heating Solid-state thermite composition based heating device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:00:00 EDT A solid state thermite reaction composition is provided comprising a fuel component, an initiating oxidizer, a primary oxidizer, a fluxing agent and a thermal diluent. According to another aspect, a heating device is provided comprising a heating chamber for receiving and storing a substance to be heated having at least two walls, a reaction chamber affixed to a wall of the heating chamber, a solid state thermite reaction composition located within the reaction chamber and an actuatable trigger mechanism affixed to the reaction chamber such that the trigger mechanism is in contact with the reaction composition. According to another aspect, a solid-state thermite reaction activation mechanism is provided comprising a first compound substantially in contact with a thermite reaction fuel, a second compound and a removable barrier located between the first and second compounds preventing any contact between the first and second compounds. Full Article
heating Boiler having a section for preheating water By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 20 May 2014 08:00:00 EDT A boiler having a shell enclosing a space and an inlet for letting water into the shell space. The shell space has two separate sections, wherein a first section is located such as to receive a supply of fresh water to the boiler and wherein a second section is located such as to receive water from the first section when overflow of the first section takes place under the influence of a continuous supply of fresh water. A steam generating process takes place in the second section. Due to the fact that the second section is only indirectly filled with water, it is possible to have an undisturbed process. In particular, the water may be heated in the first section before reaching the second section. The first section may for example include an inner space of a container which is arranged inside the shell, for example. Full Article
heating Heating appliance covered with a self-cleaning coating and production method thereof By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EDT A heating appliance including a metal substrate, at least a part of which is covered with a self-cleaning coating including at least one oxidation catalyst selected from the platinoid oxides, and at least one dopant of said oxidation catalyst selected from the rare-earth oxides. The self-cleaning coating is a bilayer coating including: an inner layer at least partially covering the metal substrate and including the dopant; and an outer layer in contact with the ambient air and including the oxidation catalyst. Also provided is a method for producing such a heating appliance. Full Article
heating Internal combustion engine with intake air heating, and method for operating an internal combustion engine of said type By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT Embodiments for an engine system are provided. One example internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder head and at least two cylinders, in which each cylinder has at least one inlet opening for the supply of combustion air into the cylinder, comprises an intake line leading to each inlet opening, an overall intake line where the intake lines of at least two cylinders merge, such that a distributor junction point is formed, and a heating device arranged in the overall intake line which has at least one strip-like heating element, a first narrow side of a cross section of which faces toward intake combustion air flow, wherein the heating device is arranged adjacent to the distributor junction point at which the intake lines merge to form the overall intake line, a spacing between the heating device and the distributor junction point being smaller than the diameter of a cylinder. Full Article
heating BURNER FOR A REHEATING FURNACE OR HEAT TREATMENT FURNACE FOR STEEL INDUSTRY By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Apr 2017 08:00:00 EDT Burner for an oven for reheating siderurlogical products such as billets, blooms or slabs, or for heat treatment oven, which is equipped with a fuel injection device and with an oxidant feed body feeding feed orifices with oxidant, the burner having an axial direction; the injection device is designed to provide a central injection of fuel via an orifice in, or parallel to, the axial direction of the burner; the oxidant feed body includes two sets of four oxidant feed orifices, each set including two orifices situated above a horizontal plane passing through the axial direction of the burner, and two orifices situated below this plane, the orifices of a second set being further away from the horizontal plane than those of the first set, the geometric axes of the orifices of the two sets making angles of inclination with respect to the axial direction of the burner. Full Article
heating SYSTEM FOR CALIBRATION OF A COMPRESSOR UNIT IN A HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Thu, 29 Jun 2017 08:00:00 EDT The present invention provides for a system for calibrating operation of a compressor unit in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. A measuring device measures an operating parameter of the HVAC system at a position where the measuring device is mounted on a refrigerant line of the HVAC system. The measuring device switches states when the value of the measured operating parameter reaches a switching value. A controller estimates a value of the first operating parameter at the position where the first measuring device is mounted on the refrigerant line, and the controller determines whether the estimated first operating parameter is within a threshold percentage of the switching value. Full Article
heating Kehlani and YG Not Speaking Following Cheating Scandal By www.aceshowbiz.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 02:10:54 +0000 This arrives after Kehlani sparks speculations that her new album 'It Was Good Until It Wasn't' was about YG as one fan says, 'Kehlani's album is really all about her and YG's toxic sex.' Full Article celebrity Kehlani YG
heating Kehlani and YG Not Speaking Following Cheating Scandal By www.aceshowbiz.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 02:10:54 +0000 This arrives after Kehlani sparks speculations that her new album 'It Was Good Until It Wasn't' was about YG as one fan says, 'Kehlani's album is really all about her and YG's toxic sex.' Full Article celebrity Kehlani YG
heating Pipeline protests, COVID-19, Sonic the Hedgehog, cheating Astros, suing Juul, Coachella meets Saudi and more By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 18:32:28 EST Why the Wet'suwet'en protests are about more than pipelines, how climate change could make viral outbreaks more common, the worst Sonic the Hedgehog games, why professional pianists fear moving their pianos, the fan who tracked every pitch in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal, a lawsuit alleges vaping giant Juul targeted kids, how Saudi Arabia is using the art world to project openness and more. Full Article Radio/Day 6
heating Heatwave - Central Heating By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Heatwave sizzle at the peak of their popularity. Full Article
heating International students groups call for action on cheating to get into Australian universities By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Thu, 31 Jan 2019 12:11:00 +1100 International student associations call for more regulation of overseas migration agents as they reveal cheating on English tests required for Australian universities can be common practice. Full Article ABC Eyre Peninsula and West Coast goulburnmurray southeastnsw brokenhill coffscoast westernplains northcoast upperhunter newcastle centralwest newengland riverina illawarra alicesprings katherine widebay farnorth westqld northwest capricornia southqld northqld southeastsa northandwest eyre riverland northtas ballarat centralvic melbourne westernvic milduraswanhill gippsland shepparton southwestvic kimberley southwestwa wheatbelt goldfields northwestwa Business Economics and Finance:Industry:All Business Economics and Finance:Industry:Education Education:Access To Education:All Education:All:All Education:Education Associations:All Education:Subjects:All Education:University and Further Education:All Government and Politics:All:All Law Crime and Justice:All:All Law Crime and Justice:Judges and Legal Profession:All Law Crime and Justice:Laws:All Australia:NSW:Albury 2640 Australia:NSW:Bega 2550 Australia:NSW:Broken Hill 2880 Australia:NSW:Coffs Harbour 2450 Australia:NSW:Dubbo 2830 Australia:NSW:Lismore 2480 Australia:NSW:Muswellbrook 2333 Australia:NSW:Newcastle 2300 Australia:NSW:Orange 2800 Australia:NSW:Tamworth 2340 Australia:NSW:Wagga Wagga 2650 Australia:NSW:Wollongong 2500 Australia:NT:Alice Springs 0870 Australia:NT:Katherine 0850 Australia:QLD:Bundaberg 4670 Australia:QLD:Cairns 4870 Australia:QLD:Longreach 4730 Australia:QLD:Mount Isa 4825 Australia:QLD:Rockhampton 4700 Australia:QLD:Toowoomba 4350 Australia:QLD:Townsville 4810 Australia:SA:Mount Gambier 5290 Australia:SA:Port Augusta 5700 Australia:SA:Port Lincoln 5606 Australia:SA:Port Pirie 5540 Australia:SA:Renmark 5341 Australia:SA:Whyalla 5600 Australia:TAS:Burnie 7320 Australia:TAS:Launceston 7250 Australia:VIC:Ballarat 3350 Australia:VIC:Bendigo 3550 Australia:VIC:Geelong 3220 Australia:VIC:Horsham 3400 Australia:VIC:Lismore 3324 Australia:VIC:Mildura 3500 Australia:VIC:Sale 3850 Australia:VIC:Shepparton 3630 Australia:VIC:Warrnambool 3280 Australia:VIC:Wodonga 3690 Australia:WA:Broome 6725 Australia:WA:Bunbury 6230 Australia:WA:Geraldton 6530 Australia:WA:Kalgoorlie 6430 Australia:WA:Karratha 6714
heating Mango season heating up in the Northern Territory as industry continues to expand By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Thu, 03 Oct 2019 09:45:00 +1000 Mango fans get ready, because the season is ramping up in the Northern Territory with more than 200,000 trays picked last week. Full Article ABC Far North darwin katherine farnorth kimberley Business Economics and Finance:Trade:All Rural:Agricultural Crops:Fruit Rural:All:All Rural:Crop Harvesting:All Australia:NT:Darwin 0800 Australia:NT:Katherine 0850 Australia:QLD:Mareeba 4880 Australia:WA:Kununurra 6743 China:All:All
heating Garcelle Beauvais On Revenge Plot Against Her Cheating Ex By feeds.bet.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:15:00 EDT She admits she was a “hothead.” Full Article Celebrities Garcelle Beauvais
heating Cheating Death by SamWil [PG-13] By www.siye.co.uk Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 15:41:05 -0400 Head Auror Harry Potter hated the Department of Mysteries. He hated dealing with Unspeakables and disliked their holier than thou attitude. When Harry is called upon to identify a man who has been dead for years that the Unspeakables found, he suspects that theres something more sinister going on. Full Article
heating A Rocky Mountain forever home passively offsets heating costs By inhabitat.com Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 14:30:39 +0000 When Ed and Leigh approached Colorado-based architecture firm F9 Productions to design their custom Rocky Mountain home, the couple wanted a residence that could last well into the future. This meant that the forever home not only had to be engineered with ADA-compliant features, but it also needed to be robust enough to weather the region’s extreme winter conditions for years to come. As a result, the architects crafted the Eastwatch House, a highly durable home that also takes advantage of passive solar conditions to reduce energy demands.[...] Full Article Homes colorado passive heating passive solar thermal mass Rocky Mountains fireproof ADA brick walls F9 Productions concrete slab forever home hydronic in-floor heating Eastwatch House handrails
heating Angels' Andrew Heaney expresses disgust at Astros' cheating and lack of remorse By www.latimes.com Published On :: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 19:00:52 -0500 Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney struggled against the Houston Astros in 2018, and he's irate not only at the sign stealing but because players haven't apologized. Full Article
heating Column: Did Astros beat the Dodgers by cheating? The numbers say no By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 14:39:30 -0500 New analyses show that cheating didn't help the Astros, and may have hurt their record Full Article
heating Dodgers are hopeful and optimistic as they move on from Astros cheating scandal By www.latimes.com Published On :: Sun, 1 Mar 2020 19:12:39 -0500 The Dodgers are tired of talking about what the Houston Astros did in 2017. They're excited about what lies ahead for the team this season. Full Article
heating Granderson: How far should Dodgers fans go to troll the cheating Astros? By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 5 Mar 2020 21:05:08 -0500 The Houston Astros cheated and Mike Fiers shined the brightest light on their scheme, LZ Granderson writes. Full Article
heating Public servants warned off internet sex and cheating sites after Ashley Madison hack By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Thu, 03 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT Marriage vows are one thing, but the public service Code of Conduct, that's serious. Full Article
heating Tests show heating is the best way to disinfect N95 masks for reuse By www.upi.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 17:47:45 -0400 Test results suggest N95 masks can be safely disinfected through heating 50 times before their filtration efficiency begins to decline. Full Article
heating Cheating Is an Awful Thing for Other People to Do By www.washingtonpost.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 EDT Both athletes were stars. Both faltered, then staged dramatic comebacks -- displaying the tenacity that separates heroes from also-rans. Both now face drug charges that could end their careers. Full Article Nation Cheating Is an Awful Thing for Other People to Do
heating Among Taxpayers, Inequality May Equal Cheating By www.washingtonpost.com Published On :: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:00:00 EDT Economists have long known there are two reasons that people cheat on their taxes. One is that they are poor and need the extra cash so badly they are willing to risk getting caught. The other is that they are rich and have lots of "non-matchable" income -- mostly investment income not directly... Full Article Opinions Among Taxpayers Inequality May Equal Cheating
heating In Texas, Administrators Arrested for Cheating By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Five El Paso educators have been charged with scheming to defraud the federal accountability system and, in some cases, retaliating against co-workers who cooperated with the FBI's 5½-year investigation of the Texas school district. Full Article Texas
heating Madagascar: Crisis Heating Up? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:00:00 GMT While the reality and extent of the coup announced yesterday by military officers is still uncertain, the latest events demonstrate the fragility of the situation in Madagascar and the urgent need for a new international strategy to end the long crisis. Negotiations should now focus on international support to the electoral process based on strict conditions. Full Article
heating Another Online Poker Site Caught Cheating - UltimateBet By packetstormsecurity.com Published On :: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:16:13 GMT Full Article gamble
heating Mercedes-Benz Slapped with Record Fine for Emissions Cheating By english.chosun.com Published On :: 2020-05-07T14:01:44+09:00 The Environment Ministry is fining Mercedes-Benz W77.6 billion for illegally tampering with emissions tests, the biggest fine ever for a carmaker here (US$1=W1,225). The ministry on Wednesday said Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche tampered with the emissions of around 40,000 diesel cars sold in Kore... Full Article Business
heating 3218-PRC: Low-Carbon District Heating Project in Hohhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region [Contract No.: 2] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Full Article
heating 3218-PRC: Low-Carbon District Heating Project in Hohhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region [Contract No.: 10] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Full Article
heating Photography: heating up the climate campaign By www.newscientist.com Published On :: Thu, 20 Sep 2018 18:40:52 +0000 At Unseen Amsterdam, striking images of a melting glacier are stirring visitors to action Full Article
heating Cooperation and Cheating through a Secreted Aminopeptidase in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa RpoS Response By mbio.asm.org Published On :: 2020-03-17T01:30:15-07:00 ABSTRACT The global stress response controlled by the alternative sigma factor RpoS protects enteric bacteria from a variety of environmental stressors. The role of RpoS in other, nonenteric bacteria, such as the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is less well understood. Here, we employed experimental social evolution to reveal that cooperative behavior via secreted public goods is an important function in the RpoS response of P. aeruginosa. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identified rpoS loss-of-function mutants among isolates evolved in a protein growth medium that requires extracellular proteolysis. We found that rpoS mutants comprise up to 25% of the evolved population and that they behave as social cheaters, with low fitness in isolation but high fitness in mixed culture with the cooperating wild type. We conclude that rpoS mutants cheat because they exploit an RpoS-controlled public good produced by the wild type, the secreted aminopeptidase PaAP, and because they do not carry the metabolic costs of expressing PaAP and many other gene products in the large RpoS regulon. Our results suggest that PaAP is an integral part of a proteolytic sequence in P. aeruginosa that permits the utilization of protein as a nutrient source. Our work broadens the scope of stress response functions in bacteria. IMPORTANCE Bacterial stress responses are generally considered protective measures taken by individual cells. Enabled by an experimental evolution approach, we describe a contrasting property, collective nutrient acquisition, in the RpoS-dependent stress response of the opportunistic human pathogen P. aeruginosa. Specifically, we identify the secreted P. aeruginosa aminopeptidase (PaAP) as an essential RpoS-controlled function in extracellular proteolysis. As a secreted "public good," PaAP permits cheating by rpoS mutants that save the metabolic costs of expressing RpoS-controlled genes dispensable under the given growth conditions. Proteolytic enzymes are important virulence factors in P. aeruginosa pathogenesis and constitute a potential target for antimicrobial therapy. More broadly, our work contributes to recent findings in higher organisms that stress affects not only individual fitness and competitiveness but also cooperative behavior. Full Article
heating Coupled hydraulic and mechanical model of surface uplift due to mine water rebound: implications for mine water heating and cooling schemes By sjg.lyellcollection.org Published On :: 2019-11-29T02:21:48-08:00 In order to establish sustainable heat loading (heat removal and storage) in abandoned flooded mine workings it is important to understand the geomechanical impact of the cyclical heat loading caused by fluid injection and extraction. This is particularly important where significantly more thermal loading is planned than naturally occurs. A simple calculation shows that the sustainable geothermal heat flux from abandoned coal mines can provide less than a tenth of Scotland's annual domestic heating demand. Any heat removal greater than the natural heat flux will lead to heat mining unless heat storage options are also considered. As a first step, a steady-state, fully saturated, 2D coupled hydromechanical model of a generalized section of pillar-and-stall workings has been created. Mine water rebound was modelled by increasing the hydrostatic pressure sequentially, in line with monitored mine water-level data from Midlothian, Scotland. The modelled uplift to water-level rise ratio of 1.4 mm m–1 is of the same order of magnitude (1 mm m–1) as that observed through interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data in the coalfield due to mine water rebound. The modelled magnitude of shear stress at the pillar corners, as a result of horizontal and vertical displacement, is shown to increase linearly with water level. Mine heat systems are expected to cause smaller changes in pressure than those modelled but the results provide initial implications on the potential geomechanical impacts of mine water heat schemes which abstract or inject water and heat into pillar-and-stall coal mine workings. Thematic collection: This article is part of the SJG Collection on Early-Career Research available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/SJG-early-career-research Full Article
heating Calculator Hacked for Cheating Includes a Secret OLED Screen, Wifi, and Even a Chat Function By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:00:57 +0000 But can you still write "BOOBS" on it? Full Article
heating TV anchor accused of cheating on girlfriend after half-naked 'lover' appears on webcam during news report By www.standard.co.uk Published On :: 2020-04-30T12:33:00Z Not for one Spanish TV anchor, whose video-chat blunder might have cost him his relationship. Full Article
heating California Sues Uber And Lyft For 'Cheating' Drivers And Taxpayers By www.npr.org Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 18:07:19 -0400 The state accuses the ride-hailing apps of flouting a labor law by classifying drivers as independent contractors instead of employees. Full Article
heating Billy Mitchell takes his Donkey Kong high-score cheating case to court By arstechnica.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 11:23:10 +0000 Newly revealed Twin Galaxies defamation suit has been quietly proceeding for months. Full Article Gaming & Culture billy mitchell Donkey Kong king of kong twin galaxies
heating Cheating a hangover is one of life's gems By www.theguardian.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T06:00:20Z Waking up without a hangover after a night of getting plastered is the world saying: here, have one on me Brace yourself. That is the first thing that enters one’s head after a heavy night out, before the eyes are even open. Sometimes, listing nausea or a banging in the brain is what wakes us in the first place. We all know that if someone invented a cure for hangovers – and boy, have they tried – that person would be very rich indeed. Or worshipped as a deity. Most likely both.It doesn’t matter if it has been one too many after work drinks or cracking open a second bottle of wine with one’s partner… the consequences of over-indulgence patiently lie in wait. Continue reading... Full Article Hangover cures Pubs Health & wellbeing Life and style
heating Quiz: The Millionaire 'coughing major' scandal wasn't just about cheating – it was also about class By www.independent.co.uk Published On :: 2020-04-14T11:00:00Z Whether or not the Ingrams were cheating on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', the resulting outrage was rooted in the same dynamics that have come to dominate social discourse in the years since, says Adam White Full Article
heating Uber accused of cheating the public in driver's suit over pay By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:19:09 -0500 Drivers being cheated out of wages and not being reimbursed for expenses causes California to lose out on payroll taxes, attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan argues in a new legal challenge to Uber's practices. Full Article
heating Twentieth Member of Casino-cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos in the United States and Canada By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:38:03 EST Phat Ngoc Tran, 35, pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise, the Tran Organization, in a scheme to cheat at least 12 casinos across the United States and Canada out of millions of dollars. Tran admitted that he and his co-conspirators unlawfully obtained up to $2.5 million during card cheats. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos in the United States and Canada By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:16:16 EST Tai Khiem Tran, 47, pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise, the Tran Organization, in a scheme to cheat casinos across the United States and Canada. Tran admitted that he and his co-conspirators unlawfully obtained up to $1 million during card cheats. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Four Members of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Sentenced for Targeting Casinos in the United States and Canada By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:47:46 EDT George Michael Lee, Duc Cong Nguyen, Hop Nguyen and Tien Duc Vu were sentenced today in San Diego for their roles in a scheme by the "Tran Organization" to cheat casinos across the United States and Canada. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Eight More Individuals Charged in Casino-cheating Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:42:03 EDT A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted an additional eight defendants for conspiracy to cheat a total of 11 casinos across the country. According to the indictment, from approximately March 2002 through July 2006, the defendants and co-conspirators allegedly formed and participated in a conspiracy, defined in the indictment as the “Tran Organization,” to cheat at gambling in casinos across the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Court Bars Milwaukee Heating Contractor from Making Disbursements Before Paying Federal Payroll Taxes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 13:19:59 EST A federal court in Milwaukee, Wis., today issued a preliminary injunction ordering a Milwaukee heating contractor and its owner and president to comply with federal employment tax payment requirements. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Leader of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Targeting Casinos Across the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:25:11 EDT Phuong Quoc Truong was sentenced today in San Diego for his role in a scheme by the "Tran Organization" to cheat casinos across the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Indiana Casino Dealer Found Guilty in Cheating Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:17:22 EST Mike Waseleski, 46, a former casino card dealer, was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday in San Diego for his role in a cheating scheme by a group of conspirators known as the “Tran Organization” to steal approximately $1.5 million from Resorts East Chicago Casino. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos Across the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:00:48 EST The co-founder of a criminal enterprise known as the "Tran Organization" pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in the organization’s scheme to cheat casinos across the country out of millions of dollars. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Targeting Casinos Across the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:15:28 EDT Van Thu Tran was sentenced today in San Diego to 36 months in prison for her role in a scheme to cheat casinos across the country out of millions of dollars. Full Article OPA Press Releases
heating The 2017 U.S. foreign aid budget and U.S. global leadership: The proverbial frog in a slowly heating pot By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 18 Feb 2016 10:46:00 -0500 On February 9, President Obama submitted his FY 2017 budget request to Congress. The proposed international affairs budget is down 1 percent from current funding levels and 12 percent (in constant dollars) since 2010, better than many domestic accounts. In addition, outside the regular budget, the administration is proposing $1.8 billion ($376 million from the international affairs budget account) to meet the latest pandemic—the Zika virus. Given the budget environment, the proposed amounts for the international affairs budget seem reasonable. But from a long-term perspective, the budget is alarming. It seems unable to take account of global trends, it relies on fractured and ad hoc processes, and it is excessively siloed into pre-determined sectors. Being satisfied with relatively small budget cuts does not face the reality of far greater and more pressing challenges today than in 2010. Today, Iraq and Afghanistan are still demanding sizable budget resources. We need to respond to Russia’s muscle-flexing by demonstrating our commitment to its independent neighbors. The effort to move HIV/AIDS to a more sustainable model is commendable but showing minimal success, so U.S. funding cannot slip. The Ebola crisis has been succeeded by the Zika virus. The Middle East is unstable and violent, with half the population of Syria killed or displaced. Sixty million displaced persons is the highest level ever reached. The world is addressing four Level 3 humanitarian crises, an unprecedented number. The fear of terrorism is spreading and disrupting rational political dialogue. Domestic violence and civil strife is increasing in Central America. Free expression is under siege in many countries and civil societies are in need of reinforcement. Many of these challenges reflect an underinvestment in development in the past. We are using a Rube Goldberg budget system that cobbles together funding from multiple sources for a single objective and locks in funding several years before a penny flows, making it difficult to adjust to changing circumstances. The budgeting system problem The 2017 budget uses a gimmick that may not be sustainable. To fund the Iraq war, the Bush administration invented an off-budget account (Overseas Contingent Operations, or OCO, a successor to earlier emergency funding) that does not count against the annual budget caps. The State Department and USAID got part of their budgets starting in 2012 from this account. OCO for FY 2017 is proposed at one-quarter of the international affairs budget. The problem is that OCO cannot be counted on in the long-term, and the sustainable base budget for FY 2017 is down 30 percent from FY 2010 in constant dollars. The budget process is also absurdly long. The Obama administration began planning the FY 2016 budget in the spring of 2014, roughly 18 months before Congressional appropriations. Typically, it could take another six months for agency officials and appropriation committees to agree on country and program allocations. Only then, 30 months later, can U.S. development professionals working overseas get on with the business of putting those resources to work. This budget process, with its long timeframes and pre-determined earmarks and presidential initiatives, means that despite best efforts by USAID, it is difficult to respect “local ownership” of development—something that development experience demonstrates is fundamental to successful and sustainable development. Presidential initiatives have their place as a way to bring along political allies and the American populace. It is also appropriate and constructive for Congress to weigh in on funding priorities. But it can be counterproductive to effective development when presidential initiatives and congressional earmarks dictate at the micro level and restrict flexibility in implementation, especially in a rapidly changing world with frequent crises. Another problem with the current budget system is that most but not all sectors are protected by budget accounts or earmarks. Health is protected and the funding divided into various sub-accounts. Education and agriculture get earmarks. New in the FY 2016 appropriations bill is a separate line item for democracy. Another structural issue is the crisis-reactive nature of our assistance programs. Health, which garners the lion’s share of U.S. economic assistance, has been dominated for nearly two decades by responses to global crises — first massive funding for combatting HIV/AIDS, followed by significant funding to tackle malaria, Ebola, and now the Zika virus. It is funding by individual disease. Crisis galvanizes political and popular support for the here and now. But what if we had focused on building up national health systems for the last 20 years rather than fighting one-off diseases? If we moved to more preventive approaches now, maybe in 10 or 20 years the pandemic of the day could be met less by the U.S. ramping up in a crisis mode and more by the health systems in those countries affected, with the U.S. playing a supportive and technical role rather than the core funding role. These issues are examples of why it is imperative for the next administration and congress to engage in a strategic dialogue on the objectives and priorities of foreign assistance programs, both in funding levels and how the funds are used. It is time to move away from the current structure that resembles building a Cadillac from parts of models stretching from 1949 to 1973, as in the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at A Time.” Figure 1: How we build our budget Source: Abernathyautoparts, CC BY-SA 2.5 It is not unrealistic to envisage a more strategic approach. One option is to return to the approach in the 1970s, when all development funding was put into one of just five or six functional accounts, and provide some flexibility in moving funds between accounts. Policymakers who believe that America is an exceptional or indispensable nation and that world problems do not get solved without American involvement need to take a hard look at whether they are providing the U.S. government with the required diplomatic and development tools. It is high time for U.S. policymakers to take a more strategic approach to the level of funding of international affairs and how the U.S. uses its foreign assistance. The inauguration of a new president and Congress in 2017 offers the opportunity to seize this challenge. Authors George Ingram Full Article
heating Is the Iranian-Saudi “cold war” heating up? How to reduce the temperature By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 22 Jun 2016 17:43:00 +0000 In Saudi Arabia and Iran, emotions are running high, and even an accidental spark could turn the cold war between the two regional powers hot. Their antagonism is a grave threat to the wider region, which isn’t exactly a bastion of stability these days—and it’s contrary to those states' long-term interests. Full Article Uncategorized