEESE, FAIA
New book explores Chicago’s best modernist homes; One reason midcentury homes are so hot now is they embody an optimism that some people would like to recapture in this gloomy era, one of the authors said, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 8/31/20


There are many myths surrounding the collections of the Arolsen Archives: International Center on Nazi Persecution in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Formerly known as the International Tracing Service, the Archives was established by the International Red Cross and Allied forces at the end of World War II to trace missing and displaced people and help reunite survivors with their relatives. In this lecture, Serafima Velkovich, Head of the Family Roots Research Section at the Yad Vashem Archives, will demystify the Arolsen Archives by describing its history, the types of files it holds, and what information can be gleaned from those files. Additionally, Ms. Velkovich will offer strategies for identifying relevant documents and key clues when searching its new Online Archives and additional collections available at the Arolsen Archives and 5 partner institutions worldwide, including Yad Vashem and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
This program is sponsored by the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History. It is funded, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.


Publications in Scientific Journals:
G. Retscher, A. Leb:
"Development of a Smartphone-based University Library Navigation and Information Service Employing Wi-Fi Location Fingerprinting";
A guidance and information service for a University library based onWi-Fi signals using fingerprinting as chosen localization method is under development at TU Wien. After a thorough survey of suitable location technologies for the application it was decided to employ mainly Wi-Fi for localization. For that purpose, the availability, performance, and usability ofWi-Fi in selected areas of the library are analyzed in a first step. These tasks include the measurement ofWi-Fi received signal strengths (RSS) of the visible access points (APs) in different areas. Themeasurements were carried out in different modes, such as static, kinematic and in stop-and-go mode, with six different smartphones. A dependence on the positioning and tracking modes is seen in the tests. Kinematic measurements
pose much greater challenges and depend significantly on the duration of a singleWi-Fi scan. For the smartphones, the scan durations differed in the range of 2.4 to 4.1 s resulting in different accuracies for kinematic positioning, as fewer measurements along the trajectories are available for a device with longer scan duration. The investigations indicated also that the achievable localization performance is only on the few meter level due to the small number of APs of the University own Wi-Fi network deployed in the library. A promising solution for performance improvement is the foreseen usage of low-cost Raspberry Pi units serving as Wi-Fi transmitter and receiver.
Wi-Fi positioning; navigation; location fingerprinting; RSSI-based positioning; probabilistic approach; information service; book tracking
"Official" electronic version of the publication (accessed through its Digital Object Identifier - DOI)
Electronic version of the publication:
Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.


3 WRITTEN CONSTITUTION
An illustrative blueprint (third of three)
A document of basic law by which the United Kingdom
is governed, including the relationship between the state and
its citizens, an amendment procedure, and elements of reform.
The distinctive elements of this illustrative Written
Constitution - being a document of basic law by which the United
Kingdom is governed, including the relationship between the state
and its citizens, an amendment procedure, and elements of reform
- include, among others, the following.
The Constitution is codified into a single written
document, serving as the source of authority and fundamental law
in the state.
The existing political structure maintained
The Monarchy, Prime Minister and Cabinet, principles
of ministerial responsibility, bicameral Parliament, devolution
settlements, and structure of local government are established
in the Constitution.
Conventions and customs on major constitutional issues,
such as the appointment of a Prime Minister, consent of Parliament
on decisions to go to war, and powers of the Head of State over
law-making, are replaced by written procedures.
Process of constitutional change
Future amendments to the constitution may be made
by Parliament under special majority procedures in each House
Continuous existence of Parliament
Parliament is established as a permanent body, superseding
procedures for its summoning and dissolution.
The timing of general elections
There is a five-yearly cycle for parliamentary elections,
with a more flexible procedure for the House of Commons to call
an early election when the situation requires it.
A democratic Parliament
The First Past the Post system is retained for the
House of Commons, and a smaller Second Chamber with enhanced functions
is to be elected by proportional representation, with transitional
arrangements for existing peers to remain as members for life
or until retirement.
A United Kingdom Bill of Rights
A code of principles on the rights and freedoms of
citizens in the United Kingdom replaces the Human Rights Act.
A broader devolution settlement
The existing devolution settlement in the Scotland
Act, Government of Wales Act and Northern Ireland Act is unchanged,
but operates within constitutional framework giving greater uniformity
across the Union.
A greater autonomy for elected local authorities
is provided for, and a new statutory code on central-local government
relations, while maintaining the Local Government Acts to provide
the operational details of local government.
International and European affairs
Draft treaties concluded by the Government require
the scrutiny and approval of both Houses of Parliament within
three months in order to become binding in international law.
Treaty obligations, including those arising from membership of
the European Union, require an Act of Parliament to take direct
effect in domestic law.
The public services
A concept of the public service across all tiers
of government is introduced, operating under a Code of Conduct
and the supervision of a Public Services Commission.
The Director of Public Prosecutions continues, and
new office of Director of Civil Proceedings is established with
responsibilities in public interest, human rights and European
law issues. The person occupying the office of Attorney General
may no longer be a member of Parliament.
The constitutional role of the judiciary
The Supreme Court may review Acts of Parliament for
conformity with the Constitution and, where found to be in violation,
make a declaration of unconstitutionality that does not invalidate
the statutory provision in question.
A number of new or revised commissions are established
to promote the accountability of public agencies, conduct inquiries,
and/or keep existing arrangements under review, including a Commission
It should be repeated that this blueprint does not
advocate any particular reforms by their inclusion in this illustrative
Constitution; it simply give examples of how such changes might
be incorporated in a document of this nature. The fundamental
question remains the desirability or otherwise of codifying the
constitution of the United Kingdom.


Zn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ are essential minerals required for a plethora of metabolic processes and signaling pathways. Different categories of cation-selective channels and transporters are therefore required to tightly control the cellular levels of individual metals in a cell-specific manner. However, the mechanisms responsible for the organismal balance of these essential minerals are poorly understood. Herein, we identify a central and indispensable role of the channel-kinase TRPM7 for organismal mineral homeostasis. The function of TRPM7 was assessed by single-channel analysis of TRPM7, phenotyping of TRPM7-deficient cells in conjunction with metabolic profiling of mice carrying kidney- and intestine-restricted null mutations in Trpm7 and animals with a global "kinase-dead" point mutation in the gene. The TRPM7 channel reconstituted in lipid bilayers displayed a similar permeability to Zn2+ and Mg2+ Consistently, we found that endogenous TRPM7 regulates the total content of Zn2+ and Mg2+ in cultured cells. Unexpectedly, genetic inactivation of intestinal rather than kidney TRPM7 caused profound deficiencies specifically of Zn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ at the organismal level, a scenario incompatible with early postnatal growth and survival. In contrast, global ablation of TRPM7 kinase activity did not affect mineral homeostasis, reinforcing the importance of the channel activity of TRPM7. Finally, dietary Zn2+ and Mg2+ fortifications significantly extended the survival of offspring lacking intestinal TRPM7. Hence, the organismal balance of divalent cations critically relies on one common gatekeeper, the intestinal TRPM7 channel.
Keywords: TRP channels; TRPM7; calcium; magnesium; zinc.
Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.


Go for it. It's easy to do and beautiful to behold.
When used in bioreactors, algae is 400 times more efficient than a tree at removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
PyroFarms grows PyroDinos using LED lights and filtered sunlight on their algae farm in Carlsbad California.
For those of us constantly looking for ways to lessen our carbon footprint and look good doing it.
Think of all the things you could do with 2.5 gallons of luminescent algae
Bio-Light 'Concept 7' is powered by bioluminescent marine algae (PyroDinos)
There are three main protocols for reviving an overgrown Bio-Orb.
There has been a huge bioluminescent algae bloom at our local beaches. Here are some photos and ...
Now available directly through our online store: A One Liter bag of PyroDinos (34oz)
Bioluminescence is caused by a chemical reaction between a light emitting molecule and an enzyme that are generically referred to as luciferin and luciferase.
Low and wide containers like the one in this video work better than narrow and tall containers.
A bloom or algal bloom is what scientists refer to when populations of microalgae (also know as dinoflagellates and/or phytoplankton) phase into logarithmic growth
A relaxing and meditative journey using natural light (bioluminescence) and sound (432Hz). S...
This is a polycarbonate culture flask suspended by several shock cords and filled with one liter of our PyroDinos
In this tutorial we show how easy it is to take care of your Bio-Orb. The process of adding DinoN...
The Bio-Orb contains seawater and tiny plant-plankton
Walking and playing on a full-sized Dino-Tile. Custom Dino-Tiles are available by special order ...
It is a memorable night on the beach when PyroFarms brings 40 gallons of bioluminescent algae
Gravity flow of Dinos and a funky beat. A Custom Dino-Tile on display.
Listen to the light while viewing the music. In this video we are playing with one of our custom...
The Best of 2020 is probably an oxymoron but we will run with it anyway. Here are some of the best PyroFarms' videos of 2020.
Growing PyroDino dinoflagellates is a lot like taking care of a houseplant.
Our side hustle has been attempting to create a renewable light source using our natural PyroDino algae
If you watch the mash video carefully you will see something you have not seen before.
What happens when you find a mermaid playing on your bioluminescent DinoTile? You wouldn't believe us if we told you.
Whether you’re a marine biologist or just a fan of bioluminescence, there’s something in this episode for everyone.
A single-celled marine dinoflagellate lights up and then dims again as it is squeezed between two...
PyroFarms Is Lighting Up the World With Tiny Living Organisms
An experiment using sound to stimulate bioluminescent dinoflagellates to produce light (bioluminescence)


Simplify the design and programming of multicore systems
Multicore hardware offers the promise of improved flexibility and scalability along with increased performance and power efficiency, but moving to multicore raises many questions. How do you migrate your existing application software? How do you handle the complexities of programming multiple cores? Can you use multiple OSes or a combination of bare-metal algorithms and an RTOS?
Quadros Systems, in partnership with PolyCore Software, offers a suite of products, tools and services to make multicore a reality for you. Using our innovative and scalable software technologies, your application can be rapidly multicore-enabled and deployed within a wide range of hardware platforms.
RTXC Quadros multiprocessor RTOS (RTXC/mp) is designed to extend the features of RTXC RTOS to applications with multiple cores or processors—homogeneous or heterogeneous and can support networks of any topology: rings, stars, n-node symmetric, or asymmetric.
Coupled with PolyCore Software’s Poly-Platform™, it provides a multicore runtime platform, helping to reduce complexity and improve time-to-market using the scalable MultiCore API (MCAPI). The combined Poly-Platform/MCAPI and RTXC/mp framework allows you to shift processing loads from overloaded CPUs, MCUs or DSPs to those that are under-utilized.
- Support for combinations of OSes
- Multiple instances of RTXC
- RTXC with a GPOS (such as Linux)
- RTXC plus bare-metal algorithms
- Code protection and isolation
- Isolate real-time system from a GPOS
- Isolate safety-critical code from other code
- Standards-based programming interface for multicore and multiprocessing applications
- Readily scale the application from a few to many cores


Solomon Rauh and Rosalia Lippman immigrated separately to Philadelphia, Pa., from Bavaria about 1849. They married and moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and later to Cincinnati, Ohio, before joining her brother Abraham Lippman in Pittsburgh about 1870.
In Pittsburgh, Solomon Rauh (c.1822-1880) worked with his brother-in-law in a dry goods store on Second Avenue downtown. Rosalia Rauh (1834-1915) was president of the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society from 1880 until 1905. She was also on the board of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Gusky Orphanage, the Montefiore Hospital Ladies’ Aid Society and the Jewish Home for the Aged. Among other charitable deeds, she donated $5,000 to the Gusky Orphanage in 1899, in memory of her husband and two deceased children. “When a deserving child displays an inclination for a trade or profession a certain appropriation of the ‘Training Fund’ is to be used for an education in the development of that tendency in one of the local manual training schools, business colleges or preparatory schools for a profession,” the Jewish Criterion explained.
Solomon and Rosalia Rauh had five children, Enoch, Marcus, Abraham, Bertha and Charles. They lived for a time at 38 Western Avenue in old Allegheny City.
Enoch and Bertha Rauh
Enoch Rauh (1857-1919) completed his studies at night schools in Pittsburgh before working as a clerk for his uncles Abraham Lippman and Louis Aaron. With the backing of Lippman, the four brothers started a wholesale men’s clothing business that eventually became Rauh Brothers & Company on Wood Street. As the business grew, it moved to 800 Liberty Avenue and later to 951 Penn Avenue. By 1886, the business employed more than 100 people and eventually included a branch office in New York and covered territory stretching into Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. Enoch Rauh was also a major investor with the Homer Laughlin China Company of East Liverpool, Ohio.
His business acumen brought him to the Pittsburgh Association of Credit Men, which sought to improve commercial lending. He served six terms as president. The members of the association included Benswanger & Hast, the Duquesne Reduction Company, the Edlis Barber Supply Company, Frank & Seder Department Stores, Kingsbacher Brothers, Lehman & Kingsbacher and C. Reizenstein’s Sons.
Enoch Rauh moved into the political sphere in 1911, when he was appointed to the Council of Nine, a transitional body between the ward-based council and the City Council as it exists today. He subsequently served two elected terms. His work included efforts to impose an eight-hour workday and enact anti-child-labor laws. He also sponsored the Rauh Act, an early piece of statewide worker’s compensation legislation for municipal employees.
At the time of his death, Enoch Rauh was a trustee of the Carnegie Library, the Carnegie Institute, the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Music Hall; a director of the Gusky Orphanage; and a member of the advisory board for the Young Men’s Hebrew Association, among other positions. He was the president of the Concordia Club for 25 years. In 1920, after his death, a group of young Jewish men formed the Enoch Rauh Club, a social and philanthropic organization with the motto “Do good wherever possible.”
In 1888, Enoch Rauh married Bertha Floersheim. Bertha Floersheim Rauh (1865-1952) gained an early reputation for high achievement. She graduated from the Grant School and from Central High School with the highest marks in the city and maintained a perfect attendance record through the entirety of her schooling. She also excelled artistically, gaining notice as singer and an actress. She played piano at the Art Society, sang at the Carnegie Music Hall and performed in amateur theatrical productions at the Concordia Club. She sang in the Rodef Shalom Congregation choir for 16 years, apparently to save the congregation the expense of employing a salaried mezzo-soprano. “She is slight and dark, with flashing dark eyes and a fitful color that grows brilliant under excitement,” as The Social Mirror described her in 1888.
Bertha Rauh volunteered for charitable causes throughout her youth. Her career as a civic and philanthropic leader began in 1903 when she was elected to serve as president of the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section, a position she held until 1922. Her tenure corresponded with a dramatic increase in the immigrant population of Pittsburgh, and she focused her efforts on expanding privately funded resources for those in need, both Jewish and non-Jewish. These initiatives included “penny lunches” in the city schools, open air schools for tubercular children, juvenile courts and a labor bureau for the unemployed, all of which the city eventually incorporated into its public welfare services. She fostered public baths and a program to deliver pasteurized milk and clean water to children in poor neighborhoods, and she helped found the Committee to Aid the Blind, which was a forerunner of the National Association for the Blind. She was active in many home-front initiatives during World War I, including the Red Cross.
“She distinguished between the contributions that women and men respectively could make, believing that women would bring sensitivity to decision-making positions, private charity, the city, and the nation,” the historian Corinne Azen Krause wrote in a profile. Bertha Rauh manifested this philosophy in many ways. She was a founding member of several suffrage groups in Western Pennsylvania and criticized the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, of which she was a founder, for barring women from its board of directors. The Federation relented, in part, by appointing her to a one-year term in 1923.
By 1919, Bertha Rauh was a member of 30 boards, which gave her a level of experience and a degree of public standing that was unusual for women of her time. Mayor William A. Magee appointed Rauh to serve as Director of Public Charities, making her the first female cabinet appointee for any city in the country. She soon changed the name to the Department of Public Welfare, reflecting her ambitious social agenda. According to Krause, “…she collaborated closely with public and private charities, settlement houses, hospitals, churches, and schools,” which yielded many highly effective programs, including traveling physicians and dieticians and a dramatic transformation of the archaic Mayview Hospital into a modern psychiatric facility. She was reappointed under two successive administrations, which carried her 12-year term into the Great Depression.
Even after retiring from public office in 1934, Bertha Rauh maintained a presence in public life by advocating for the legalization of birth control and for the implementation of smoke-control measures, as well as for other public health initiatives. “One thinks of Jane Addams of Chicago and Mrs. Enoch Rauh of Pittsburgh in the same way,” the Pittsburgh Press wrote in a tribute during her lifetime, “each of them an inspiring citizen of her great community, and both of them shining examples of the religion of doing good.” The Detroit Free Press dubbed her “The Lady Astor of Pittsburgh.”
Enoch and Bertha Rauh had two children, Helen and Richard.
Richard Solomon and Helen Wayne Rauh
Like his parents, Richard Solomon Rauh (1893-1954) was precocious in childhood and active in public life from an early age. He graduated from Fifth Avenue High School and the University of Pittsburgh before taking a job at the Jewish Criterion, where he was news editor and wrote a “Weekly Comment” column covering world affairs and the arts. His subjects included women’s suffrage, the advent of World War I and the trial of Leo Frank. He moved from journalism into advertising in the late 1910s with the firm Rauh & Rosenthal. He later started the Richard S. Rauh Company. A pioneer in the field, locally, he was named director of advertising for Duquesne University in 1917, and he pushed for the formation of an advertising association to advance the profession. He was also the executive vice president and treasurer of the Bankers Lithographing Company.
Throughout his life, Richard S. Rauh was active in philanthropic pursuits. At his death, he was president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, a trustee of the United Jewish Fund, vice president of the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, and director of the national board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He had served as a trustee of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, as well as on other boards.
With his mother, Richard S. Rauh co-founded the Pittsburgh Symphony Society. He and eight other officers of the society were arrested in April 1927 when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played a Sunday concert in violation of Pennsylvania blue laws.
In 1935, Richard S. Rauh married Helen Wayne (1912-1993). Born Helen Barbara Sisenwain, the actress shortened her name while studying drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Shortly after graduating in 1933, she became a founding member of the Pittsburgh Civic Playhouse, where Rauh first saw her. While courting, Richard Rauh and Helen Wayne, with the help of a committee including Leon Falk Jr. and Charles Rosenbloom, re-organized the group into the non-profit Pittsburgh Playhouse in late 1934. Over the following four decades, Helen Wayne Rauh performed in 38 productions at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, in addition to notable work on local radio and television. She also wrote an etiquette column for the Pittsburgh Sun Times. “It’s impossible to imagine another local actor — or many visiting ones — who enjoyed such instant name recognition even outside theatrical circles,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in a memorial of Rauh after her death.
Richard and Helen Wayne Rauh had one son, Richard Enoch.
Richard Enoch Rauh
Richard Enoch Rauh (1940-) graduated from Shady Side Academy and the University of Pittsburgh. He followed his mother into acting, starting his career as a child in a 1946 Shady Side Academy production. He later performed on stage, film and television, including several acclaimed productions of Neil Simon’s The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and a 1998 production of Krapp’s Last Tape, which is generally considered to be his best performance. In 1962, while in college, Rauh was a founder and the general manager of WPGH-FM, the first student radio station at the University of Pittsburgh.
He produced the Pittsburgh Playhouse Film Festival from 1968 until the series ended in 1994 and ran a summer film series for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at the Byham in 1997 and 1998. He taught film and theater at Point Park College and wrote theater reviews for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other publications.
Starting about 1998, while continuing his academic and theatrical work, Richard E. Rauh became an active philanthropist, donating to numerous Jewish and cultural organizations around the Pittsburgh area, particularly those institutions with a connection to his family and its history. His endowments include the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center, the Richard E. Rauh Oral History Fund at the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section, the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater at Carnegie Mellon University, the Rauh Theater at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall at the O’Reilly Theater and the Richard S. Rauh Garden Room at Heinz Hall.


The #1 Paranormal News Site
The pictures of the towers in Mexico, have been submitted to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) for analysis by experts at the US-based organisation.
However, it has already been said the striking “UFOs” are nothing more than “lens flare” anomalies created inside the camera rather than being anything physical in the real world.
MUFON is the world’s biggest organisation dedicated to UFO and alien research.
The images have just been sent to MUFON for analysis, but were actually taken on May 2, 2006.
In a report to MUFON, the unnamed photographer said: “I took a photograph with a long exposure of the telecommunications towers, about 800 metres away.
“Later seeing the photograph in my house I discovered those lights.”
The photographer said he photographed the towers in similar conditions three weeks later, but nothing strange appeared in the pictures.
MUFON receives hundreds of pictures of suspected UFOs which can readily be explained, and even several hoaxes.
It is often sent pictures with UFOs similar to these which turn out to be lens flares.
Lens flares occur when a camera is pointed at bright sunlight or artificial lights, which then refracts inside the lens, and a reflection of the light then appears on the printed image.
But Scott C Waring, who runs website ufosightingsdaily.com, has concluded these were actually alien craft seeking to intercept data from the telecommunications towers.
He is known for his wild speculative theories on alleged UFO pictures, which are not backed up by any evidence.
In a blog entitled “Four UFO Disks Sucking Data Over Communication Towers In Mexico”, he wrote: “Look closely, you can even see into the clear dome on top of the ships.
“Four glowing green disks were recorded near some telecommunication towers.
“The UFOs were obviously recording data and information being sent around the globe from those towers.”
He went on to suggest that the “lens flares” did not appear in other pictures taken by the man, because the aliens realised they had been seen and an “artificial intelligence” system on board made the craft invisible.
Mr Waring tried to head off any sceptics suggesting the pictures were lens flares.
He added: “All photos are untouched, original. At first, the UFOs might be mistaken for a reflection, but in all actuality, the UFOs were revealed by the powerful lights below, some of which contain infrared lights which can see at night, and it was night, so this caused them to become visible to the camera for a few moments until shield harmonics were altered to hide them.”
Scott Brando is a forensic UFO image investigator who runs the hoax-busting website ufoofinterest.org.
He is known for ridiculing Mr Waring’s theories after confirming what was actually shown in the picture.
He confirmed that in this case what has been mistaken for UFOs are lens flares.
He said: “There have been several pictures with this type of lens flare which have been wrongly identified as UFOs.”
He also tweeted about Mr Waring’s blog, saying: “MUFON case #81662: according to the hoaxer Scott C Waring these lens flares taken in #Mexico over telecommunications towers could be #UFOs.”


COVID-19 is not the only major, historic event happening right now. In response to the killings of George Floyd and other unarmed Black people by the police, people around the world have joined the Black Lives Matter movement, whether by attending protests, donating to Black-led initiatives, or educating themselves and those around them.
No world event happens in a vacuum. There are many ways in which our experiences of COVID-19 are linked to the ongoing movement demanding that Black lives be valued. So please do not feel that, when documenting life during the pandemic, you must document only pandemic-related changes. It is all connected, and the Black Lives Matter movement is a vitally important part of life right now.
Hopefully we’ll look back on the year 2020 as a year of positive change. And when we do, we’ll be looking to understand the whole experience, not just the pandemic on its own, or this particular civil rights movement on its own.
If you are interested in capturing your interviewees’ reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, see below for some additional questions to consider asking.
None of these questions are intended to be judgmental. Rather, they are simply capturing your interviewee’s perspective.
This is a sensitive and potentially traumatic subject. If you are not Black, and your interviewee is Black, you must ask them well before the interview if they are comfortable answering questions about this subject. Allow your interviewee to take the lead in terms of what issues to discuss, and when to have the interview.
See the final link, below, for more information about the sensitivity required when documenting this subject.
Interview questions about the Black Lives Matter movement:
How do you feel about the current Black Lives Matter movement?
Have you spent much time learning about the Black Lives Matter movement recently?
Have you changed your mind about anything because of what you’ve learned? If so, what?
Have you participated in a similar movement before?
Are you participating in this movement now? If so, how?
If you don’t feel comfortable participating in this movement, why is that?
Do you feel that this current movement is different from those of the past? If so, how? If not, why not?
If you are not in the United States, have you seen much discussion about racism in your own country?
Do you think this particular protest movement is connected to the pandemic in any way? If so, how?
What do you think will be the outcome of this movement?
Are there any other reflections you want to share about the current Black Lives Matter movement?
Articles about the racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19 (United States-specific):
The COVID-19 Black Emergency Support Fund (Greater Toronto Area-specific):
To learn more about your nearest Black Lives Matter chapter (Canada and United States):
For a deeper dive into the need for caution and sensitivity around documenting this movement, consider reading “No one owes their trauma to archivists,” by Eira Tansey.


Thomas Jennings: The Man Who Invented Dry Cleaning
Who Was Thomas Jennings?
Thomas Jennings was a pioneer in the dry cleaning industry and among several other inventors. In 1821, Jennings became the first African-American individual to become granted with a patent. In the year 1821, he became granted the patent for “dry scouring.” This is a method for cleaning clothes that paved modern-day dry cleaning. Jennings is also renowned for being a leader in the civil rights and abolitionist movement in New York City. Keep reading to learn more about Thomas Jennings.
Jenning's Early Life
In New York City in the early 1820's, Jennings became a tailor. Jennings wasn't pleased with the traditional methods of cleaning clothing. This gave him the idea to begin experimenting with new techniques and ideas. Eventually, he moved forward with his career path and went on to start a clothing shop. While running that business at the age of 29, Jennings developed dry scouring. This was a method of removing dirt and grease from delicate clothing.
Then, in 1821, Jennings became granted a patent for his new cleaning method, gaining full ownership of his dry-scouring invention. He likely became the first African American individual in the U.S. to receive a patent.
Patent ACT OF 1793
In addition, under the Patent Act of 1793, a person had to sign an oath declaring that he was a citizen of the U.S. Therefore, the patent recognized Jennings as a citizen which was a rare designation for an African American person at the time. Eventually, in 1861, five years after Jennings died, U.S. patent rights became extended to slaves. When Jennings passed, Frederick Douglass wrote about his death. He noted the importance and significance of the patent Jennings received and that the patent recognized him as a "citizen of the United States," a designation at the time that was a great shock to many.
Thomas Jenning's proceeds
Thomas Jennings used the proceeds from his invention and successful business to fight for the abolition of slavery in the U.S. He was one of five New York delegates to the first-ever Convention of Free People of Color, held in 1831 in Philadelphia.
Along with this, his wife, Elizabeth, was an indentured servant and he bought her freedom. In addition, he bought the freedom of his children. Jennings’ children went on to receive an education and they all became actively involved in the abolitionist movement themselves.
Overall, Jennings discovery of the process, dry-scouring allowed him to become known as the forerunner of today's modern dry-cleaning.
From cleaning shoelaces to mattresses, our knowledge base is full of laundry hacks, helpful tips and full-on secrets.


Newcastle Football Club, also known as the toons, is a well-supported club in England and across the globe. The club is based out of Newcastle upon Tyne and Wear and plays all home games at St. James’ Park. The current owner of the club, Mike Ashley has been involved in several spats with club fans. The club has seen most of its success at the start of the 20th century and at the end of the same century (the first and last decade of the century). Newcastle United was founded at the end of the 19th century in 1892. The club formed as a result of the merger between the West End and East End. With such a long history, the club has managed to stay in the top division for more than 88 seasons. In the Premier League era, the club played every season barring three years. Newcastle’s trophy cabinet includes four League titles, six FA Cups, and several other domestic cups. The highest goalscorer for the club is still Allan Shearer with 206 goals. Some of the other club legends include Shay Given, Nicky Butt, Coloccini, Krul, Andy Cole, LeeClark, Paul Gascoigne, Kevin Keegan, Micky Burns, etc.
Newcastle Football Club’s Past
The club was founded in 1881 as a cricket club and a sports club. The East End and West End operated as two different clubs until the West merged with the East because of financial trouble. The name Newcastle United signifies the unification of both teams.
1. The 1900s – this was the most successful period in the club’s history. The club secured promotion to the first division only in 1899 or almost 10 years later. The club managed to win the First Division title three times in the decade,, during 1905, 1907, and 1909. They managed to win the FA Cup in 1910 after losing in three previous finals in 5 years.
2. WW2 – During the 1930s, the club was relegated twice leading up to WW2. It took the club until after the war to secure promotion to the first division again. The club managed to win an FA Cup three times in five seasons in the early 1950s. Post these wins, the club started to decline again and got relegated in the 1960s. The period from the 1960s to the 1990s saw the club fluctuate between the top, first and second divisions of English Football.
3. The 1992-era – 1992 was the start of the Premier League-era and it also meant new hopes for Newcastle Football Club. The club managed to finish 3rd in the league in their first season after promotion to the League. In the following years, Newcastle finished 2nd (1996 and 1997) and missed out narrowly on the Premier League. Some of the best players that featured for the club during this period include Les Ferdinand, Ginola, Shearer, etc. The club also qualified for Champions League football on several occasions (even beating Barcelona under Dalglish).
When Mike Ashley took over Newcastle Football Club, he paid 5p/share on the LSE to become the owner of the club. The club has been relegated twice in the Premier League era, however, securing qualification back to the EPL the next season. The owner has been accused by fans of not investing in the club, facilities, or players. In fact, the owner planned to sell the club on three separate instances but rescinded his offer at some point. The club was recently in talks to be acquired by a Saudi consortium, but the deal was blocked by British MPs. Steve Bruce is the current manager of Newcastle United and is appointed until 2022. Some of the key squad players include Longstaff, Carroll, Maximin, Ritchie, Wilson, Manquillo, Fraser, Yedlin, Almiron, etc.
Newcastle Football Club has had ups and downs, and a lot of successful periods in between. However, given where things stand, it’s important that the club has an owner not only motivated by financial incentives but also wants his club to compete on a higher level. For Newcastle to finish in the top half of the table, it’s going to take consistency before they can mount a top-7 and then a top-4 finish. Newcastle will have better luck at domestic competitions and trophies over the next few years before they can cement themselves as a top Premier League club again.