Backseat Driver
Backseat Driver's JournalWARNING: Think I've been scammed!
I will print out all communications regarding my purchase ASAP. I will fill out the form on Federal Trade Commission site; package would be coming on a slow boat/airline(s) from China and I've received tracking# and info that indicates it made connection with USPS but no package as yet, after 22 days in transit. I will call the bank to dispute the charges, but likely they won't be able to do much; under $50 and an indication I paid for insurance on confirmation of order. I will need to change some passwords and obtain a new card number and replacement card. Think I clicked an ad on Temo or FB--I should have known better! They got my information though, so maybe there's an investigation somewhere--SMH
DON'T FALL FOR HUGELY DISCOUNTED SHOES IN A VARIETY OF STYLES FROM USCLARKS.SHOP@VADMU.COM OR PHONEY WEBSITE: USCLARKS@MYSHOPLINE.COM OPENING SOON - sure, right!
My daughter's b-day is tomorrow; today she got her
letter saying her school loan(s) have been forgiven!!!
Surprising study shows...
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-death-tolls-climate-disasters-balloon.htmlAUGUST 14, 2023
Death tolls from climate disasters will 'balloon' without investment in Africa's weather stations, experts warn
The climate crisis is increasing the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and heat waves, with Africa expected to be among the global regions hit hardest.
Yet the systems and technologies across the continent that monitor and forecast weather events and changes to water levels are "missing, outmoded or malfunctioning"—leaving African populations even more exposed to climate change.
This is according to a team of risk experts and climatologists from the UK and Africa led by the University of Cambridge, who warn that without major and rapid upgrades to "hydromet infrastructure," the damage and death toll caused by climate-related disasters across Africa will "balloon."
Writing in the journal Nature, the authors point to latest research showing that—over the last two decades—the average number of deaths caused by a flooding event in Africa is four times higher than the European and North American average per flood...[snip]
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Seems like a no-brainer to improve and add "stations" and recruit candidates for occupations in this field - Seems these improvements are needed as much as discussion/funding for alternative energy. Have African nations requested any assistance addressing these basic concerns?
Cross-posted from one posted 1st by OP
BumRushdaShow in Latest Breaking forum.
Number of Americans applying for jobless aid rises, but not enough to cause concern
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143112679
Source: ABC News/AP
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits jumped last week, but not enough to raise concern about the consistently strong U.S. labor market.
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 248,000 for the week ending August 5, from 227,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most in five weeks.
The four-week moving average of claims, a less volatile reading, ticked up by 2,750 to 228,250.
Jobless claim applications are viewed as broadly representative of the number of layoffs in a given week. Applications for jobless aid reached a higher level above 260,000 for a few weeks this spring, causing some concern, but then retreated.
Mexico's president offers to buy US company's coastal property for $375 million to end dispute
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexicos-president-offers-buy-u-192353636.htmlUpdated Thu, July 27, 2023 at 8:44 PM EDT
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Thursday that he has offered to buy an American company’s Caribbean coast property for about $385 million to end a bitter, years-long dispute.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said a formal offer would be presented to Alabama-based Vulcan Materials. The company operated gravel extraction pits at the Yucatan peninsula site before López Obrador's administration closed them.
The company said it had not yet received the president's proposal or responded to the idea. In papers filed for a case before an international arbitration panel, Vulcan Materials valued the almost 6,000-acre (2,400 hectare) property, located just south of the resort town of Playa del Carmen, at $1.9 billion.
López Obrador said his much lower offer was fair and based on a government assessment. He said the most attractive part of the property was the freight shipping dock, which he plans to turn into a dock for cruise ships. snip - Read lots more at the link.
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Hmmmm...seems a real low-ball offer...but don't know the history of this dispute. President Obrador's got some interesting future ideas for infrastructure and tourism, but doesn't President Obrador have more important issues to consider? People seem to want to leave Mexico.
Adding yet another headache for Joe's US State Dept?
Anyone got more insight on this?
Can tires turn green?
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/cen-10117-coverAlex Scott
C&EN, 2023, 101 (17), pp 28–34May 29, 2023
Rubber crumbs rain down onto more than 150 electric heating plates, raising their temperature to over 600 °C within seconds. In an atmosphere depleted of oxygen, the crumbs rapidly transform into a gas, which is cooled into a synthetic oil and a solid that is mostly carbon black. This process is at the heart of a continuous thermal pyrolysis technology being commercialized by the German start-up Pyrum Innovations to chemically recycle tires. It saves 72% of the carbon dioxide emissions that would have resulted from the existing systems for tire disposal and material recovery, the firm tells C&EN.
Demand for products from Pyrum and other chemical recyclers of tires is increasing and may one day divert millions of used tires from their most common destinations of landfill or incineration. Some 4 billion tires sit in landfills and stockpiles around the world, according to the Tire Industry Project, and they have the potential to catch fire and leach hazardous chemicals into the environment. The incineration of tires generates substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
In a second sustainability shift taking place in the life cycle of tires, manufacturers have started adopting lower-carbon production processes and are using increasing amounts of renewable materials—including those from the chemical recycling of tires.
But just as these activities start to promise substantial environmental benefits, a growing number of scientific studies indicate that tire and road wear particles (TRWPs)—generated when tires rub against the road—could be substantially harming the environment. Scientists at Imperial College London estimate that tires annually release 6 million metric tons (t) of TRWPs—typically linear particles 100 µm long—making it the second-largest source of microplastic pollution, after single-use plastics. (Read more)
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Happening soon in America?
I'm on-board with this technology!
Influence of a Transparent and Edible Coating of Encapsulated
Cannabidiol Nanoparticles on the Quality and Shelf Life of
Strawberries
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.3c04036
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsami.3c04036
ABSTRACT: Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have antioxidant
and antibacterial effects. The investigation into CBD’s potential as an
antioxidant and antibacterial agent, meanwhile, is still in its initial stages.
The study goals were to prepare encapsulated cannabidiol isolate
(eCBDi), evaluate the effect of eCBDi edible active coatings on the
physicochemical properties of strawberries, and determine whether CBD
and sodium alginate coatings could be used as a postharvest treatment to
promote antioxidation and antimicrobial activity and prolong the
strawberry shelf life. A well-designed edible coating on the strawberry
surface was achieved using eCBDi nanoparticles in combination with a
sodium alginate polysaccharide-based solution. Strawberries were
examined for their visual appearance and quality parameters. In the
results, a significantly delayed deterioration was observed in terms of
weight loss, total acidity, pH, microbial activity, and antioxidant activity
for coated strawberries compared to the control. This study demonstrates the capability of eCBDi nanoparticles as an efficient active
food coating agent. (snip)
4. CONCLUSIONS
In this work, these studies establish for the first time that
encapsulated CBD isolate nanoparticles and sodium alginate
yield an edible suspension with an optically transparent coated
layer that could be used to enhance the shelf life of
strawberries by lowering the microbial counts and maintaining
the physical quality of fruits. The eCBDi nanoparticles
incorporated with a sodium alginate polysaccharide-based
solution yielded a desirable and optically clear coated layer on
the strawberry surface. The nanoscale fabrication of an eCBDi
nanoparticle was successfully achieved. The prepared eCBDi
with a CBDi
LGA ratio of 20:100 (20-Mps) showed the best
morphological properties among other concentrations. Remarkably, the strawberry coated with 0.5% w/v eCBDi solution (eCBDi-0.5) exhibited high stability in antioxidation
activity and high antimicrobial activity, leading to the most
prolonged quality and shelf life of strawberries. Consequently,
the development of an eCBDi edible coating based on sodium
alginate could be extremely beneficial to those involved in fruit
active coating in order to achieve a transparent optical
appearance for strawberry-coated layers for active packaging
applications.
I'm on-board with this technology!
Influence of a Transparent and Edible Coating of Encapsulated
Cannabidiol Nanoparticles on the Quality and Shelf Life of
Strawberries
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsami.3c04036
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsami.3c04036
ABSTRACT: Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have antioxidant
and antibacterial effects. The investigation into CBD’s potential as an
antioxidant and antibacterial agent, meanwhile, is still in its initial stages.
The study goals were to prepare encapsulated cannabidiol isolate
(eCBDi), evaluate the effect of eCBDi edible active coatings on the
physicochemical properties of strawberries, and determine whether CBD
and sodium alginate coatings could be used as a postharvest treatment to
promote antioxidation and antimicrobial activity and prolong the
strawberry shelf life. A well-designed edible coating on the strawberry
surface was achieved using eCBDi nanoparticles in combination with a
sodium alginate polysaccharide-based solution. Strawberries were
examined for their visual appearance and quality parameters. In the
results, a significantly delayed deterioration was observed in terms of
weight loss, total acidity, pH, microbial activity, and antioxidant activity
for coated strawberries compared to the control. This study demonstrates the capability of eCBDi nanoparticles as an efficient active
food coating agent. (snip)
4. CONCLUSIONS
In this work, these studies establish for the first time that
encapsulated CBD isolate nanoparticles and sodium alginate
yield an edible suspension with an optically transparent coated
layer that could be used to enhance the shelf life of
strawberries by lowering the microbial counts and maintaining
the physical quality of fruits. The eCBDi nanoparticles
incorporated with a sodium alginate polysaccharide-based
solution yielded a desirable and optically clear coated layer on
the strawberry surface. The nanoscale fabrication of an eCBDi
nanoparticle was successfully achieved. The prepared eCBDi
with a CBDi LGA ratio of 20:100 (20-Mps) showed the best
morphological properties among other concentrations. Remarkably, the strawberry coated with 0.5% w/v eCBDi solution (eCBDi-0.5) exhibited high stability in antioxidation
activity and high antimicrobial activity, leading to the most
prolonged quality and shelf life of strawberries. Consequently,
the development of an eCBDi edible coating based on sodium
alginate could be extremely beneficial to those involved in fruit
active coating in order to achieve a transparent optical
appearance for strawberry-coated layers for active packaging
applications.
URGENT: Does anyone have any experience in a "health benefits plan" as opposed to "insurance."
My daughter's employer, a private family-run company, with divisions in other states having about 2700 employees made an announcement last week @ corporate headquarters site that company employees would be moving into a "health benefit plan." Her friend who moved to another division in a far western state had not yet been informed but July 1 the change takes effect. Employee contribution payroll deductions would remain the same; employees may NOT opt out of the plan; they must provide a consent for providing the plan their SS# and complete medical history; they have a single week to do so (note this info has already been provided digitally so that all employees' benefits can begin July 1 of this year so this consent is retro-active to the deed). This is apparently for instant enrollment prior to any open enrollment period.
Her employer is wealthy and we assume an investor in the venture capital money fund that has provided funds for what is apparently this "start-up" "health benefit plan" that no one has ever heard of before. There is a website without a provider list (called open access and neither PPO nor HMO and is the plan is not affiliated with any hospital networks) or plan costs but it does write about how much employers can save. This outfit claims "no copays or co-insurance" and no denials of claims nor any deductibles unless one's present "insurance" plan (option of previously offerred and provided insurance plan in which employer also pays partially) includes an HSA which the new health benefit plan does not offer. Apparently, their chosen doctors will be sent provider sign-ups after employees' visits and are without credentialing or accreditation information. I'm guessing this would make this newly offerred entity a type of "self-insurance." No privacy statement for employees either.
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Member since: Sun May 5, 2019, 05:28 PM
Number of posts: 4,385