Two firms advancing renewable energy applications are in the spotlight this week at the CES consumer tech show in Las Vegas, one of the tech world's biggest venues, receiving grants from U.S. telecommunications company Verizon to further bring their ideas and strategies to the masses.

For years, climate contrarians have pointed to snowfall and cold weather to question the scientific reality of human-induced climate change.

Most talk of "energy efficiency" and “sustainability” is insidious or naïve, or even misdirected. We all should switch off the lights when we leave a room, use efficient, gas-fired tankless water heaters (even when they are uneconomical), and work in LEED certified buildings. Intelligent thermostats — Nest, for instance — may regulate our air-conditioning to assure comfort while generating savings, and shaving “peak” load on the electricity grid. Using LED lamps and star rated appliances is admirable too. These solutions and behaviors, while praiseworthy, are beside the point; we should rather favor “supply action” before demand response.

From David and Goliath to Luke Skywalker and the Death Star, the human race has been reminded again and again that big things have their vulnerable points. The U.S. power grid, sometimes called the world’s largest machine, is no exception.

Opponents of the U.S. congressional Democrats’ Green New Deal point to Germany as an example of a country where similar policies have backfired. They should take a closer look; the U.S. could do well to imitate Europe’s largest economy.

Building solar and wind energy projects on potentially contaminated lands can be a golden opportunity, both effective and cost-effective, for developers. The 120-acre Reilly Tar & Chemical Corporation Superfund site was recently redeveloped with a utility-scale solar farm and is a prime example of the reuse potential inherent in thousands of Superfund sites, brownfields, retired power plants, and landfills.

The Lockett Wind farm in Wilbarger has the potential to generate more than 700,000 MWh of renewable energy per year, enough to power the equivalent of 70,000 homes. 

All it took was a pandemic, but the long-running joke finally became a reality: DEF CON is canceled. 

The annual hacker conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, typically draws tens of thousands of attendees to talk shop, compare notes, and generally cause delightful mischief. One element of that mischief is the constant — and until now false — yearly claim that DEF CON is canceled. The coronavirus changed that, and the organization announced Friday that the in-person conference will not take place this year. 

"The #DEFCONiscanceled meme has crossed over into real life, courtesy of #COVID19," read the announcement. "In early March we had hopes that things would be stable by August. That is no longer realistic." Read more...

Striso is a digital instrument with pressure-sensitive buttons that plays a variety of acoustic-like sounds.  Read more...

Between the infamous Peloton commercial, the wild Boyhood wannabe that ended up being a Subway ad, and the endless #girlboss marketing reminding you that even women can be part of the capitalist machine, 2019 was a year for advertising. 

But nothing quite tops this one, which was released in September but resurfaced in a viral tweet on Friday.  

The ad starts off with a bleak statistic: women hold just 10 percent of all patented inventions. Then, it pans over to a delightful montage of ambitious young women. Each one is filmed preparing for their career goals, from mixing delicate chemicals in a laboratory to carefully testing the consistency of soil.  Read more...

TL;DR: You don't have to buy a drum set to learn how to play the drums. Instead, just grab the Senstroke by Redison bluetooth drum kit for $189.95, on sale for 5% off as of May 9.

If you want to learn how to play the drums, then a quality set may cost you upwards of $1,000. Not only is this a hefty price to play for individuals who aren't fully committed to the instrument yet, but their massive size may be impossible to fit inside your space. Or at least your housemates may not appreciate it.

With the Senstroke by Redison Bluetooth Drum Kit and App Bundle, you can practice, play, and record on just about any surface for a much more affordable price — and it'll take up little to no space.  Read more...

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) has partnered with social learning platform, FutureLearn.com to provide free online courses and help students stay ahead of the learning curve.

The summer 2011 issue of 'FDIC Consumer News' features tips on how to prepare financially for a natural disaster, a fire or another tragedy, especially one that requires people to evacuate their home and not return for days or weeks.

The summer 2011 issue of 'FDIC Consumer News' features tips on how to prepare financially for a natural disaster, a fire or another tragedy, especially one that requires people to evacuate their home and not return for days or weeks.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Gateway Assets Limited v C.V Panels Limited [2018] CSOH 48 A tenant had a ten year lease with a break option after 5 years, which could be exercised by giving not less than 6 months’ written notice to the landlord. When the tenant served a bre...

This is a gluten free and naturally sweetened banana bread in a mug.  It is super easy to fix and paleo, too! -- posted by francoroni

I Love Biscuits and I have been searching for a quick and easy recipe to make in my countertop convection oven. Living in a hot climate – I don’t want to heat up the house with the regular oven and besides, I only want a small batch. This is a quick and easy Drop-Biscuit recipe that makes six biscuits. Plus, you can make it Vegan if you like! -- posted by Billy R.

Amidst the attention grabbing hysteria of Coronavirus headlines, some commentators have speculated that employers may be about to face prosecution if they don’t take all precautions possible to protect staff and third parties from infection. I...

In this session we look at high value/reputationally sensitive disputes in the education sector. Running a university or Higher Education Institution is always a complicated business – and never more so than now. The sector is facing a time of unp...

On 2 April 2019, the European Commission issued a press release regarding its State aid investigation into aspects of the UK controlled foreign company (CFC) rules. This press release explains that certain aspects of the CFC rules under investigatio...

A document seen by SaharaReporters has exposed how serving and retired Nigerian judges are illegally preparing ways for their children and relatives to take over the country’s judicial system in future.

According to the document put together by Open Bar Initiative, out of the 33 names recently recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Judiciary Council for appointment as judges in the Federal Capital Territory High Court, only 11 met the criteria set out in the employment guideline of the council.

The NJC had on April 26, 2020 approved the appointment of 33 judges for the FCT High Court.

SaharaReporters gathered that 22 out of the 33 candidates presented to President Buhari made the list only because they were related to serving senior members of the judiciary or close aides and members of the NJC. 

Also, states that already have judges in the FCT High Court were reconsidered and given slots while no one was considered qualified for appointment in Ebonyi, a state that has no existing judge.

Section 255 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), pegged qualification for becoming a judge in the High Court of the FCT to a minimum of 10 years qualification as a legal practitioner. 

Also Rule 4 of the NJC appointment of judges’ procedure, indicated only four classes of lawyers, who are qualified to apply and be recommended to be appointed as judges of a high court.

These are legal practitioners in private practice, legal practitioners in public service, who are legal officers, chief registrar of a court, and chief magistrates.

Those listed in the document seen by SaharaReporters among the 33 nominees to be considered as judges by President Buhari but, who are not qualified include Njideka K. Nwosu-Iheme, a Grade 1 Magistrate, who is the daughter of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court and daughter-in-law to Justice Nwosu-Iheme of the Court of Appeal, Agashieze Cyprian Odinaka, a Deputy Director at FCTA whose sister is the Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, Fatima Abubakar Aliyu, a judiciary worker, who is the daughter of immediate-past President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Bulkachuwa, Kanyip Rosemary Indinya, a senior magistrate at FCT and wife of the President of the National Industrial Court and sister of a member of the National Judicial Council.

Others are Mimi Anne Katsina Alu-Apena, a senior magistrate and daughter of late Kastina Alu, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Enenche Eleojo, Assistant Director at FCT High Court and Personal Assistant to the Chief Judge, FCT High Court, Madugu Mohammed Alhaji, Josephine Obanor Enobie, Kayode Agunloye, Nwabulu Ngozika Chineze and Abubakar Babashani, who are senior staff of the FCT High Court but have not attained the rank of chief registrar as stipulated by the constitution.

The list also includes one one Aliyu Halilu Ahmed, a Deputy Chief Registrar from Adamawa State judiciary, who has not attained the rank of a chief registrar.

The rest are Aminu Muhammad Abdullahi, Nwecheonwu Chinyere Elewe, Ibrahim Mohammed, Sadia Mu’azu Mayana, Aliyu Yunusa Shafa, Mohammed Zubairu, Binta Dogonyaro, Christopher Opeyemi Oba and Hafsat Lawan Abba-Aliyu, all magistrates from the FCT judiciary, who are not up to the rank of a chief magistrate as stipulated in Rule 4 of the NJC appointment of judges procedure.

SaharaReporters also gathered that one Olufola Olufolashade Oshin did not participate in the processes leading up to selection, interview or obtaining recommendation from a Chief Judge of a state but her name was inserted into the final list transmitted to President Buhari at the instigation of some senior judicial officers believed to be top members of the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the development, Open Bar Initiative said, “The suggestion that judicial service in Nigeria is an inheritance transmitted from parents to children is not supported by the constitution or any other instrument under Nigerian law. 

“This is an abuse of the constitution by those who must nominate judges for appointment.”

Co-convener of Open Bar Initiative and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, while reacting to the situation, said, “These are not just unqualified nominees, they are bad nominees because only bad people will want to become judges through smuggling. They will make bad judges, we should resist them and their sponsors.”

Voicing his displeasure on Twitter, a user with the handle @AbdulMahmud01, said, “Have you seen the list of newly appointed FCT judges approved by NJC? It is a parade of children of former CJN, retired Supreme Court justices and judges. NJC is simply put: a corrupt council of corrupt interests.”

Another user, @KennyAdazie, while sharing her thoughts on the issue, said, “The only people that can take back Nigeria are the youth. 

“If we don’t come out to stop this madness, the charade will continue. When they strategically place their own, they pave way for #impunities and come 2023, there is nothing you can do! The reason our legal system is in ruins.”

When the NCDC got to Imo state a couple of weeks ago they left a warning. They asked Imo to find Coronavirus cases. At the time Imo had no confirmed case, and the NCDC thought Imo which had many citizens in diaspora, and heavy international  traffic, was too clean.

The post Our Governors, Corona Politics and Naked Folly appeared first on Vanguard News.

HONG KONG - Holdout anti-government protesters remained in control of a major arterial road in Hong Kong on Monday a day after organisers said two million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city's pro-Beijing leader.

After weeks of trying to flee the current coronavirus epicentre of the world, Ziyanda Stuurman is finally home.

The UK is changing the way in which it taxes share options and share awards held by employees who move between countries. Some employees will gain and some employees will lose. As an employer, if you have employees on assignment from overseas or you...

Introduction Financial services firms’ corporate governance and risk cultures is a ‘hot’ topic with financial regulators globally. Regulators have noted that serious corporate governance and conduct failings of financial services f...

Preempt

Preempt

(MENAFN - Jordan News Agency) Amman, May 9 (Petra) - The Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammed Ississ, said the only way out to address the consequences o... ......

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BEIRUT, May 9 (KUNA) -- The number of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in Lebanon went up to 809 with 13 new cas... ......

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) MUSCAT, May 9 (KUNA) -- The Sultanate of Oman announced, Saturday, the discovery of 112 new cases of coronavirus ... ......

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 9 Trend: The May edition of the influential Russian magazine "Natsionalnaya Oborona" (National Defe... ......

White House employees, and reporters, watch President Donald Trump, aboard Marine One, depart the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. (Al Drago/The New York Times) WASHINGTON — In his eagerness to reopen the country, President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Americans that it would be safe to go back to the workplace. But the past few days have demonstrated that even his own workplace may not be safe from the coronavirus. Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for the virus Friday, forcing a delay in the departure of Air Force Two while a half-dozen other members of his staff were taken off the plane for further testing. That came only a day...

China’s President Xi Jinping had called up World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom in January to...

1. Coronavirus India News LIVE | Tamil Nadu COVID-19 tally zooms to 6,535 with 526 new cases; 44 die  Moneycontrol
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3. With 45% National Intake, Southern States Draw 10-15% Revenue From Liquor: Report  News18
4. In Pictures | Day-45 of coronavirus lockdown leaves people in limbo  The Hindu
5. With 45% of national intake, southern states draw 10-15% revenue from liquor: Report  Moneycontrol.com
6. View Full coverage on Google News

The public consultation launched by the European Chemicals Agency (“ECHA”) on the topic of microplastics closed on 20 September 2019 with the submission of 477 comments. The consultation followed the publication by ECHA earlier this year...

Five teachers at a public school in Mukdahan have been suspended after being charged in connection with repeated sexual assaults against a 14-year-old girl. Two school alumni are also accused of having taken part, and all are said to have taken video of the acts.

Wealthier African countries tend to impose more stringent rules, which have cost the continent $65 billion.

Published in April, “If I Had Your Face” is a story of gender inequality and lives ruled by the money of men, of impossible beauty ...

Have you wondered what it's like to get tested for COVID-19 in Japan? With little Japanese, Joe Oliver learned the hard way after being sent ...

The Bundesliga season will resume on May 16 in empty stadiums

Assistance includes returning a portion of students' tuition fees and giving cash for equipment and living expenses.