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Volunteers and food needed for flooded Manitoba, Canada

Posted on November 22, 2017November 22, 2017 by

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Local municipal and provincial volunteers in Manitoba, Canada are exhausted in their efforts to divert the rising waters of the Red River of the North.

It has been hard work with little sleep for the residents who live on the shores of the Red River to shore up their defences with sandbags, build dikes, clear frozen culverts and break ice jams

Volunteers to spell relief for local volunteers and food are desperately needed.

“It’s a week now we’ve been doing this … you’re talking four, five, six public works guys. In my one community we’ve got 25 volunteer firefighters and those guys have been going 24/7, so of course it’s wearing them down.” said Paul Guyader, Manitoba’s emergency measures coordinator.

“We’re dealing with one of the biggest floods the province has ever seen,” said Steve Strang, mayor of St. Clements, Manitoba “We’ve put out hundreds of thousands of bags already. The municipalities are working very well, we’re working with the provincial government, we’ve brought in every possible resource we could to address this issue. The volunteerism within the community has been phenomenal.”

The Portage Diversion has taken some spring waters from the Assiniboine River and diverted the flow to Lake Manitoba.

Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation has been totally evacuated, as well as many homes near the Canada – United States border.

The cold weather is freezing the ice jams into place. Guyader has had 2 Amphibex Excavators operating on the river breaking up ice.

The Red River is right now 16.7 feet (5 metres) above spring ice conditions. The Red River Floodway gates cannot be opened with the current ice jams.

“If we operate now, we can get ice jamming going into the floodway, jamming up against the St. Mary’s bridge, as such, the floodway capacity would be reduced and would cause higher water levels in the city of Winnipeg.” said Steve Topping, Manitoba Water Stewardship spokesman

The floodway was constructed in 1968 following the 1950 flood to divert the overflow spring flooding waters of the Red River. The floodway has been widened the since the 1997 “flood of the century” and the expansion is expected to be completed this spring. As well Manitoba built permanent dikes around communities within the flood plain since the last two major floods..

The Red River waters will crest between the beginning of April to mid April, at which time also the weather should be warming up. Communities are bracing for higher water levels, more ice jams as well as melting snow in the warmer spring temperatures.

Who Says Building A Garden Shed Can’t Be Fun? Some Ideas And Steps

Posted on November 21, 2017May 12, 2018 by

By Doyle Christensen

A Garden shed is normally depicted as a single-story structure where people keep their various gardening tools and equipment. However, homeowners can always add certain features that can make their garden sheds stand out. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add landscaping, such as rows of flowers and a small cement walkway that leads to the shed. Homeowners may also install plant boxes where they can grow vegetables and ornamental plants.

Another good idea for a creative Garden shed is to design it like a mini cottage, complete with a tiled roof and medium-sized glass windows. One can also design an open-door shed, which lets homeowners easily access the garden tools that are stored inside. These garden sheds can also feature Gothic arched windows, have a second story for extra storage space, or be as large as a small mountain cabin. Homeowners can easily find a plethora of ideas on the Internet and infuse their own ideas and creativity into the mix.

Once a homeowner knows what his/her lean-to is going to look like, the time has come to prepare the materials he/she would need to build it. The most common material that is used to build this structure is wood, although there are some homeowners who might want to use galvanized steel or vinyl. One would also need concrete and crushed stone for the foundation, roofing materials such as shingles and plywood, the door and windows, the drip cap, and vents.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wTgiwMEXl8[/youtube]

One should take note of the needed materials that they would have to buy to give their lean-to a more polished look, may it be paving stones for the small pathway, the weather vane, flower boxes, and other decorations. Of course one should also prepare the needed tools, which include a hammer, nail gun, nails, roofing tar, and the door hinges. Homeowners should make a complete list of the tools and materials and check this before starting the construction project.

A Garden shed is normally built from the bottom up, starting with the foundations. One should lay the concrete foundation first before preparing the floor frames. The floor frames are held together by a series of equally distances wooden planks, which are then nailed onto the frame. This is covered by thick plywood boards that are nailed in place.

Each of the walls is prepared using a ‘skeleton,’ or a specific arrangement of wooden beams. The roof is one of the last parts to be assembled and installed, followed by the shed’s doors, windows, and interior storage facilities. Finally, homeowners can arrange the different decorations that can turn their simple shack into a multipurpose structure. Those who don’t have a lot of time to build their own sheds can buy a pre-packaged kit, but these kits normally use the manufacturer’s own designs and dimensions.

These are just some ideas and steps on making a Garden shed. Now that you have an idea of how to build one, have you imagined what yours would look like?

About the Author: Are you looking for more information regarding

garden shed

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Category:Jewellery

Posted on November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by

This is the category for jewellery.

Refresh this list to see the latest articles.

8 April 2014: Scottish artist Alan Davie dies at age 93
12 August 2011: Three killed amongst Birmingham, England riots
13 July 2011: 21 people killed and 113 reported injured in three blasts in Mumbai
4 July 2011: Hidden treasure worth billions of dollars discovered in Indian temple
26 November 2010: Bernie Ecclestone attacked outside London headquarters; no arrests made
6 September 2009: Man charged with attempted murder in £40 million London jewel heist
13 August 2009: British gemstone expert killed by mob in Voi, Kenya
11 August 2009: Thieves steal £40 million from London jeweller
31 May 2009: Thief steals over €6 million worth of jewels from Paris store
18 March 2009: Madoff prosecutors want assets from wife and children

see older articles?Category:Jewellery

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Texas Commissioner of Agriculture visits schools to kick off National School Lunch Week

Posted on November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by

Saturday, October 16, 2010

US Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples visited Orr Elementary school in Tyler, Texas on Wednesday to kick off National School Lunch week for the state. Commissioner Staples spoke to over 200 students during lunch about the importance of eating healthy. “During the old days, the Three R’s in school meant ‘Reading, ‘Writing and ‘Arithmetic’ […] but I want you students to remember the three E’s: Education, Exercise and Eating right,” he stated.

The Commissioner asked students a variety of questions about state trivia such as the names of the state bird, the state tree and the state fruit. Students who answered correctly were awarded prizes.

During a short press conference following, Commissioner Staples stated his concerns regarding the health of children in Texas: “Current indications are that over 30 percent of children in [the United States of] America are struggling with childhood obesity. Estimates indicate that this issue alone can cost this county one-billion dollars in healthcare costs per year in the future.” “I applaud the city of Tyler for taking the Fit City challenge,” the Commisioner further stated.

National School Lunch Week runs from October 11th–15th. President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation naming October 11th–15th the National School Lunch Week.

Seeds placed in Norwegian vault as agricultural ‘insurance policy’

Posted on November 19, 2017November 19, 2017 by

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a vault containing millions of seeds from all over the world, saw its first deposits on Tuesday. Located 800 kilometers from the North Pole on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the vault has been referred to by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso as a “frozen Garden of Eden“. It is intended to preserve crop supplies and secure biological diversity in the event of a worldwide disaster.

“The opening of the seed vault marks a historic turning point in safeguarding the world’s crop diversity,” said Cary Fowler, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust which is in charge of collecting the seed samples. The Norwegian government, who owns the bank, built it at a cost of $9.1 million.

At the opening ceremony, 100 million seeds from 268,000 samples were placed inside the vault, where there is room for over 2 billion seeds. Each of the samples originated from a different farm or field, in order to best ensure biological diversity. These crop seeds included such staples as rice, potatoes, barley, lettuce, maize, sorghum, and wheat. No genetically modified crops were included. (Beyond politics they are generally sterile so of no use.)

	It is very important for Africa to store seeds here because anything can happen to our national seed banks.

Constructed deep inside a mountain and protected by concrete walls, the “doomsday vault” is designed to withstand earthquakes, nuclear warfare, and floods resulting from global warming. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called it an “insurance policy” against such threats.

With air-conditioned temperatures of -18 degrees Celsius, experts say the seeds could last for an entire millennium. Some crops will be able to last longer, like sorghum, which the Global Crop Diversity Trust says can last almost 20 millenniums. Even if the refrigeration system fails, the vaults are expected to stay frozen for 200 years.

The Prime Minister said, “With climate change and other forces threatening the diversity of life that sustains our planet, Norway is proud to be playing a central role in creating a facility capable of protecting what are not just seeds, but the fundamental building blocks of human civilization.” Stoltenberg, along with Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, made the first deposit of rice to the vault.

“It is very important for Africa to store seeds here because anything can happen to our national seed banks,” Maathai said. The vault will operate as a bank, allowing countries to use their deposited seeds free of charge. It will also serve as a backup to the thousands of other seed banks around the world.

“Crop diversity will soon prove to be our most potent and indispensable resource for addressing climate change, water and energy supply constraints and for meeting the food needs of a growing population,” Cary Fowler said.

Auto Insurers Moving Towards Telematics For Usage Based Insurance}

Posted on November 18, 2017February 27, 2018 by

Submitted by: Xemplar Telematics

Insurance telematics and Usage Based Insurance (UBI) programs continue to roll-out across the globe. The rapidly changing landscape is making the insurers select the accurate business models to ensure success. However, many programs are out with a focus on price discounts resulting in a foreseeable race to the bottom; but the industry is moving in the direction to subset the companies to succeed.n

The recent innovation by auto insurers Usage Based Insurance (UBI) is more closely align the driving behaviors of premium rates for auto insurance, while the mileage and driving behaviors are tracked using odometer readings or in-vehicle telecommunication devices such as telematics which are typically self-installed into a particular vehicle port or already integrated equipment installed by car manufacturers. The essential idea of telematics auto insurance is to monitor the driver’s behavior directly while the person drives. With the help of these telematics devices, you can measure a number of elements of interest to underwritersmiles were driven; time of day; rapid acceleration, where the vehicle is driven (GPS); hard breaking; hard cornering; and air bag deployment. The level of data collected will generally reflect the telematics technology employed and the policyholders readiness to share personal data. Then the insurance company assesses the data and insurance charges or premiums accordingly. For example, when a driver drives long distance at high speed will be charged a higher rate than a driver who drives short distances at minimal speeds. While UBI premiums are collected using a variety of methods, including utilization of the gas pump, direct billing, debit accounts and smart card systems.n

About a decade ago, the first UBI programs began to shell in the U.S. and this is the time when Progressive Insurance Company and General Motors Assurance Company (GMAC) began to offer mileage-linked offers through combined GPS technology and cellular systems that tracked miles driven. These offers are still in combined with ancillary benefits such as roadside assistance and vehicle theft recovery. The current accelerations in technology have augmented the efficiency and cost of using telematics, enabling insurers to detain not just how many miles people drive, but when and how they drive too. Such strategies helped to result in the growth of several UBI variations, including Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD), Pay-As-You-Go, Pay-How-You-Drive (PHYD), and Distance-Based Insurance.n

Usage Based Insurance Pricingn

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3utHctNXeE4[/youtube]

The pricing schemes for UBI are included greatly from the traditional auto insurance. Traditional auto insurance relies on actuarial studies of aggregated historical data to create rating factors which include driving record, personal characteristics (age, gender, and marital status), credit-based insurance score, vehicle type, garage location, vehicle use, previous claims, liability limits, and deductibles. You can find premium discounts on traditional auto insurance which are usually limited to the bundling of insurance on several vehicles or types of insurance, insurance with the same transporter, protection devices, driving courses, home-to-work mileage and more.n

While policyholders think of traditional auto insurance as a fixed cost, or can be assessed annually by usually paying in lump sums on an annual, semi-annual, or quarterly basis. But, studies show that there is a strong correlation between loss and claim costs and mileage driven, particularly when existing pricing factors defers (such as class and territory). Maybe this can be one reason, many UBI programs seek to change their fixed costs associated with mileage driven costs that can be used in combination with other rating factors in the premium calculation. n

Usage-based insurance has an advantage of utilizing individual and current driving behaviors, rather than relying on aggregated information and driving records of past trends and events, making premium pricing more individualized and precise.n

Challengesn

The challenges like tracking the mileage and behavior information in usage-based insurance programs have raised privacy concerns; as a result, some states have enacted legislation requiring disclosure of tracking practices and devices. Furthermore, some insurers limit the data they collect. This is not for everyone although; but acceptance of sharing the information is growing as more mainstream technology in devices such as smart phones, tablets, and GPS devices. And moreover, social media networks like Facebook and Twitter also enter the market.n

Implementing a UBI program, mainly one that utilizes telematics can be expensive and resource-intensive to the insurer. In addition, UBI is an emerging area and therefore there is still much hesitation in selecting and understanding of driving data and how it should be integrated into existing or new price structures to maintain profitability. This is very much important; as the transitioning of lower-risk drivers into usage-based insurance programs offers lower premiums could put pressure on overall insurer profitability.n

Advantagesn

Usage-based insurance programs offer many advantages to insurers, consumers, and society. The main aim is to link the insurance premiums more closely to actual individual vehicle or fleet performance. This increases affordability for lower-risk drivers, many of whom are also lower-income drivers. It also gives consumers the ability to control their premium costs by incenting them to reduce miles driven and adopt safer driving habits. Fewer miles and safer driving also aid in reducing accidents, congestion, and vehicle emissions, which benefits society.n

The usage of telematics help insurers to more accurately estimate accident damages and reduce fraud by enabling them to evaluate the driving data during an accident. In addition, the ancillary safety benefits accessible in conjunction with many telematics-based UBI programs also help to lower accident and vehicle theft related costs by improving accident response time, by allowing the stolen vehicles to be tracked and recovered.

About the Author: Primes telematics system, Xemplar, enables fast and efficient two-way communication between insurers and customers. Xemplars mobile app-based system saves you money on hardware and infrastructure costs while also accommodating any mobile device or tablet, reaching drivers anytime and anywhere, and providing your business with critical information in real-time. Contact us now, and in less than 24 hours you will have the best technology solution for auto insurers. for more information visit us at

xemplartelematics.com/

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Hurricane Nate weakens as it reaches United States

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017 by

Monday, October 9, 2017

After killing 30 people on a rampage through Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and dumping rain on the Yucatan in Mexico, Hurricane Nate reached the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi on the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) downgraded Nate to a tropical storm on Sunday morning. A state of emergency was declared parts of Louisiana, which saw damage from the significantly more intense Hurricane Harvey earlier this year; Alabama; Florida; and Mississippi.

Nate made its first U.S. landfall on Saturday night, bringing winds of 85 miles per hour (134 kph) and considerable storm surge to the mouth of the Mississippi River. By Sunday morning, these had declined to 35 miles per hour (56 kph). Tens of thousands of households in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were without power.

In contrast, when Nate made its way across Latin America, dozens of people died. Some 400,000 Costa Ricans lost access to safe drinking water. All train travel and a great deal of air travel halted, and many national parks closed. Landslides trapped travelers in a dangerous road segment nicknamed “the Mountain of Death” on the Inter-American Highway, and the high water of the Tárcoles River raised concerns about crocodile attacks.

“We were well aware that this could’ve been a much more serious storm. There was talk of it being a Category 2 with an 11-feet tidal surge when it came ashore. It did not — happily — it did not live up to that billing,” said Vincent Creel, public affairs manager for Biloxi, Mississippi, near which Nate made its second U.S. landfall.

The storm had been expected to move further west, and some evacuations were recommended in the New Orleans area in preparation. Many of the ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast were closed to shipping. In one way, Nate is having a more pronounced effect than Harvey: production of oil and natural gas is a fraction of normal levels as workers evacuated oil rigs and platforms.

The NHC forecast the storm to continue north and east, losing intensity as it moves inland.

“Our great team at FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] is prepared for #HurricaneNate. Everyone in LA [Lousiana], MS [Mississippi], AL [Alabama] and FL [Florida] please listen to your local authorities and be safe!” tweeted President Donald Trump.

This is the fourth major hurricane to hit U.S. territory since summer, after Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Builders Did You Know There Is A Cheaper Way To Remodelling A Kitchen?

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017 by

Here’s An Opinion On:

Submitted by: John Whitmarsh

When home owners set about refurbishing their beloved home one of the key areas they think about first is their kitchen. They want the latest in vogue styling and in the latest fashionable colours.

This is, of course, very easy to think about and plan until they receive the quotes in for stripping out their old kitchen, hiring a skip for the rubbish, employing plasterers and electricians to facilitate the new design.

Then, you as a builder, have the duty to carry out this work whilst the homeowners kids are running after the dog, tripping over your tools, explaining to the homeowners why some of the parts haven t arrived and have them complaining to you about not being able to use the kitchen for 3 weeks.

Does this sound familiar?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT_dbwkL7Ec[/youtube]

We all understand that this 3 week job can be profitable but nonetheless time consuming. So is there another way forward to keep your clients happy and your bank account healthy.

If you could fit in 3 jobs in 3 weeks for the same money as 1 job every 3 weeks, think how much more extra jobs you could carry out for the homeowners who ask if you could do this little job for me ? Ca Ching. Even more money in the bank.

Now, consider this as an option. If you could recommend that the homeowners keep their existing kitchen and have the doors and drawer fronts resprayed in a colour of their choice, this could be carried out in under a week and they still have a working kitchen to use.

By taking away the doors and drawers, these could be spray painted in a workshop away from the kids and then returned beautifully painted in a satin finish which has a guarantee against fading and scratching for 10 years.

If need be, you could replace the counter top at a small cost, but this work is quickly executed, cheaper and cleaner than pulling out a reasonable kitchen.

To add to the overall effect of a new kitchen, you could also recommend that the end boards and kick boards are colour coordinated. Include the appliances and radiator in a complementary colour and there you have it. A nice new kitchen within a week and at a fraction of the cost.

The colour ranges are enormous. For instance they can supply you a colour swatch, a pantone colour, a RAL colour or a sample pot from the DIY store.

If you wanted to go a step further with your home remodelling recommendations, you could also offer to have their UPVC, wooden or metal windows, doors, guttering and down pipes resprayed. Don t forget the conservatory and garage doors.

Again this is a good opportunity to help the homeowners update their home at a lesser cost of pulling out perfectly good windows and doors.

The paint colours are the same as for the kitchens. Although white is a very popular colour, you could suggest other alternatives such as off white, grey or cream depending on the age and style of the property.

This work can be carried out on site by a professional spray painting company. However, if the home owners are looking to replace these items, you could recommend they are colour coded before installation commences.

About the Author: John Whitmarsh set up Spectrum Coatings in the UK during 1994 to offer a professional but friendly paint spraying service to private and commercial clients in the UK.

spectrumcoatings.co.uk

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Iran begins 10 days of military exercises

Posted on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017 by

Friday, November 3, 2006

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards began another series of military exercises on Thursday days after a United States-led naval exercise began in the Persian Gulf. Iran began the 10 days of manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf by test firing dozens of missiles, including the long-range Shahab-3 (estimated range: 2000 km or 1,240 miles), Iranian state-run television said on Thursday. Amongst other weapons tested was the Shahab-2, which Iran says can carry a cluster warhead that can deliver 1,400 bomblets at once.

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, leader of the Revolutionary Guards, said on television that Iran’s military exercises were not meant to threaten neighbouring countries. “We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message of the manoeuvres,” he said. “The first and main goal is to demonstrate the power and national determination to defend the country against possible threat.” General Safavi said the exercises would last 10 days and would take place in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and several Iranian provinces.

U.S. airstrike targeting Ayman al-Zawahiri leaves 18 dead in Pakistani village

Posted on November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 by

Saturday, January 14, 2006

A United States military air strike on a Pakistani village on Friday killed at least 18 people, including women and children. U.S. media reports claim that leading al-Qaeda member Ayman al-Zawahiri was a target, and that the strike took place in the village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area of northwestern Pakistan.

The Pentagon has denied any involvement, leading to speculations that the CIA was responsible for the strike. Such speculations have been confirmed by an unnamed American intelligence official; although no official statement has been issued.

Pakistani intelligence officials have contradicted U.S. claims that Ayman al-Zawahiri was in the area at the time of the strike and suggested that the U.S. intelligence information placing him there was incorrect. A Pakistani intelligence officer claimed that Zawahiri was invited to a dinner in the village where the strike took place, but he “did not show up.” According to Pakistani army representatives, Ayman al-Zawahiri was not among the dead. Al Arabiya satellite television network has reported that “a source with contacts with al Qaeda reiterated to Arabiya that Zawahiri is alive.”

Egypt, who has Zawahiri’s brother in prison, has provided the United States with a DNA sample, which would allow officials to positively identify the fugitive al-Qaeda leader. It is also reported that the DNA has already been used to run tests at the FBI in Washington DC.

Pakistan condemned the U.S. air strike, summoned the United States ambassador, and said that the country “does not allow U.S. forces to cross the border in pursuit of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.” Pakistan’s information minister Sheik Rashid Ahmed said that Pakistan wants “to assure the people we will not allow such incidents to reoccur.”

However, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said that “according to preliminary investigations there was foreign presence in the area and that in all probability was targeted from across the border in Afghanistan.”

The Foreign Office issued a statement Saturday saying it lodged a formal complaint with the United States embassy in Islamabad, where it will be hand delivered by Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan.

Pakistani Intelligence officials are looking into reports that suggest at least seven foreign militants had been killed and their bodies removed by local supporters.

This complaint is the second lodged by Pakistan against the U.S. in less than a week. The earlier protest was prompted by U.S. missile attack that killed eight people from a village in the North Waziristan tribal region. According to local officials, none of the victims were terrorist suspects. As a result of the strikes, protests broke out in different parts of the country.