Pentagon deploys troops to fuel COVID-19 vaccine drive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will deploy more than 1,100 troops to five vaccination centers in what will be the first wave of increased military support for the White House campaign to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. President Joe Biden has called for setting up 100 mass vaccination centers around the country within a month. One of the five new military teams will go to a vaccination center opening in California. Other centers are expected to be announced soon.
By Sharon OmahenUniversity of GeorgiaIf the recent rainstorms have added a small pond to yourlandscape, now is the time to protect your landscape plants.University of Georgia extension horticulturist Bob Westerfieldsays landscape plants need water to survive. But too much of agood thing can be damaging. Pull mulch awayTo help your landscape plants, pull the mulch away from theirbase. Once the soil dries out and is free of standing water,replace the mulch.Next, Westerfield suggests fertilizing the affected plants overthe next few months to replace nitrogen that has leached away.Water may not be the only problem you need to address in yourlandscape, he said. Although pruning is typically a winter chore,inspect your plants and prune away any twisted or brokenbranches.”Make a pruning cut back to the branch collar, where the branch joins the stem,” Westerfield said.”The branches aren’t going to come back. But leaving them hangingwill create a vector for diseases.” Clay soils hit hardest”We’ve had quite a bit of rain this spring and over the past fewweeks,” he said. “Plants, especially those in heavier clay soils,may be suffering from the effects of standing water.”Westerfield says standing water can cause long-term harm tolandscape plants. Too much water can cause plant roots to shutdown and leaves to turn yellow.”When there’s too much water, the leaves lack oxygen and theroots can’t breathe,” he said.
Check for lightning damageCheck the trees around your home for lightning damage, too. Aspiral streak down a tree trunk is a sure sign of a strike, hesaid.”With trees, you’re in a wait-and-see situation,” he said. “Largeoak and other hardwood trees can sometimes recover, but manypines won’t.”
Health officials are warning people to stay out of the French Broad River after thousands of gallons of petroleum leaked into the waterway from an above ground storage tank located on the property of Mountain Energy Bulk Fuel at 288 Lyman St. near the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina.According to the Asheville Citizen Times, the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon and firefighters with the Asheville Fire Department (AFD) were first on the scene.AFD spokeswoman Kelley Klope told the Citizen Times that firefighters attempted to contain the flow of the leak by applying a magnetic patch to the compromised tank and placing salvage drums below the leak.“We got it to a very slow drip and allowed Mountain Environmental Services to offload the rest of the fuel into two other trucks,” she said.According to Klope and the AFD, the tank spewed approximately 4,000 gallons of oil into the French Broad—a river popular with paddlers, tubers, and anglers alike—before the leak was contained.But Laura Leonard, spokeswoman with the North Carolina Division of Waste Management, gave a conflicting estimate of the damage, saying that spill was closer to 1,000 gallons.Regardless of the amount of oil that was leaked, multiple agencies, including the Buncombe County Health and Human Services, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health and N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources, are urging the public to steer clear of the French Broad for the foreseeable future.This includes the section of the river from the Amboy Road Bridge near downtown Asheville north to downtown Marshall.Health officials are also advising people to refrain from walking dogs and other pets near the banks of the French Broad as ingestion of even small amounts petroleum can cause severe health issues.Anyone who spots what appears to be an oil-like substance on the surface of the river is asked to contact the Division of Environmental Quality at 828-296-4500. For health and safety questions, call Buncombe County Health and Human Services at 828-250-5016.
People are vocalizing- perhaps more than ever before- a desire to see change. There is strong sentiment that we have been failed by our government, by large corporations, by organized religion. The only one looking out for the little guy is the little guy him (or her) self.This attitude affects the way people interact with the businesses they use. People have assumed a responsibility to advocate for exactly what they want, and believe that businesses should be responsive.This new way of doing business is a far cry from the world to which Henry Ford introduced his Model T: It is said that he claimed consumers could get the car in any color they wanted, as long as it was black. Choice today looks nothing like that. Instead, consumers expect a highly customized experience that works exactly as they want it to. The car should not only be the color a person prefers, but should also be equipped with technology compatible with their smart phone, with seat selections that remembers exactly where the driver likes to be, and integration a nav tool pre-programmed with their favorite stops.It makes sense that consumers now expect exactly what they want from something they own. After all, many companies are happy to provide consumers the right cars and an individual seeking customization for something they will personally use is perfectly reasonable. But what about when this desire for customization extends beyond a single product where ownership is clearly held by the purchaser into how the business itself is run?A few weeks ago, I received a notification from change.org about a campaign they thought I would be interested in. I’m not a frequent user of change.org, but over the years there have been a few causes that have stirred me to sign a petition. These have primarily been causes related to advancing cooperative business or building opportunities to create gender or economic equality. For those of you who use change.org less often than me, this website offers individuals- anyone in the world- the chance to connect across geographic and cultural borders to support causes they care about.Causes. To me, this means advancing social justice issues or offering solutions to community problems. Causes can include clean water; affordable housing; improving the foster care system. In my world, causes do not include adding up gold stars faster so I can get more free coffee from Starbucks.They. Just. Don’t.And yet… Earlier this month when Starbucks revamped its rewards program, there were two young men who started a change.org petition because they were bummed that it might take them a few more weeks of Starbucks visits to get their next free coffee. This baffled me. Starbucks is a for-profit business that can do what it wants with its rewards program and a few less free coffees a year is a tough “cause” to get behind. Why bother with the change.org petition?Here’s why: These guys love Starbucks. They are loyal to Starbucks. Starbucks has achieved its goal of becoming their “third place” (home and work are 1 and 2). With that level of connection, feelings of ownership are stirred. Starbucks became part of them; they feel they are part of Starbucks. They believe they should have a voice in running their company.The reality of course is that these guys do not have ownership of Starbucks. Your members do have ownership of your credit union, though. Do any of them feel strongly enough about their role in your organization to create a grassroots campaign to improve your business?Last week I attended a credit union meeting where a member nominated himself, from the floor, to run for the Board of Directors. He gave a speech that made it clear he wanted to see change in the credit union. A slate of candidates had already been put forward by the nominating committee and the expected outcome was that the slate would move forward with no discussion. The nomination from the floor changed all of that, spurring a rather robust dialogue. This credit union’s bylaws allowed democracy to be practiced in this manner and leadership handled the process with the gratitude that should be shared when a member-owner takes an active interest in being a bigger part of the organization.I was proud to be part of our cooperative movement during that meeting. When immediately after the meeting (that went at least twice as long as anyone expected) the CEO told me how much he learned that night (rather than making it seem like an inconvenience), I was delighted. How great to observe an organization with members that would rather stay and be part of making things better than walk away when something doesn’t go right!Have you built something at your credit union (or, taking a look in the mirror, have I at my trade association?) that creates such fierce loyalty that when a member feels hurt by a new process or policy they work toward change instead of walking away? People can get coffee or financial services almost anywhere. It’s an amazing accomplishment to build an organization that becomes the only place someone wants to do business, to the extent that a campaign would be launched before business would be pulled.What have you done to create a culture that cultivates and responds to member advocacy efforts? 78SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Jill Nowacki Jill Nowacki started her career with credit unions in 2001. She has taken on leadership roles at credit unions and state and national trade associations. Now, she uses her experience … Web: www.humanidei.com Details
The circular hall consists of an audio and video presentation that will evoke the history of the place and the Ring Race with a look at the most famous people from history and interesting facts from their lives. “The large presentation hall is intended for gathering a larger number of people. There will be short and interactive trainings for groups of guests – about the Ring Race and historically important people, interesting things as well as certain periods in the history of the Municipality and central Istria “, point out the Barbana Tourist Board. The municipality of Barban does not intend to stop by arranging this interactive space about the history and tradition of this area. Namely, their desire is to enrich the display with new multimedia content, augmented reality glasses and the like. The ring race is a popular equestrian competition launched in 1976 in Barban, and the race has become a trademark of Barban and one of the TOP and must see events in Istria. The Barban Visitor Center combines the presentation of a unique cultural and historical heritage in an interactive way through education and visual display with an emphasis on the Ring Race. as part of the Public Tourism Infrastructure Development Program. Precisely in honor and with the aim of further promotion of the race, the first Barban Visitor Center was opened in Barban yesterday, dedicated to the Ring Race, but also to the Barban tradition, folklore and way of life. The center consists of ground floor and 1st floor. The ground floor contains an attractive entrance to the Center, a door on which the “protective symbols” of the Ring Race were designed, and upon entering the room you will find an info desk and a souvenir shop. The first floor consists of a long corridor that resembles a racetrack articulated with hoops (rings) accompanied by light and sound effects. As the visitor moves through the corridor, light and sound signals and a speedometer are switched on, which change depending on the speed and approach to the goal or tendril at the end of the race. The smaller hall presents the Race to the Ring through history and its participants, with an exhibit of tendrils and spears arranged around it in the center of the room, traditional folk costumes and accompanying props. Find out more about the Ring Race event at HERE
As the PSBB were extended on April 22 and the government started to ban the mudik two days later, the capital did see a decrease in the average number of new cases. Conversely, when the government reopened passenger travel on May 6, the numbers went up.Although the relation between the intensity of restrictions applied and the new cases growing seemed to make sense to a degree in Jakarta, this was not the case in West Java and East Java where the link between the two seemed highly irregular.After Jakarta’s neighboring cities of Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java imposed the PSBB on April 15 and Greater Bandung on April 22, the rolling seven-day average of new cases remained stable. A week after the mudik ban, however, the trend changed, with frequent ups and downs recorded.In East Java, a province that has not applied province-wide PSBB, the figure continued to rise despite the mudik ban and the PSBB in place in Greater Surabaya and Greater Malang beginning on April 28. On May 21, while the country confirmed a dramatic increase of 973 cases, East Java bore about a half of these and became the country’s new epicenter of the coronavirus.Most confirmed cases in East Java were reported in the capital Surabaya where poor compliance with social distancing has been noticed. The East Java administration admitted there was a testing backlog as a result of a lack of testing capacity.Padjadjaran University epidemiologist Panji Fortuna Hadisoemarto said that it was not easy to answer whether the PSBB worked or not using limited case data. He believed, however, that restrictions had become ineffective since Ramadan and Idul Fitri when data showed greater people’s mobility.He said irregular epidemiological patterns as shown during the PSBB were caused by factors such as gaps in incubation period, lack of testing capacity and case-reporting delays, which meant they could not be relied upon as consideration for policy making.“We could have actually interpreted the unconfirmed data, mortality data of PDP [patients under surveillance] and ODP [people under monitoring], routine surveys of influenza-like diseases and pneumonia as sources of information for making decisions as well,” Panji told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.The number of people undertaking COVID-19 tests has remained very low, at 188,302 as of Tuesday. Jokowi targeted 10,000 coronavirus tests per day in April, but government data show that the highest number of people being tested was 8,595 on May 22. An average of 4,800 people have been tested daily in the past few weeks.Many suspected cases have died either before having been tested or before receiving their medical results, and were buried under COVID-19 protocols. Funeral statistics in Jakarta have increased significantly, to an extent that Anies described as “extremely disturbing”.As of May 27, COVID-19 watchdogs have recorded more than 4,600 fatalities among suspected COVID-19 cases in only 19 provinces, based on information collected from provinces, regencies and municipalities. The Health Ministry has refused to include deaths of probable cases in the cumulative COVID-19 death toll as suggested.New normal may be ‘too soon’Despite the government’s repeated claims that it has not agreed to any relaxation of the PSBB and will not start doing so anytime soon, it has rushed to the scenario of a new normal, calling on citizens to “coexist” with the virus.The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that countries taking steps to ease restrictions and transition toward a new normal must make sure COVID-19 transmission is controlled and that communities have a voice and are engaged in the transition.A Health Ministry decree on new normal guidelines issued over the weekend regulates new heath protocols both during the PSBB and after the PSBB. The government also introduced a new term: reproduction rate, which is an indication of the rate of the virus spread. If the number is below 1.0, it means restrictions can be lifted, scientists have agreed. The Indonesian government claims that Jakarta is among the regions that already have a reproduction rate below 1.0.Concerns have mounted against the measures, with many insisting that the government should base its policymaking on field implementation and data rather than economic interests to make sure that everyone is ready and safe.Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) chairwoman Asfinawati regretted that while the government had never imposed a total lockdown, it now considered easing the partial restrictions that had not been implemented optimally.“The new normal has been brought to Indonesia without a proper context. The country is determined in the narrative of following other countries but it has never implemented the same [restrictions] as others in the first place,” Asfinawati told the Post on Tuesday.She said that the new normal might aggravate Indonesia’s efforts to combat COVID-19 because on the one hand it must tighten its guard to cover a wider breach of violations, while on the other hand it must carry out more tests and tracking given the chances of wider public contact.An epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia, Pandu Riono, said with the low testing capacity, the data set as indicators to determine the new normal could also be irrelevant, especially for small regions.“The data on daily cases are not enough and they are not perfect. The data collection, for example, is late and the reports of lab results come out after five to seven days for cases that might have occurred two weeks previously,” Pandu said.After the new normal announcement on Tuesday, Jokowi assigned the COVID-19 task force and relevant ministers to focus on assisting provinces with rising numbers of cases like East Java and conducting rigorous tracking and testing of samples.Topics : On April 3, Indonesia released two regulations, a government regulation and a Health Ministry regulation, to pave the way for large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the country’s equivalent to partial lockdown.A week later, Jakarta became the first region to implement the partial lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has extended the PSBB twice, with the latest slated to end on June 4.After Jakarta, other regions followed. Three other regions implementing the PSBB at provincial level are West Java, Gorontalo and West Sumatra. Aside from 58 regencies and municipalities within the four provinces, only 27 other regencies and municipalities have applied the partial lockdown even though as of Tuesday, the virus had spread to 406 regencies and municipalities in all 34 provinces. Security personnel patrol the streets, but lax enforcement and policy inconsistencies have created rampant violations, from mass gatherings and accidental buildups of passengers at transportation nodes to operating nonessential businesses and widespread mudik participation, with most getting away with light punishments.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo repeatedly instructed citizens to be disciplined but his administration, weighed under the burden of sluggish economic growth, layoffs and rising levels of poverty, has issued regulations that could defeat the purpose of strict social distancing, starting with easing transportation restrictions early this month.This week, while the majority of affected regions had not applied the PSBB and some of those that have implemented the restrictions deciding not to extend them, President Jokowi jumped to adapting the protocols of a so-called “new normal”.Do the PSBB work?Despite the consistently low testing rates, the number of new confirmed cases has continued to grow, reaching a total of 24,538 cases, 1,496 deaths and 6,240 recoveries as of Thursday, when 687 new cases were recorded.The Health Ministry has confirmed fluctuating numbers of new cases daily, with several record highs of new cases and jumps recorded in the past two weeks, despite the government’s occasional claim that the curve has flattened.After Jakarta enacted the PSBB in the first period, the rolling seven-day average of new cases, which is the daily average of the last seven days and is considered more accurate by scientists than daily cases, still continued to rise and reached its peak on April 17. During that time, mobility was high because many residents went on mudik trips.<
As of May 28, four out of 27 regencies and municipalities had decided not to continue the PSBB: Gowa and Makassar in South Sulawesi; Tegal, Central Java; and Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. (JP/Swi Handono)The partial lockdown requires offices, schools, places of worship and public spaces to close. Local administrations imposing the PSBB can limit transportation capacity within a region but are not given authority to close inter-regional transportation services.Approaching Ramadan and Idul Fitri, inter-regional travel was restricted under a nationwide mudik (exodus) ban and a Transportation Ministry regulation, with exceptions for travelers on essential business. Anies has also recently required travelers entering or leaving Greater Jakarta to obtain permits.
The Jakarta Police have detained seven members of a suspected drug syndicate trading vapes for so-called gorilla tobacco (synthetic marijuana) in the country.The syndicate was controlled by a prisoner from a penitentiary in Bali, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Nana Sudjana said during a press briefing on Monday. He went on to say that the group had sold its products online since January.“It emerged on our radar following a crackdown on a marijuana transaction in Cawang, East Jakarta, on June 12,” Nana said, as quoted by tempo.co. Read also: Pandemic could put people at greater risks from illicit drug trade: UNODCThe seven suspects — IK, AAN, NIKA, AAP, ANA, AEP and K — allegedly mixed vape liquid with cannabis extract. Police charged K, a prisoner in a penitentiary in Bali, with providing the raw materials imported from China. Meanwhile, IK allegedly mixed the ingredients at his house in Bali. The other suspects marketed the products through an e-commerce platform.Nana added that the syndicate had earned billions of rupiah in profit from selling the drugs.All suspects were charged with violating Article 114 (2) of Law No. 35/2009 on narcotics and Article 132 of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum punishment of 20 years of imprisonment. (vny)Topics :
Messy housemates are a common complaint in share houses.When it comes time to move out of home or change rental accommodation, one of the biggest considerations is to whether to live alone or to share with housemates. Strong arguments can be made for both and it comes down to the lifestyle you want to have. Here are some points to keep in mind:RELATED:>>What you should know before buying a Strata property>>Market wrap: How Townsville property is performing>>Market insight with Townsville REIQ Zone Chair Damien KeyesPrivacy or companyIn a share-house, the only privacy you will get is your own room. The kitchen, bathroom, dining and backyard are for everyone. If a chat while making dinner sounds enjoyable and sharing a clothesline isn’t a concern, having housemates might be a good option. On the other hand, if hosting your own dinner parties and having a private bathroom sounds more appealing, renting a property on your own might be more suitable.More from news01:21Buyer demand explodes in Townsville’s 2019 flood-affected suburbs12 Sep 202001:21‘Giant surge’ in new home sales lifts Townsville property market10 Sep 2020Saving or spendingIf saving money is the goal, a share house generally presents as the better option. Usually rent per room is cheaper than rent for a one bedroom or even a studio apartment. Savings also filter down to bills because three people don’t use three times as much electricity as one person and unlimited internet costs the same for one person as it does for four people. Also keep in mind that moving into an established share house usually means that items such as a fridge, washing machine and couch are already there. This can be great if you have just shifted out of home and don’t have any furniture. However, this can be a problem for you if you already own these items because there won’t be anywhere to put them.CLICK here for the latest Townsville property newsLong term or short term If moving interstate or overseas is on the cards, a share house would be the simpler option. Subleasing a room can be a fantastic shorter-term alternative to signing a one-year lease. Obviously giving notice is still required but it is typically easier to come and go from a sublease situation in a share house than it is to break a lease. If you are looking at setting up for the long term, a secure lease through a real estate agency may be the preferred option.Early bird or night owlIf going to bed at 3am and sleeping in until 12pm is your weekend schedule, that may be hard to keep up if other housemates wake up at 7am and use a blender for their pre-workout protein shake. It might not sound significant but if schedules between housemates vary significantly, it can lead to issues on both sides. Make sure to ask any potential housemates if they are party animals or shift workers!
“I am happy to award our troops fortheir offensive spirit displayed during encounters for the past weeks,” saidArevalo. Soldiers recovered a rifle grenade,two magazines of AK 47, 117 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition, and electricalwires for anti-personal mines, among others. The awarding was followed by atraditional military “boodlefight” as a simple celebration of the saidaccomplishment./PN The encounter in Kabankalan followedthe pursuit operations of troops from 31st Division Reconnaissance Company whofought with some 15 communist rebels in neighboring Himamaylan City lastSunday. After a 15-minute gun battle, theestimated 10 communist rebels retreated. On Oct. 6, the troops of 31st DivisionReconnaisance Company encountered more or less 15 NPA- terrorist at Sitio Bugo,Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. During the encounter, Patrolman JohnImedio Gallero Javier was slightly injured in a combat operation with Armysoldiers in Sitio Basak, Barangay Tan-awan in Kabankalan City.
BACOLOD City – Sixteen soldiers and 17policemen received commendation medals for demonstrating bravery in a series ofencounters against communist rebels in southern Negros Occidental last week. This is the 5th time for troopsof 62IB received medals from Arevalo since he assumed command on Oct. 29 lastyear. Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo,commander of the Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IB), awarded ledthe awarding rites held at the headquarters of the 62nd Infantry Batallion(62IB) in Barangay Libas, Isabela,Negros Occidental on Monday. The awardees were soldiers of the 31stDivision Reconnaissance Company (31DRC) and policemen of the 6th RegionalMobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB6). Sixteen soldiers and 17 policemen received commendation medals for demonstrating bravery in a series of encounters against communist rebels in southern Negros Occidental last week. 303RD IB
Robbins along with the daughters of Don Horan.Greensburg, IN—The Greensburg Decatur County Chamber of Commerce held its annual member dinner at the Indiana Grand Racing and Casino in Shelbyville Friday. Following dinner, an awards ceremony was held. Awards handed out include the prestigious Don Horan Community Leader of the Year that went to Diana Robbins, Executive Director of Greensburg Meals on Wheels.Other award winners for the night included:Sara McCullough- Ambassador of the YearEmilie Redelman – Entrepreneur of the Year Noelle Hermèsch – Small Business Grant Stewart Seeds – Chamber Lifetime Member
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