Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo’s dazzling performances as Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre have won them the top acting prizes at the UK’s oldest theatre awards.
Judges for the 64th Evening Standard theatre awards named Fiennes best actor and Okonedo best actress, both described by the Guardian’s Michael Billington as being “at the top of their game”.
They were given their prizes at a ceremony on Sunday night at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, part of an evening which also saw successes for Company, Hamilton and the Young Vic.
Fiennes and Okonedo were following in the footsteps of Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench in 1987, and Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren in 1998, to play Antony and Cleopatra on the National Theatre stage.
The Hopkins/Dench production is considered legendary; the Rickman/Mirren one less so. Thus the stakes were high for the Simon Godwin-directed version, which opened at the National’s biggest stage, the Olivier, in September.
The reviews were, by and large, rave ones. Billington called it “a fine production that reminds us that Shakespeare’s play is death-haunted from the start and that its self-glorifying lovers exist in a dream of passion”.
In the Observer, Kate Kellaway said the production was “outstanding” while Ann Treneman in the Times said the show was “as big as it is spectacular” with Fiennes and Okonedo “simply terrific as the lovers who tempt fate one too many times”.
The production is almost sold out and finishes its run on 19 January. It will be broadcast live in cinemas on 6 December.
The Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Hamilton, which opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London a year ago, missed the deadline for last year’s awards so it was no surprise to see it named best musical in the 2018 awards. It won from a shortlist which also comprised Caroline, or Change; Company; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; and Fun Home. One of its young stars, Jamael Westman, who plays Hamilton, won the emerging talent award.
Marianne Elliott was named best director for her production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, in which she swapped the gender of the main character.
She said the show, first performed in 1970 and originally centred on 35-year-old single man, Bobby, who could not commit to a steady relationship or marriage, was of its time. Making the lead character female allowed the show to explore important aspects of women’s lives today.
Rosalie Craig, who plays Bobbi, won the best musical performance award.
In total 10 awards were given at the ceremony presented by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, writer of Fleabag and Killing Eve.
She also said London theatre “has had a banger of a year for diversity,” paying tribute to the fact that 60% of the best play nominees were women.
Best play was awarded to The Inheritance, a seven-hour production by Matthew Lopez about the lives of a group of gay men in New York. It began at the Young Vic before transferring to the West End.
The Jungle, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s powerful story of the Calais migrant camp, began there, too, before moving to the Playhouse theatre. Its designer, Miriam Buether, won the best design award.
The award for most promising playwright, named in honour of the Standard’s former editor Charles Wintour, went to Natasha Gordon for Nine Night which played at the National Theatre’s Dorfman space and is transferring to Trafalgar Studios in December. It was praised by critics including Billington, who said it had an extra resonance in the light of the Windrush scandal.
A special award named after the Standard’s Russian owner, Evgeny Lebedev, was given to Sir Cameron Mackintosh for his contribution to musical theatre.
For the first time, the awards paid what will become an annual tribute to the “behind-the-scenes heroes” of theatre. Designer John Galliano praised the role of the dresser, a job he did at the National early on in his career. He invited 26 dressers seated in the auditorium to join him on stage and take a bow.


Is China's Belt and Road a bold infrastructure vision, or a slush fund?
Expressing concern over recent Chinese actions taken out of step with international norms, the Pentagon has said One Belt and One Road (OBOR) investments could create potential military advantages for China, should it require access to selected foreign ports to pre-position the necessary logistics support to sustain naval deployments.
In a report titled "Assessment on United States Defence Implications of China's Expanding Global Access", the report states that Department of Defence is concerned by the actions China's government has taken that are out of step with international norms, diminishes countries' sovereignty or undermines the security of the United States, its allies or partners.
"Some OBOR investments could create potential military advantages for China, should it require access to selected foreign ports to pre-position the necessary logistics support to sustain naval deployments to protect its growing interests in waters as distant as the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean," the report, which is the second one on China in 24 hours, said.
The Pentagon report identified 17 cases in which Chinese investment and project financing bypassed regular market mechanisms and has resulted in negative economic effects for the host country.
"China's attempts to gain veto authority over other countries' decisions, and its coercion directed at US allies and partners in particular, will likely threaten US posture and access if not addressed," the Pentagon said.
Observing that China's investment has been global in scope, the China Global Investment Tracker (compiled by the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation) from 2006-2017 China invested roughly $299 bn in Europe, $223 bn in North America, $120 bn in East and Southeast Asia, $98 bn in South America, $91 bn in Australia, $85 bn in West Asia (South Asia, Central Asia, and Russia), $77 bn in Sub-Saharan Africa and $31 bn in the Middle East and North Africa, the report said.
Construction contracts from 2006-2017 measured by the Tracker totalled an additional $205 bn in Sub-Saharan Africa, $163 bn in West Asia, $130 bn in the Middle East and North Africa, $122 bn in East and Southeast Asia, $52 bn in South America, $38 bn in Europe, $15 bn in Australia and $10 bn in North America.
Most of China's construction contracts, and some of its investments, have occurred under the OBOR label since the initiative was announced in 2013, the report said.
"China's expanding global access has provided new opportunities to develop and acquire military and dual-use technologies, through both legitimate and unlawful means," the report said.
Although many of China's generous investment financing offers benefit their host nations, they often come with strings attached.
"In some cases, Chinese investment and project financing that bypasses regular market mechanisms results in negative economic effects for the host country, including lower standards, reduced opportunities for local companies and workers, and significant debt accumulation challenges," the Pentagon said.
For instance, it said, Malaysia has suspended or cancelled several OBOR projects since August 2018, noting one could have been built by a local company for half the cost.
Pakistan announced a review of Chinese-financed projects associated with the $62 bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in September 2018.
An advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan told reporters the previous government "gave away a lot" to China and argued for renegotiation.
"The government later backpedaled, claiming the statement was taken out of context," it said.
The Maldives' finance minister stated in November 2018 that China is building infrastructure projects in the country at significantly higher prices than previously agreed, the Pentagon said.
China's announcement of $60 bn in additional aid and loans for Africa occurred despite the International Monetary Fund's early 2018 warning that sub-Saharan African nations are at a growing risk of debt distress.
The report alleged that China has also employed economic incentives or economic coercion to achieve specific political objectives.
This has affected a wide range of countries. For instance in 2004, after China pledged $122 million in assistance to Dominica, Dominica cut official ties with Taiwan.
"In 2010, China reduced salmon imports from Norway and suspended diplomatic relations and trade discussions, after Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize," the Pentagon said.


The Selwyn District Council's consultation on a proposed $8 million loan to Central Plains Water has closed today.
Central Plains Water needs the loan to design stage two of the irrigation scheme, which would cover about 33,000 hectares between Hororata and Darfield.
The council provided a nearly $6 million loan for stage one of the scheme, but a report suggested the risks for stage two were considerably higher.
The report said if stage two failed to go ahead because of a lack of farmer uptake, Central Plains Water could default on the loan, leaving the council with little security.
Council chief executive David Ward said about 70 submissions had been received.
The council will make a final decision on the loan next month.


A clean, modern bathroom increases the value of a home.
1 How Much Does it Cost to Renovate a House?
3 Where Should You Start First When Renovating a House?
4 How Much Does it Cost to Renovate a Kitchen?
The goal of most home renovations, beyond increasing personal enjoyment, is to increase the value of the home by more than the cost of home improvements. If the home were to ever be put on the market, the seller would make a profit based at least partially on the renovations. How much the renovations increase home value depends on the real estate market, the budgets of likely buyers and the extent of the improvements.
According to House Hunt, a real estate listings site, renovating a bathroom or adding a bathroom increases home value by $9,861 and $18,226 respectively. Provide a clean, neat presentation in the restrooms to make a positive impact on potential buyers. The Staging Bug, a site that gives advice to home sellers, suggests that sellers go for clean, bright, modern décor. A buyer is turned off of a home that seems like a potential money pit with endless updating projects. Replace chipped tiles, provide ample storage and remove clutter. If you aim to keep older fixtures that are in good condition, create a vintage theme for the entire bathroom. Pick a theme such as spa or black and white and stick with it. At the very least, remove any peeling paint, and replace it with a fresh coat of paint.
Kitchen improvements, if done well, offer one of the highest rates of return on home improvement investments. According to mortgage professionals Quicken Loans, the average rate of return on kitchen upgrades is between 80 and 93 percent. Better Homes and Gardens recommends creating a bright kitchen with modern touches. Even if you plan to have a retro theme for the kitchen, update the appliances. Modern conveniences like spacious refrigerators, hooded stoves and islands are attractive features to potential buyers. Use a backsplash tile that is durable and that complements the paint color and style of the room.
Homebuilding & Remodeling, a home improvement site for homeowners, notes that a finished basement is one of the most cost effective upgrades because it increases livable space, which is something homebuyers look for and because of that, a renovated basement helps a home sell faster. Create a guest bedroom, a wet bar, a game room or all three. Handy American, a site that features a directory of contractors, suggests that homeowners start with the floor when making basement renovations. Most basements have floors made of poured concrete. Handy American presents wood subfloors or carpet as an alternative to the concrete floor. If possible, include a bath or half-bath in the basement as an added amenity.
Striker, Dee. "Tips on Increasing Home Value." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/tips-increasing-home-value-8634.html. Accessed 22 April 2019.
What Does a House Appraiser Look For?
Will Remodeling Increase the Value of a Home?
What Are the Tax Deductions for Home Improvements?
How Should a Home Seller Pay for Renovations?
What Improvements Increase Home Value?


A Suffolk man has been jailed for threatening the victim of a dog attack after failing to bribe him into dropping the charges.
Ollie Deeks will serve six months behind bars for being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and witness intimidation.
Michael Harrison required 32 stitches when his arm was bitten to the bone by a mixed breed dog called Diablo last April.
It left him unable to grip as he did before the attack, which took place as he passed the dog on the landing of his shared Haverhill home, where Deeks was invited by another resident to sleep while without fixed accommodation.
Deeks, 25, of Fornham Road, Bury St Edmunds, had denied offering Mr Harrison money in a text message before threatening to “cut him up” for pressing charges.
Prosecutor Gavin Capper told Ipswich Crown Court that police had advised Deeks to muzzle the dog – since described as “very aggressive” while in the custody of kennel staff – after it previously bit Mr Harrison.
Oliver Haswell, representing Deeks, said the threat was nothing but a “moment of madness” from his client, who was now holding down work at his father’s firm and had recently became a parent.
If spared jail, he said Deeks could enter a cognitive skills course with the probation service.
“Allow him to prove these sorry events are a thing of the past,” he urged Judge Martyn Levett.
The judge told Deeks: “I’m sure you realised the seriousness of the incident. That’s why you sent texts suggesting Mr Harrison would be offered money to drop the charges.
“When that had no effect, you told him the dog bite would be nothing compared to him being ‘cut up’, or you getting ‘your boys’ after him.” He said the offences were too serious for a suspended sentence, handing Deeks 12 months’ custody – half behind bars and half on licence.
The court heard how Deeks denied ownership of the dog – one of three he kept at the house in Haverhill – and that he had been charged with failing to properly look after the dogs as puppies that January, but was not convicted until September, when he was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and banned from keeping animals.
Diablo’s assumed owner, a serving prisoner, will be required to respond to an application for the dog’s destruction by April 16.


The $408 phone promises battery life of up to 50 hours on a charge and offers an optional $250 Hasselblad camera attachment.
Lenovo has unveiled its latest smartphone, the Moto Z Play Droid Edition, with a 5.5-inch 1080p HD Super AMOLED touch-screen display, estimated battery life of up to 50 hours on a charge and a $408 price tag when it goes on sale exclusively through Verizon on Sept. 8.
The 4G LTE handset, which will be known as the Moto Z Play elsewhere around the world, also features a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, an Adreno 506 graphics processor, 3GB of memory, 32GB of onboard storage and a microSD card slot for additional storage.
Also included is a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with laser auto-focusing, an f/2.0 lens, 4X digital zoom and 4K video capabilities, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.2 lens and LED flash, and a fingerprint reader for device and user security. The handsets are built around an aluminum frame and have a glass back plate.
The Moto Z Play models were announced by Lenovo on Aug. 31, with the standard Moto Z Play going on sale later this month in Europe for about $558. In October the Moto Z Play Droid Edition phone will be offered in a GSM unlocked version in the United States for $499.99. The standard Moto Z Play phone will be sold through Motorola.com. The unlocked version will also work on AT&T or T-Mobile and will allow users to choose those carriers as well, according to Lenovo's Motorola division.
The latest Moto smartphone also features TurboPower fast charging, giving users up to 9 hours of use after 15 minutes of charging, and runs on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. The handset includes a water-repellent nano-coating to protect it from spills, and also includes WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and near-field communications (NFC) connectivity capabilities. The phone is equipped with one USB-C port and a 3.5mm headset jack. The device is 6.15 inches long, 3 inches wide and 0.27 inches thick and weighs 5.8 ounces.
It comes in Black/Silver/Black Slate or White/Fine Gold/Sugar White color combinations.
Also announced as part of Lenovo's Moto Mods collection of modular attachments for the Moto phone line is a new Hasselblad True Zoom module, which is a camera attachment that adds a Hasselblad-engineered camera to the Moto Z Play handset. The Hasselblad True Zoom module snaps onto the phone and adds capabilities including 10x optical zoom, a Xenon flash and RAW image capturing.
The Hasselblad True Zoom module will be available for preorder in the U.S. on Sept. 8 and will be sold starting Sept. 15 for $249.99 at Verizon.com and Motorola.com. Users will be able to use Hasselblad's Phocus software to edit the images that they capture. Users will also receive a free two-year subscription for unlimited storage on Google Photos with the camera, according to Lenovo.
In June, Lenovo announced its latest Moto Z and the Moto Z Force smartphones, which also feature a series of interchangeable, modular Moto Mod backs that can be snapped onto the phones to add varying features as needed by users, including a larger battery, a big-screen projector or a boom box speaker system for over-the-top audio. The Moto Z and Moto Z Force handsets are flagship smartphones that include all-metal bodies, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors and Moto TurboPower fast charging capabilities. The Moto Z Force also includes the Moto Shattershield display, which is guaranteed not to crack or shatter.
The JBL SoundBoost audio back, the Moto Insta-Share Projector back and the Power Pack back, which adds up to 22 hours of battery life to the device, connect to the Moto Z phones using high-powered magnets. Other modular backs will be released in the future to extend the capabilities of the phones. The Moto Z, which is just 0.20 inches thick, includes a 5.5-inch quad HD AMOLED display, 4GB of memory, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage, and a microSD card slot for additional storage. It also features a 13MP rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, a front-facing 5MP camera with a wide-angle lens and a water-repellant coating to protect the handset.
The Moto Z Force includes the same key specifications but also comes with the Moto Shattershield display, a 21MP rear-facing camera and longer battery life.


Max's behaviour is taking a huge toll on his loved ones.
EastEnders has released two brand new pictures showing the drama ahead for the Branning family in tonight's special episode.
The chaotic clan will take centre stage this evening as the fallout from Max's revenge plan continues to send shockwaves around Albert Square.
Max (Jake Wood) is struggling to hold things together now that he knows he's been double-crossed by James Willmott-Brown and Fi Browning.
With the whole Square now against him, Max's family are deeply concerned and they try their best to get through to him once and for all.
Sadly, it seems that Max just doesn't want to be helped and emotions run high as they face the potentially fruitless task.
As things get heated, do the Brannings stand any chance of making him see sense?
Tonight's EastEnders marks the return of award-winning scriptwriter Simon Ashdown, who worked on the show between 1995 and 2013.
As well as penning this evening's episode, Ashdown has also crafted this year's Christmas editions, which will feature even more drama for the Branning family.
EastEnders' executive consultant John Yorke recently said: "I'm delighted to welcome one of EastEnders' greatest writers back to the show.
"Simon has delivered some of EastEnders' biggest moments and I hope people will agree that his Christmas episodes are right up there with his very best work."


WAGONER COUNTY, Oklahoma - A Wagoner County trial will start completely over after the judge declared a mistrial.
Sources tell News On 6 the jurors were discussing the case; it's a headache that will cost taxpayers more money and time.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler weighed in on the situation, saying jurors have one of the most important jobs in the courtroom.
"The jurors' job is every bit as important as the judge or the attorneys in the courtroom," Kunzweiler said.
Former juror Patrick Williams understands better than most just how tough it can be to stay silent when serving during a murder trial.
"It was one of the most challenging things I've ever had to do...keep my mouth shut," he said.
Williams served as a juror during 2018's Stanley Majors trial.
"I hope I never have to do it again," he said.
Majors was sentenced to life without parole for shooting and killing his next door neighbor Khalid Jabara.
"You would hear things in the courtroom and you would think, 'Oh my gosh, is this guy serious?'" Williams said. "And you're just dying to let it out."
But jurors are constantly reminded throughout trials that discussing the case with anyone--including other jurors--is out of the question.
Cody Thompson's murder trial in Wagoner County was declared a mistrial just this week, because of outside discussion between the jurors, sources say.
"Sometimes it's very intentional," Kunzweiler said. "And other times it's inadvertent. But they just can't resist the idea of talking about what they're experiencing."
The jury was days away from decided whether or not he was guilty of shooting 15-year-old Brennon Davis, and then burning his body.
Now, 12 new jurors will have to be brought in, starting back at square one.
Thompson will be back in court to start the process all over again in May.


Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal's 2-0 Champions League win over Olympiacos is another example of just how his young side are maturing.
The Greek champions had goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis to thank for preventing Arsenal chalking up a big score in a one-sided contest at the Emirates. However, they were eventually undone with 12 minutes to go when substitute Eduardo set up Robin van Persie before Andrey Arshavin made sure of the win when he netted a cheeky backheel, which had more than a hint of offside.
"We kept our composure and kept going," said Wenger. "We have matured and a game like this shows just that."
He added: "We played with a desire to keep the discipline in the team. We did not do anything crazy. I always felt we could score."
Wenger feels the manner of the victory shows just why Arsenal are not "desperate" for new signings.
The Gunners' parent company this week announced healthy financial figures, with a record £35million profit and the board indicated there was plenty of money available for the manager should he wish to invest further in the squad when the transfer window opens in January.
However, Wenger firmly believes in the quality he already has.
"We got very young players, and they make their name here," said the Gunners boss.
"When you look at the players who did not play, you can see why we are not desperate."


Russia deploys new anti-aircraft systems follow jet shoot-down.
Russia Says It Won’t Retaliate Militarily Against Turkey. But It’s Not Exactly De-Escalating.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a video conference with top military officials on Russia’s Air Forces’ operation in Syria at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Nov. 20, 2015.
Some of these steps are entirely symbolic—Russian tour groups are canceling Turkey trips and the Russian Parliament is debating criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide, a sore subject for Turkey. Others are more consequential: Vladimir Putin has ordered state-of-the-art missile defense systems to be deployed to Russia’s base in Latakia, Syria, capable of shooting down Turkish jets up to 400 kilometers away. (The base is only 50 kilometers south of the Turkish border.) It has also deployed one of its largest air defense ships just outside Turkish waters in the Mediterranean and cut off all military-to-military communication with Turkey.
Both sides have publicly expressed a desire to de-escalate the situation, but these steps have likely increased the likelihood of dangerous incidents in the increasingly crowded skies over Syria. Even if Russia doesn’t intend to retaliate directly, the new anti-aircraft systems in the area, the lack of communications between the two militaries, and the heightened atmosphere of tension make another incident where the two sides start shooting at each other all the more likely.
And this isn’t just a Russia-Turkey problem. The U.S. and NATO have both backed Turkey’s version of events—that the Russian jet transited Turkish territory before it was fired upon—and affirmed their ally’s right to defend its own airspace. The Russian government, meanwhile, has inferred that NATO was complicit in Turkey’s actions. The Russian military had just begun to share information about its airstrikes with its U.S. counterparts after weeks of talks about the “deconfliction” of their respective operations. With Russian officials not so subtly inferring U.S. culpability in the incident, they’re less likely to maintain open lines of communication, particularly as Russia continues to attack rebel groups in Syria, some of which have received U.S. backing.
Neither side may want to escalate the situation further, but they also may not be able to control what happens next.


This is Lake Amadeus, the largest salt lake in Australia’s Northern Territory. Taken by Sentinel-2A (mean orbital altitude of 786 km/488 miles), this image of Lake Amadeus shows the salt crust, rock, and sand that are part of this lake’s unique look.
From space, this particular patch of Australia looks as inhospitable as Mars.


I was pleased to read Richard Anderson's essay on charter schools in in the Dec. 1 (page B5) edition of the Herald Gazette. I, too, am concerned about how we teach, or do not teach, our children, even how we teach ourselves as adults. I have a son in fourth grade and daughter in sixth grade. Any doubt of my concern? Education has been my career for the past 40 years, so I write this from a perspective of not only personal concern but from professional experience.
My wife and I elected to home-school our two children this last year while living aboard our sailboat and exploring the the Caribbean islands. It was not only cheaper to live on the boat than ashore, it was a great deal more enlightening and meaningful for us all, adults and kids.
Our children had been in an alternative school program prior to our departure, and are now in public school; we are now aware of these options. The children who have been home-schooled, and whom I have interviewed and had the firsthand opportunity to observe in college, were as bright, knowledgeable and excited about learning as any child who was the product of public or private schools, even more so.
What we observed from our children's experience this past winter was that they now are more aware of the world and the people in it. They are perhaps a little behind scholastically, but they are wiser. Real experience is always better than reading about the experience in a book. They played with, and learned from, West Indian, European and South African children. They know how chocolate is made, what volcanic dust tastes like and how to get along with people of all nationalities.
We are now back in Maine, where there are educational options available, but there is no public or governmental support for these options. While there are the Riley, Ashwood/Waldorf, Montessori, Watershed, and Community schools, all options to public school, none are funded, except by what parents and grandparents pay for tuition. If charter schools are to have a future in this state the entire funding of education will have to change, and it should, even if charter schools are not on the list.
If we took the 300 or so students currently attending private schools in the area and put them into the public school system, what would that do to current public school enrollment and budgets?
What is more valuable to the future of this country? More prisons, a larger military to engage in yet another pointless war, or more money spent on our children and their education? Someone pointed out that what we spent on Bush's War in four years could have sent every American child to college for four years. If education is the key to our nation's survival and future prosperity, why are we not putting this first?
Charter schools are a great alternative option to the current school system, one that needs to be supported. Those special schools, small and focused on specific career paths — math and science, art and performance, business and entrepreneurialism, etc. — will result in students who are more prepared to face and build their future.
Charter schools will reduce the amount of money available to fund the current school system, say opponents. But that need not be the case, not if we realize the importance of our children and their future. We can have our cake and eat it, too, if we have enough cake. We just need to spend more of the total state budget on education, and less on prisons and other things.
When my children attended private school it was costing us $15,000 a year for tuition, and we were getting a break on tuition. I'd be very happy to increase my taxes by $1,000 to $3,00 a year if we had access to educational options, such as charter schools, or other non-public schools — schools that are more appropriate to the learning style of my two children. I'd be saving $12,000 a year and my kids would be getting a better education.
David Lyman, the founder and former president of Rockport College and The Maine Photographic Workshops, lives in Camden.


This position has been designated Mission Essential and the incumbent must assume essential personnel status during inclement weather/emergencies.
Certification as a Radiographer in your field is required. Advanced certification in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is highly preferred.
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing magnetic resonance imaging of the head, trunk and extremities; performing patient positioning for a variety of imaging procedures; and performing preventive maintenance on the diagnostic equipment. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-08).
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as Diagnostic Radiology/Radiography.


Leicester beat Watford to move five points clear at the top of the table as Riyad Mahrez scored his 15th Premier League goal of the season.
After second-placed Tottenham drew with third-placed Arsenal, the Foxes took a step closer to English football's most unlikely title win.
Mahrez almost set up Jamie Vardy for an early goal as the Foxes started well.
And a similar start to the second half saw the Algerian rifle high into the net after Jose Holebas cleared to him.
The 25-year-old, who has scored or assisted 26 goals this season, worried Leicester after he seemingly pulled his hamstring late in the game and was substituted but Mahrez later said it was only cramp.
Despite good chances for Watford strikers Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo, the visitors, who flirted with relegation last season, held on and now have nine games between them and a historic first title triumph.
The victory also takes them 11 points clear of fifth-placed West Ham as the Foxes close on a Champions League spot and they are 41 points better off than they were at the same stage last season.
Each week the character and quality of Claudio Ranieri's side is further tested as the pressure is ramped up on the team with the least title-chasing experience.
But since the Foxes drew with West Brom on Tuesday, they have seen rivals Tottenham and Arsenal both beaten, before the two north London sides drew in a fiercely contested derby earlier on Saturday.
Watford did not offer the toughest opposition for the visiting team, but an opportunity to eke out a five-point gap presented its own examination.
And they passed it once again thanks to a solid defensive display, energy from the returning N'Golo Kante, and the skill and accuracy of Mahrez, who proved the difference.
The winger was still able to walk off the pitch after picking up his injury, but any problems for Leicester's star player could yet derail their challenge.
The Hornets suffered a second consecutive 1-0 defeat after their midweek loss at Manchester United, but while they were unlucky not to earn a draw at Old Trafford, here their ambitions were quickly snuffed out by the league leaders.
Foxes centre-back Wes Morgan had a running battle with Ighalo, who missed a close-range header late on, with Nordin Amrabat and Jose Holebas both having shots saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Nathan Ake also clipped the top of the crossbar with a header but the hosts rarely threatened the Leicester goal.
Ake only moved into central defence after a late injury to Miguel Britos but it looked a stroke of good fortune as his pace twice got Watford out of trouble early on.
Quique Sanchez Flores' team have now failed to score in five of their past six Premier League games and Ighalo has scored only once in 2016.
Promoted last season, they still need one more win to reach the 40-point total that is the usual benchmark for Premier League safety.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri: "It was an important win, a big battle. Now there will be only battles for everybody not just for us. A tough match. We created four or five chances, they created two or three. We are so happy now.
"The title is not ours. We have to fight a lot, step by step and keep our feet on the ground. At the end we can see what happens. I'm sorry, we know every team can win or lose so it has to be slowly slowly."
On Riyad Mahrez hamstring: "No injury, he was tired and had a little cramp so I changed him in the late minutes. His goal was so important."
Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores: "It was very difficult, they defended very well, lots of intensity through the middle. We created some attempts, we make one mistake and when they score first it is very difficult."
On his strikers' goal drought: "Of course. We have problems to score in the last matches. For me it will be interesting not to look at the strikers in this case, it's important to get goals from the other lines, I don't want to put pressure on the strikers."
Leicester have won 31 points away from home this season in the Premier League; five more than any other team.
Eleven of Mahrez's 15 Premier League goals for Leicester City this season have come away from home.
Leicester have scored 33 goals in the second half of Premier league games in this campaign - two more than any other side.
Watford have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 matches in all competitions against the Foxes.
Watford have conceded a league-high proportion of their goals in the second half of matches (73%).
Leicester now have a nine-day break until they host Premier League strugglers Newcastle at home, while Watford face either Arsenal or Hull in the FA Cup quarter-finals next weekend before hosting Stoke in the league the following weekend.
Match ends, Watford 0, Leicester City 1.
Second Half ends, Watford 0, Leicester City 1.
Attempt missed. Danny Simpson (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Odion Ighalo (Watford) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Nathan Aké (Watford) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Substitution, Watford. Mamadou Obbi Oularé replaces Etienne Capoue.
Attempt missed. Jeffrey Schlupp (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Daniel Amartey.
Substitution, Leicester City. Daniel Amartey replaces Riyad Mahrez because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Almen Abdi (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Watford. Ikechi Anya replaces Nyom.
Corner, Watford. Conceded by Riyad Mahrez.
Attempt saved. Odion Ighalo (Watford) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Troy Deeney.
Attempt missed. Robert Huth (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Almen Abdi.
Corner, Watford. Conceded by Robert Huth.
Attempt missed. Robert Huth (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Christian Fuchs with a cross following a set piece situation.
Attempt saved. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Danny Simpson.
Substitution, Watford. Almen Abdi replaces Mario Suárez.


Valero and others in a new Political Action Committee have joined together to raise more than $100,000 to influence our election with additional hard-hitting negative campaign tactics. That’s $100,000 — more than three times the limit each individual candidate is allowed to spend on their campaign!
So … you can expect to see negative ads making outrageous claims against Kari Birdseye on TV and Facebook. Expect nasty signs around town, more negative telephone campaign calls, glossy mailers delivered to your door, and who knows what else? To understand the dark nature of their plans, you really do need to check out the phone script and photocopies of ads in the city reports at right. They want to buy a seat on Benicia City Council.
Besides Valero’s $14,200, the other interested parties are throwing in another $90,000 to fund the WFSB anti-Birdseye campaign.
My opinion? They better hope this works. Can you imagine campaigning this viciously against someone and then losing? Not the smartest way to try and “mend fences” after a near disastrous chemical release in 2017 and a pledge to be a “good neighbor.” Is this how good neighbors act?
We’re not all that far away from the election — you can expect the PAC to spend this huge amount in the next three weeks. Benicia will be inundated with their anti-Kari messaging.
Let’s hope that Benicia voters see past the slick mailers and negative hit pieces that will soon be flooding our mailboxes and Facebook feeds. Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council!


Talib has had six pick sixes during his four seasons in Denver.
Bronco fans may see Aqib Talib represent their team for the last time Sunday when he plays for the AFC in the Pro Bowl Game.
Talib has been a great Bronco, making the Pro Bowl each of the four seasons he was in Denver. The only other player to make four Pro Bowls in four seasons with the Broncos was John Lynch, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame and is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2018.
Talib was also a key player on the Broncos' Super 50 team and he was named first-team All Pro in 2016. He's had six, pick sixes during his four seasons in Denver.
Although Talib has two years left on the six-year, $57 million contract he signed with the Broncos in March 2014, Denver is expected to place him on the trading block because of financial considerations.
The Broncos have two other younger cornerbacks in Chris Harris Jr. ($8.5 million) and Bradley Roby ($8.526 million) scheduled to make a combined $17.026 million in 2018.
Talib, who will turn 32 on February 13, is scheduled to make $11 million in 2018 and $8 million in 2019. Even with the salary cap going up from $167 million to between $176 million and $180 million for the 2018 season, it’s difficult for a team to allocate $28 million to three cornerbacks.
Talib and pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller are the only Broncos who will play in the Pro Bowl with kickoff at 1 p.m. in Orlando.


Many were buying tickets Tuesday, March 19, including at the Chino Hills store that sold a winning ticket years ago.
No one correctly picked all five winning numbers and the winning Powerball number in the Saturday night, March 16, Powerball drawing.
Avid lottery players know what that means — the jackpot once again hits the half-billion dollar mark.
Many who play were buying tickets Tuesday, March 19, including at the 7-Eleven in Chino Hills that sold a Powerball ticket worth $1.6 billion three years ago.
The next drawing is set for Wednesday, March 20, and the jackpot currently sits at $550 million.
Tickets cost $2 each and drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday. But the chances of winning are 1 in 292,201,338, according to powerball.com.


Who says evangelism has to stop during conflict?
Typically, when war breaks out in Africa, missionaries evacuate and evangelism stopsdead in its tracks. But the Democratic Republic of Congo is not typical. Nobody told Congolese evangelicals to stop spreading the gospel during war.
In the late 1990s, Gil Odendaal was in and out of Congo for five years in a series of short-term visits with Medical Ambassadors International. His aim was to train leaders who would in turn launch Community Health Evangelism (CHE) projects that offer basic medical care and Bible teaching in remote villages.
In 1997, three major rebel groups combined forces to overthrow the national government. As violence spread, missionaries evacuated reluctantly from throughout Zaire (as the nation was known at that time).
For the next seven years, almost nothing was heard from the projects. In 2004, Westerners returned, expecting to find all the established CHE programs destroyed. Odendaal and his colleagues did indeed find mission stations in ruins, but the programs were a different story. They had survived and thrived, more than doubling in size. The total number of village-based projects was now 113.
Through word of mouth, villagers heard the CHE projects were lifesavers. When other villagers were starving, villages with CHE had food to spare. Fewer newborns died. CHE-trained villagers cultivated gardens and took on microenterprise projects. In one CHE community, villagers built a press to extract oil from palm trees. They refined the oil, used it for cooking, and sold the surplus in regional markets.


QPID Health will continue to maintain its offices in Boston, Mass. and Carlsbad, Calif. and will retain its name. Terms of the deal were not announced.


Work by Chris Monette Appleton will be unveiled at the Feb. 13 Second Saturday Art Walk on Feb. 13.
Chris Monette Appleton is the featured artist in Studio 4 at Lorton’s Workhouse Arts Center. Her show "Recent Drawings" is comprised of figure drawings from life and will be unveiled at the Second Saturday Art Walk on Feb. 13, from 6-9 p.m. and exhibited through March 10. The art walks promise an interesting evening for art lovers and families and anyone wanting a few hours of fun. Snacks, hors d’oeuvre, warm beverages, music, new work and artists guarantee a great evening.
The Artists of Building 10 at the Workhouse Art Center at Lorton will be steaming up February with the theme of love and salsa on Feb. 13, from 6-9 p.m. Influenced by a recent trip to Cuba by artist, Susan Tilt who returned with the new salsa music. Tilt was part of a group from the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in D.C. that visits Cuba yearly as a friendship and reconciliation between Americans and Cubans. She also had an opportunity to see artwork from Cuban artists being gathered for an art auction to benefit Cuban children with cancer.
ArtNotes presents The U.S. Army Band Chorus on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m., in Gallery W-16, second floor. Join in this free evening of music including pop, Broadway, folk, traditional patriotic music and classical music.
Valentine’s Day Date Night. Come share creative side with a partner and join the Workhouse ceramics, glass and dance instructors for a fun evening on Friday, Feb. 12 or Saturday, Feb. 13 from 6-11 p.m. Choose from a Glass Workshop in Building W-7 or a Ceramics Workshop in Building W-8 from 7-9:30 p.m. Learn to create Hand-built or Wheel-thrown objects with a friend or partner. Before, during and after the workshops, a reception featuring ballroom dancing, complimentary hors d’ouvres and cash bar will take place in Gallery W-16 from 6-11pm. Ballroom dancing will be hosted by a professional ballroom instructor. $75 couple or singles with friend, includes workshop and dancing. $20 couple or singles with friend, dancing only.
"The Working Artist - Principles and Practice for Success." Glass artist Milon Townsend [http://www.milontownsend.com/] returns to the Workhouse to address many of the issues facing you as a working artist today on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Lecturing throughout the country on art business topics, Milon's presentations are drawn from his nearly 40 years experience as a successful full time artist. Handouts and worksheets provide detailed information to take home, and his interactive style is designed to draw out specific issues and problems. $100 for both days, Workhouse artists and members $80. For more information and to register, visit www.WorkhouseArts.org. Milon will be giving a free flameworking demonstration Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., showing his sculptural techniques in the torch.
Gallery After Hours presents Word Beat. Saturday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m., Gallery W-16, second floor. Enjoy an evening of percussion and spoken word poetry from Word Beat [http://www.word-beat.com]. Global jazz percussionist Tom Teasley and acclaimed singer/actor Charles Williams pair inspirational words with inventive percussive sounds. Their performances feature mystic poetry, African proverbs, Harlem Renaissance poetry and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi in musical layers of voice, hand drums, shakers and electronics. Tickets $15-$25. Cash bar and light fare available.
The Workhouse Film Institute presents "A Man Named Pearl." Friday, Feb. 26 and Sat. Feb. 27, Gallery W-16, second floor. Join the Workhouse for film weekend, including an artist workshop/lecture with Pearl Fryar and a screening of the film "A Man Named Pearl." This film is about a self-taught topiary artist Fryar. Cash bar and light fare available. Tickets: $5-10 for tickets to film and workshop. Film screening on Friday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 27, artist workshop/lecture with Fryar, 3 p.m.; youth workshop/lecture with Fryar, 5:30 p.m.; film screening, 7 p.m.
Paul Reisler Duo performs Saturday, March 6, 6:30 p.m., Gallery W-16, second floor. This group is rooted in folk music combined with world music eclecticism and performed with classical precision. Cash bar and light fare available. Tickets: $15-25.
Black History Month Exhibition. The Workhouse will honor Black History Month with an exhibit of works by several well-known African American artists including: Margo Humphrey, Michael B. Platt, Preston Sampson, Stanley Squirewell, Thermon Statom and others. The exhibit runs Feb. 3-27, in Gallery W-16, second floor, with an opening reception to meet the artists Sunday, Feb. 7 from 2-4 p.m.
As part of the Workhouse Art Center’s Art for a Change! program, advanced art students will have the opportunity to be considered for a juried exhibition in a professional gallery. Advanced art students from West Springfield and Woodbridge Senior high schools will be featured in this exhibit from Feb. 9-28. An opening reception to meet the artists will be Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2-4 p.m. in Gallery W-16.
Building W-5 Studio Building Show, "RED," runs Feb. 3-28. See the primary color "red" through the eyes of the artists in Building 5. Their new works explore and express their vision of this powerful hue. Opening reception is Feb. 13 from 6-9 p.m. in collaboration with the Workhouse Second Saturday Art Walk.
Building W-8 Studio Building Show, the Ceramics Building has a regular recurring group exhibit of Ceramic Resident Artists work.
Join artist Irene Tsai in celebrating the Chinese New Year in Building W-6. Growing up in Taiwan, Tsai has always admired the beauty and the mystery of the mountains and landscapes. She applies techniques from both eastern and western watercolor on her paintings and creates her own poetic and tranquil world on rice papers.


Network-as-a-service provider Megaport is seeking to raise up to $60 million that will be put towards network expansion and technology innovation.
The Australian Securities Exchange listed company plans to raise up to $50 million via issuing 12.5 million shares under a placement at $4 per share, and an extra $10 million through a share purchase plan.
As part of the transaction, Megaport founder Bevan Slattery will sell down a portion of his shareholding -- offering about five million shares to help improve liquidity, seeing him retain 16.3 per cent in Megaport shares.
The capital raising will be put towards expanding into new locations and markets, upgrading its capacity, as well as funding innovation and development of new technology, the company told shareholders.
Specifically, it will look at investing into innovative new services and capabilities to make data flow automatically and seamlessly between locations, services, supply chains and customers.
It also aims to achieve greater ecosystem density and choice through software integration and interconnection with service providers; and ensure its services-neutral platform is positioned for growth in line with increasing data consumption.
Megaport will continue its investment and focus on various channels to support increased sales activities.
All up, the company will have raised $120 million within 12 months. At the same time last year, Megaport embarked on another $60 million capital raising effort to upgrade its network capacity and accelerate expansion to new locations and markets.
Currently, Megaport connects more than 1,350 customers globally across 400 data centres, and has partnerships with Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Microsoft Azure, Nutanix, Oracle and Salesforce.
In January last year, the company launched its Megaport Cloud Router (MCR), which currently provisions 116 MCRs.
“MCR-enabled customers use over 60 per cent more services as a result of its capability to unlock use cases like cloud-to-cloud, hybrid cloud connectivity, and virtual points of presence,” Megaport CEO, Vincent English, said in February.
The capital raising initiative comes as Megaport posted FY19 half-yearly net profit losses of $16.6 million for the six months ending December 2018, following the roll-out of additional data centres, network expansion plus software and product development.
Due to increased usage from across these markets, Megaport’s revenue rose 72 per cent - from $8.8 million to $15.2 million - over the previous corresponding period.


IT'S time for Survivor Series!
WWE's long-running event - which began in 1987 - takes place from the Staples Center in Los Angeles tonight.
What time is Survivor Series on?
You can watch WWE Survivor Series tonight - Sunday, November 18.
As with the big WWE shows, expect it to last for around four hours.
How can I live stream it for free?
When is the kickoff pre-show?
Background: Another match switched at the last minute, this was originally meant to be Ronda v Becky Lynch – until Becky suffered a concussion and broken nose on Raw.
Becky picked Charlotte has her replacement to take on the “Baddest Woman on the Planet”.
Sun Sport Predicts: Ronda v Charlotte is a marquee pairing for the women’s division but has been hastily thrown together here.
It’s still hard to imagine Ronda losing at this stage – even to WWE’s resident “Queen”.
Ronda should win but there will be unfinished business for these down the road.


The markets had a rough week as most investors were focused on fiscal cliff worries and talks that began on Friday. Despite a slightly positive end, in general the major indices slipped. The Nasdaq Composite ended 1.8% lower, the S&P 500 dropped 1.5% and Dow industrials finished 1.8% below one week ago. Also on many peoples' minds was the housing market and the Fed's plan to get past tight lending issues. Chairman Bernanke confirmed that the central bank is working on policies that will help the market recover.
Retail earnings and sales were trending this week as many companies gear up for "Black Friday" after Thanksgiving.
This holiday season, the biggest discount chains in the U.S. will tell the tale of two very different shoppers: those that have and those that have not.
US Markets Finish With Weekly Losses on Fiscal Cliff Concerns. InvestorGuide.com. WebFinance, Inc. http://www.investorguide.com/article/11316/us-markets-finish-with-weekly-losses-on-fiscal-cliff-concerns/ (access:April 25, 2019).


Actor Martin Lawrence regained consciousness Wednesday after slipping into a coma brought on by severe heat exhaustion while exercising, according to doctors at Los Robles Regional Medical Center.
Lawrence, 34, star of the television show "Martin" and films such as "Life," "Bad Boys" and "Nothing to Lose," collapsed and slipped into a coma Sunday after returning to his Westlake Village home from a jog.
Doctors listed the actor in critical but stable condition and said they are encouraged by his progress.
Lawrence is alert and responsive, but his breathing is still being aided by a ventilator, which is preventing him from speaking, hospital officials said.
"He's becoming more and more responsive, and we're very encouraged that he's come out of his coma," said hospital spokeswoman Kris Carraway-Bowman at a news conference Wednesday. "But this is going to be a day-by-day thing. . . . We'll know more as time goes on."
Lawrence left his home about 11:30 a.m. Sunday for an hourlong run through his neighborhood, Carraway-Bowman said. At the time, temperatures in the Conejo Valley were approaching 100 degrees.
A family member became concerned when Lawrence didn't return and went to look for him. Lawrence was found on his lawn, slumped over, moaning and having difficulty breathing, officials said.
By the time paramedics arrived, Lawrence was unconscious.
When he arrived at the hospital his temperature was about 107 degrees, and doctors worked to cool his body with cold water, ice and fans, Carraway-Bowman said.
"He was in very critical and unstable condition when he arrived," she said.
When the body becomes overheated, muscles begin to break down into proteins, which then flow through the blood, doctors say. The kidney, which cleans the blood, becomes clogged with the proteins, which can cause a coma and result in death.
Extreme overheating can also cause permanent kidney, brain and cardiac damage.
Doctors said Lawrence is experiencing kidney problems, but are unsure if they will be permanent.
Other tests showed no brain or heart damage.
Lawrence's physician, Dr. Paul Block, wouldn't speculate on whether the actor will make a full recovery and when he will be released.
Doctors are continuing to run tests and monitor his condition and said there is reason to be hopeful.
"His vital signs are stable, which is a good sign," Block said.
For Lawrence, this is the latest in a string of problems.
In May 1996, Lawrence ran into traffic on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks screaming "fight the establishment" at oncoming cars. He was led away by police, who later found a gun in his pocket.
Later that year, he was sued by actress Tisha Campbell for alleged sexual harassment, but the case was settled out of court.
Lawrence was also arrested twice, once at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded pistol in his travel bag and another time for striking a man in a nightclub brawl.
Lawrence was convicted and did community service in both cases.


The Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and the hundreds of students and families we serve applaud the swift actions of Governor Kasich and members of the Ohio General Assembly for their extensive efforts to secure the passage of Ohio House Sub Bill 124. This bill will allow the voters in the additional four counties we serve outside of Delaware County the opportunity to vote on the 2015 renewal levy.
The critical funding from this renewal levy will allow DACC to continue maintaining quality programming and a rigorous curriculum for students throughout five Ohio counties, while empowering them to be college, career and life ready.
Whether personally involved with DACC or not, it is important for our community to recognize the high-quality educational programming DACC provides throughout the Delaware area and the substantial positive impact DACC has on students in our district. Always keeping education a top priority, DACC offers both high school electives and continuing adult education classes to give local students hands-on, quality training for real-life professions.
Thanks to the recent passing of Ohio House Sub Bill 124 and the leadership by Representative Andrew Brenner (R-Powell) and Representative Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township), DACC now has a clear direction for the future.
Because Governor Kasich and Ohio legislators understood this unique situation, recognized DACC’s critical role in the community and worked quickly toward a solution, we now can continue our essential work to assure a quality learning experience for our students and build a strong workforce for tomorrow.


Through The Ages is something fairly unique as far as mobile games go; it’s a mobile version of a board game. Not only that, it manages to actually be fun.
Through The Ages takes the very popular Through The Ages: A Story of Civilization board game from over ten years ago and bring it onto the mobile marketplace. Many times this has been attempted with varying results, but most players of mobile versions of board games can likely tell you, it never goes well.
Most board games are too complicated or rely too much on the other players being literally in front of you to work properly. It often means the mobile version falls short or is just plain not fun.
Not so for Through The Ages, thankfully. The game may be small for a simple mobile phone screen, but the gameplay and strategy is fully realized from the board game version. There is very little lost from the transition, other than making the mundane calculations required from the boardgame obsolete by doing it for you.
There is very little lost from the transition, other than making the mundane calculations required from the boardgame obsolete by doing it for you.
As in any board game, learning the rules is the biggest hurdle; some games require the player to read a length manual, others attempt to play test games. Through The Ages has the player work with a charming, honestly funny narrator who explains everything in simple terms with an actual narrative to help make the rules go down easier.
The tutorial does not hold your hand or coddle you overwhelmingly; it frequently trusts you to complete action with a little guidance, all with a few well placed jokes sprinkled in. At no point do you feel patronized, only a tiny bit overwhelmed by the rules.
This sheer density of rules is to expected from a board game turned mobile game, but it is easy to imagine that some players might get turned away from Through The Ages due to its very in-depth tutorial, even despite its witty humor and intelligent writing.
Assuming that a player can get through learning about the game however, they will be presented with brilliant music, both atmospheric and classical, as well as a rich and detailed strategy game that will leave you both piteously raging at being defeated and desperate to play again and win.
... a rich and detailed strategy game that will leave you both piteously raging at being defeated and desperate to play again and win.
The game manages to meld the mechanics of many resource management board games with the construction and worker allocation of a Civilization game. The game is consistently satisfying and enjoyable to play, even if rather complicated.
It is rare to see a board game turned into a mobile game actually be improved by the transition. Through The Ages manages to cultivate true, in-depth strategy, a brilliant ascetic inspired by the original artwork and a multiplayer community that truly works, allowing players to play their favourite board game not just online, but from the comfort of their phones.
If only more board games took the risk that Through The Ages has made, the worlds of both mobile and board gaming would be vastly improved.


There is interest in the Tri-Cities to position the community as a center for assembling or manufacturing the small nuclear plants to be shipped around the world, including to Asia. The reactors are proposed to be manufactured in modules and then shipped to where they will be used, with additional modules added as demand for electricity production increases.
The Tri-Cities has the educated and trained workforce for nuclear work, Brown said.
The bill also impacts other parts of the state, Brown said. A Vancouver, Wash., company has manufactured key parts for a mockup plant for NuScale Power of Oregon, which is developing a small modular reactor.
NuScale is working with Utah Associated Municipal Power systems and Energy Northwest in Richland to operate its first small reactor, likely in Idaho.
Brown is concerned Washington could lose jobs associated with a future small modular reactor industry to other states.
The city of Idaho Falls and the Idaho director of commerce would like to attract manufacturing to Idaho and have brought possible manufacturers of the reactors to Idaho for a symposium, Brown said.
Golder Associates will identify possible locations for small modular reactors in Washington and the permits needed, plus make recommendations on how processes for siting and issuing permits for the reactors could be streamlined.
Golder was picked because of its experience working both with nuclear power and the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council’s siting process. It will consult with the state military, ecology and health departments on permit responsibilities.
It also will obtain input from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and companies developing small reactors.
A preliminary report is due to the Legislature Dec. 1, and a final report is due within the first two weeks of the 2016 legislative session.


There’s not always breaking news in the civil trial against the NYPD stop-and-frisk policy, but the New York Times’ Joseph Goldstein noticed something in the aggregate of the first six weeks of testimony in the city’s defense: It’s terribly unflattering to the department’s rank and file as a whole. Members of the top brass said in court they had to all but set quotas because if they didn’t their officers would never get out of the car. And even so, said Joseph Esposito, who retired as chief last month, some never do unless they’re being paid overtime.


An untitled Harry Potter prequel handwritten on a postcard by JK Rowling has been stolen in a burglary in Birmingham.
The "extremely valuable" 800-word work was penned on both sides of the A5 card for a charity auction nine years ago and sold for £25,000 at Sotheby's.
The manuscript and a quantity of jewellery were stolen from a property in Howard Road, Kings Heath, during a break-in between April 13 and 24.
West Midlands Police have issued a plea for information in the hope that "the appeal goes far and wide among Harry Potter fans throughout the world".
The prequel was among several works donated by authors, including Sebastian Faulks and Doris Lessing, to an auction held in 2008 to raise funds for English PEN, which promotes understanding through literature, and Dyslexia Action.
Reportedly set three years before Harry Potter's birth, the prequel features the schoolboy wizard's father, James Potter, and godfather, Sirius Black, when they were teenagers.


Deck the halls with boughs of holly, because Amit Trivedi, the most promising Indian composer, is back with the soundtrack of Aisha, and boy is it a doozy.
The album opens with Suno Aisha, a song that instantly throws you off with a fast, be-bebop array of almost-discordant sounds. They clash into melody soon enough, and the vocals -- by Ash King, Nakash Aziz and Trivedi himself -- shuffle charmingly around the basic, even banal lyrics. The flavour might be bubblegum, but there's enough texture here to call this a pretty tasty title track.
This is a Dilli-Punjabi movie, and Gal Mitthi Mitthi starts off sounding like something left over from the Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! soundtrack -- and Trivedi knows that's a compliment. And while the song sung by Tochi Raina starts off sounding basic, a huge shot of bass kicks in a minute into the track, and we realise the composer is subverting club-Punjabi traditions without showing off. Well worthy of repeat listening, this one.
Sham starts off very pleasantly indeed, an alt-rock style guitar ballad that evokes a floating feeling. The vocals -- by Nikhil D'Souza, Neuman Pinto and Trivedi again -- are perfectly suited to the song, unconventional and keeping things unpredictable. The strummed along ha-ha-ha chorus is beautiful, and again Trivedi uses the song's plain words to his advantage, letting the song's feel overshadow everything else. It changes gear briefly, the guitar running into showy overdrive, only to return to it's mellow boom-boom roots. Verry nice.
Next up is Behke Behke, with Anushka Manchanda leading a parade of interesting singers around a track as complex and as fun as a circus. Accordions, castanets and much fanfare start off the superbly layered track that bounces from a salsa chorus to a string of hip-hop, the song flips through a scrapbook of styles while the groove remains consistently dancefloor. Whimsical, heady and thoroughly fun, this song is pure addiction.
Anusha Mani does an excellent job singing Lehrein, a song that seems like a standard romantic lament before it intoxicates you -- and it gets you good. Trivedi plays to the singer's strengths and she delivers breathy and sensual vocals while maintaining the song's simple sweetness.
Trivedi is one of the few Indian composers who understands the power of a well-struck power chord, and he shows full-on guitar love in By The Way, a song that could have been from the 1980s. With more than a slight Pretenders influence, the shiny-happy song is a polished, pure pop effort that stays significantly amusing. Anushka croons it okay, but what carries this song forth is its giddy, enthusiastic energy, the song careening along as if slowing down would make it trip over its own shoelaces.
As is custom nowadays, the album ends with a couple of remixes, a Dhol Mix of Gal Mitthi Mitthi that effectively robs the song of its freshness, and the Lehrein Lounge Mix increases the echo and turns a haunting song into an insipid one. But let us not blame the composer for these DJ-driven transgressions and the vagaries of Bollywood producers.
The fact is that this is a fresh, very cleverly built album, my only major criticism of which is that it ends too soon. It's 25 great minutes, but they leave us longing for far more.
Trivedi is an unquestionably talented man, and while this soundtrack lets him scratch the surface and show off some serious skills, it doesn't seem to let him really explore the film's theme as deeply as he could have.
What really does stand out in Trivedi's work is a defiant lack of attention to lyric. The best composers in the industry have either Oscar-winning poets writing their words or quirky ad-men crafting makeshift metaphors or even young bespectacled directors knowing what their songs should say: Trivedi seems to have none of this in Aisha, and yet gives us a very enjoyable, very young soundtrack with a distinct voice. His music -- in fact, the feel of his music -- does its own talking, and I recommend you listen to it awhile.


Two years ago, George Green got stabbing pain and bad blisters around his right arm. It was the worst case of shingles his doctor had ever seen.
"I said, 'Wait a minute, I had the vaccine! How come I got this?'" recalled Green, a 68-year-old engineer in Austell, Georgia, who got the shot seven years earlier.
His doctor at Emory University, Dr. Sharon Bergquist, said about 10 percent of the patients she's given the shingles shot have come back with the disease years later.
No vaccine is perfect, and it can take many years to find out how well a new vaccine works and how long it lasts. Sometimes, health officials have called for an additional dose when it became clear the first round wasn't cutting it. But disappointing performance is also prompting drugmakers to pursue new vaccines for older patients, using new additives to boost effectiveness.
The annual flu vaccine is a particularly hard one to nail. The virus changes quickly and spreads easily. U.S. health officials make their best guess each spring about the formula for the next flu season. In four of the last seven seasons, the flu vaccine didn't work much at all in people 65 and older, who can be hit hard by the flu because of weaker immune systems. Some doctors wonder whether those seniors who get a shot in September need another dose in January to protect them through the flu season — a question that hasn't been well studied, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert who works with the committee. There's a relatively new vaccine for over 65 that includes an immune-boosting additive, but it hasn't been around long enough to know exactly how well works.
The vaccine panel will hear an update about a nasal-spray version of flu vaccine that it stopped recommending after health officials said it wasn't working in U.S. kids.
Dynavax Technologies Corp. has developed an adult vaccine called Heplisav-B, which also uses a new additive. The shot showed impressive levels of protection in studies, but the Food and Drug Administration is seeking more information before deciding whether to approve it. The vaccine panel is expected to discuss it but doesn't take a recommendation vote until a vaccine is licensed.
Anyone who has had the chickenpox can get shingles, a painful condition that causes blisters, when the chickenpox virus resurfaces decades later. Merk's Zostavax has been available for about a decade and it is recommended for people 60 and older. That's the shot George Green got.
Zostavax only cuts the risk of getting shingles in half and lasts about five years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. On Friday, the FDA licensed a second shingles vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline's Shingrix, which also uses a new additive. The vaccine committee is to decide whether to begin recommending it. Shingrix has been shown to be 90 percent effective and last at least four years in company-sponsored studies. Glaxo officials say they are confident it will last years longer. Experts say it will take many years to know for sure.


It has Michael Collins' approval.
“Shoot for the Moon" by James Donovan focuses on "first-person, behind-the-scenes details" of the Apollo 11 mission.
They say you should not judge a book by its cover, but there is a detail on the front of author James Donovan's latest release, "Shoot for the Moon," that is likely to attract the interest of space history enthusiasts.
Just under Donovan's byline in small print is, "This is the best book on Apollo that I have read."
It is not unusual for endorsements to be included on book covers and this example would otherwise not stand out were it not for who provided it: Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins. Not only is Collins central to the events that Donovan writes about in "Shoot for the Moon" — the book's subtitle is "The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11" — but Collins' own 1974 title, "Carrying the Fire," is widely considered one of, if not the best of the astronaut-penned memoirs.
James Donovan holds his book, "Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11."
Collins' praise for "Shoot for the Moon" continues on its back: "Extensively researched and meticulously accurate, it successfully traces not only the technical highlights of the program but also the contributions of the extraordinary people who made it possible."
With those words in mind, collectSPACE.com caught up with Donovan to discuss his approach to writing "Shoot for the Moon."
collectSPACE (cS): How did it come to be that Michael Collins singled out "Shoot for the Moon" as the best book about Apollo he has read?
James Donovan (JD): Not everybody that sees that quote is aware it's significant.
I wrote him a letter and said, "Hey, I'm writing this book. I'd like to do it right. I would love to talk to you, I've got some questions." Two weeks later, I got a phone call from this guy that said he was Michael Collins. At first I thought it was some friend of mine pulling my leg.
He was really nice. We talked for about an hour. I called him again at some point and we talked for another hour. And I called him again and we talked even more. We got along and began corresponding by letter.
I eventually worked up the nerve about six or seven months ago and and asked if I sent him the manuscript, would he consider giving me a quote that I could use for the book. He said, "I'll do my best." So I sent it to him and then didn't hear back for a while. Of course, as time passed, horrible things were going through my head like, "Mike Collins didn't like my book and he's trying to figure out how to tell me."
But we talked and he said, "I liked it. It's very enjoyable. What I really like is that you focused on people behind the scenes who usually don't get talked about." That was one of the aims I wanted to do. Bring out some of the interesting people, kind of like the hidden figures of this story. And he said, "Well, I've got some notes, so let's talk about that." He had gone through my book and made notes about things that he had, well, I don't know if they were concerns, but at least he wanted to comment on.
There were about 15 or 20 notes. None of them were major. A lot of them were of the type, "I don't remember saying this. You've got me saying this and I don't remember saying that." And I told him, "Well, I found it. You did say it, you just don't remember saying it." (laughs) Anyway, I made some changes that I thought were warranted given what he said.
About three days later, I received one of his personal cards, like an index card with his name printed on one end, and on it, he had written what is now on the cover of the book.
If nobody else said one word about my book, that one reply would validate what I did for me. Because he was there. He was on the mission that I am focusing on and that means more to me than what anybody else in the entire world could say.
cS: So to back up a bit, how did you come to write a book about Apollo 11?
JD: My previous two books were on the battles at Little Bighorn and the Alamo. I was looking for another subject when an editor I know in New York suggested I write something about the space race.
I initially dismissed that idea because I thought there were a ton of books already out there. But I loved everything about the space program when I was a kid and the suggestion kept popping back into the forefront of my brain. So I started to look for what was out there on Apollo 11. And there are books on the mission, but I didn't see the one I would want to read, the one focused on the human side of the story. So I thought there was an opportunity to write something that hadn't been written before.
cS: Are there similarities between the events at Little Bighorn and the Alamo and what you wrote about the Cold War race to the moon?
JD: They are very different events. Well, maybe there is one similarity.
I don't know if this counts, but the editor in New York, the same one who gave me the idea for the book, he said to me, "Oh, you know this fits in with the theme of your other books." And I said, "What?" And he said, "Yeah. Men on the frontier."
And if you think about it, I guess he's right. But that's about as close as I can get.
cS: And that brings us back to Michael Collins — because unlike your prior books, for "Shoot for the Moon" you could talk to people who were actually there.
JD: At Little Bighorn and at the Alamo, there's a mystery about what ultimately happened because at both places one side was pretty much totally wiped out, or at least a large part of the contingent were killed. So for years I've been telling people, "I just wish that I wish there was somebody I could talk to that could clear all this up. The next book I do, I want to talk to a subject where some people are still alive who I can talk to about it."
And ironically, even with something like the space race that happened well into the 20th century and that was one of the most recorded and reported events in history, there are still details where the firsthand accounts disagree. Because as historians know, people see things differently, even about the same event.


SAN FRANCISCO, July 28 (UPI) -- Nate Schierholtz smacked a ninth-inning homer against his former team Saturday, lifting the Chicago Cubs over San Francisco 1-0.
Cubs reliever Pedro Strop (1-0) escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the bottom of the eighth, sending the game into the ninth as a scoreless tie.
Sergio Romo (3-6) took the mound for San Francisco, and after striking out Starlin Castro, delivered a 3-2 pitch to Schierholtz that the ex-Giant sent into the right-center field bleachers for his 14th homer of the season.
Chicago starter Chris Rusin hurled seven shutout innings, scattering three hits while walking two and striking out three.
Kevin Gregg allowed a hit and two walks in the ninth, but induced pinch-hitter Tony Abreu to ground out into a game-ending double play for his 21st save as the Cubs clinched their three-game series.
Madison Bumgarner fired eight scoreless innings, yielding just four hits as San Francisco dropped a third straight overall.


Breaking up is hard to do.
There's no question that breaking up with someone that you thought you were going to be with for a long time can be really hard to handle. Having to face the constant struggle of moving on even though you can't stop thinking about him is seriously the worst. Nothing can ever prepare you for waking up in the morning, only to notice that he's not where he's supposed to be. If you've ever had to go through this feeling of being lost, know that you're not alone.
Hearing relationship coach Dr. Amy Johnson talk about how to tell when it's time to move on and the steps you should take to do so makes us feel like she really gets it. Moving on after a breakup is so hard, but thinking about your life as if it's a play with a rotating cast of characters can make dealing with the heartbreak easier. But it's important to remember that letting go doesn't happen overnight. Give yourself time to be sad and to recover. You just have to learn how to put the past behind you; there will come a ay where you'll be able to get the closure that you need.


Savvy Thrift Store is located 150-160 Main st. Orange Commons Plaza Orange, NJ. We Serve Essex and Surrounding Counties. We have and provide new and used Furniture, Housewares, Clothes, Shoes, Accessories, Electronics, Appliances, Antiques and Collectibles.


Kate Middleton stepped out Friday in her first official public appearance since giving birth last month to the royal baby, Prince George.
The Duchess of Cambridge appeared to be in tip-top shape -- wearing dark blue pants and a white polka dot blouse with a gray blazer -- while accompanying her husband Prince William to an event for marathon participants on the island of Anglesey in Wales. The Duke and Duchess have lived on the island since 2009, when Prince William began his service as a search and rescue pilot.
The royal couple did not take along their newborn son Prince George, who was born July 22. "He's very well, thank you," Kate said when asked how the baby is doing. "He's sleeping at the moment."
William was presented with a packet of baby wet wipes by one crowd member, which he gladly received with a smile.


If you check the sidebar to your right, you will see our contribution to the 2012 Congressional elections: the Power Line Pick Six. We have selected six candidates to report on and get behind, three in the Senate and three in the House. We chose candidates who are solid conservatives and are likely to be leaders if they are sent to Washington; we have also selected pivotal races that will help to determine which party controls the House and the Senate. The Senate candidates are Ohio’s Josh Mandel, North Dakota’s Rick Berg, and Montana’s Denny Rehberg. The House candidates are Arkansas’ Tom Cotton, Minnesota’s Chip Cravaack, and Utah’s Mia Love.
As the next three months go by, we will write about these six races (and others, of course). For now, we urge you to check out the Power Line Pick Six–that’s a horse racing term, by the way–and follow the links to learn about the candidates and contribute to their campaigns.


Can the corporate network support the additional bandwidth requirements that using the cloud will create?
In our first installment of this blog series, we went over the different types of applications migrated to the cloud and the benefits IT organizations hope to achieve by moving applications to the cloud.
How does the application currently perform?
How will moving the application impact users? Will there be more or less latency?
We’re naturally focusing on performance here because we’re a performance monitoring company. But performance is an all too common pitfall of cloud migration. That’s because many organizations don’t plan adequately for the impact on the enterprise network and end users of moving applications and workloads to the cloud.
Average Wait Time: the average time it takes a web page or application to load.
Cost and Throughput: the cost of provisioning cloud resources and the amount of data being accessed from the cloud.
Response Time/Latency: the amount of time it takes for site or application to respond to a user request.
Geo Load Balancing: the ability to distribute application requests across cloud resources in multiple geographies.
Allocation of resources: efficient use of cloud resources to deliver optimum performance.
While cloud migration planning can be difficult, there are tools that can help. With its synthetic monitoring capabilities, Catchpoint can measure page load times, response times and transaction complete times from a global network of nearly 600 nodes, taking into account APIs, network and complex distributed Internet infrastructure such as DNS, CDNs, and site acceleration services. This will help you evaluate the cloud services from the end user’s perspective, see how your local network and Internet services impact performance of applications running in the cloud, and benchmark the performance of your applications and services.
To learn more, stay tuned for the next installment of this blog series.
The post Planning a Cloud Migration with Digital Experience Monitoring appeared first on Catchpoint's Blog - Web Performance Monitoring.
DevOps at Cloud Expo taking place October 31 - November 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world.
@DevOpsSummit at Cloud Expo taking place October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA, and is co-located with the 21st International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world.


The Hunt for Vulcan review: A predicted planet eluded discovery until Einstein killed it.
Scientists at one time thought the Solar System had an extra planet. And it wasn’t just a brief error; this expectation persisted for many decades despite some of the greatest minds at the time working on the problem. The missing planet was predicted to have been even closer to the Sun than Mercury. And despite the lack of any reliable, consistent observational evidence, it remained there until Einstein shot it out of the sky.
As the other planets were all named for Roman gods, the new planet was fittingly called Vulcan to complete the pantheon. Vulcan was the god of the forge, the metalworker responsible for creating the weapons of the gods (after whom volcanoes take their name). The intense heat of an orbit so close to the Sun makes it an appropriate name. Or it would have, if the planet existed.
It can be tempting to think of the story of Vulcan as a blunder, a laughable embarrassment in the history of science. Or worse, as evidence that science isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in general. But as Thomas Levenson shows in his new book The Hunt for Vulcan: How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe, the story’s not that simple.
The Hunt for Vulcan isn’t just about the titular search for a theoretical planet that didn’t pan out. At its heart, it’s also an examination of how science really works. A quick and engaging read, the book explores uncomfortable questions about how the field deals with contradictions between data and otherwise successful theories.
The possible orbit of Vulcan, and later of the Vulcanoids.
It seems the trouble with Vulcan started on the heels of the discovery of the planet Neptune, a remarkable triumph for science and for the Newtonian framework in general. Star scientist Urbain Le Verrier was responsible for the Herculean calculations that predicted the existence of Neptune based on observed irregularities in Uranus' orbit. He went on to make an exhaustive account of the Solar System using the same Newtonian physics. In the process, he predicted another planet—Vulcan.
The logic was unshakable. There was a slight irregularity in Mercury’s orbit, similar to the one seen in Uranus’ that led to the prediction of Neptune. Specifically, Mercury’s orbit was undergoing precession, a process in which the planet’s orbit—in the shape of an ellipse—shifts a little bit with each revolution. The ellipses ultimately traces out a flower-petal pattern around the Sun.
A variety of contributing influences (such as the other planets) made some amount of precession inevitable. But Mercury was precessing at a slightly higher rate than the known influences could account for. Therefore, the reasoning went, there had to be an extra contributor to its precession, something causing its orbit to diverge by a tiny amount from predictions.
There was no way around the problem. Measurements consistently showed Mercury’s departure from predictions no matter how they were reworked or how much detail was taken into account.
A planet within Mercury’s orbit would solve the problem neatly just as Neptune solved the issues with Uranus’ orbit. There was some reason to be skeptical, as a planet so close to the Sun would likely have been observed before. But the prediction was made by Le Verrier, and there was an obvious way to test it—look for the planet.
Looking for the planet but finding it’s not there could have taken some wind out of Vulcan’s sails right from the get-go, hinting that something else is going on. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Vulcan was observed. Repeatedly.
Enlarge / The Draper expedition to Rawlins, Wyoming sought to glimpse Vulcan during an eclipse in June, 1878. The expedition included Simon Newcomb of the Naval Observatory, James Craig Watson and Lewis Swift, all important figures of the day. Thomas Edison, seen here with folded arms, was along to test his new device: the tasimeter, a tool to measure the Solar corona's heat. The expedition claimed to have discovered Vulcan, a claim which soon warranted some skepticism.
Edward Burke Collection, Carbon County Museum (Used with permission).
One such observation was made by Dr. Edmond Modeste Lescarbault, a country doctor and amateur astronomer. He spotted Vulcan right where Le Verrier said it should have been. While there was a good deal of skepticism at first (especially since Lescarbault was an amateur), Le Verrier argued that his discovery was credible.
Other astronomers now started digging through old records and finding observations that had previously been written off as comets or sunspots. A number of them matched the timing and location of Vulcan's expected location, or at least they were close enough.
Multiple, independent lines of evidence is a hallmark of a successful model in science. But despite all the amateur sightings that came pouring in, most professionals failed to find it. While making observations was difficult, if Vulcan was there, it should have showed up consistently. Yet, it consistently failed to do so.


Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund NFO: Should you invest?
Units of Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund cannot be redeemed until completion of 5 years from the date of allotment or till the unitholder reaches age 60, whichever is earlier.
Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund NFO opens on February 19, 2019 and closes on March 5, 2019.
For many, retirement is one distant goal that is often ignored. Mutual fund investors have the option to either create a retirement portfolio comprising of MF schemes selected on their own (across asset classes and market caps) or invest through a dedicated MF schemes with retirement as their focus.
Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund is launching one such dedicated scheme titled Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund, which is an open-ended retirement solution oriented scheme having a lock-in of 5 years or till retirement age (whichever is earlier). The NFO opens on February 19, 2019 and closes on March 5, 2019.
Being a retirement dedicated scheme, the units of Aditya Birla Sun Life Retirement Fund cannot be redeemed until completion of 5 years from the date of allotment or till the unit holder reaches age 60, whichever is earlier.
The fund aims to help investors plan their retirement with four asset allocation plans to suit various age groups and different risk profiles of an individual. “Have a clear idea as to what exactly you require post retirement because that would decide how much you need to invest and how many years you should invest etc. A mutual fund retirement plan is just one of the instruments which could help you build a corpus. So, it is an instrument of planning but not the whole planning,” says Bhavesh Sanghvi, CEO, Emkay Wealth Management.
The 30s Plan: The plan has the mandate to invest 80-100 % of the corpus in equity and equity related instruments and the rest in debt and money market instruments.
The 40s plan: The plan has the mandate to invest between 65-80% of the corpus in equity and equity related instruments and the rest in debt and money market instruments.
The 50s plan: The plan has the mandate to invest between 75-100% of the corpus in debt and money market instruments.
The 50s Plus Debt Plan: This plan is aimed at those nearing retirement age, which invests 100% of its investments into debt & money market instruments.
As per the fund house website – “The 30s Plan aims to invest primarily in a well-diversified portfolio of equity and equity related securities. The stock selection process proposed to be adopted is generally a bottom-up approach seeking to identify companies with long term sustainable competitive advantage.
The fund would also use a top-down discipline by ensuring representation of companies from all key sectors in the respective benchmarks. The objective would be to identify businesses with superior growth prospects and strong management available at a reasonable valuation and offering higher risk-adjusted returns. The fund would follow a blend of bottom-up approach (for stock selection) and top-down approach (for sector allocation).
Switching between the plans is also allowed. One may start SIPs or invest lump sum in the 30s Plan option, which is ideally suited for those who have enough years to their retirement. Nearing retirement, one may switch to the 50s Plan to de-risk the corpus from volatility.
This is a new scheme and does not have any performance history. Alternatively, there are other existing schemes focusing on retirement goal. Franklin India Pension Fund, UTI Retirement Benefit Pension Fund, HDFC Retirement Savings Fund, Tata Retirement Savings, Principal Retirement Savings and ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund are some of them. “There are existing retirement plans which have done quite well, like the Tata, Franklin and UTI plans, which have established performance and track record. While investing in new funds, it is important to understand how the existing funds have done to make an informed choice. At a time when we have seen a lot of turmoil due to low rated papers and defaults, it is important that we study the proposition thoroughly before taking the plunge,” says Sanghvi.
See their asset allocation mix as some of them could be debt-oriented while others may be balanced in nature. So, based on your risk profile decide whether to invest in this NFO or else go with any of the existing ones after looking at their long term fund performance against their benchmark. “If someone is investing in Retirement Solution fund, it is very important to know the category of scheme. Most of the retirement solution funds have Aggressive (more equity), Hybrid (combination of equity and debt) and Conservative (full debt) category of schemes. Since, one would be investing for a very long period, it makes sense to invest in combination of Aggressive and Hybrid funds, rather than investing in Conservative (full debt),” cautions Shah.
Even though like all other such retirement MF schemes, this too comes with tax benefit under section 80C, it suits those who would require a dedicated scheme to meet the goal. Whichever scheme you choose, run the scheme till your retirement by adequately provisioning for de-risking while approach retirement, to reap the benefits over the long term.


kate bush is freakin cool!
britney spears & kfed to divorce?!?
a sweet tale from sundance!


Philadelphia, PA and London, UK – October 24, 2013 – Unirisx, LLC (Unirisx), developer of world-class, SaaS-based, core administration solutions for property and casualty (P&C) insurance organizations, is pleased to announce that Beazley PLC (Beazley), a global specialist insurance carrier and Lloyd’s syndicate in the UK, is now live with three new insurance products configured and launched entirely via the Unirisx Blueprint Framework, an integral component of The Insurance Solution Suite, Unirisx’s flagship offering for P&C insurers.
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Through Unirisx’s Blueprint Framework and The Insurance Solution Suite, Beazley was able to launch new Marine Logistics, Environmental, and Kidnap and Ransom products, with requirements, customization, build and release all completed in a very narrow timeframe of eight weeks. These three new products bring the total products Unirisx has helped Beazley launch to seven.
Unirisx was initially selected as Beazley's preferred partner to launch a new range of specialty lines products, including a comprehensive Marine policy targeted at the UK market. This was quickly followed by a suite of Professional Indemnity products for regulated and non-regulated industries in the French market, sold through Beazley's French subsidiary. With these two products up and running, Beazley launched a third major product, targeted at the U.S. market and offering multiple coverages for Builders Risk, which was subsequently deployed in over 30 U.S. states.
"We congratulate Beazley on their successful deployments and we are pleased to strengthen and expand our relationship with them,” said Akhil Tripathi, CEO for Unirisx. “We are proud to continue to enabling Beazley to remain a leader in the marketplace, maintain high customer satisfaction levels, and to achieve their overall goals."
Unirisx, LLC (Unirisx) provides transformational, world-class, core administration solutions for property and casualty (P&C) insurance organizations. Unirisx’s highly-configurable, on-demand solutions for personal, commercial, and specialty lines, including ocean/marine, excess and surplus (E&S) and professional liability, enable the rapid creation and launch of new products, broadened distribution, and effective management of the full policy lifecycle in real-time. Via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, Unirisx reduces upfront costs and accelerates speed-to-market through unique customization capabilities currently powering successful implementations in multiple lines, multiple currencies and multiple languages around the world. For more information about Unirisx, please visit www.unirisx.com.
Beazley PLC (BEZ.L) is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations in Europe, the U.S., Asia and Australia. Beazley manages five Lloyd's syndicates and, in 2012, underwrote gross premiums of $1,895.9 million. All Lloyd's Syndicates are rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best and also benefit from the Lloyd's chain of security. Beazley's underwriters in the U.S. focus on writing a range of specialist insurance products. In the admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Company, Inc., an A.M. Best A-rated carrier licensed in all 50 states. In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyd's. We are market leaders in many of our chosen lines, which include professional indemnity, property, marine, reinsurance, accident and life, and political risks and contingency business. Beazley PLC is incorporated in New Jersey, and is a tax resident in Ireland. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE Symbol: BEZ.L).