Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 4:00pm
Location: Michigan League
Organized By: Planet Blue

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With the existing waste reduction goal sunsetting in 2025, the Office of Campus Sustainability has been leading a workstream to review and recommend expanded waste reduction goals. These targets will more accurately reflect our waste reduction strategy, which supports a circular economy in conjunction with zero waste efforts, while considering the embodied equity, environmental justice, and carbon neutrality impacts of materials management. Come join a town hall to learn about the proposed new goals and discuss metrics, implementation strategies.

We will also be hosting a clothing swap so please bring your gently-used clothing to rehome and a bag for carrying away some new, pre-loved favorites!

Stop by for the whole event, just a few minutes, or anything in between!

[ENA] Addis Ababa -- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reviewed today the second phase of the Addis Ababa Corridor development underway on eight corridor pathways across the city.

The 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has unveiled its main competition lineup, with 15 features vying for the Golden Peacock award carrying an INR4 million ($47,000) prize purse, notably featuring nine films directed by women. Among the world premieres are Manijeh Hekmat and Faeze Azizkhani’s Iranian drama “Fear & Trembling,” exploring an older […]

Dame Flora Duffy – speaking to award-winning Bermudian journalist Glenn Jones – has talked about her goals heading into her fifth Olympic Games in Paris, her emotional return to action after a career-threatening injury, and her dreams for her sports-funding programme. Duffy will defend the gold medal she won at the rescheduled Tokyo Games in […]

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Borissov beginning coalition talks with a pro-Russian party and populists, the S&D threatening to defy its 'gentleman's agreement' with the EPP, and so much more.

A news conference between a disinterested Mike Tyson and an agitated Jake Paul ended with a cordial face-off.

The Montreal Canadiens had a day off yesterday and there was no player movement, but the recent struggles in net could lead to some moves.

Veteran netminder was waived by Anaheim after John Gibson came off injured reserve

On this day 90 years ago, the first NHL penalty shot goal was recorded when Ralph Bowman scored for the St. Louis Eagles.

Pittsburgh looks to erase Monday from their memory as they look ahead to their matchup against the Detroit Red Wings

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky gave a rec league goalie the thrill of a lifetime during San Jose's practice in New York City on Wednesday.

For Canadian men's soccer goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, it's all about winning the small contest in front of you, and accumulate enough of those wins in succession, and greatness will follow.

The electronic dance music (EDM) festival, Sunburn Goa, is set to take place in a new location for its upcoming edition. The festival, which has been a staple in the EDM scene since its inception, will be held at Dhargalim in North Goa from December 28 to 30, 2024.

The Congress attack came a day after a woman member of BJP’s mahila morcha was arrested in connection with the jobs scam

While there are multiple technical issues being deliberated upon at Baku, the headline-moment that the hundreds of negotiators are working upon, is the NCQG.

'Marquez is trying to instil his philosophy, and that's going to take time. In every camp, we're getting closer to what he wants from us as a team. With time, training, and the level of coaching he has, I have no doubt we'll be a strong team in the qualifiers.'

Goal-directed visual attention is a fundamental cognitive process that enables animals to selectively focus on specific regions of the visual field while filtering out irrelevant information. However, given the domain specificity of social behaviors, it remains unclear whether attention to faces versus nonfaces recruits different neurocognitive processes. In this study, we simultaneously recorded activity from temporal and frontal nodes of the attention network while macaques performed a goal-directed visual search task. V4 and inferotemporal (IT) visual category-selective units, selected during cue presentation, discriminated fixations on targets and distractors during the search but were differentially engaged by face and house targets. V4 and IT category-selective units also encoded fixation transitions and search dynamics. Compared with distractors, fixations on targets reduced spike–LFP coherence within the temporal cortex. Importantly, target-induced desynchronization between the temporal and prefrontal cortices was only evident for face targets, suggesting that attention to faces differentially engaged the prefrontal cortex. We further revealed bidirectional theta influence between the temporal and prefrontal cortices using Granger causality, which was again disproportionate for faces. Finally, we showed that the search became more efficient with increasing target-induced desynchronization. Together, our results suggest domain specificity for attending to faces and an intricate interplay between visual attention and social processing neural networks.

A shepherd from a Muslim background comes to Jesus thanks to a goat ministry started by OM Mozambique.

Europe short-term mission coordinators gather in Sibiu, Romania, to increase vision, gain training and share resources for greater impact in Europe.

Royal Enfield's upcoming 350cc Bobber motorcycle has been spied testing once again. The motorcycle, which will bear the name of the Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350 will be launched at Motoverse 2024 later this month. The test mule of the Royal

Rahul's exit from LSG is a turning point in his career as he moves on to explore new avenues in IPL cricket

New York and Paris – For Immediate Release.

It’s been less than a week, and late Friday night we reached the fundraiser goal of €2500 (it sat at 102% when I closed it) on Ko-Fi! I’m incredibly grateful for each and every donation, big or small, and every new Patreon that joined our ranks. It’s incredible how many of you are willing to support OSNews to keep it going, and it means the absolute world to me. Hopefully we’ll eventually reach a point where monthly Patreon income is high enough so we can turn off ads for everyone, and be fully free from any outside dependencies. Of course, it’s not just those that choose to support us financially – every reader matters, and I’m very thankful for each and every one of you, donor/Patreon or not. The weekend’s almost over, so back to regular posting business tomorrow. I wish y’all an awesome Sunday evening.

Developing goals for the new year is always something good to do.  However, there are plenty of people out there who believe it is not a productive use of time. It is probably because they do not develop smart goals that they can actually accomplish. Below are a few helpful tips for you to consider for picking, and more importantly, achieving your 2015 small business goals!

complete article

As we settle into 2015, it is the perfect time for small-business owners to reevalute old processes and implement new ideas for a happier and more productive year ahead. Here are four goals that every small business owner should set this year:

complete article

After almost two decades, the federal government for the first time has been able to meet its goal of awarding five percent (worth $17.8 billion) of all contracts to women-owned small businesses.

complete article

Optimism is powerful -- but so is preparation. In a live chat, Todd Herman explained that too much positivity can actually derail your goals. To that end, he shared three essential questions everyone should ask themselves to stay truly grounded.

complete article

New Years resolutions: We love to make them. And, statistics show, we almost never keep them. (Eighty percent of people who make New Year's resolutions abandon them by the second week of February.)

Of course you could try using silence to accomplish a goal. Or you could try to sneak up on big goals. Those strategies help, but they are far from foolproof.

complete article

Step 1: Set meaningful goals.
People do nott achieve goals unless the goals are meaningful to them. Sure, every seller has a quota for this year, but so what? If you want to maximize your motivation to achieve the goals, you must know why achieving it is important to you. To do that, go beyond your one-year quota-focused goal.

complete article

One of the main conclusions Brian Tracy has come to from his years of study is that self-confidence is key to what you can accomplish.

If you have a good amount of self-confidence you will be more likely to try more things. If you are constantly trying more things, that means you're likelier to accomplish more things, since success is often just a measurement of odds.

complete article

Programmers solve problems. How they solve each problem is a function of their skill, talent, knowledge & time. The resultant solution will resolve the problem with greater or lesser complexity in the design. Thus, I find thinking about how (and more importantly where) complexity is handled, a useful way to evaluate a design. For this I use the time-honored technique of having three levels:

Level Zero

(Below this level, the problem is not solved)

The programmer has provided a solution. However, the interface is a mine-field; click things in the wrong order, the program crashes. Or it works great, but you need to reread the documentation Every. Single. Time. Or the resultant surrounding workflow is a Rube Goldberg device. However it surfaces, the programmer has placed the complexity on the user.

Level One

The interface is well thought out and reasonably intuitive. Controls work as expected and the solution is robust - even bulletproof. The solution not only fits the larger context, it improves it. The code itself however, is hard to change (or even understand). It is not well-organized; Or is, but full of tricky, interleaved logic. Or over-engineered, over-patterned etc. Here, the programmer has placed the complexity on the maintainer.[1]

Level Two

The burden of managing complexity is on the current programmer. The person writing the code takes the time and employs the talent and skill necessary to find an elegant solution that reduces the code to the minimum complexity needed to solve the problem and does so in such a way that is understandable (and changeable) later: The user gains the benefits of a level 1 design, while maintainers are left with clean code to change.[2]

Implications

Level zero code is common; it's the default for new programmers and an uncomfortable amount of commercial software. The thing of it is: Too often this sort of code is derided (including by me) when there is both a de facto and a cost-benefit rationale for managing complexity this way. Short-term projects are one example; software written for one's own use is another.

Level 1 software can be very valuable and enduring. I tend to equate this type of code with the Hacker ethic in all senses of that term. And I don't mean that pejoratively - we all use hacked together solutions every day and much of the world's technology infrastructure is built on it. It is a practical and stable design level.

Having the skill (and the time) to write level 2 code is a rare and wonderful thing. Amidst the hyperbole, aspiring to be such a programmer is at the heart of the "Software as Craft" movement and is a worthwhile goal for anyone who aspires to be a professional programmer.

I don't believe level 2 is inherently better than a level 1 (or level zero!) - it's about context - however, I think that for regularly edited and changed code (i.e. much IT software), this level of skill is what's implicitly expected (if not gotten) by the customer. Ironically, the time needed is often the first thing that goes as a non-technical customer can only assess code quality based on level 1 considerations and so pushes for faster results because everything "looks" OK. Only later - when their investment can't be changed without major overhaul - do they realize there is something wrong. And so the cycle continues...

Summary

This model is handy in several situations including: Judging the quality of an actual solution; choosing among different solutions to a given problem; estimating - and even when to stop refactoring. And while I don't believe that all code should be worked until it exhibits level 2 quality, it is what I want others to think of the code I leave behind. And it is what I hope to encounter in theirs. That said, being a successful professional programmer requires (among many other things) the ability to write all three levels of code, and the judgment to know when each is appropriate to use.

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[1] This may well be the same person who wrote the code. The essential characteristic of a level 1 design is that complexity is put off to future efforts, not the current one. Thus level 1 designs tend to be high in technical debt.

[2]How the programmer achieves this is a matter of personal preference and technique. I do not subscribe to the notion that any particular set of programming practices provides this - or inhibit it by their absence. It has always been the people, not their practices that is the essential determinant of quality. Anyone who says different, is selling something.

How to select the right treadmill for your fitness goals.

Best fitness goals for beginners to help you get started exercising.

Attain your fitness objectives for long-term success: set specific and realistic goals, create a plan, find a workout routine that works for you, incorporate strength training, focus on nutrition, stay consistent, get support and rest and recover.

An injury doesn’t have to completely derail all the progress you’ve made toward your fitness goals. Learn how to stay on track with your wellness plan here.

Free Shipping on Goalkeeper Gloves.

Before the end of November, Royal Enfield will launch the Goan Classic 350, its fifth product on the J-series engine platform, following the Meteor, Classic, Hunter, and Bullet. The Goan Classic will be a funky-looking bobber-style motorcycle that will share most of its fundamentals with the Classic 350.

1. Riding position will be different from Classic 350’s
2. Will use the same engine as the other RE 350s
3. Could be the most expensive 350cc RE upon launch

Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350: details

Since the Goan Classic will use the same 349cc single-cylinder engine as the rest of the RE 350s, its peak output will most likely stand at 20hp and 27Nm of torque. Even the Goan Classic’s main frame is likely to be the same as the Classic 350. The differences are likely to be in the styling, paint options, and riding position. 

Also See: Royal Enfield Classic 650 Twin review: All-Time Classic?

Hero’s Xpulse 200 4V has been updated, and it’s offered in two variants: Standard and Pro. As the name suggests, the Pro is essentially the erstwhile Rally Edition, and it’s the more extreme version of an already capable off-road motorcycle. It is also available with a set of optional Maxxisknobbies that you see on our test bike. Hero has given the Xpulse 200 4V Pro some new features this year, and I took this motorcycle out in its natural habitat to find out what it’s like.

Hero has made some noticeable changes to the 2024 Xpulse range, which includes new reinforced knuckle guards, new switchgear, revised footpeg position, a new projector LED headlamp, a USB charging socket and ABS modes. The all-new headlamp is significantly brighter and incorporates an all-new Daytime Running Lamp design, making the Xpulse appear slightly more upmarket.

Unique to the Xpulse Pro is a new rally-styled windshield that is 60mm taller than before. The rally visor deflects wind well on the road. All in all, the new changes are a welcome addition and will improve the overall usability of this motorcycle. As before, the Pro variant towers over everything else on the road and stands tall while looking purposeful. Its size is deceptive, and many onlookers assume it is a motorcycle with a much larger capacity.

The Xpulse continues to be powered by a 199cc, oil-cooled motor that produces 19hp at 8,500rpm and 17.35Nm at 6,500rpm. What has improved is that with its OBD2 update, the engine now needs to be serviced every 6,000km instead of the 3,000km. Due to its easy power delivery, this motor continues to perform adequately, and is a boon to use for inexperienced off-road riders. At 161kg, the Pro variant is only 2kg heavier than its standard counterpart, which isn’t too bad given all the added hardware.

While the knobby tyres provided excellent grip, the engine lacked the power to overcome it. So sliding this motorcycle was not as easy as it is on ADVs that sit in a higher segment. What helps its case is that you will never find yourself running out of grip, and the Xpulse Pro keeps its cool even when climbing up sections with loose surfaces. While I still wish for more power, I have also come to enjoy its underpowered and calm nature on such tricky trails.

The Xpulse Pro is a challenge to ride on the tarmac if you choose the Maxxistyres – they are road legal, but are also zero-compromise knobbies built for off-road. Grip itself is fine, but the tyres feel scary when the bike is leaned over and they also make a loud, constant droning noise. The tyres also get unsettled over road irregularities and expansion joints can change the bike’s course at any given moment. On the normal Ceats, the bike would be much nicer, but you’ll still need to live with the very tall seat height – we’ll get back to that.

However, when they hit the dirt, these tyres come into their elements and provide an incredible amount of grip. Compression and rebound damping can be dialled in on the adjustable fork, and the owner’s manual has multiple setting recommendations for various riding situations and these settings are a good starting point from where you can tweak the set-up to your liking.
My biggest challenge was the 891mm seat height, which can take getting used to and initially be a little daunting. Mind you, this is with the stock seat and going for the optional rally style bench seat will take that number above 920mm.

The added height makes the motorcycle feel sluggish and more top-heavy, and this is where the humble engine’s limits become more apparent. However, in time, I’ve gradually gotten more comfortable with its size, and wrestling it off-road has become easier as you go. What has helped is the new footpeg positioning along with the handlebar risers that allow riders to get a better grip and find a more suitable position while standing.

Hero’s Xpulse 200 4V is a competent machine, and the Pro variant makes it even more unstoppable. That being said, it takes a certain skill level to get the most out of this bike. The suspension is best suited for high-speed off-roading. Shorter, or lesser skilled riders might be better off with the standard Xpulse for slower-speed trails. Either way, the updated features do a great job of uplifting the overall experience.

It is worth noting that all of the above-mentioned additions have come at a mild price bump of Rs 3,000, which sounds like a sweet deal. All in all, the Xpulse 200 4V Pro is an excellent alternative to the standard variant and costs Rs 8,000 more, which, given its credentials, sounds too good to be true. The Pro variant is an easy recommendation for anyone skilled enough to dive deeper into the off-road genre of motorcycling.

Also see: 2024 Yezdi Adventure review: Incremental changes
 

Hero’s Xpulse 200 4V has been updated, and it’s offered in two variants: Standard and Pro. As the name suggests, the Pro is essentially the erstwhile Rally Edition, and it’s the more extreme version of an already capable off-road motorcycle. It is also available with a set of optional Maxxisknobbies that you see on our test bike. Hero has given the Xpulse 200 4V Pro some new features this year, and I took this motorcycle out in its natural habitat to find out what it’s like.

Hero has made some noticeable changes to the 2024 Xpulse range, which includes new reinforced knuckle guards, new switchgear, revised footpeg position, a new projector LED headlamp, a USB charging socket and ABS modes. The all-new headlamp is significantly brighter and incorporates an all-new Daytime Running Lamp design, making the Xpulse appear slightly more upmarket.

Unique to the Xpulse Pro is a new rally-styled windshield that is 60mm taller than before. The rally visor deflects wind well on the road. All in all, the new changes are a welcome addition and will improve the overall usability of this motorcycle. As before, the Pro variant towers over everything else on the road and stands tall while looking purposeful. Its size is deceptive, and many onlookers assume it is a motorcycle with a much larger capacity.

The Xpulse continues to be powered by a 199cc, oil-cooled motor that produces 19hp at 8,500rpm and 17.35Nm at 6,500rpm. What has improved is that with its OBD2 update, the engine now needs to be serviced every 6,000km instead of the 3,000km. Due to its easy power delivery, this motor continues to perform adequately, and is a boon to use for inexperienced off-road riders. At 161kg, the Pro variant is only 2kg heavier than its standard counterpart, which isn’t too bad given all the added hardware.

While the knobby tyres provided excellent grip, the engine lacked the power to overcome it. So sliding this motorcycle was not as easy as it is on ADVs that sit in a higher segment. What helps its case is that you will never find yourself running out of grip, and the Xpulse Pro keeps its cool even when climbing up sections with loose surfaces. While I still wish for more power, I have also come to enjoy its underpowered and calm nature on such tricky trails.

The Xpulse Pro is a challenge to ride on the tarmac if you choose the Maxxistyres – they are road legal, but are also zero-compromise knobbies built for off-road. Grip itself is fine, but the tyres feel scary when the bike is leaned over and they also make a loud, constant droning noise. The tyres also get unsettled over road irregularities and expansion joints can change the bike’s course at any given moment. On the normal Ceats, the bike would be much nicer, but you’ll still need to live with the very tall seat height – we’ll get back to that.

However, when they hit the dirt, these tyres come into their elements and provide an incredible amount of grip. Compression and rebound damping can be dialled in on the adjustable fork, and the owner’s manual has multiple setting recommendations for various riding situations and these settings are a good starting point from where you can tweak the set-up to your liking.
My biggest challenge was the 891mm seat height, which can take getting used to and initially be a little daunting. Mind you, this is with the stock seat and going for the optional rally style bench seat will take that number above 920mm.

The added height makes the motorcycle feel sluggish and more top-heavy, and this is where the humble engine’s limits become more apparent. However, in time, I’ve gradually gotten more comfortable with its size, and wrestling it off-road has become easier as you go. What has helped is the new footpeg positioning along with the handlebar risers that allow riders to get a better grip and find a more suitable position while standing.

Hero’s Xpulse 200 4V is a competent machine, and the Pro variant makes it even more unstoppable. That being said, it takes a certain skill level to get the most out of this bike. The suspension is best suited for high-speed off-roading. Shorter, or lesser skilled riders might be better off with the standard Xpulse for slower-speed trails. Either way, the updated features do a great job of uplifting the overall experience.

It is worth noting that all of the above-mentioned additions have come at a mild price bump of Rs 3,000, which sounds like a sweet deal. All in all, the Xpulse 200 4V Pro is an excellent alternative to the standard variant and costs Rs 8,000 more, which, given its credentials, sounds too good to be true. The Pro variant is an easy recommendation for anyone skilled enough to dive deeper into the off-road genre of motorcycling.

Also see: 2024 Yezdi Adventure review: Incremental changes
 

Before the end of November, Royal Enfield will launch the Goan Classic 350, its fifth product on the J-series engine platform, following the Meteor, Classic, Hunter, and Bullet. The Goan Classic will be a funky-looking bobber-style motorcycle that will share most of its fundamentals with the Classic 350.

1. Riding position will be different from Classic 350’s
2. Will use the same engine as the other RE 350s
3. Could be the most expensive 350cc RE upon launch

Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350: details

Since the Goan Classic will use the same 349cc single-cylinder engine as the rest of the RE 350s, its peak output will most likely stand at 20hp and 27Nm of torque. Even the Goan Classic’s main frame is likely to be the same as the Classic 350. The differences are likely to be in the styling, paint options, and riding position. 

Also See: Royal Enfield Classic 650 Twin review: All-Time Classic?

In a burgeoning real estate market, Dean D’Cruz, Gerard da Cunha and Arminio Ribeiro make a case for recycling or using sustainable local materials and preserving Goa’s social fabric

Amninder Sandhu is using open-fire cooking and indigenous ingredients in her regional Indian restaurant

North Goa may be the best option if you want to invest in real estate in Goa and make significant profits. The area is an investment-friendly destination because it attracts large numbers of tourists year-round and because properties such as … Continue reading →

Approximately 32 kilometers from the Goa International Airport in Dabolim, the opulent project will have 62 villas atop Reis Mago, a hill in Goa.  In the second half of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 62 ultra-luxury villas in Goa, priced between … Continue reading →