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Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies Announces Two New Board Members
2024.05.15 16:45 ExploreSCU Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies Announces Two New Board Members
Today, the SCU released the following statement:
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) released the following announcement:
The SCU is pleased to announce the addition of physicist Dr. Laura Domine and physicist and astronautical engineer Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors. These two academic researchers work on the scientific questions raised by UAP reports and supervise college students applying STEM principles to these studies. Adding these two board members will help to fortify our role as a national leader in promoting the rigorous scientific investigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
Dr. Laura Domine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University. She completed her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 2023, working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University. Dr. Domine worked on novel machine learning (ML) methods for liquid argon time projection chamber-based neutrino detectors such as ICARUS. In April 2023, she joined Harvard University’s Galileo Project to help design ML-based scalable experimental approaches to conducting scientific surveys of UAP.
Laura Domine: “I am excited to be living through a rare moment of opportunity to destigmatize the scientific study of the UAP phenomenon and to conduct open and foundational research related to this under-explored topic. As part of the Board, I want to support the SCU community’s efforts to establish academic UAP research as a logical and well-accepted area of scientific inquiry.”
Dr. Doug Buettner received his Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. Dr. Buettner is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center - a multi-university applied research center led by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of industry experience in aerospace and software-intensive systems engineering for the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. Dr. Buettner is also an adjunct professor in the University of Utah’s Mechanical Engineering Department’s Systems Engineering Program, teaching space mission engineering.
Doug Buettner: “Joining the SCU’s Board of Directors is an honor and a profound responsibility. Recognized as a preeminent international organization engaged in the scientific investigation of UAPs, I am eager to further contribute to SCU’s pioneering mission of expanding our understanding of this global phenomenon.”
Robert Powell, SCU Co-Founder and Executive Board Member: “The expertise and practices of academia are critical in addressing the scientific exploration of UAP. The open exchange of information is fundamental to the scientific process. Science relies on transparency, peer review, and the sharing of results to build upon existing knowledge, verify findings, and foster collaboration. The appointment of Dr. Domine and Dr. Buettner to the Board exemplifies SCU’s commitment to the scientific process.”
***
SCU promotes and encourages the rigorous scientific examination of UAP, commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). SCU comprises scientists, engineers, members of the high-tech and defense industries, former military, and other professionals, utilizing scientific principles, methodologies, and practices to advance the study of UAP observed and reported around the globe.
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/711752130/scu-announces-two-additions-to-the-board-of-directors
submitted by ExploreSCU to UFOscience [link] [comments]
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) announces the addition of Dr. Laura Domine and Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors.
Adding these two board members will bring new rigor to the SCU goal of engaging academia to help answer long-standing and fundamental questions about the nature of UAP.”— Scientific Coalition for UAP StudiesWASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) released the following announcement:
The SCU is pleased to announce the addition of physicist Dr. Laura Domine and physicist and astronautical engineer Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors. These two academic researchers work on the scientific questions raised by UAP reports and supervise college students applying STEM principles to these studies. Adding these two board members will help to fortify our role as a national leader in promoting the rigorous scientific investigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
Dr. Laura Domine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University. She completed her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 2023, working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University. Dr. Domine worked on novel machine learning (ML) methods for liquid argon time projection chamber-based neutrino detectors such as ICARUS. In April 2023, she joined Harvard University’s Galileo Project to help design ML-based scalable experimental approaches to conducting scientific surveys of UAP.
Laura Domine: “I am excited to be living through a rare moment of opportunity to destigmatize the scientific study of the UAP phenomenon and to conduct open and foundational research related to this under-explored topic. As part of the Board, I want to support the SCU community’s efforts to establish academic UAP research as a logical and well-accepted area of scientific inquiry.”
Dr. Doug Buettner received his Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. Dr. Buettner is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center - a multi-university applied research center led by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of industry experience in aerospace and software-intensive systems engineering for the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. Dr. Buettner is also an adjunct professor in the University of Utah’s Mechanical Engineering Department’s Systems Engineering Program, teaching space mission engineering.
Doug Buettner: “Joining the SCU’s Board of Directors is an honor and a profound responsibility. Recognized as a preeminent international organization engaged in the scientific investigation of UAPs, I am eager to further contribute to SCU’s pioneering mission of expanding our understanding of this global phenomenon.”
Robert Powell, SCU Co-Founder and Executive Board Member: “The expertise and practices of academia are critical in addressing the scientific exploration of UAP. The open exchange of information is fundamental to the scientific process. Science relies on transparency, peer review, and the sharing of results to build upon existing knowledge, verify findings, and foster collaboration. The appointment of Dr. Domine and Dr. Buettner to the Board exemplifies SCU’s commitment to the scientific process.”
***
SCU promotes and encourages the rigorous scientific examination of UAP, commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). SCU comprises scientists, engineers, members of the high-tech and defense industries, former military, and other professionals, utilizing scientific principles, methodologies, and practices to advance the study of UAP observed and reported around the globe.
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/711752130/scu-announces-two-additions-to-the-board-of-directors
2024.05.15 16:43 Chonkin_GuineaPig How do I force myself to talk to people against my will?
Walmart no longer sells clothes in my size at all and these clothes are becoming absolutely irreplaceable because of my sensory needs. My biggest concern is people lying saying they don't have my stuff when they obviously do.
Everyone from my sister's kids to the residents at the evangelist group home have managed to run off with my shit that way. I even had my stuffed animal from infancy stolen by my sister's ex's kid in plain sight even though it was released when I was born and he was born in 2011.
I'm okay without my game CDs for right now since I backed up "all" the files onto cloud storage, but it still sucks that I can't just back them up with the CD in case something goes wrong. If they're not stolen by someone else and used as DVDs, they're otherwise lost in my parents' roach infested hoard from when I tried to install the games over on their computer (even the computer desk is hoarded).
I do what I can to protect my belongings and keep them in my room, but it's just not enough because of my memory loss. I've already put my initials on all my clothes and it's still not enough to prevent them from being mixed up with someone else's laundry.
The only way to prevent my clothes from getting mixed up with other people is to just not wash them at all. The room with the washing/drying machine at my parents is hoarded up to the ceiling and the floor is caked all to hell in dog shit.
I would love to go to a laundromat, but I haven't been given money in months and can't afford it (that's if my parents will even let me go over there since I can't drive). My parents are the type to dictate where we go or else they get pissed off and frustrated due to their illnesses.
The whole "don't ask anything of anyone" mantra has been drilled into my head since the age of three. Absolutely no socialization with the public outside of school or church. Even then, my parents didn't really want me talking to other kids anyway.
In fact, I'm still running into issues to this very day with my case manager wanting to set me up for doctor's appointments only for my guardian to tell everyone no and not even take me to the doctor at all. I've tried getting the guardianship repealed only for everyone to tell me no because they believe my parents love me and want what's best for me.
To be honest, I might be developing selective mutism as I just don't have the words to say anymore. Everyone online says you just have to abide by this disorder and communicate in other ways, but I don't get to have that option where I live.
There is no alternative communication outside of speech in my area. If you don't talk verbally, you're pretty much destined for the psych ward. Even my own therapist got pissed at me for not asking for help even though it results in everyone either ignoring me, straight up lying to me, or telling me there's nothing they can do.
submitted by Chonkin_GuineaPig to CPTSD [link] [comments]
Everyone from my sister's kids to the residents at the evangelist group home have managed to run off with my shit that way. I even had my stuffed animal from infancy stolen by my sister's ex's kid in plain sight even though it was released when I was born and he was born in 2011.
I'm okay without my game CDs for right now since I backed up "all" the files onto cloud storage, but it still sucks that I can't just back them up with the CD in case something goes wrong. If they're not stolen by someone else and used as DVDs, they're otherwise lost in my parents' roach infested hoard from when I tried to install the games over on their computer (even the computer desk is hoarded).
I do what I can to protect my belongings and keep them in my room, but it's just not enough because of my memory loss. I've already put my initials on all my clothes and it's still not enough to prevent them from being mixed up with someone else's laundry.
The only way to prevent my clothes from getting mixed up with other people is to just not wash them at all. The room with the washing/drying machine at my parents is hoarded up to the ceiling and the floor is caked all to hell in dog shit.
I would love to go to a laundromat, but I haven't been given money in months and can't afford it (that's if my parents will even let me go over there since I can't drive). My parents are the type to dictate where we go or else they get pissed off and frustrated due to their illnesses.
The whole "don't ask anything of anyone" mantra has been drilled into my head since the age of three. Absolutely no socialization with the public outside of school or church. Even then, my parents didn't really want me talking to other kids anyway.
In fact, I'm still running into issues to this very day with my case manager wanting to set me up for doctor's appointments only for my guardian to tell everyone no and not even take me to the doctor at all. I've tried getting the guardianship repealed only for everyone to tell me no because they believe my parents love me and want what's best for me.
To be honest, I might be developing selective mutism as I just don't have the words to say anymore. Everyone online says you just have to abide by this disorder and communicate in other ways, but I don't get to have that option where I live.
There is no alternative communication outside of speech in my area. If you don't talk verbally, you're pretty much destined for the psych ward. Even my own therapist got pissed at me for not asking for help even though it results in everyone either ignoring me, straight up lying to me, or telling me there's nothing they can do.
2024.05.15 16:43 ExploreSCU Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies Announces Two New Board Members
Today, SCU released the following press release:
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) announces the addition of Dr. Laura Domine and Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors.
Adding these two board members will bring new rigor to the SCU goal of engaging academia to help answer long-standing and fundamental questions about the nature of UAP.”— Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) released the following announcement:
The SCU is pleased to announce the addition of physicist Dr. Laura Domine and physicist and astronautical engineer Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors. These two academic researchers work on the scientific questions raised by UAP reports and supervise college students applying STEM principles to these studies. Adding these two board members will help to fortify our role as a national leader in promoting the rigorous scientific investigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
Dr. Laura Domine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University. She completed her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 2023, working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University. Dr. Domine worked on novel machine learning (ML) methods for liquid argon time projection chamber-based neutrino detectors such as ICARUS. In April 2023, she joined Harvard University’s Galileo Project to help design ML-based scalable experimental approaches to conducting scientific surveys of UAP.
Laura Domine: “I am excited to be living through a rare moment of opportunity to destigmatize the scientific study of the UAP phenomenon and to conduct open and foundational research related to this under-explored topic. As part of the Board, I want to support the SCU community’s efforts to establish academic UAP research as a logical and well-accepted area of scientific inquiry.”
Dr. Doug Buettner received his Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. Dr. Buettner is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center - a multi-university applied research center led by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of industry experience in aerospace and software-intensive systems engineering for the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. Dr. Buettner is also an adjunct professor in the University of Utah’s Mechanical Engineering Department’s Systems Engineering Program, teaching space mission engineering.
Doug Buettner: “Joining the SCU’s Board of Directors is an honor and a profound responsibility. Recognized as a preeminent international organization engaged in the scientific investigation of UAPs, I am eager to further contribute to SCU’s pioneering mission of expanding our understanding of this global phenomenon.”
Robert Powell, SCU Co-Founder and Executive Board Member: “The expertise and practices of academia are critical in addressing the scientific exploration of UAP. The open exchange of information is fundamental to the scientific process. Science relies on transparency, peer review, and the sharing of results to build upon existing knowledge, verify findings, and foster collaboration. The appointment of Dr. Domine and Dr. Buettner to the Board exemplifies SCU’s commitment to the scientific process.”
***
SCU promotes and encourages the rigorous scientific examination of UAP, commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). SCU comprises scientists, engineers, members of the high-tech and defense industries, former military, and other professionals, utilizing scientific principles, methodologies, and practices to advance the study of UAP observed and reported around the globe.
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.###
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/711752130/scu-announces-two-additions-to-the-board-of-directors
submitted by ExploreSCU to UFOs [link] [comments]
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) announces the addition of Dr. Laura Domine and Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors.
Adding these two board members will bring new rigor to the SCU goal of engaging academia to help answer long-standing and fundamental questions about the nature of UAP.”— Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) released the following announcement:
The SCU is pleased to announce the addition of physicist Dr. Laura Domine and physicist and astronautical engineer Dr. Doug Buettner to the Board of Directors. These two academic researchers work on the scientific questions raised by UAP reports and supervise college students applying STEM principles to these studies. Adding these two board members will help to fortify our role as a national leader in promoting the rigorous scientific investigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
Dr. Laura Domine is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University. She completed her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 2023, working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University. Dr. Domine worked on novel machine learning (ML) methods for liquid argon time projection chamber-based neutrino detectors such as ICARUS. In April 2023, she joined Harvard University’s Galileo Project to help design ML-based scalable experimental approaches to conducting scientific surveys of UAP.
Laura Domine: “I am excited to be living through a rare moment of opportunity to destigmatize the scientific study of the UAP phenomenon and to conduct open and foundational research related to this under-explored topic. As part of the Board, I want to support the SCU community’s efforts to establish academic UAP research as a logical and well-accepted area of scientific inquiry.”
Dr. Doug Buettner received his Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. Dr. Buettner is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center - a multi-university applied research center led by the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of industry experience in aerospace and software-intensive systems engineering for the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. Dr. Buettner is also an adjunct professor in the University of Utah’s Mechanical Engineering Department’s Systems Engineering Program, teaching space mission engineering.
Doug Buettner: “Joining the SCU’s Board of Directors is an honor and a profound responsibility. Recognized as a preeminent international organization engaged in the scientific investigation of UAPs, I am eager to further contribute to SCU’s pioneering mission of expanding our understanding of this global phenomenon.”
Robert Powell, SCU Co-Founder and Executive Board Member: “The expertise and practices of academia are critical in addressing the scientific exploration of UAP. The open exchange of information is fundamental to the scientific process. Science relies on transparency, peer review, and the sharing of results to build upon existing knowledge, verify findings, and foster collaboration. The appointment of Dr. Domine and Dr. Buettner to the Board exemplifies SCU’s commitment to the scientific process.”
***
SCU promotes and encourages the rigorous scientific examination of UAP, commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). SCU comprises scientists, engineers, members of the high-tech and defense industries, former military, and other professionals, utilizing scientific principles, methodologies, and practices to advance the study of UAP observed and reported around the globe.
The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.###
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/711752130/scu-announces-two-additions-to-the-board-of-directors
2024.05.15 14:41 louied91 Dyadic Announces First Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Highlights Recent Company Progress
News Link: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/05/14/2881828/0/en/Dyadic-Announces-First-Quarter-2024-Financial-Results-and-Highlights-Recent-Company-Progress.html
Human Health Sector
“We continue to execute our business strategy to focus on near-term pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical applications for our proprietary and patented C1 and Dapibus™ protein production platforms and pipeline products,” said Mr. Mark Emalfarb, President and CEO of Dyadic. “One of our key highlights was the successful completion of a Phase 1 clinical trial that met its primary endpoint of safety and reactogenicity affirming the safety of proteins produced by Dyadic's C1 platform in humans. We believe this milestone not only establishes the safety of our platform but also provides a solid foundation for C1 technology’s future applications in human and animal vaccines and therapeutics. With the H5N1 ('Bird Flu') virus outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, along with one recent human case, we are seeing an increasing interest in our H5N1 'Bird Flu' ferritin nanoparticle human vaccine candidate, developed with ViroVax. Additional animal studies indicate that the vaccine candidate has the potential to generate high neutralizing antibodies for use in cattle. Our Q1 2024 achievements demonstrate our ongoing commitment to enhancing our microbial platforms for diverse applications, and our dedication to improving health for humans and animals, while tackling the challenges of sustainable food production.”
Mr. Emalfarb continued, “As we progress into the second quarter, our Company continues to focus on enhancing the Dapibus™ platform, designed specifically for non- pharmaceutical uses in industries such as food, nutrition, health, and other bioproducts. To accomplish this goal, we have honed our business development strategy, focusing on key areas where our technologies can deliver the greatest impact with shorter commercialization timelines. Our strategy includes simultaneously targeting multiple offtakes for a single product in several corresponding business segments and seeking out new opportunities that are in line with our strategy.”
Joe Hazelton, Dyadic’s Chief Operating Officer, elaborated, “In addition to operational advancements, we also strengthened our financial position with the issuance of $6.0 million in convertible notes, which will be used to accelerate and exploit our strategic objective of near-term revenue generating products and commercialization opportunities for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical applications. We believe that product opportunities such as recombinant human albumin and alpha-lactalbumin provide Dyadic with multiple monetization opportunities as a licensed product or cell line in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and food applications. We are confident that our strong position, both financially and scientifically, will enable us to implement our business plans with improved capabilities and resources. We are enthusiastic about our future prospects and remain committed to providing value to our customers and stakeholders.”
Recent Company Progress
Corporate Events:
DYAI-100 Phase 1 Clinical Trial
DYAI-100, a C1-SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein RBD vaccine candidate, is the first C1-expressed protein tested in humans. The Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed as a first-in-human trial to assess the clinical safety and antibody response of DYAI-100, produced using the C1 platform and administered as a booster vaccine at two single dose levels in healthy volunteers. Following regulatory clearance from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), the trial was initiated in 1Q 2023, with the last patient visit occurring in 3Q 2023. On November 29, 2023, the Company announced the top-line safety results, indicating that the study has met its primary endpoint that both the low and high dose levels of the vaccine are safe and well tolerated among participants. Additionally, the vaccine has been shown to induce immune responses at both dose levels, suggesting its potential efficacy in generating protective immunity against the target virus. The study has been finalized, and the final Clinical Study Report has been issued, demonstrating that the DYAI-100 vaccine met its primary endpoint of safety and reactogenicity.
Dyadic is advancing a pipeline of differentiated product candidates that leverage its microbial protein production platforms, including Dapibus™ which have demonstrated the ability and efficiency to enable the rapid development and large-scale manufacture of proteins at low cost in a wide range of non-pharmaceutical applications and commercial use.
Cell Culture Media Products
Cash Position: As of March 31, 2024, cash, cash equivalents, and the carrying value of investment-grade securities, including accrued interest, were approximately $12.1 million compared to $7.3 million as of December 31, 2023.
Revenue: Research and development revenue and license revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased to approximately $335,000 compared to $934,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease in research and development revenue was due to the winding down of several large research collaborations conducted in 2023. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company’s revenue was generated from ten collaborations compared to seven collaborations in the same period a year ago.
Cost of Revenue: Cost of research and development revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased to approximately $144,000 compared to $727,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease in cost of research and development revenue was due to the same reasons as for revenue described above.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased by 35.5% to approximately $523,000 compared to $811,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease reflected the winding down of activities related to the Company’s Phase 1 clinical trial of DYAI-100 COVID-19 vaccine candidate and a decrease in the amount of ongoing internal research projects.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2024, increased by 20.9% to approximately $1,789,000 compared to $1,480,000 for the same period a year ago. The increase reflected increases in business development and investor relations expenses of approximately $138,000, audit fees of $99,000, management incentives of $59,000, and other increases of $59,000, offset by decreases in insurance expenses of $29,000 and legal expenses of $17,000.
Loss from Operations: Loss from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2024, slightly increased to $2,126,000, compared to $2,050,000 for the same period a year ago.
Net Loss: Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2024, was $2,010,000 or $(0.07) per share compared to $956,000 or $(0.03) per share for the same period a year ago. The increase in net loss was derived from the sale of the Company’s equity interest in Alphazyme LLC for $989,000 in 2023.
Conference Call Information: Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Dial-in numbers: Toll Free 877-407-0784 International +1-201-689-8560 Conference ID: 13743568 Webcast link: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1650831&tp_key=0f89478e24
An archive of the webcast will be available within 24 hours after completion of the live event and will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.dyadic.com. To access the replay of the webcast, please follow the webcast link above.
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Human Health Sector
- Final Clinical Study Report has been issued for the First-In-Human Phase 1 clinical trial demonstrating safety and antibody response for DYAI-100, a recombinant protein receptor binding domain booster vaccine candidate for protection against COVID-19 infection
- Entered into several fully funded vaccine and antibody projects covering more than twelve targets, five of which are funded by two of the top ten pharmaceutical companies
- Successfully expressed a H1N1 influenza antigen in our collaboration with the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (“VIC”) at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Announced strategic partnership to develop affordable rabies prophylactics and vaccines using C1-cell protein production platform
- Published a manuscript of preclinical studies on C1 produced monoclonal antibody in non-human primates and hamsters in prestigious peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications
- Advanced collaboration with Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) targeting bio-threats and emerging disease solutions
- C1 produced adjuvanted recombinant ferritin nanoparticle H5N1 “Bird Flu” human vaccine candidate demonstrated a strong immune response in animal studies
- C1 produced adjuvanted recombinant ferritin nanoparticle H5N1 “Bird Flu” human vaccine candidate demonstrated a strong immune response in animal studies for potential use in poultry, cattle and other animals
- Expanded collaboration with Phibro/Abic to develop vaccines and treatments for companion and livestock animal diseases
- Executed a term sheet to utilize our microbial protein production platforms to develop production strains for the production of recombinant serum albumin
- Advanced development of 6 product candidates for non-pharmaceutical applications utilizing the Dapibus™ platform technology
- Closed a $6.0 million convertible note in a private placement, with a conversion price of $1.79 and no warrants
- Appointed Mr. Patrick Lucy as Board Chairman and Mr. Joe Hazelton as Chief Operating Officer
- Cash and investment grade securities of $12.1 million as of March 31, 2024
- Financial results and business update conference call scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET today
“We continue to execute our business strategy to focus on near-term pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical applications for our proprietary and patented C1 and Dapibus™ protein production platforms and pipeline products,” said Mr. Mark Emalfarb, President and CEO of Dyadic. “One of our key highlights was the successful completion of a Phase 1 clinical trial that met its primary endpoint of safety and reactogenicity affirming the safety of proteins produced by Dyadic's C1 platform in humans. We believe this milestone not only establishes the safety of our platform but also provides a solid foundation for C1 technology’s future applications in human and animal vaccines and therapeutics. With the H5N1 ('Bird Flu') virus outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, along with one recent human case, we are seeing an increasing interest in our H5N1 'Bird Flu' ferritin nanoparticle human vaccine candidate, developed with ViroVax. Additional animal studies indicate that the vaccine candidate has the potential to generate high neutralizing antibodies for use in cattle. Our Q1 2024 achievements demonstrate our ongoing commitment to enhancing our microbial platforms for diverse applications, and our dedication to improving health for humans and animals, while tackling the challenges of sustainable food production.”
Mr. Emalfarb continued, “As we progress into the second quarter, our Company continues to focus on enhancing the Dapibus™ platform, designed specifically for non- pharmaceutical uses in industries such as food, nutrition, health, and other bioproducts. To accomplish this goal, we have honed our business development strategy, focusing on key areas where our technologies can deliver the greatest impact with shorter commercialization timelines. Our strategy includes simultaneously targeting multiple offtakes for a single product in several corresponding business segments and seeking out new opportunities that are in line with our strategy.”
Joe Hazelton, Dyadic’s Chief Operating Officer, elaborated, “In addition to operational advancements, we also strengthened our financial position with the issuance of $6.0 million in convertible notes, which will be used to accelerate and exploit our strategic objective of near-term revenue generating products and commercialization opportunities for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical applications. We believe that product opportunities such as recombinant human albumin and alpha-lactalbumin provide Dyadic with multiple monetization opportunities as a licensed product or cell line in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and food applications. We are confident that our strong position, both financially and scientifically, will enable us to implement our business plans with improved capabilities and resources. We are enthusiastic about our future prospects and remain committed to providing value to our customers and stakeholders.”
Recent Company Progress
Corporate Events:
- On March 8, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate principal amount of $6.0 million of its 8.0% Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes due March 8, 2027 (the “Convertible Notes”) in a private placement in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The purchasers of the Convertible Notes include immediate family members and family trusts related to Mark Emalfarb, our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors, including The Francisco Trust, an existing holder of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock.
- On March 28, 2024, the Company announced changes in the leadership roles of the Board and senior management team: the appointment of Mr. Patrick Lucy as Chairman of Board of Directors and promotion of Mr. Joe Hazelton to Chief Operating Officer.
DYAI-100 Phase 1 Clinical Trial
DYAI-100, a C1-SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein RBD vaccine candidate, is the first C1-expressed protein tested in humans. The Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed as a first-in-human trial to assess the clinical safety and antibody response of DYAI-100, produced using the C1 platform and administered as a booster vaccine at two single dose levels in healthy volunteers. Following regulatory clearance from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), the trial was initiated in 1Q 2023, with the last patient visit occurring in 3Q 2023. On November 29, 2023, the Company announced the top-line safety results, indicating that the study has met its primary endpoint that both the low and high dose levels of the vaccine are safe and well tolerated among participants. Additionally, the vaccine has been shown to induce immune responses at both dose levels, suggesting its potential efficacy in generating protective immunity against the target virus. The study has been finalized, and the final Clinical Study Report has been issued, demonstrating that the DYAI-100 vaccine met its primary endpoint of safety and reactogenicity.
- In April 2024, Dyadic and its development partner ViroVax reported pre-clinical animal testing on a ferritin nanoparticle H5N1 bird flu recombinant protein human vaccine candidate that demonstrated a strong immune response in rabbits. The potential vaccine combines Dyadic’s C1 single step ferritin nanoparticle H5N1 antigen production with a novel adjuvant from ViroVax. Additional animal studies are being carried out that preliminarily show that this H5N1 bird flu vaccine has the potential to be used in humans.
- Successfully expressed H1N1 influenza antigen in the fully funded research collaboration with the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (“VIC”) at Massachusetts General Hospital to express vaccine antigens for influenza A and other infectious diseases, as part of a US $5.88 million award from the Department of Defense (“DoD”).
- On March 25, 2024, the Company entered a funded research collaboration with a top ten pharmaceutical company to develop a vaccine antigen and a monoclonal antibody produced from the C1 technology.
- In March 2024, a manuscript of preclinical studies on C1-produced monoclonal antibody in non-human primates and hamsters was published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications. A non-human primate challenge study completed dosing of a C1-produced COVID-19 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that had previously demonstrated broad neutralization and protection against Omicron (BA.1 and BA.2) and the other earlier variants of concern in hamsters. Preliminary results obtained from the challenge study with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta virus on non-human primates demonstrated potential high protection. This was the first time a C1-produced monoclonal antibody was used in a non-human primate study validating the safety and efficacy of a C1 produced antibody for infectious diseases.
- On February 28, 2024, the Company’s Dutch subsidiary, Dyadic Nederland BV, entered into a strategic partnership agreement and collaboration with Rabian BV (“Rabian”), a Dutch innovative SME founded by experienced entrepreneurs and vaccine scientists. Awarded by Eurostars for the AVATAR project, a part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), and co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe. Rabian will use the total funding of approximately Є1.7 million leveraging its expertise in virology to develop a rabies vaccine using Dyadic’s C1 protein production platform to tackle the challenges posed by rabies, particularly in lower- and middle-income countries. Dyadic is expected to receive an equity stake in Rabian, fully funded research and development costs, and specified product milestones and royalties upon commercialization.
- On February 21, 2024, the Company announced it has advanced its collaboration with the IIBR and its commercial arm Life Science Research Israel (LSRI), to target emerging disease solutions. This partnership aims to leverage Dyadic’s expertise in microbial platforms for flexible scale protein bioproduction and the IIBR’s antibodies and antigens discovery capabilities to develop and manufacture innovative solutions for addressing emerging diseases and potential bio-threats. Through this collaboration, both parties are working towards the development of effective treatments and vaccines to combat global health challenges with the intention of future commercialization (to date, the framework is non-binding and subject to the execution of a binding agreement to be negotiated by the parties) through collaborative out-licensing initiatives.
- On February 13, 2024, the Company announced a strategic partnership with Cygnus Technologies®, part of Maravai LifeSciences®, who have developed the C1 Host Cell Protein ELISA Kit for the quality release of products produced using Dyadic’s protein expression platforms. The C1 Host Cell Protein ELISA Kit is now available for purchase on Cygnus Technologies website under Fungal HCP ELISA kits tab.
- On February 6, 2024, the Company announced it signed a fully funded evaluation agreement including a commercial option with an undisclosed leading global biopharmaceutical company to design and produce recombinant proteins using Dyadic’s C1 microbial protein production platform.
- On March 15, 2024, the Company expanded its collaboration with Phibro Animal Health/Abic Biological Laboratories Ltd to develop vaccines and treatments for companion and livestock animal diseases.
- C1 produced adjuvanted recombinant ferritin nanoparticle H5N1 “Bird Flu” human vaccine candidate demonstrated a strong immune response in animal studies for potential use in poultry, cattle and other animals.
- The H5N1 C1 produced bird flu ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits high neutralizing antibodies against all three virus isolates (including Texas) of the H5 virus in livestock.
Dyadic is advancing a pipeline of differentiated product candidates that leverage its microbial protein production platforms, including Dapibus™ which have demonstrated the ability and efficiency to enable the rapid development and large-scale manufacture of proteins at low cost in a wide range of non-pharmaceutical applications and commercial use.
Cell Culture Media Products
- In March 2024, the Company executed a term sheet with a large global albumin manufacturer and distributor to develop and license Dyadic’s recombinant serum albumin. The Company’s animal-free recombinant serum albumin projects were initiated in late 2022 using Dyadic pharmaceutical cell lines for use in potential therapeutic, product development, research, and/or diagnostic human and animal pharmaceutical applications. The Company has completed the initial analysis of its recombinant albumin products and has Certificates of Analysis for recombinant human and bovine albumin that demonstrate comparability to reference standards used in the testing.
- In March 2024, the Company entered into a co-promotion agreement with Biftek Co. for the promotion of growth media supplement for cell culture.
- The Company is undergoing a project to produce recombinant transferrin for use in cell culture media for the alternative protein industry.
- The Company is currently sampling recombinant bovine albumin for application testing as growth media for the cultured meat industry.
- As previously announced, in September 2023, the Company entered into a development and exclusive license agreement to commercialize certain non-animal dairy enzymes used in the production of food products using Dapibus™ and received an upfront payment of $0.6 million in October 2023. The Company believes it has achieved the specified target yield level required for a milestone payment upon verification by its partner, and the development of a second enzyme is progressing as planned.
- The Company has developed a highly productive strain and is actively sampling recombinant alpha-lactalbumin, a whey protein, and is currently negotiating several development and commercialization agreements.
- The Company is undergoing a beta-lactoglobulin animal-free recombinant whey protein project, expected to begin sampling in the late third quarter.
- The Company is undergoing a recombinant lactoferrin project, expected to begin sampling the product in the late second or early third quarter.
- The Company has developed three enzymes, with plans for two additional enzymes, that have the potential for use in multiple industries, such as dairy, nutrition, biogas, biofuels and biorefining. Several initial targets are under evaluation with interested parties.
Cash Position: As of March 31, 2024, cash, cash equivalents, and the carrying value of investment-grade securities, including accrued interest, were approximately $12.1 million compared to $7.3 million as of December 31, 2023.
Revenue: Research and development revenue and license revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased to approximately $335,000 compared to $934,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease in research and development revenue was due to the winding down of several large research collaborations conducted in 2023. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company’s revenue was generated from ten collaborations compared to seven collaborations in the same period a year ago.
Cost of Revenue: Cost of research and development revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased to approximately $144,000 compared to $727,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease in cost of research and development revenue was due to the same reasons as for revenue described above.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2024, decreased by 35.5% to approximately $523,000 compared to $811,000 for the same period a year ago. The decrease reflected the winding down of activities related to the Company’s Phase 1 clinical trial of DYAI-100 COVID-19 vaccine candidate and a decrease in the amount of ongoing internal research projects.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2024, increased by 20.9% to approximately $1,789,000 compared to $1,480,000 for the same period a year ago. The increase reflected increases in business development and investor relations expenses of approximately $138,000, audit fees of $99,000, management incentives of $59,000, and other increases of $59,000, offset by decreases in insurance expenses of $29,000 and legal expenses of $17,000.
Loss from Operations: Loss from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2024, slightly increased to $2,126,000, compared to $2,050,000 for the same period a year ago.
Net Loss: Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2024, was $2,010,000 or $(0.07) per share compared to $956,000 or $(0.03) per share for the same period a year ago. The increase in net loss was derived from the sale of the Company’s equity interest in Alphazyme LLC for $989,000 in 2023.
Conference Call Information: Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Dial-in numbers: Toll Free 877-407-0784 International +1-201-689-8560 Conference ID: 13743568 Webcast link: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1650831&tp_key=0f89478e24
An archive of the webcast will be available within 24 hours after completion of the live event and will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.dyadic.com. To access the replay of the webcast, please follow the webcast link above.
2024.05.15 14:20 HotSarcasm $ADAP: Adaptimmune Reports Q1 2024 Financial and Business Updates
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Adrian Rawcliffe, Adaptimmune's Chief Executive Officer: "Support from the sarcoma community continues to highlight the high unmet medical need for new therapies for synovial sarcoma and we are making great progress preparing for the commercial launch of afami-cel on approval. Behind afami-cel, we plan to launch lete-cel for synovial sarcoma and MRCLS in 2026 with projected peak US sales of $400 million for our sarcoma franchise." Sarcoma Franchise with afami-cel and lete-cel
Today's Webcast Details A live webcast and replay can be accessed at https://www.gowebcasting.com/13334**.** Call in information is as follows: 1-800-806-5484 (US or Canada) or +416-340-2217 (International and additional options available HERE) and the passcode is 3025919#. Callers should dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and simply ask to join the Adaptimmune call. About Adaptimmune Adaptimmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on designing, developing, and delivering cell therapies to transform the lives of people with cancer. The Company's unique engineered T-cell receptor (TCR) platform enables the engineering of T-cells to target and destroy cancers across multiple solid tumor types. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, and include, without limitation: the success, cost and timing of our product development activities and clinical trials and our ability to successfully advance our TCR therapeutic candidates through the regulatory and commercialization processes. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to our business in general, we refer you to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended 31 December, 2023, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made and we do not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Total Liquidity (a non-GAAP financial measure) Total Liquidity (a non-GAAP financial measure) is the total of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities (available-for-sale debt securities). Each of these components appears separately in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The U.S. GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to Total Liquidity is cash and cash equivalents as reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements, which reconciles to Total Liquidity as follows (in thousands): https://preview.redd.it/hsnd589f1l0d1.png?width=1318&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c2d7bc5f2f06871993309dc9b4e125672e82dfd The Company believes that the presentation of Total Liquidity provides useful information to investors because management reviews Total Liquidity as part of its assessment of overall solvency and liquidity, financial flexibility, capital position and leverage. Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations (unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) https://preview.redd.it/6lyfu3gj1l0d1.png?width=1642&format=png&auto=webp&s=7e8d43f0c148dac5f17389d0e6891fbcbe634052 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited, in thousands, except share data) https://preview.redd.it/1ro5ubbp1l0d1.png?width=1474&format=png&auto=webp&s=148a070d003d85bcbbc258d996e3f85b586bcb65 Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement (unaudited, in thousands) https://preview.redd.it/mdyx2ups1l0d1.png?width=1368&format=png&auto=webp&s=fcbea401b0e4a5add6c2f6c41be868a29151fd22 FULL RELEASE: https://www.adaptimmune.com/investors-and-media/news-centepress-releases/detail/268/adaptimmune-reports-q1-2024-financial-and-business-updates |
2024.05.15 14:13 Ephine Patch 14.10 Bug Megathread
PLEASE USE THE FORMAT SHOWN BELOW WHEN REPORTING A BUG
Prerequisites to be noted before reporting a bug
Confirming the status of bugs and fixes on a new patch is also appreciated.
Below is a continuous list of currently identified bugs:
submitted by Ephine to CompetitiveTFT [link] [comments]
- Description:
- Video / Screenshot:
- Steps to reproduce:
- Expected result:
- Observed result:
Prerequisites to be noted before reporting a bug
A bug will ideally be accompanied with a screenshot or a video. This provides credibility to your report. Steps to recreate the bugs should be submitted if possible. This helps Rioters recreate the bug and helps them find the cause behind it. The bug must have been caused by the latest patch.Please check the list or the thread before posting a new bug to see if yours has already been posted. Simply upvote another comment if that's the case. Thanks.
Confirming the status of bugs and fixes on a new patch is also appreciated.
Patch notes
Patch 14.6 Patch 14.7 Patch 14.8 Patch 14.9 Patch 14.10Below is a continuous list of currently identified bugs:
| Description | Details | Link | Patch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tactician's Crowns sometimes bench your entire board | Seems to be related to Tactician's Crowns | Link Link | 14.6 | Fixed 14.7 |
| Call to Chaos rewards are different from whats stated | Text bugs | Link | 14.6 | Fixed 14.7 |
| Senna cast fizzles if her target dies during her cast | Have Senna's target die as she hits full mana. The spell will be cast at the dead unit's location. (May be the expected behavior) | Link | 14.6 | Fixed 14.8 |
| Wandering Vendor can spawn with 2 Zz'rot, but only 1 voidling spawns | Either 2 should spawn or Vendors should only generate with 1 Zz'rot | Link | 14.6 | Unique item now |
| Kayle revival sometimes stops fights entirely | Link Clip | 14.6 | May be fixed 14.8 (can no longer revive tentacle) | |
| Yone skill stopped from casting after getting ulted by Udyr | Yone had QSS | Link Youtube | 14.6 | May be fixed 14.8 |
| Rakan ulted multiple times in succession | Did not have to wait for mana to regen before ulting. | Link | 14.6 | |
| Masterwork Upgrade can cause a unit to become unsellable | Use it on a unit with an item mid-fight | Link | 14.6 | Fixed 14.9 |
| If you get a free roll from Primatic Reroll and wait til the next round, the free reroll is wasted | May be intended? | Link | 14.6 | |
| Hwei's artist bench slot counter can overflow from 9 to 0. | Place a component anvil on it to stall the counter | Link | 14.6 | |
| If you get Udyr encounter while you have an armory up you can block your shop | Happens if you fail to select a item in time | Link | 14.6 | |
| Unit vanished from board as combat starts | May be related to Caretaker's Ally | Link | 14.6 | |
| Recombobulator missed a unit | Happened during randomized augment timing portal | Link | 14.6 | May be fixed 14.8 |
| Pick of the Litter only granted 1 unit | Bag sizes? | Link | 14.6 | |
| Its possible to stack Kayle and Target Dummy on the same hex | Link | 14.6 | ||
| Temporary items from encounters can turn into permanent Support Anvils with Fine Vintage | Link | 14.7 | No longer possible but may still exist | |
| Tactician's Crowns can be reforged | May require Trash to Treasure | 14.7 | ||
| After casting, if Yone's original hex is occupied when he is supposed to return, he can bug out | Link | 14.7 | ||
| Lucky Ricochet extra bounce may be bugged sometimes | Link | 14.7 | ||
| Instant huge damage | Not sure! | Link Clip Clip | 14.6 | |
| Slammin' sometimes doesn't work | No items on item bench or unit bench | 14.6 | ||
| Yone and Udyr could CC through Quicksilver | Fixed 14.8 | |||
| Build a Pal gives 3 2 star 1 costs, and the orbs can turn into gold if your bench is full | Either give a 3 star straight up or don't turn into gold if your bench is full | 14.7 | ||
| Teemo sometimes cancels an AA after casting | Link | 14.8 | ||
| Stage 5 PVE dragon didn't drop an item after being killed. | Maybe due to being killed by Lissandera? | Link | 14.8 | |
| If you roll while travelling to another player's board, your board isn't considered when determining what units show up in your shop | For example, a unit you 3 starred can appear. Maybe this could also apply to things like Headliners | Link | ||
| Temporal Hwei from Lilia encounter can't duplicate units on your bench | The bench slot is highlighted | Link | 14.8 | |
| Sett's Fated effect applies omnivamp to item damage as well | Put a Sunfire Cape on Thresh and watch | Youtube | 14.8 | Fixed and adjusted 14.9 |
| Little Buddies doesn't apply to Xayah or Rakan | The bonuses show up when they are on the bench | Link | 14.8 | |
| Nautilus sometimes ults towards sideline units (the other of Xayah/Rakan) | Sometimes he ults backwards too? | Link | 14.8 | |
| Entire lobby couldn't use items | Game ID included | Link | 14.8 | |
| Using Masterwork Upgrade on a unit then removing its items will give you the radiant item for free | 14.8 | Fixed 14.9 | ||
| If Xayah and Rakan have Accomplice's Gloves and roll a Zz'rot, you can have two voidspawns | Change their form during planning phase | Link | 14.8 | |
| Carousel not respecting unit pools | A 10th Hwei shows up on carousel | Link Clip | 14.8 | |
| During portal selection, you can step off a portal option right as picking starts; if the picker selects someone who's not standing on a portal, there will be no portal ("nil_name") | Link | 14.9 | ||
2024.05.15 12:49 ifadefense CDS Coaching in Chandigarh
Elevate Your Career with IFA Defence Academy: Premier CDS Coaching in Chandigarh
A career in the Indian Armed Forces is not just a job; it's a calling. The (CDS) Examination is the gateway for graduates to join the Indian Military Academy, Officers Training Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Indian Air Force Academy. Preparing for such a competitive and prestigious examination demands the best guidance and coaching. IFA Defence Academy stands as a beacon of excellence for CDS Coaching in Chandigarh, helping aspirants turn their dreams into reality.Why Choose IFA Defence Academy?
At IFA Defence Academy, we are committed to providing exceptional coaching that equips you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in the CDS examination. Here’s what sets us apart:- Experienced and Dedicated Faculty
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Our alumni’s success is a testament to our effective coaching methodologies and unwavering commitment. Many of our former students have successfully cleared the CDS exam and are now serving with distinction in various branches of the Indian Armed Forces. Their achievements inspire us to continue striving for excellence.Enroll with Us Today!
Choosing IFA Defence Academy for your CDS Coaching in Chandigarh is the first step towards a rewarding career in the Indian Armed Forces. Our comprehensive, dedicated, and result-oriented approach ensures that you are well-prepared to meet the challenges of the CDS examination.2024.05.15 08:57 Cheesy-Tube Chapter 2 is now ready with an image attached
 | Chapter 2 - Scouting and Selection submitted by Cheesy-Tube to httyd [link] [comments] On the ships, the vikings had reached the foggy place they went to before, in the previously failed attempt to take the nest the previous time. And while Stoick looked out on the blinded horizon, he would call out orders until he was approached by another viking. Phlegma: “Erm, Stoick?” Stoick: “What is it Phlegma?…” Phlegma: “Is everything alright?… You’ve had your nose incredibly out of joint after what Hiccup revealed and now this?… Is there any reason to it at all?” Stoick: “The plan is simple Phlegma… Find the nest, destroy it and kill the dragons off…” Phlegma: “I know but why attack now? It doesn’t seem… You know… Quite as planned out as the last few times we did this…” Stoick: “Why are you questioning me about this?” Phlegma: “You’ve hardly said a word besides barking orders at us, even Spitelout is getting concerned…” He just ignores her, and continues to stare out into the fog. Phlegma: “Did something else happen with Hiccup?…” Stoick: “Don’t ever mention his name again…” Phlegma: “What? Why?…” Stoick: “He’s nothing to do with me anymore…” Another viking on his ship who hears this, then approaches Stoick with a question. Hoark: “Stoick?… Did you disown your boy?… Over this?…” Stoick: “Well I’m not holding a banner about it but yes… He sided with the dragons and now my credibility here is just about ruined…” Spitelout: “Well good riddance I say, that kid’s been nothing but trouble, I just hope he hasn’t influenced my boy-o to do something similar.” Phlegma: “Hey! Don’t you start Spitelout, or I’ll toss you overboard!” Stoick: “Everyone shut up! This isn’t helping… Just get back to the search.” He barked out as everyone with disapproving, tense or frightened looks continue to manage their posts. Avoiding sea stacks, and keeping an eye out for any dragons that would try to approach. Meanwhile back on Berk, Hiccup and Astrid reach the arena, eyeing off a cage thinking about the dragon that would suit her best, as well as trying to look for Toothless. Astrid: “This is… Definitely crazy…” Hiccup: “Like I said earlier Astrid, crazy is what we do best here.” They then hears footsteps approaching, which Hiccup didn’t anticipate since everyone else had left the island. After a few seconds they stop, and as they turn around to look who it was, they see the other four dragon training students. One of them, Fishlegs, then starts to speak. Fishlegs: “If you’re planning on getting eaten, I’d definitely go with the Gronckle." Astrid: “What are you guys doing here? And why would you say something like that Fishlegs?” Fishlegs: “Sorry… Group anger makes me nervous and I’m just trying to fit in with it…” Hiccup: “Save your breath… It’s not like you’ll be using it much to curse me out anyway…” Snotlout: “What even are you planning?” Hiccup: “Self imposed exile… It’s better off this way given the circumstances, and don’t you guys try and talk me out of it… There’s nothing left for me here on Berk, I’m essentially just another mouth to feed and I’ve just eaten my last morsel…” Fishlegs: “Hiccup, I know what I said earlier may have come off as harsh, but we’re not here to ridicule you.” Hiccup: “You aren’t?” Tuffnut: “We aren’t?” Fishlegs: “Of course not guys, we talked about this earlier?” Ruffnut: “Oh right, we just tune out a lot of the time.” Snotlout: “Ugh… You two…” Fishlegs: “Anyway we’re here because we want to come with you both.” Hiccup: “Wait, what!?” Astrid: “And how do you know I’m going with him?” She asks in shock, as Snotlout then points to her basket of assorted items. Snotlout: “We figured it out as soon as you ran out of the house with that basket.” Fishlegs: “And after what we saw you attempt to do today, we connected the dots with the previous lessons we all had.” Hiccup: So… You knew?…” Fishlegs: “Yes.” Hiccup: “And you’re not upset at this? You don’t think I’m a traitor?” Fishlegs: “Absolutely not.” Snotlout: “Not really.” Ruffnut: “I’m actually very impressed by this.” Tuffnut: “I’m still slightly confused but it seems everyone’s in agreement with you here so, I’m with you little dude.” Hiccup: “Guys… I- I don’t know what to say…” Astrid: “Well you can start with what your plan is for us to leave here.” Hiccup: “Good point, but what I need to do first is find Toothless.” After he explains this, he hears Toothless’s trademark roar in a cage next to the Gronckle’s, and saw a flash of purple underneath the door. Deducing his best friend was locked up in there, he approaches the cage, opens the door and in a flash ends up on the floor with the Night Fury licking his face. Hiccup: “Aaahhhh! Agh, hey, I’m glad to see you too bud! It’ll be okay now that you’re out of there.” Toothless ends his lick barrage and lets out a purr, before seeing Astrid, and smiling at her. Eventually turning to the rest of the teenagers with a snarl, and charging up a fireball until Hiccup intervenes. Hiccup: Whoa, whoa, Toothless, Stand down! They’re not going to hurt you. The dragon then lets the fireball dissipate in his mouth, after letting out a cough and continues to stare at them. Fishlegs: “Oooh! A Night Fury! I never dreamed I’d see one in the flesh!” Tuffnut: “Um… What happened to his tail?” Hiccup: “Oh, er… Well you guys remember when I said to my father that I shot down a Night Fury and none of call believed me?…” They all nod with scattered ‘yes’s and ‘uh-huh’s after he asks this. Hiccup: “Well that was the result of it…” Fishlegs: “And did you make that artificial one for him?” Hiccup: “Yes, because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to fly.” Snotlout: "Oh great, not just great, perfect even. The dragon lover has hurt one of his closest friends.” Astrid: “This was before he and Toothless became friends” Tuffnut: “Why does he call him Toothless? All dragons have sharp teeth.” Hiccup: “Show ‘em bud.” Toothless then demonstrates to them all his retractable teeth, forcing them into his jaw and allowing the group to admire it for a while, before unsheathing them again. Hiccup: “That is why.” Ruffnut: “That’s incredible! I’m very impressed Hiccup~” She responds in a strangely flirty tone, causing Hiccup to become nervous and Astrid to stare her down. Fishlegs: “So… Um… How do we get our own dragons?” Hiccup: “I’ll show you, just do as I tell you, and you could very well make a fire-breathing friend for life.” He begins to explain with a more confident smile, as he approaches the Deadly Nadder’s cage, and opens it. Back with the boats, Stoick’s crew ends up becoming more despondent as after a considerable amount of time they still don’t end up closer to the nest. Assuming they merely went in circles, he then orders the ships to split up and take other paths, causing more confusion in the soldiers. Stoick: “I don’t care if you don’t like it, I’m the chief, and my way goes!” Spitelout: “Stoick, we’ve done this once before and we never return with a full crew afterwards!” Stoick: “Oh would you like to be running this particular mission?” Spitelout: “I’m just pointing out that maybe-” Stoick: “Well you’ll have time to point things out when we get there, now keep your positions!” He goes back to eyeing out the fog, while Spitelout angrily informs the rowers to keep moving, and orders two ships to split from the main group and row further to the starboard side. Back at the arena, and Hiccup gently coaxes the last dragon to exit his cage, the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup: “It’s okay… We’ve done this once before big guy.” He leads him further out into the arena. Even though the teens had already seen him doing this with the Gronckle, the Zippleback and the Nadder, they still watch on in awe. Hiccup, then having lead the Monstrous Nightmare out, then leads him to Snotlout. Snotlout: “Wait! What are you-!?” Hiccup: “Whoa, just relax… It’s okay, It’s okay.” He replies to both Snotlout and the dragon, as he grabs Snotlout’s hand. Putting it gently on the Monstrous Nightmare’s nose, causing the dragon to purr, and Snotlout to have a small giggle in disbelief. Snotlout: “Okay, this is amazing! Hey, where are you going Hiccup?” Hiccup: “Well, you’re all going to need something to help you hold on for a while, because we’re going to be riding these guys, to find ourselves a new home. Now there has to be some rope in here somewhere…” He begins to look through the munitions trough, then hearing a voice by the gate calling out to them all. Gobber: “Actually Hiccup, you could make them their own saddles, you have the time after all.” Hiccup: “Gobber? How did you know about that? And why are you not with the rest of the village?” Gobber: “I heard there was a slight tiff between you and your father, and wanted to at least try and help you out.” Hiccup: “Well that’s an understatement… As far as he’s concerned he’s not even my father anymore…” Gobber: “So I heard, and that was wrong, so I didn’t join him on his insanely deadly mission. What I will do though is help you kids out, so what can I start with?” Hiccup: “Well if you insist Gobber, and we’re going to need measurements for everybody and their new dragons. Just to make sure we have enough material to make the saddles, and ensure they don’t come off while we’re flying.” Gobber: “Righty-ho, I’ll see if I can find the tape measure!” He replies with determination, as he and Hiccup rush off to the smithy to get the saddles ready, while the rest of the teens acquaint themselves with their new dragons. Tuffnut: “I still don’t get why we have to share one…” Astrid: “Because all the other dragons have been taken by the rest of us.” Fishlegs: “Plus, among certain disciplines you guys work far better together, instead of apart.” Ruffnut: “No denying that!~” Fishlegs: “The Zippleback is much the same way, and with you guys sharing him, it would be far easier for things like rescue missions, search and seize-” Tuffnut: “Ultimate destruction?” Fishlegs: “What!? No!-” Snotlout: “Leave it Fishface, they’re already engrained in it…” An exasperated sigh escapes Fishlegs’s mouth, as he, Snotlout and Astrid are forced to watch this spectacle go on. Hiccup meanwhile, ends up having another heart-to-heart with Gobber. Gobber: “So how long has this thing with dragons been going on?” Hiccup: “Er… Sort of on and off since the early morning, raid months ago.” Gobber: “When you said you hit a Night Fury?” Hiccup: Yeah… Anyway it turned out you and everyone else were right… I’m not a dragon killer… Not even a proper viking in their eyes… But what I became, was something more valuable. A dragon trainer.” Gobber: “Dragon trainer?” Hiccup: “Understanding their ins and outs, gaining trust with tossing away weapons and feeding them fish, and in Toothless’s case, helping him regain his ability to fly.” Gobber: “That’s quite the achievement.” Hiccup: “Heh, you must be the only adult here that thinks that… Everyone else had kind of deemed me as an outcast… No one looks in my direction just like they used to before all this, and now even my dad doesn’t want a bar of me…” Gobber: “Hiccup… I know you’re going through a rough time at the moment, but is this really the way to go?… You’ve got an entire lifetime laid out ahead of you lad. And I-” Hiccup: “What life?… It honestly feels like I’m no longer welcome here by anyone, especially my own father… I’ve mentioned to you before that he doesn’t listen to me… I just wish for once he would realise that I could have valuable insight into all this stuff about Berk, vikings and the dragons, but he’s just too… Stubborn and set in his ways…” Hearing this soliloquy, Gobber simply sighs and puts his hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. Gobber: “I’m sure things will turn around for you soon Hiccup… In the meantime at least you’ll have your friends around you… Speaking of which, we should make a start on their saddles, shouldn’t we?” Hiccup: “Yep, you’re right Gobber, now let’s get that forge lit-” Not realising Toothless had followed them there, he lets out a plasma blast reigniting the coals. Giving Gobber a surprised gasp, but Hiccup looks over at the both of them with confusing before turning into amusement. Hiccup: “Just so you know Toothless, you didn’t have to do that, because you’re not a tool, but thanks.” He replies to his best bud as he sets some old discarded metal on top of the hot coals, and begins pressing on the bellows. After some time, they arrive back at the arena with the finished saddles. And after putting them onto the dragons, get ready to set off. Hiccup: “Well I guess this is it Gobber, I’ll make sure to write every so often.” Gobber: “Och, I have faith in ye, lad. Don’t ye worry” Snotlout: “Yeah, but it’s going to be ages before the mail arrives at either location.” Hiccup: “But it won’t have to” He replies to Snotlout with a grin, as he unleashes another secret weapon, in the form of a Terrible Terror with a cylindrical container loosely tied around his neck. Snotlout: “Whoa!” Tuffnut: “What the-?” Fishlegs: “Wow.” Hiccup: “Gang, this here is Messenger. He’s going to be part of our new mail delivery service, or Terror mail as I like to call it” Gobber: “Terror Mail?” Hiccup: “Yep, this little tube around his neck, will be used to store telegrams and all sorts of written documents, and transport them to the recipient carefully without getting dropped, drenched, or torched” Astrid: “And what if Stoick were to see him arriving on or leaving Berk?” Hiccup: “Honestly, I can’t even try think about it… But that’s why Gobber when he arrives with anything, you are to keep him in the shop, hidden up in the back corners so no-one discovers him.” Gobber: “Er… Righty-ho, I’ll do my best…” Hiccup: “Good, ready to fly gang?” Teens: “Yes!” Hiccup: “Alright, now hold tight.” He informs them as he sets his leg into Toothless’s mechanical stirrups. Hiccup: “Let’s go bud.” With a mighty roar, Toothless rushes upwards into the air, the rest of the teens follow suit. Astrid taking the position directly behind Toothless and Hiccup, Snotlout close behind them, the twins slightly lagging due to another argument, and Fishlegs pulling up the rear with his Gronckle. Gobber watches them fly off, giving them a send off wave as he heads back to the blacksmith stall. And that's the last teaser I put out, the rest will be on Wattpad https://preview.redd.it/19yin686gj0d1.jpg?width=787&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7618d0eed0a2586ac4998d507c32f0df171350b |
2024.05.15 08:29 themoultonweekly "Goa Board 10th Result 2024: How and When to Check GBSHSE SSC Scorecards"
 | It’s the moment of reckoning for students awaiting their Goa Board 10th Result 2024. The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) is set to announce the results today, marking the culmination of the SSC examination process for thousands of students. submitted by themoultonweekly to u/themoultonweekly [link] [comments] Goa 10th Result 2024: Students should visit the official website to check their respective results -- gbshse.in. This year’s SSC exams took place from April 1 to April 24, unlike previous years, where the exams were conducted in two terms. A total of 19,557 students appeared for the exams, with 9,743 boys and 9,814 girls, including repeaters and private candidates. Here’s how and when you can check your Goa Board SSC results: Where to Check: Once the results are declared, students can access their scorecards on the official website of GBSHSE — gbshse.in. How to Check:
Wishing all students the very best for their Goa Board 10th Result 2024! |
2024.05.15 08:06 Inception_025 Movie of the Year 1997 Survivor Lifesaver Round
24 films have been eliminated, now it's time to bring two back into the game.
Movie of the Year 1997 Nominees
You will have 48 hours to vote.
Please select TWO eliminated films that you would like to save.
---
Nominations Results
Round of 32 Results
Round of 16 Results
PREVIOUS MOVIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS (click to view full event)
1998: The Truman Show (d. Peter Weir)
1999: Magnolia (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Oscar Ineligible of the 2000s: In the Mood for Love (d. Wong Kar-Wai)
2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (d. Ang Lee)
2001: Mulholland Drive (d. David Lynch)
2002: Spirited Away (d. Hayao Miyazaki)
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (d. Peter Jackson)
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (d. Michel Gondry)
2005: Brokeback Mountain (d. Ang Lee)
2006: Children of Men (d. Alfonso Cuarón)
2007: There Will Be Blood (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
2008: WALL-E (d. Andrew Stanton)
2009: Inglourious Basterds (d. Quentin Tarantino)
Oscar Ineligible of the 2010s: It's Such a Beautiful Day (d. Don Hertzfeldt)
2010: The Social Network (d. David Fincher)
2011: A Separation (d. Asghar Farhadi)
2012: Moonrise Kingdom (d. Wes Anderson)
2013: Her (d. Spike Jonze)
2014: Whiplash (d. Damien Chazelle)
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road (d. George Miller)
2016: Arrival (d. Denis Villeneuve)
2017: Get Out (d. Jordan Peele)
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (d. Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti & Rodney Rothman)
2019: Parasite (d. Bong Joon-Ho)
2020: The Father (d. Florian Zeller)
2021: The Worst Person in the World (d. Joachim Trier)
2022: The Banshees of Inisherin (d. Martin McDonagh)
2023: Oppenheimer (d. Christopher Nolan)
PREVIOUS MOVIE OF THE DECADE WINNERS (click to view full event)
2000s: There Will Be Blood (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
2010s: Parasite (d. Bong Joon-Ho)
Letterboxd List of All Past Nominees
Letterboxd Master List of All Past Top 32s
submitted by Inception_025 to Oscars [link] [comments]
Movie of the Year 1997 Nominees
- Boogie Nights
- The Fifth Element
- Good Will Hunting
- Happy Together
- The Ice Storm
- Jackie Brown
- L.A. Confidential
- Titanic
Please select TWO eliminated films that you would like to save.
---
Nominations Results
Round of 32 Results
Round of 16 Results
1998: The Truman Show (d. Peter Weir)
1999: Magnolia (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Oscar Ineligible of the 2000s: In the Mood for Love (d. Wong Kar-Wai)
2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (d. Ang Lee)
2001: Mulholland Drive (d. David Lynch)
2002: Spirited Away (d. Hayao Miyazaki)
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (d. Peter Jackson)
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (d. Michel Gondry)
2005: Brokeback Mountain (d. Ang Lee)
2006: Children of Men (d. Alfonso Cuarón)
2007: There Will Be Blood (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
2008: WALL-E (d. Andrew Stanton)
2009: Inglourious Basterds (d. Quentin Tarantino)
Oscar Ineligible of the 2010s: It's Such a Beautiful Day (d. Don Hertzfeldt)
2010: The Social Network (d. David Fincher)
2011: A Separation (d. Asghar Farhadi)
2012: Moonrise Kingdom (d. Wes Anderson)
2013: Her (d. Spike Jonze)
2014: Whiplash (d. Damien Chazelle)
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road (d. George Miller)
2016: Arrival (d. Denis Villeneuve)
2017: Get Out (d. Jordan Peele)
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (d. Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti & Rodney Rothman)
2019: Parasite (d. Bong Joon-Ho)
2020: The Father (d. Florian Zeller)
2021: The Worst Person in the World (d. Joachim Trier)
2022: The Banshees of Inisherin (d. Martin McDonagh)
2023: Oppenheimer (d. Christopher Nolan)
2000s: There Will Be Blood (d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
2010s: Parasite (d. Bong Joon-Ho)
Letterboxd Master List of All Past Top 32s
2024.05.15 07:56 readingitnowagain Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott defeats former Mayor Sheila Dixon in primary contest, making Mayor Scott the foregone favorite to hold the Mayorship against African American Republican Shannon Wright who's barely pulling 1,000 votes.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/05/14/scott-dixon-campaigning-primary-maryland-baltimore/
By Emily Opilo eopilo@baltsun.com PUBLISHED: May 14, 2024 at 3:51 p.m. UPDATED: May 15, 2024 at 12:56 a.m.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott declared victory in his bid for reelection Tuesday after opening what appeared to be an insurmountable lead over his chief opponent, former Mayor Sheila Dixon.
The Associated Press called the race for Scott at 11:24 p.m. Taking the stage minutes later at his South Baltimore election night party, Scott thanked Dixon for running a hard-fought campaign, but said it was time to “turn the page.”
“I think it’s safe to say we’re destined for a second term,” Scott said, prompting loud applause from a celebratory crowd.
Dixon, who left her party before 11 p.m., said before her departure that the race was too close to call.
After Scott declared victory, Dixon spokesman Luca Amayo said that “regardless of how the votes fall, there will always be people in the city who consider Sheila Dixon the forever mayor of Baltimore.”
The race pitted the first-term Scott against Dixon, the city’s mayor of three years, in a rematch of the 2020 contest that put Scott in office. Both are Democrats.
This time, the field was half the size of the crowded 2020 race and the upper tier of candidates shrank. Former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the race in the first week of May, less than 24 hours ahead of the start of early voting. Businessman Bob Wallace, an independent candidate for mayor in 2020, ran this time as a Democrat, but failed to gain traction.
Returns from the early voting period, mail-in ballots cast ahead of the election, and almost all of the city’s 295 precincts showed Scott with 50.9% of votes cast to Dixon’s 41.3% — a difference of about 6,200 votes. Vignarajah, who exited the race too late to remove his name from the ballot, still received 3% of the preliminary vote. The returns do not include at least 13,500 mail-in ballots that have yet to be counted by the Baltimore Board of Elections.
When early returns first became public, Dixon jumped to an early lead. However, Scott quickly became the frontrunner and continued to widen his margin Tuesday night as additional returns from primary day were posted.
Cheers broke out at Scott’s party at Baltimore Peninsula earlier Tuesday as initial returns hit two television screens showing Scott slightly ahead of Dixon. Diana Turner danced joyfully as video clips of Scott played on the newscasts. Turner admitted she was unnerved to see the numbers so close between Scott and Dixon, but said she learned from Scott’s previous campaign that initial figures don’t tell the whole story.
“It’s going to fluctuate depending on where the polls are,” she said.
Dixon supporters said they expected the race to be close and the early returns gave them hope that she could, unlike last time, end up victorious.
“I think it was too soon last time,” said Kim Bangs, 64, of Canton said of Dixon’s 2020 bid for the office.
The city board of elections tallied about 11,700 mail-in ballots from Democratic voters ahead of primary day. The canvassing of remaining mail-in ballots will not resume until Thursday.
The 2024 mayoral contest, like many before it, focused heavily on crime. Scott touted the city’s reduction in homicides in 2023 — fewer than 300 people were killed for the first time in nearly a decade. Dixon argued Scott focused only on the homicide rate, allowing quality-of-life crimes to go unaddressed and chasing residents from the city.
Scott, 40, and Dixon, 70, represent different generations of City Hall leadership, but at times, their plans converged. Dixon’s crime plan, rolled out in January, called for a focused deterrence model of policing which would attempt to identify violent offenders and offer social supports in an effort to redirect them. Scott implemented a similar program, known as the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. That approach, piloted in the Baltimore Police Department’s Western District and since expanded, aims to intercept those vulnerable to becoming shooters or victims and provide social supports. The mayor credits it in part for the reduction in homicides.
Both Scott and Dixon’s housing plans call for tax increment financing or “TIFs” to be used in various neighborhoods to address vacant properties.
Dixon and Scott opted to cast their ballots in person Tuesday morning, Dixon near her Hunting Ridge home in West Baltimore and Scott in his Northeast Baltimore neighborhood. Dixon said she was “at peace” as she entered her polling place at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. Scott carried 5-month-old son, Charm Scott, nestled in a car seat into his polling place at Engine House 56.
Some heavy-hitters threw their support behind both candidates, wagering political capital on the close race. Democratic State’s Attorney Ivan Bates joined Dixon’s cause, endorsing the former mayor and calling Scott out for what Bates said was a lack of partnership between the prosecutor’s office and Scott’s City Hall. Sheriff Sam Cogen, too, said Scott has failed to be a partner to his office.
U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen both backed Scott, as did numerous unions that represent city employees. Some, like the unions representing the city’s firefighters, took shots at Dixon’s treatment of the fire department during her time in office. Unions backed a PAC that supported Scott with voter outreach and online advertising.
Scott led in fundraising and spending, dropping almost $1 million on the contest since the start of the year. Dixon has spent $653,100 since January. A PAC supporting Dixon’s campaign (funded in large part David Smith, a co-owner of The Baltimore Sun and chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group) supplemented Dixon’s effort, running ads that tried to paint Scott as an inexperienced leader. Scott’s ads sought to remind residents of Dixon’s criminal past. She was forced to leave office in 2010 after an embezzlement conviction.
The results of the race showed Vignarajah’s exit did little to tighten the contest. Running his fourth campaign for citywide office in the last seven years, Vignarajah threw his support to Dixon after conversations with the camps of both leading contenders. Scott said afterward that Vignarajah asked to be named police chief or CEO of city schools in exchange for his support. Dixon said no deal was made with Vignarajah for a job, although she declined to discuss potential positions in her administration that he may have suggested. Vignarajah said he offered to be “helpful” to the Dixon administration.
submitted by readingitnowagain to AfroAmericanPolitics [link] [comments]
By Emily Opilo eopilo@baltsun.com PUBLISHED: May 14, 2024 at 3:51 p.m. UPDATED: May 15, 2024 at 12:56 a.m.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott declared victory in his bid for reelection Tuesday after opening what appeared to be an insurmountable lead over his chief opponent, former Mayor Sheila Dixon.
The Associated Press called the race for Scott at 11:24 p.m. Taking the stage minutes later at his South Baltimore election night party, Scott thanked Dixon for running a hard-fought campaign, but said it was time to “turn the page.”
“I think it’s safe to say we’re destined for a second term,” Scott said, prompting loud applause from a celebratory crowd.
Dixon, who left her party before 11 p.m., said before her departure that the race was too close to call.
After Scott declared victory, Dixon spokesman Luca Amayo said that “regardless of how the votes fall, there will always be people in the city who consider Sheila Dixon the forever mayor of Baltimore.”
The race pitted the first-term Scott against Dixon, the city’s mayor of three years, in a rematch of the 2020 contest that put Scott in office. Both are Democrats.
This time, the field was half the size of the crowded 2020 race and the upper tier of candidates shrank. Former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the race in the first week of May, less than 24 hours ahead of the start of early voting. Businessman Bob Wallace, an independent candidate for mayor in 2020, ran this time as a Democrat, but failed to gain traction.
Returns from the early voting period, mail-in ballots cast ahead of the election, and almost all of the city’s 295 precincts showed Scott with 50.9% of votes cast to Dixon’s 41.3% — a difference of about 6,200 votes. Vignarajah, who exited the race too late to remove his name from the ballot, still received 3% of the preliminary vote. The returns do not include at least 13,500 mail-in ballots that have yet to be counted by the Baltimore Board of Elections.
When early returns first became public, Dixon jumped to an early lead. However, Scott quickly became the frontrunner and continued to widen his margin Tuesday night as additional returns from primary day were posted.
Cheers broke out at Scott’s party at Baltimore Peninsula earlier Tuesday as initial returns hit two television screens showing Scott slightly ahead of Dixon. Diana Turner danced joyfully as video clips of Scott played on the newscasts. Turner admitted she was unnerved to see the numbers so close between Scott and Dixon, but said she learned from Scott’s previous campaign that initial figures don’t tell the whole story.
“It’s going to fluctuate depending on where the polls are,” she said.
Dixon supporters said they expected the race to be close and the early returns gave them hope that she could, unlike last time, end up victorious.
“I think it was too soon last time,” said Kim Bangs, 64, of Canton said of Dixon’s 2020 bid for the office.
The city board of elections tallied about 11,700 mail-in ballots from Democratic voters ahead of primary day. The canvassing of remaining mail-in ballots will not resume until Thursday.
The 2024 mayoral contest, like many before it, focused heavily on crime. Scott touted the city’s reduction in homicides in 2023 — fewer than 300 people were killed for the first time in nearly a decade. Dixon argued Scott focused only on the homicide rate, allowing quality-of-life crimes to go unaddressed and chasing residents from the city.
Scott, 40, and Dixon, 70, represent different generations of City Hall leadership, but at times, their plans converged. Dixon’s crime plan, rolled out in January, called for a focused deterrence model of policing which would attempt to identify violent offenders and offer social supports in an effort to redirect them. Scott implemented a similar program, known as the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. That approach, piloted in the Baltimore Police Department’s Western District and since expanded, aims to intercept those vulnerable to becoming shooters or victims and provide social supports. The mayor credits it in part for the reduction in homicides.
Both Scott and Dixon’s housing plans call for tax increment financing or “TIFs” to be used in various neighborhoods to address vacant properties.
Dixon and Scott opted to cast their ballots in person Tuesday morning, Dixon near her Hunting Ridge home in West Baltimore and Scott in his Northeast Baltimore neighborhood. Dixon said she was “at peace” as she entered her polling place at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. Scott carried 5-month-old son, Charm Scott, nestled in a car seat into his polling place at Engine House 56.
Some heavy-hitters threw their support behind both candidates, wagering political capital on the close race. Democratic State’s Attorney Ivan Bates joined Dixon’s cause, endorsing the former mayor and calling Scott out for what Bates said was a lack of partnership between the prosecutor’s office and Scott’s City Hall. Sheriff Sam Cogen, too, said Scott has failed to be a partner to his office.
U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen both backed Scott, as did numerous unions that represent city employees. Some, like the unions representing the city’s firefighters, took shots at Dixon’s treatment of the fire department during her time in office. Unions backed a PAC that supported Scott with voter outreach and online advertising.
Scott led in fundraising and spending, dropping almost $1 million on the contest since the start of the year. Dixon has spent $653,100 since January. A PAC supporting Dixon’s campaign (funded in large part David Smith, a co-owner of The Baltimore Sun and chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group) supplemented Dixon’s effort, running ads that tried to paint Scott as an inexperienced leader. Scott’s ads sought to remind residents of Dixon’s criminal past. She was forced to leave office in 2010 after an embezzlement conviction.
The results of the race showed Vignarajah’s exit did little to tighten the contest. Running his fourth campaign for citywide office in the last seven years, Vignarajah threw his support to Dixon after conversations with the camps of both leading contenders. Scott said afterward that Vignarajah asked to be named police chief or CEO of city schools in exchange for his support. Dixon said no deal was made with Vignarajah for a job, although she declined to discuss potential positions in her administration that he may have suggested. Vignarajah said he offered to be “helpful” to the Dixon administration.
2024.05.15 04:57 miirshroom Examining Tolkein: Gelmir, Faroth and Beyond
 | It has been said that the Lord of the Rings is the origin of the high fantasy genre. I would consider Elden Ring to be something of a deconstruction of high fantasy tropes. A very instructive step of a deconstruction (or of duplicating results) is to look at a thing and examine the elements it is made of. The more general the better - the goal is to find the things that inspired the thing: submitted by miirshroom to EldenRingLoreTalk [link] [comments]
And regarding the influence of Tolkein there are a few more explicit parallels to be drawn. Which for legal reasons regarding the rights to adapt Tolkein's Legendarium will likely never ever be confirmed by FromSoft. But as I see it getting references under the radar of the copyright lawyers is a time honoured tradition of deconstructive fantasy stories and parodies, so I will attempt to explain these connections as I see them, regardless. Also note that I am writing from the perspective of someone who has been familiar with the Lord of the Rings but never before looked at the extended mythology. A linguistic connection is formed in the space between two main points that I am aware of: Gelmir of Nargothrond as the possible naming inspiration for Mt. Gelmir, and geographical region "Taur-en-faroth" containing part of the name used for Fort Faroth. Gelmir"J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it's big and up close. Sometimes it's a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it's not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji." - Terry PratchettFirst addressing Gelmir - literally the volcanic mountain is a reference to Tolkein. As clear of a declaration as possible that Elden Ring intends to stand on Mt. Fiji. Gelmir in the "canon" version of the Legendarium was an elf of Nargothrond who was captured by the forces of Morgoth at the "Battle of Sudden Flame" which was the fourth great conflict in the War of the Jewels (the war over the 3 silmarils for which "the Silmarillion" is named). He was subsequently blinded and tortured for 17 years until his death - after having his limbs cut off to taunt his brother Gwindor into attacking recklessly - at the start of the fifth great conflict known as "The Battle of Unnumbered Tears". Gwindor himself was captured and held prisoner for an additional 17 years after this battle, before escaping at the expense of having a hand cut off and eventually dying in another battle of the war. He was in love with a golden-haired elf maiden named Finduilas (name meaning "hair of spring leaf") who he also called "Faelivrin" meaning "Gleam of the Sun on the Pools of Ivrin" ("Pools of Ivrin" being a location in the land called Beleriand). She was killed before the end of the war by being nailed to a tree with a spear. For context, the sixth great conflict was called "The War of Wrath" and was the final one. Morgoth brought dragons to the battle to blast the battlefield with fire and lightning - which had never been done in any previous battle - and the outcomes were that Morgoth was beheaded and kicked through a portal into the void and the northwest corner of the map including almost all of Beleriand (an area equal to the size of the entire Middle Earth map at the time of the Lord of the Rings story!) sunk into the ocean. There is a lot to work with here already - first being Gelmir's associations with flame and imprisonment and torture that are shared by both Tolkein's and Elden Ring's purposes. Blindness is noteworthy, considering how often this is a theme with Elden Ring characters and even partial blindness is enough to cause madness as indicated by the Prisoner Helmet. Taking a few lateral steps arrives at a golden haired maiden who shares the method of execution used for Marika. And her name meaning "gleam of the sun on the surface of the water" exactly describes the imagery seen in the Elden Ring item "Memory of Grace". But there's still more to spin from this line! Because Finduilas had another lover named "Turin Turambar" who was a friend of Gwindor and whose family had been cursed by Morgoth. Turin owned a magic helm upon which was perched an image of the Golden Dragon Glaurung - similar to the style of helmet worn by Elden Ring's Banished Knights) - and which allowed him to survive dragon fire. Turin found on the grave of Finduilas a naked woman who he called "Naniel" or "Maiden of Tears" - because she had lost her memory and was crying - and wed her with neither knowing that they were estranged brother and sister (this is based on the Finnish story of Kullervo, with which Tolkein was especially fascinated). This was revealed to them later to be a machination of Glaurung when Turin was in the midst of slaying the dragon, and subsequently both Turin and Naniel killed themselves. Before meeting his end, Turin also described himself in (probably) poetic terms as having blindness being the curse placed upon him by Morgoth, which is assumed by readers to be more a matter of tunnel vision or short sightedness rather than literal blinding. He is also apparently prophesied to return to life someday in the supplementary materials. What this means exactly for Elden Ring is up to interpretation. A story could be spun by combining Gelmir, Gwindor, and maybe even Turin into a single character who are motivated by unrequited and/or incestuous love for Finduilas/Naniel also made into a single character - to fill in the empty spaces around the characters of Marika, Radagon, and Godfrey. Or there could be some other purpose for naming the mountain "Gelmir". There is room for more nuance here because there are the alternate Gelmir's to consider. In one version, Gelmir was king of the gnomes, by which Tolkein was inspired by the Greek "gnome“" meaning "thought" or "intelligence". But this was dropped due to the cultural confusion with gnomes being wrinkly little creatures. In another version Gelmir was the same character as Finwe, an elf who was born during the "Years of the Trees" that preceded the era called the "Years of the Sun". At this time, the light of the world was confined to the Lands of the Valinor (a pantheon of Creator types) in the west provided by the female golden tree named Laurelin in the south and the male silver tree Telperion in the north. Finwe's wife was a weaver named Miriel Therinde and his son Feanor was responsible for forging the Silmarils and jealously guarding them (And also he invented the 7 palantiri scrying stones + 1 master stone, and the Tengwar writing system). The grandson of Feanor and last of his line was Celebrimbor, meaning "silver fist". Celebrimbor forged the three rings for the elves (named for air, fire, and water) that were subject to the One Ring but never corrupted by it. So, it's possible that "Gelmir" is selected for being a deceptively niche character who was actually in another lifetime very closely connected to these core events of the history. The appearance of a character named "Miriel" is also interesting in the context of Elden Ring's Miriel, Pastor of Vows. As a side note, something else of interest from this Tolkein deep dive was regarding the relationship between the silmarils and the world trees of the Valinor. The 3 Silmarils contained the remaining light of the two trees that were destroyed and had the sun and moon forged of their fruits by blacksmith Aule. When the trees were first made they were sung into existence by Yavanna and watered by the tears of Nienna (who was a teacher of the wizard Gandalf and in earlier versions of the Legendarium called "Queen of Shadow"). Nienna again wept healing tears upon the trees to grow the fruits when they were dying. Morgoth stole the Silmarils and set them into his Iron Crown, and upon his defeat the stones were pried out and the crown beaten into a collar for his neck (in the brief period of time before he was kicked into the void anyways). One Silmaril was thrown into the sky where it became the Evening Star. Another was cast into the sea. And the third was cast into a firey pit in the earth along with its possessor. And as an addition, it is not farfetched that Morgott = Morgoth is an intended spiritual parallel. Considering that Morgoth was indirectly responsible for the blinding and killing of Gelmir (brother of Gwindor) in Tolkein's mythic history. And in Elden Ring this seems expressed in the Shattering War though Morgott pursuing Mt. Gelmir most fiercely. In a more broad sense, Morgoth was the identity taken by Melkor after he was released from the chains made to bind him by Aule, which is somewhat similar to Morgott/Margit using alternate names depending on the circumstance (and Margit's Shackle paralleling Melkor's binding chains). Faroth"Faroth" is a Sindarin word meaning "hunters". The "Hills of the Hunters" (Taur-en-faroth) was a location in West Beleriand, the aforementioned western part of the continent that sunk into the ocean at the end of the War of the Jewels. In these hills was hidden the secret elven city of Nargothrond on the Narog River. The same from which Gelmir of Nargothrond is associated. The city began as a Dwarven Hall for the petty dwarfs (exiled and unsociable dwarfs smaller than typical dwarfs), was conquered and ruled by the House of Finarfin (a son of Finwe), and was sacked and turned to the lair of the dragon Glaurung some time after The Battle of Unnumbered Tears. And then fell into the ocean.At this point there are too many names, which is why I sketched a family tree of all of all these elves that is attached to this post. Some general trends:
Also this region calls attention to the significance of the river Ringil. That word comes up as: 1) a mountain river through Taur-en-Faroth that is tributary to the Narog river, 2) a sword held by Fingolfin (another son of Finwe), and 3) as the primordial tower - sometimes made of ice - upon which sat the south lamp Ormal (an orb containing the gold light of the world in the First Age that would later pass to the gold tree Laurelin in the Second Age). In an earlier version of the writings. The blacksmith Aule created the lamps at the request of Yavanna, who was herself responsible for the growth of fruits and trees. The end of the "Days before Days" (which preceeded the "Years of the Trees") occurred with the breaking of the lamps by Melkor, after a period of time where he had poisoned the land and caused the things made by Yavanna to rot. I will note that the early timeline was a bit difficult to follow. I gather that there are spans of time lit only by the stars between the destructions of these various sun/moon light sources, a period of time with Yavanna singing all living life to sleep due to the lack of light. The First Age is also called "The Awakening" but it appears that much of the war between Morgoth and the elves began prior to the beginning of the First Age. There is an aside in which Aule was also responsible for creating the "Seven Fathers of the Dwarves", but he made them too early and they had to go to sleep so that the elves of Iluvatar could be the first sentient mortal life. I found interesting this additional context for the lamps: "In the middle of Arda, where the light of the lamps mingled, amid the Great Lake lay the Isle of Almaren, where the Valar dwelt." - The One Wiki to Rule them AllI suppose that if I have a point here it is that Radagon's Sore Seal talisman is found at Fort Faroth, which through the winding etymology of words is tied to Mt. Gelmir. Perhaps the blind Radagon was a hunter on a fruitless quest seeking the lost light of the Golden Sun that stood on the ice pillar of Ringil from the days before days - guided by the distant memory of the reflection of it's light on the water. Perhaps there is other meaning to be found. I acknowledge that after a certain point any interpretation found through these linguistics should be cross-referenced with everything that can be learned from all other sources of information in the game. The Rings of PowerThe big brazen choice - in my opinion - was to name the big metaphysical artefact "the Elden Ring"...and then draw actual direct parallel to the Rings of Power. Not the 3 rings granted to the Elf Kings under the sky - I've yet to identify how or if those are expressed in game. Not the 9 rings granted to Kings of Men either - those are seemingly represented in the 9 Night's Cavalry (and possibly the 9 weapon talismans that each feature a ring at the top of the head) . What I find most relevant here are the 7 Great Runes matching "seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone".The first critical part of that phrase is the reference to "stone", for I find that the shattering of Marika's Hammer equates to the shattering of the wisdom of stone. But the second point of note is that the dwarf lords of Tolkein received their own curse from holding their rings of power - obsession with gold. A similar obsession is seen in Elden Ring where all of the demigods are corrupted by their great runes and covet the grace of gold. The arrangement of the Elden Ring also has some synergy with the arrangement of its runes - 6 of the 7 dwarf lords pair nicely through the even numbers. The Seventh Dwarf Lord was the chief among them "Durin the Deathless", who was reincarnated 7 times by being reborn as one of his own descendants. His clan also was generally known to absorb members from all other clans due to his central importance. The first Durin (one of the 7 original fathers of dwarves) built the underground city of Khazad-dum that would later be called Moria after a creature of shadow and flame that may-or-may-not have wings (a Balrog of Morgoth) was uncovered in its depths by Durin VI. Durin III was the one to receive the Ring of Power from Celebrimbor, and Durin IV was contemporary to the first rise and defeat of Sauron. Durin VII is appears to be from the timeframe of the Lord of the Rings and second defeat of Sauron, though he did not participate and seems to be known instead for reclaiming Khazad-dum from the orcs. Why Examine Tolkein?So what's the point of the elaborate Tolkein parallel? There may be 7 ring-shaped great runes, but there is also clearly one ring that rules them all - the Elden Ring. Examining Tolkein is one of several avenues of analysis reaching the conclusion that the ring is a dangerous object that corrupts everyone who touches it and must be destroyed. Of the six endings the only one that understands this is Ranni's Age of Stars. And in the Lord of Frenzy Flame ending the Tarnished succumbs to the power of the ring with head becoming a ring of flame matching the firey beacon on top of the Frenzy Flaming Tower - itself visually recalling a depiction of the Eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dur as seen in the 2000's Lord of the Rings trilogy adaptation.And even more, there's one ring bearer in particular who provides another piece to the puzzle of Radagon and Marika's dual identities. The dissociative identity of Gollum and Smeagol can completely describe the relationship between Marika and Radagon. Two thoughts in one body. With this lens I think that Radagon/Marika were likely not separate entities at the time of their Shattering and may have never had a separate existence. They can appear to hold conversations with each other through reflective surfaces, such as a very shatter-able mirror. It is quite possible that another Great Rune (or more) will make an appearance in the DLC. If this does happen, I'll re-evaluate Ring of Power theory based on the nature of the added rune. One last note which, again, is oblique enough for plausible deniability. The end of Patches questline would have the Tarnished deliver the Dancer's Castanets to Tanith, inside the volcano. If you know anything about castanets, they are typically made of hard materials such as wood or ivory (or plastic) and carved into a pear shape. Not so for the Dancer's Castanets. From a visual examination these are made of metal cast in a circular shape and with a ring shaped engraving filled with filigree. A metal ring-shaped object delivered to a volcano, echoing the One Ring delivered to Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings. |
2024.05.15 03:23 LyrePlayerTwo The Body in the Library (Part 1/2)
OOC: co-written with NotTooSunny
It was an ordinary day at the New York City Library. People wandered in and out of the building, unaware of the monster that lurked among them.
The only people who seemed to know the danger these mortals were in were Harper and Amon, who entered the building with glowing bronze swords at their hips. The bulky weapons seemed to have escaped the notice of the other library patrons, which was a good thing. The job description had made it clear that they were meant to remain inconspicuous in completing their task.
Harper had traded her usual bright orange camp shirt for a more discrete cropped black t-shirt and pleated pants. She had been insistent on coming up with a persona for them on the train ride from Montauk Station into New York City. They were meant to act as high school students researching for a World History paper on Ancient Greece. Now that they were inside the library, she had stopped her incessant rambling to peruse a riddle book, in what she had insisted was preparation for their job.
As they wandered through the bookshelves, she remained absorbed in the dog-eared children’s book, thumbing through the pages to find a riddle that would be fitting of a sphinx.
“Here’s one, Amon,” she said, narrowly avoiding a collision with another library patron as she read, “What is something that runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?”
The dark-haired son of Apollo glanced over from a shelf of dusty atlases, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “That is an easy one,” he replied simply. "River. Try me with something more challenging next time around." He adjusted the collar of his striped button down, which he had layered with a navy blue sweater in preparation for the chill of the air-conditioned interior.
“The real riddle is where we can find this sphinx,” Amon glanced around the spacious reading area, eyeing the dark wooden staircase with its ornate railings. “The boyfriend and girlfriend who tried this last time, they found her by a bookcase.”
“A bookcase,” Harper repeated derisively, closing her book to theatrically scan their surroundings. “That narrows it down.”
Ignoring Harper’s mockery, the son of Apollo paused suddenly, his dark eyes glazing over with concentration. His hearing dulled, the surrounding footsteps and rustling pages fading into the background as if muffled by a thick curtain. Amon searched for the energy signature of the monster he knew lurked among the mortals. It was a subtle shift, like trying to discern a whisper in a crowded room, but he felt a faint, abnormal energy hanging somewhere up above.
“I say we try the second floor,” he said as he snapped out of the tracking trance, offering no other explanation to Harper.
“We could do that, sure,” Harper said, words laced with blatant doubt at his sudden certainty. “I say we try asking the Visitor’s Center. I know she's supposed to be disguised by the Mist, but the librarians have to have noticed something.”
“You can go ahead and do that.” The small smirk from earlier was now spreading across his face. “But you can’t be upset if I find the sphinx and solve her riddle before you even get there.”
Harper rolled her eyes, but she made no attempt to stop Amon from walking towards the staircase. After a moment she set off after him, footsteps even against the wooden steps.
Up on the second floor, Amon moved quietly, his dark eyes scanning the hallway for anything out of the ordinary.
I know you’re up here.
He stopped at every heavy-looking mahogany door, peering through each muted glass insert. He felt the air grow thicker with ominous energy at every step, so he knew the monster must be near.
One of the doors was slightly ajar, a suspiciously open invitation. Or a trap. The dark-haired boy caught sight of a cat-shaped figure on the other side before ducking down and motioning sharply for Harper’s attention. He unsheathed his kopis from his belt, bracing himself for confrontation.
Harper crouched against the wall, hand on the hilt of her sword as she tried to peek through the frosted glass pane. She held her breath, ready to move at Amon’s signal. He held out three fingers and then put them down one by one. When he hit zero, they stood in unison, flinging the door open together.
When Amon and Harper stepped inside, the body of the sphinx lay motionless on the floor.
The rest of the room was in disarray, littered with disheveled chairs and broken bits of chalk. A window on the other side of the room had been forced open, the curtain fluttering in the wind.
“No way,” Harper said. The door clicked shut behind her as she pushed past Amon into the room and kneeled to study the monster’s limp figure.
The sphinx had the large body of a lion and the eerily human face of a middle-aged woman, hair tied back in a severe bun and foundation caked onto her high cheekbones. Fangs jutted out of her red-painted lips, and eagle wings sprouted out of the space between her shoulder blades, folded tight against her back.
“Monsters dissolve into dust when they die,” Amon remarked, keeping his distance as he watched the subtle rise and fall of the monster’s ribs. “She must have been knocked unconscious.”
“Right,” Harper agreed, “The real question is who. And why.”
She hovered a hand over the cat's shoulder, set on rousing her. Before she made contact, the sphinx's eyes snapped open, round irises surrounded by shocking yellow sclera.
"Slain!" she wailed. Harper staggered backwards. Amon’s arms instinctively reached out to catch her, but she didn’t stumble near enough to make contact. "I am slain!"
With feline grace, the sphinx rose to her feet. A white tape outline marked the placement of her previously prone body on the floor. The muscles in her legs rippled as she paced in front of Harper and Amon, massive velvet paws silent against the carpet.
"And you, my dear heroes," she roared, eyes narrowed in an accusatory glare, "were too late to save me!"
The sphinx sniffed, composing herself. She leapt onto a wooden table. The table legs creaked underneath her weight. "Fear not," she tutted, "Fear not. For you can still avenge me. If you are able to determine the murderer and their weapon, then I will obtain justice, and all will be right with the world.”
“Your riddle is a murder mystery,” Harper said, confusion written across her face. Amon raised an eyebrow. The sphinx chuffed, a low rumbling sound reminiscent of laughter.
“You sought that hackneyed question about man? The Sphinx that the storytellers remember is far less adaptive than I am. I am not interested in your ability to regurgitate the information you have read. Nor am I interested in taking advantage of the nonsensical rules of your English language.”
“I am here to satisfy my own curiosity: does modern mankind still possess the ability to engage in deductive reasoning, or do they only seek to make themselves appear intelligent? Do not speak,” the sphinx said, a pointed look at Harper, who had opened her mouth to interject, “You will answer my questions when you play my game.”
“The potential murder weapons are scattered throughout this room,” she continued, leaping off the table. “And the suspects have already provided their testimonies for your review. Rest assured, I have made certain that their statements contain no lies.”
A shimmering, translucent energy began to swirl around Harper and Amon’s feet, beginning to take shape as holograms with a flickering, ephemeral quality.
A projection of Cerberus materialized first, his three massive heads snarling and snapping in unison. A ribbon of text appeared by his paws to translate his growling: "I was guarding the entrance, my duty unbroken."
Next came the Minotaur, his towering form pacing within the labyrinth on Crete. He snorted and pawed at the ground, the holographic maze shifting behind him in the background. The translation text appeared: "Confined within these walls, no escape for me."
Lamia's projection flickered into view, her serpentine lower half coiled around her as she wept in her cave. She glanced mournfully at the holographic images of her lost children: "My grief consumes me, innocent of this crime."
A shimmering Hydra emerged next, its nine heads snapping at invisible foes. Each one moved independently, showcasing its ability to act on its own. The translation for the hissing head at the center read: "Engaged in battle, I could not have killed."
Typhon materialized with a thunderous roar, his colossal form fighting against restraints under Mount Etna. His immense size and power were palpable, even in scaled down holographic form: "Bound by chains of the earth, I could not have roamed free."
Echidna’s hologram appeared last, her form a mix of human and serpent, lounging in a dimly lit cave. She looked directly at the viewers, her expression both defiant and amused. The translation text by her side read: “I dwell in my lair, uninvolved in such petty affairs.”
The sphinx swiped at the last projection as it faded, deeming her handiwork satisfactory. “There is not enough information to deduce the killer using evidence alone. Because I am fair, I will provide you with three hints before your final guess. Be forewarned: if you fail to provide a correct answer, you will both perish. Is this understood?”
Harper spoke. “If we answer correctly, you will leave this library for good.”
“If you answer correctly, I will permanently relocate. It is a preferable option in comparison to another death. Now, do you agree to the terms and conditions?” the sphinx said primly, regarding Harper and Amon with casual disdain. The pair nodded. “Very well.”
The sphinx dropped onto the floor and let her head loll back, pretending to be dead once more.
Hint #1
Soon after the Sphinx had laid back down, Harper and Amon began to scour the room. A small pile of prospective murder weapons formed on a nearby table.
“We can easily eliminate the siren song,” Amon rushed to speak over Harper, eyeing the small glass vial of swirling gray matter that they had found nestled behind a row of books on metalworking. “It is a luring mechanism, not a murder weapon.”
“We could rule out Cerberus’ fang too,” he pointed at the enormous yellowing tooth, about the size of the small baseball bat Amon used to have when he played in the little league. “If we take the hologram as ground truth, all of his teeth were intact there.”
Harper used her kopis to prod at the stained tunic that had been hidden in a desk drawer, being careful not to touch it with bare skin. “The Shirt of Nessus is a viable option. It would be easy for any of the suspects to lay it down and wait for the hydra venom to kick in.”
“I am not ready to rule out the bronze sword either,” Amon noted. “Monsters have access to heroes and the weapons they leave behind.”
“Most of these monsters don’t even have opposable thumbs,” Harper argued, running a hand over the sword they had found by a power outlet. ”They don’t have the dexterity to wield a sword.”
“I do not imagine that the technicality would be that granular.”
Harper laughed. “Oh, the number of teeth in the Cerberus hologram tell all, but we’re drawing the line at opposable thumbs.”
“I suppose that that logic would also rule out the harpy talon and the encyclopedia easily as well,” Amon admitted. “Which would be too easy.”
“I’m just that good at logical deduction.” Harper said proudly. “If my assumption is correct, then the poisoned shirt is the only one that makes sense.”
Amon scoffed, folding his arms across his chest as his dark eyes bored into Harper. “It would not necessarily matter what our first guess would be anyway.”
“Can you provide an argument for any other weapon? Or are you intent on purposely making an illogical guess?” she countered cooly.
“Fine,” Amon acquiesced. “Since you are so adamant about the shirt, we can guess the shirt, and be incorrect. It does not matter. What about the suspects themselves?” He clasped his hands behind his back, his steps measured as he started to pace across the plush red carpet of the room.
Harper smiled, smugly accepting her victory. She strode towards a chalkboard at the side of the study room, inscribing the list of weapons and suspects with a fresh piece of white chalk.
“All of them have alibis,“ she began. “I think that-”
“Some make more sense than others,” Amon spoke over Harper, irritated by her minor triumph. “Cerberus, for example, is under the service of Hades. He says he did not leave his post, and he could not have done so without permission or dire consequences on the process of the dead.”
Harper silently seethed as Amon spoke, meeting his rationale with reluctant acceptance before starting again in a louder, exaggerated tone. “I think that the ones with the shakiest alibis are Lamia, the Minotaur, Typhon, and Echidna. No witnesses can confirm their locations. In fact, Lamia provides no location at all.” Harper circled those names. She looked at Amon with a forced smile, allowing him a moment to provide more commentary.
“Lamia? Well,” there was a hint of mockery in the sneer that tugged on the corner of Amon’s lips. “I would imagine her emotions rendered her… Too fragile and unstable to carry out such an act.”
“You’re kidding,” Harper scoffed, searching Amon's face for the slightest hint that he was joking. “Her grief is what moved her to kill children in the first place. I doubt it would suddenly be incapacitating. She’s just appealing to your sense of superiority, and I can’t believe that you’re falling for it.”
"It is not about superiority. It is about logic," Amon retorted, bristling in defense. “You cannot deny that emotions cloud judgment. Maybe the sphinx wants us to leverage our knowledge about her past crimes to reason that she was not thinking clearly in this case either.” Amon had no other evidence that pointed towards Lamia as the top suspect, but he had dug deep enough where he was now ready to stand firm in his reasoning.
“Murder,” Harper countered, eyes narrowed in a venomous stare, “-does not require you to think clearly. Haven’t you heard of a crime of passion? If anyone’s judgment is clouded right now, Amon, it’s yours.”
The son of Apollo squared his shoulders, his expression hardening. "I understand the concept of crimes of passion, thank you.” His dark-eyed stare returned Harper's gaze, unflinching at the intensity. “But our investigation must be rooted in facts, not assumptions based on emotions. And the facts are,” he resumed his pacing once more, “that Lamia cannot be the culprit, as she is the only suspect that openly admits to being innocent of this crime.”
Amon had considered this from the very start, but provoking Harper like this had proved to be far more amusing.
Harper crossed Lamia’s name off of the board. She swallowed down her anger, fighting the urge to continue pressing the issue in favor of returning to their list of suspects. She pointed her piece of chalk at the next names on the list. “The Minotaur and Typhon are trapped, or so they say. How could they have done anything?”
“Their alibis revolve around their inability to escape,” Amon pointed out. “Not that they were unable to commit murder. The Labyrinth, in fact,” he raised a dramatic finger, “has several moving passages that could have permitted the Minotaur to move and commit murder without an official escape.”
Harper considered his words for a long moment, trying to find the flaw in his reasoning. Seeing none, she placed a dot next to the Minotaurs's name.
“Typhon escaped his prison in the Second Titanomachy. He could do it again,” Harper said thoughtfully. “Though I don’t understand why he would do something like this. He’s the Sphinx's father. The same goes for Echidna.”
Amon, who had been nodding at Harper’s assessment of Typhon’s abilities, pursed his lips at her observation of parentage. “I do not see how this could possibly be relevant to the logical puzzle at hand.”
Harper spoke slowly, as if the answer was obvious. “What motive would they have to kill their own daughter?”
“Harper,” Amon began curtly, folding his arms across his chest. “Half of the Greek myths revolve around immortals killing their own children.”
“Then we should pick one of them,” Harper declared, pivoting her argument instead of admitting her logical blunder. “They would have more of a motive than the rest of the suspects, if anything.”
“The Minotaur can escape much more easily than Typhon can. Motive aside, it is the most logical guess,” Amon concluded, adjusting his collar haughtily. “I will remind you that we picked your choice of weapon. It is only fair that I select the monster.”
“Fine.” Harper agreed, her gaze stormy as she turned back towards the sphinx. “We accuse the Minotaur of killing the sphinx with the Shirt of Nessus.”
The sphinx opened one eye. “None of these are correct!”
Hint #2
“Two more hints left.” Harper announced, crossing off the Minotaur’s name and the poisoned shirt on the chalkboard with a flourish. It was not ideal that her initial logical deductions had been incorrect, but at least Amon had also been wrong. She couldn't resist a snide comment. “I knew it wasn’t the Minotaur.”
“So you still think it’s Typhon.” Choosing to ignore Harper’s taunting, Amon rested his hand on a nearby desk, studying the lists on the chalkboard before him. He had taken the Minotaur error as a personal failure, and was determined to get the suspect right this time.
“I do.”
“Why not Echidna?”
“She’s too emotional to kill someone, obviously.” Harper said sarcastically. “Her frail female arms are probably too weak to even hold a weapon.”
The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes. “Objectively,” he began, ignoring her quip once more, “Typhon could not have lied about his inability to roam free. A natural disaster freed him from Mount Etna during the Second Titanomachy, but he could not recreate those conditions on his own.” Though his tone remained aloof, it was clear that Amon was relishing in the opportunity to flaunt his mythology knowledge.
“Maybe,” Harper argued, stubborn. “But Echidna’s statement was less ambiguous than his. Typhon just explains his predicament; he doesn't provide a real claim. Echidna explicitly says she was not involved.” She thought for a few more moments, rolling the piece of chalk in her hands. “Echidna could have released him? They would be accomplices.”
Amon shook his head. “There was a single murderer. Not two. The sphinx would not lie about the premise of the game.”
Harper stared at him coldly, but could offer no rebuttal. She turned her attention to the board. “Typhon is a giant. He’s capable of using the sword.”
“But the specificity of Echidna’s denial is still incredibly suspicious. ‘Petty affairs’ is a strange way to phrase a murder. But,” Amon added reluctantly, “I understand the logic behind Typhon. I suppose it is your turn to choose the monster, and we will still have another guess to work with.”
“As for the weapon,” he continued, “I still think the sword is the most viable option, given that the siren song and the fang can be ruled out and the shirt with the venom was, well,” Amon pursed his lips, fighting the urge to smile, “incorrect.”
Before Harper could interject, Amon turned towards the sphinx at the front of the room. “We accuse Typhon of killing the sphinx with a Celestial Bronze Sword.”
“One of these is correct!”
Hint #3
“Aha!” Amon raised a triumphant finger before pointing it at Harper. “I told you,” he gloated, “Typhon had no escape route.”
“You were right,” Harper admitted, staring down at the carpet so that she would not have to look at his smug expression.
“Let’s get this over with,” she muttered, and turned back towards the lioness with crossed arms. “We accuse Echidna of killing the sphinx with a Celestial Bronze Sword”
“One of these is correct,” the sphinx announced. Her mouth twisted in amusement, fangs bared in a menacing smile.
READ PART 2 HERE
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The only people who seemed to know the danger these mortals were in were Harper and Amon, who entered the building with glowing bronze swords at their hips. The bulky weapons seemed to have escaped the notice of the other library patrons, which was a good thing. The job description had made it clear that they were meant to remain inconspicuous in completing their task.
Harper had traded her usual bright orange camp shirt for a more discrete cropped black t-shirt and pleated pants. She had been insistent on coming up with a persona for them on the train ride from Montauk Station into New York City. They were meant to act as high school students researching for a World History paper on Ancient Greece. Now that they were inside the library, she had stopped her incessant rambling to peruse a riddle book, in what she had insisted was preparation for their job.
As they wandered through the bookshelves, she remained absorbed in the dog-eared children’s book, thumbing through the pages to find a riddle that would be fitting of a sphinx.
“Here’s one, Amon,” she said, narrowly avoiding a collision with another library patron as she read, “What is something that runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?”
The dark-haired son of Apollo glanced over from a shelf of dusty atlases, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “That is an easy one,” he replied simply. "River. Try me with something more challenging next time around." He adjusted the collar of his striped button down, which he had layered with a navy blue sweater in preparation for the chill of the air-conditioned interior.
“The real riddle is where we can find this sphinx,” Amon glanced around the spacious reading area, eyeing the dark wooden staircase with its ornate railings. “The boyfriend and girlfriend who tried this last time, they found her by a bookcase.”
“A bookcase,” Harper repeated derisively, closing her book to theatrically scan their surroundings. “That narrows it down.”
Ignoring Harper’s mockery, the son of Apollo paused suddenly, his dark eyes glazing over with concentration. His hearing dulled, the surrounding footsteps and rustling pages fading into the background as if muffled by a thick curtain. Amon searched for the energy signature of the monster he knew lurked among the mortals. It was a subtle shift, like trying to discern a whisper in a crowded room, but he felt a faint, abnormal energy hanging somewhere up above.
“I say we try the second floor,” he said as he snapped out of the tracking trance, offering no other explanation to Harper.
“We could do that, sure,” Harper said, words laced with blatant doubt at his sudden certainty. “I say we try asking the Visitor’s Center. I know she's supposed to be disguised by the Mist, but the librarians have to have noticed something.”
“You can go ahead and do that.” The small smirk from earlier was now spreading across his face. “But you can’t be upset if I find the sphinx and solve her riddle before you even get there.”
Harper rolled her eyes, but she made no attempt to stop Amon from walking towards the staircase. After a moment she set off after him, footsteps even against the wooden steps.
Up on the second floor, Amon moved quietly, his dark eyes scanning the hallway for anything out of the ordinary.
I know you’re up here.
He stopped at every heavy-looking mahogany door, peering through each muted glass insert. He felt the air grow thicker with ominous energy at every step, so he knew the monster must be near.
One of the doors was slightly ajar, a suspiciously open invitation. Or a trap. The dark-haired boy caught sight of a cat-shaped figure on the other side before ducking down and motioning sharply for Harper’s attention. He unsheathed his kopis from his belt, bracing himself for confrontation.
Harper crouched against the wall, hand on the hilt of her sword as she tried to peek through the frosted glass pane. She held her breath, ready to move at Amon’s signal. He held out three fingers and then put them down one by one. When he hit zero, they stood in unison, flinging the door open together.
When Amon and Harper stepped inside, the body of the sphinx lay motionless on the floor.
“No way,” Harper said. The door clicked shut behind her as she pushed past Amon into the room and kneeled to study the monster’s limp figure.
The sphinx had the large body of a lion and the eerily human face of a middle-aged woman, hair tied back in a severe bun and foundation caked onto her high cheekbones. Fangs jutted out of her red-painted lips, and eagle wings sprouted out of the space between her shoulder blades, folded tight against her back.
“Monsters dissolve into dust when they die,” Amon remarked, keeping his distance as he watched the subtle rise and fall of the monster’s ribs. “She must have been knocked unconscious.”
“Right,” Harper agreed, “The real question is who. And why.”
She hovered a hand over the cat's shoulder, set on rousing her. Before she made contact, the sphinx's eyes snapped open, round irises surrounded by shocking yellow sclera.
"Slain!" she wailed. Harper staggered backwards. Amon’s arms instinctively reached out to catch her, but she didn’t stumble near enough to make contact. "I am slain!"
With feline grace, the sphinx rose to her feet. A white tape outline marked the placement of her previously prone body on the floor. The muscles in her legs rippled as she paced in front of Harper and Amon, massive velvet paws silent against the carpet.
"And you, my dear heroes," she roared, eyes narrowed in an accusatory glare, "were too late to save me!"
The sphinx sniffed, composing herself. She leapt onto a wooden table. The table legs creaked underneath her weight. "Fear not," she tutted, "Fear not. For you can still avenge me. If you are able to determine the murderer and their weapon, then I will obtain justice, and all will be right with the world.”
“Your riddle is a murder mystery,” Harper said, confusion written across her face. Amon raised an eyebrow. The sphinx chuffed, a low rumbling sound reminiscent of laughter.
“You sought that hackneyed question about man? The Sphinx that the storytellers remember is far less adaptive than I am. I am not interested in your ability to regurgitate the information you have read. Nor am I interested in taking advantage of the nonsensical rules of your English language.”
“I am here to satisfy my own curiosity: does modern mankind still possess the ability to engage in deductive reasoning, or do they only seek to make themselves appear intelligent? Do not speak,” the sphinx said, a pointed look at Harper, who had opened her mouth to interject, “You will answer my questions when you play my game.”
“The potential murder weapons are scattered throughout this room,” she continued, leaping off the table. “And the suspects have already provided their testimonies for your review. Rest assured, I have made certain that their statements contain no lies.”
A shimmering, translucent energy began to swirl around Harper and Amon’s feet, beginning to take shape as holograms with a flickering, ephemeral quality.
A projection of Cerberus materialized first, his three massive heads snarling and snapping in unison. A ribbon of text appeared by his paws to translate his growling: "I was guarding the entrance, my duty unbroken."
Next came the Minotaur, his towering form pacing within the labyrinth on Crete. He snorted and pawed at the ground, the holographic maze shifting behind him in the background. The translation text appeared: "Confined within these walls, no escape for me."
Lamia's projection flickered into view, her serpentine lower half coiled around her as she wept in her cave. She glanced mournfully at the holographic images of her lost children: "My grief consumes me, innocent of this crime."
A shimmering Hydra emerged next, its nine heads snapping at invisible foes. Each one moved independently, showcasing its ability to act on its own. The translation for the hissing head at the center read: "Engaged in battle, I could not have killed."
Typhon materialized with a thunderous roar, his colossal form fighting against restraints under Mount Etna. His immense size and power were palpable, even in scaled down holographic form: "Bound by chains of the earth, I could not have roamed free."
Echidna’s hologram appeared last, her form a mix of human and serpent, lounging in a dimly lit cave. She looked directly at the viewers, her expression both defiant and amused. The translation text by her side read: “I dwell in my lair, uninvolved in such petty affairs.”
The sphinx swiped at the last projection as it faded, deeming her handiwork satisfactory. “There is not enough information to deduce the killer using evidence alone. Because I am fair, I will provide you with three hints before your final guess. Be forewarned: if you fail to provide a correct answer, you will both perish. Is this understood?”
Harper spoke. “If we answer correctly, you will leave this library for good.”
“If you answer correctly, I will permanently relocate. It is a preferable option in comparison to another death. Now, do you agree to the terms and conditions?” the sphinx said primly, regarding Harper and Amon with casual disdain. The pair nodded. “Very well.”
The sphinx dropped onto the floor and let her head loll back, pretending to be dead once more.
| Suspects | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Cerberus | The Shirt of Nessus |
| The Minotaur | Siren Song |
| Lamia | Harpy Talon |
| The Hydra | Celestial Bronze Sword |
| Typhon | A-C Encyclopedia |
| Echidna | Cerberus Fang |
“We can easily eliminate the siren song,” Amon rushed to speak over Harper, eyeing the small glass vial of swirling gray matter that they had found nestled behind a row of books on metalworking. “It is a luring mechanism, not a murder weapon.”
“We could rule out Cerberus’ fang too,” he pointed at the enormous yellowing tooth, about the size of the small baseball bat Amon used to have when he played in the little league. “If we take the hologram as ground truth, all of his teeth were intact there.”
Harper used her kopis to prod at the stained tunic that had been hidden in a desk drawer, being careful not to touch it with bare skin. “The Shirt of Nessus is a viable option. It would be easy for any of the suspects to lay it down and wait for the hydra venom to kick in.”
“I am not ready to rule out the bronze sword either,” Amon noted. “Monsters have access to heroes and the weapons they leave behind.”
“Most of these monsters don’t even have opposable thumbs,” Harper argued, running a hand over the sword they had found by a power outlet. ”They don’t have the dexterity to wield a sword.”
“I do not imagine that the technicality would be that granular.”
Harper laughed. “Oh, the number of teeth in the Cerberus hologram tell all, but we’re drawing the line at opposable thumbs.”
“I suppose that that logic would also rule out the harpy talon and the encyclopedia easily as well,” Amon admitted. “Which would be too easy.”
“I’m just that good at logical deduction.” Harper said proudly. “If my assumption is correct, then the poisoned shirt is the only one that makes sense.”
Amon scoffed, folding his arms across his chest as his dark eyes bored into Harper. “It would not necessarily matter what our first guess would be anyway.”
“Can you provide an argument for any other weapon? Or are you intent on purposely making an illogical guess?” she countered cooly.
“Fine,” Amon acquiesced. “Since you are so adamant about the shirt, we can guess the shirt, and be incorrect. It does not matter. What about the suspects themselves?” He clasped his hands behind his back, his steps measured as he started to pace across the plush red carpet of the room.
Harper smiled, smugly accepting her victory. She strode towards a chalkboard at the side of the study room, inscribing the list of weapons and suspects with a fresh piece of white chalk.
“All of them have alibis,“ she began. “I think that-”
“Some make more sense than others,” Amon spoke over Harper, irritated by her minor triumph. “Cerberus, for example, is under the service of Hades. He says he did not leave his post, and he could not have done so without permission or dire consequences on the process of the dead.”
Harper silently seethed as Amon spoke, meeting his rationale with reluctant acceptance before starting again in a louder, exaggerated tone. “I think that the ones with the shakiest alibis are Lamia, the Minotaur, Typhon, and Echidna. No witnesses can confirm their locations. In fact, Lamia provides no location at all.” Harper circled those names. She looked at Amon with a forced smile, allowing him a moment to provide more commentary.
“Lamia? Well,” there was a hint of mockery in the sneer that tugged on the corner of Amon’s lips. “I would imagine her emotions rendered her… Too fragile and unstable to carry out such an act.”
“You’re kidding,” Harper scoffed, searching Amon's face for the slightest hint that he was joking. “Her grief is what moved her to kill children in the first place. I doubt it would suddenly be incapacitating. She’s just appealing to your sense of superiority, and I can’t believe that you’re falling for it.”
"It is not about superiority. It is about logic," Amon retorted, bristling in defense. “You cannot deny that emotions cloud judgment. Maybe the sphinx wants us to leverage our knowledge about her past crimes to reason that she was not thinking clearly in this case either.” Amon had no other evidence that pointed towards Lamia as the top suspect, but he had dug deep enough where he was now ready to stand firm in his reasoning.
“Murder,” Harper countered, eyes narrowed in a venomous stare, “-does not require you to think clearly. Haven’t you heard of a crime of passion? If anyone’s judgment is clouded right now, Amon, it’s yours.”
The son of Apollo squared his shoulders, his expression hardening. "I understand the concept of crimes of passion, thank you.” His dark-eyed stare returned Harper's gaze, unflinching at the intensity. “But our investigation must be rooted in facts, not assumptions based on emotions. And the facts are,” he resumed his pacing once more, “that Lamia cannot be the culprit, as she is the only suspect that openly admits to being innocent of this crime.”
Amon had considered this from the very start, but provoking Harper like this had proved to be far more amusing.
Harper crossed Lamia’s name off of the board. She swallowed down her anger, fighting the urge to continue pressing the issue in favor of returning to their list of suspects. She pointed her piece of chalk at the next names on the list. “The Minotaur and Typhon are trapped, or so they say. How could they have done anything?”
“Their alibis revolve around their inability to escape,” Amon pointed out. “Not that they were unable to commit murder. The Labyrinth, in fact,” he raised a dramatic finger, “has several moving passages that could have permitted the Minotaur to move and commit murder without an official escape.”
Harper considered his words for a long moment, trying to find the flaw in his reasoning. Seeing none, she placed a dot next to the Minotaurs's name.
“Typhon escaped his prison in the Second Titanomachy. He could do it again,” Harper said thoughtfully. “Though I don’t understand why he would do something like this. He’s the Sphinx's father. The same goes for Echidna.”
Amon, who had been nodding at Harper’s assessment of Typhon’s abilities, pursed his lips at her observation of parentage. “I do not see how this could possibly be relevant to the logical puzzle at hand.”
Harper spoke slowly, as if the answer was obvious. “What motive would they have to kill their own daughter?”
“Harper,” Amon began curtly, folding his arms across his chest. “Half of the Greek myths revolve around immortals killing their own children.”
“Then we should pick one of them,” Harper declared, pivoting her argument instead of admitting her logical blunder. “They would have more of a motive than the rest of the suspects, if anything.”
“The Minotaur can escape much more easily than Typhon can. Motive aside, it is the most logical guess,” Amon concluded, adjusting his collar haughtily. “I will remind you that we picked your choice of weapon. It is only fair that I select the monster.”
“Fine.” Harper agreed, her gaze stormy as she turned back towards the sphinx. “We accuse the Minotaur of killing the sphinx with the Shirt of Nessus.”
The sphinx opened one eye. “None of these are correct!”
| Suspects | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Harpy Talon | |
| Celestial Bronze Sword | |
| Typhon | A-C Encyclopedia |
| Echidna |
“So you still think it’s Typhon.” Choosing to ignore Harper’s taunting, Amon rested his hand on a nearby desk, studying the lists on the chalkboard before him. He had taken the Minotaur error as a personal failure, and was determined to get the suspect right this time.
“I do.”
“Why not Echidna?”
“She’s too emotional to kill someone, obviously.” Harper said sarcastically. “Her frail female arms are probably too weak to even hold a weapon.”
The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes. “Objectively,” he began, ignoring her quip once more, “Typhon could not have lied about his inability to roam free. A natural disaster freed him from Mount Etna during the Second Titanomachy, but he could not recreate those conditions on his own.” Though his tone remained aloof, it was clear that Amon was relishing in the opportunity to flaunt his mythology knowledge.
“Maybe,” Harper argued, stubborn. “But Echidna’s statement was less ambiguous than his. Typhon just explains his predicament; he doesn't provide a real claim. Echidna explicitly says she was not involved.” She thought for a few more moments, rolling the piece of chalk in her hands. “Echidna could have released him? They would be accomplices.”
Amon shook his head. “There was a single murderer. Not two. The sphinx would not lie about the premise of the game.”
Harper stared at him coldly, but could offer no rebuttal. She turned her attention to the board. “Typhon is a giant. He’s capable of using the sword.”
“But the specificity of Echidna’s denial is still incredibly suspicious. ‘Petty affairs’ is a strange way to phrase a murder. But,” Amon added reluctantly, “I understand the logic behind Typhon. I suppose it is your turn to choose the monster, and we will still have another guess to work with.”
“As for the weapon,” he continued, “I still think the sword is the most viable option, given that the siren song and the fang can be ruled out and the shirt with the venom was, well,” Amon pursed his lips, fighting the urge to smile, “incorrect.”
Before Harper could interject, Amon turned towards the sphinx at the front of the room. “We accuse Typhon of killing the sphinx with a Celestial Bronze Sword.”
“One of these is correct!”
| Suspects | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Celestial Bronze Sword | |
| Echidna |
“You were right,” Harper admitted, staring down at the carpet so that she would not have to look at his smug expression.
“Let’s get this over with,” she muttered, and turned back towards the lioness with crossed arms. “We accuse Echidna of killing the sphinx with a Celestial Bronze Sword”
“One of these is correct,” the sphinx announced. Her mouth twisted in amusement, fangs bared in a menacing smile.
2024.05.15 03:07 Then_Marionberry_259 MAY 14, 2024 DSV.TO DISCOVERY REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS
 | https://preview.redd.it/ntnoz0prph0d1.png?width=3500&format=png&auto=webp&s=d744967cfdb15d141e670af93e846a04d7d91ada submitted by Then_Marionberry_259 to Treaty_Creek [link] [comments] TORONTO, May 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Discovery Silver Corp. (TSX: DSV, OTCQX: DSVSF) (“Discovery” or the “Company”) today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (“Q1 2024”). The Company also provided a summary of key events since the beginning of 2024, including the release on February 20, 2024, of the feasibility study results (the “Feasibility Study” or “Study”) for Discovery’s 100%-owned Cordero silver project (“Cordero” or the “Project”) in Chihuahua State, Mexico. All figures are stated in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Tony Makuch, CEO, commented: “During Q1 2024, we achieved a major milestone with the release of the Feasibility Study for our Cordero Project. The Study results clearly establish Cordero as one of the world’s largest silver development projects both in terms of reserves and estimated production. The Project will average 37 million silver equivalent (“AgEq”) 1 ounces (“Moz”) annually over the first 12 years with low unit costs that will generate attractive economic returns. Very importantly, the Project will deliver substantial socio-economic benefits in Mexico in the form of job creation, skills training, direct investment, the purchasing of local goods and services and tax revenue, and will be developed and operated in a manner that achieves best practice in responsible mining. In addition, we will be bringing valuable technology and infrastructure as part of the Project that will provide important benefits in key areas like water treatment and purification. We will also be continuing our work to build Cordero’s presence in the community around Parral, and in Chihuahua State, through ongoing direct participation in, and support for, local initiatives, organizations and institutions. “Another key feature of the Cordero project is the tremendous leverage it provides to the price of silver. The Project’s robust economic returns were estimated using a silver price of US$22 per ounce. To date in 2024, the price of silver has increased close to 20%, to over US$28 per ounce, fueled largely by favourable market fundaments with the silver market expected to be in deficit for the fourth consecutive year in 2024 reflecting record demand in key sectors like electric vehicles, solar and other forms of green energy. At current spot metal prices 2 , the Project’s after-tax net present value (“NPV5%”) increases by 70%, from US$1.2 billion to US$2.0 billion and reaches US$3.0 billion in Year 4 when the Project reaches final completion to 51,000 tonnes per day. This significant leverage does not include the potential benefit of growth in reserves that could occur at higher prices, with there being 240 million tonnes of Measured and Indicated Resource situated outside the Feasibility Study reserve pit that was estimated using a silver price of US$24 per ounce. “Looking ahead, our work program in 2024 is aimed at further de-risking Cordero, continuing to advance permitting, acquiring or leasing additional surface access rights and making further progress with our community relations program as we work towards completing permitting and financing for the Project.” HIGHLIGHTS FROM Q1 2024:
The following selected financial data is summarized from the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto (the “Financial Statements”) and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The Company’s Financial Statements and MD&A are available at www.discoverysilver.com or on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca https://preview.redd.it/llyj3nwrph0d1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab71e607455d20b2a7811505d8ce4f974729c875 https://preview.redd.it/qolgjhxrph0d1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca7b3fdc4c2d37e6f43566f7dfee1ca64e086bd9 (1) D efined as current assets less current liabilities from the Company’s consolidated financial statements. About Discovery Discovery’s flagship project is its 100%-owned Cordero project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped silver deposits. The Feasibility Study completed in February 2024 demonstrates that Cordero has the potential to be developed into a large-scale, long-life project with low unit costs and attractive economic returns that offers the combination of margin, size and scalability. Cordero is located close to infrastructure in a prolific mining belt in Chihuahua State, Mexico. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Tony Makuch, P.Eng President, CEO & Director For further information contact: Forbes Gemmell, CFA VP Corporate Development Phone: 416-613-9410 Email: forbes.gemmell@discoverysilver.com Website: www.discoverysilver.com Qualified Person Gernot Wober, P.Geo, VP Exploration, Discovery Silver Corp. and Pierre Rocque, P.Eng., an independent consultant to the Company, both “Qualified Persons” as such term is defined in NI 43-101, are the Company's designated Qualified Persons for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”). Mr. Wober and Mr. Rocque have reviewed and validated that the information contained in this news release is accurate. Technical Disclosure
The Company has included certain non-GAAP performance measures and ratios as detailed below. In the mining industry, these are common performance measures and ratios but may not be comparable to similar measures or ratios presented by other issuers and the non-GAAP measures and ratios do not have any standardized meaning. Accordingly, these measures and ratios are included to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards. Total cash costs per ounce, all-in sustaining costs, and free cash flow, are all forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures or ratios. As the Cordero Project is not in production, these prospective non-GAAP financial measures or ratios may not be reconciled to the nearest comparable measure under IFRS and there is no equivalent historical non-GAAP financial measure or ratio for these prospective non-GAAP financial measures or ratios. Each non-GAAP financial measure and ratio used herein is described in more detail below. TOTAL CASH COSTS The Company calculated total cash costs per ounce by dividing the sum of operating costs, royalty costs, production taxes, refining and shipping costs, net of by-product silver credits, by payable ounces. While there is no standardized meaning of the measure across the industry, the Company believes that this measure is useful to external users in assessing operating performance. ALL-IN SUSTAINING COSTS The Company has provided an all-in sustaining costs performance measure that reflects all the expenditures that are required to produce an ounce of silver from operations. While there is no standardized meaning of the measure across the industry, the Company’s definition conforms to the all-in sustaining cost definition as set out by the World Gold Council in its updated Guidance Note issued in 2018. The Company believes that this measure is useful to external users in assessing operating performance and the Company’s ability to generate free cash flow from current operations. Subsequent amendments to the guidance have not materially affected the figures presented. FREE CASH FLOW Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP performance measure that is calculated as cash flows from operations net of cash flows invested in mineral property, plant, and equipment and exploration and evaluation assets. The Company believes that this measure is useful to the external users in assessing the Company’s ability to generate cash flows from its mineral projects. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Neither TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release is not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements within this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Discovery believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Statements include but are not limited to the feasibility of the Project and its attractive economics and significant exploration upside; construction decision and development of the Project, timing and results of the feasibility study and the anticipated capital and operating costs, sustaining costs, net present value, internal rate of return, the method of mining the Project, payback period, process capacity, average annual metal production, average process recoveries, concession renewal, permitting of the Project, anticipated mining and processing methods, feasibility study production schedule and metal production profile, anticipated construction period, anticipated mine life, expected recoveries and grades, anticipated production rates, infrastructure, social and environmental impact studies, the completion of key de-risking items, including the timing of receipt permits, availability of water and power, availability of labour, job creation and other local economic benefits, tax rates and commodity prices that would support development of the Project, and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, operational, geological or financial results Information concerning mineral resource/reserve estimates and the economic analysis thereof contained in the results of the feasibility study are also forward-looking statements in that they reflect a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered, and the results of mining, if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in market prices, including metal prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, the actual results of current and future exploration activities; changes to current estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources; conclusions of economic and geological evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; risks in obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations for the Company’s development stage and operating assets; operations may be exposed to new diseases, epidemics and pandemics, including any ongoing or future effects of COVID-19 (and any related ongoing or future regulatory or government responses) and its impact on the broader market and the trading price of the Company’s shares; provincial and federal orders or mandates (including with respect to mining operations generally or auxiliary businesses or services required for operations) in Mexico, all of which may affect many aspects of the Company's operations including the ability to transport personnel to and from site, contractor and supply availability and the ability to sell or deliver mined silver; changes in national and local government legislation, controls or regulations; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; labour and contractor availability (and being able to secure the same on favourable terms); disruptions in the maintenance or provision of required infrastructure and information technology systems; fluctuations in the price of gold or certain other commodities such as, diesel fuel, natural gas, and electricity; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities, including geotechnical challenges and changes to production estimates (which assume accuracy of projected ore grade, mining rates, recovery timing and recovery rate estimates and may be impacted by unscheduled maintenance); changes in foreign exchange rates (particularly the Canadian dollar, U.S. dollar and Mexican peso); the impact of inflation; geopolitical conflicts; employee and community relations; the impact of litigation and administrative proceedings (including but not limited to mining reform laws in Mexico) and any interim or final court, arbitral and/or administrative decisions; disruptions affecting operations; availability of and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labour; delays in construction decisions and any development of the Project; changes with respect to the intended method of mining and processing ore from the Project; inherent risks and hazards associated with mining and mineral processing including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures and cave-ins; the risk that the Company’s mines may not perform as planned; uncertainty with the Company's ability to secure additional capital to execute its business plans; contests over title to properties; expropriation +or nationalization of property; political or economic developments in Canada and Mexico and other jurisdictions in which the Company may carry on business in the future; increased costs and risks related to the potential impact of climate change; the costs and timing of exploration, construction and development of new deposits; risk of loss due to sabotage, protests and other civil disturbances; the impact of global liquidity and credit availability and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future cash flows; risks arising from holding derivative instruments; and business opportunities that may be pursued by the Company. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. Discovery does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable laws. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, are described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Company’s Annual Information Form dated March 28, 2024, which is available under the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. https://preview.redd.it/45knjpyrph0d1.png?width=150&format=png&auto=webp&s=a3c95f1b326e2d2c2af5225ac8ec4d8a0b62c41e https://preview.redd.it/tvqf6zzrph0d1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=2794cd260062a4db8fcd7f8cc4d38b0cc0be064e
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2024.05.15 02:47 ScarletTechsan Advice Request: 1-person or 3-person panel ARB Appeal review?
We are planning to file a protest for our property appraisal value, which we haven’t done since we moved from Houston to Travis County in 2010. We’re trying to decide whether to select a single-member panel for the ARB review or request the full three-member panel review.
For those of you have gone through this process more recently, what are your opinions on having a full three-member review board or single-member, and which do you think is better for people protesting on their own? What was your experience?
(Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place or redundant to anything already posted before! I tried to do a search, but I didn't see anything recent or close enough to my question in the search results.)
submitted by ScarletTechsan to Austin [link] [comments]
For those of you have gone through this process more recently, what are your opinions on having a full three-member review board or single-member, and which do you think is better for people protesting on their own? What was your experience?
(Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place or redundant to anything already posted before! I tried to do a search, but I didn't see anything recent or close enough to my question in the search results.)
2024.05.15 02:28 Silent-Life4663 JEE Lessons
Okay, so throughout my Jee journey..I have written some things which was kind of lessons for me.
Read once. Hope it helps. (I may add some more points after advance)
1) Sleep 2) Take failures positively as they are the most crucial part of your prep. 3) Don't be scared to work upon your mistakes. 4) Revise...Test...Analysis 5) It's obvious the dream you had taken, it's fucking hard to stay consistent for 2 years straight and see only one dream for 2 years or sometimes 3. 6) BOARDS!! Give 1 month full please! 7) Don't go for overrated teachers..they think that you already know everything. 8) Start Class 11th with a very good source..take 1 month to find good teachers. First start is thee most important. Don't contaminate the first incoming things of your starting prep by studying from overrated teachers. 9) Your rank is directly proportional to how well structured you study. 10) Majority people are doing nothing. You only have to compete with yurself. 11) If you study from a teacher who is a non iitian and by chance you got into iit..then the contribution of your teacher is 0% 12) Do periodic revision..1:3:7:21:63 Read notes...next time do some questions...next time listen lecture. 13) Throughout your preparation, there will be several chemical reactions running in your life. Don't always focus on the end product. Sometimes the By Product will stay with you for the rest of your life. 14) No matter if you did waste your 11th, you can still get selected just join a dropper course rather than 12th. But if you didn't wasted your 11th..Your selection probability is 10000% as 75% aspirants have their 11th wasted. 15) If you attempted 60 questions and got 7 incorrect then your -7 will not be from 240... -7 will be from (53 questions marks) i.e 212-7...205 16) Don't love to clear JEE..just hate to not clear JEE. 17) Focus on small mistakes in daily lifestyles. Majority people know how to study..but very few knows how to study effectively and that effectives comes from the small mistakes that we do in our daily routines. 18) Work not untill you can say that I deserve to go to IIT but untill IIT can say that I deserve to have you. 19) Make your life boring..so Studying feels interesting. 20) Plan doesn't work.. change the plan not the goal 21) Forget the past. Remember the lessons. 22) You are not making the plans. Your plans are only coming through you not from you. 23) At every point during JEE journey, you have 2 options always. 24) Make every day as your first day of your Drop year and make your Exam day as your last day of Drop year. 25) Always remember the chaos of one day before JEE and the result day...in case of you haven't gone through a proper structural journey. 26) JEE is all about hardwork and lasting till the end..it has nothing to do with Mind. 27) In the pursuit of competing with others in this journey, we often gain our competitors qualities good and even mentally defying ones, which later hinders us to reach and go all the way to our true potential. 28) The day you cry bcz of the syllabus and prep..is the day you starts to come on the right track. 29) Aspirants are not lazy, they just have options. 30) JEE doesn't care if you are average in studies. It cares if you are average in your curiosity. Be fearless in this long run and just sustain till the end. 31) You started this alone. You cried for it alone. You will end this alone. People will come at your success that will be just a phase. You will always end up being alone. That is life. 32) Time is a vector quantity. 33) Kuch lamhe hote h..apka pura sharir roo deta h..siwaye apki aankho ke. 34) Problems are problems just because you know that they are problems. 35) Never study from the teacher who uses PYQ's as class illustrations. 36) Don't study initially from PYQ's. They'll set your threshold low.
submitted by Silent-Life4663 to JEENEETards [link] [comments]
Read once. Hope it helps. (I may add some more points after advance)
1) Sleep 2) Take failures positively as they are the most crucial part of your prep. 3) Don't be scared to work upon your mistakes. 4) Revise...Test...Analysis 5) It's obvious the dream you had taken, it's fucking hard to stay consistent for 2 years straight and see only one dream for 2 years or sometimes 3. 6) BOARDS!! Give 1 month full please! 7) Don't go for overrated teachers..they think that you already know everything. 8) Start Class 11th with a very good source..take 1 month to find good teachers. First start is thee most important. Don't contaminate the first incoming things of your starting prep by studying from overrated teachers. 9) Your rank is directly proportional to how well structured you study. 10) Majority people are doing nothing. You only have to compete with yurself. 11) If you study from a teacher who is a non iitian and by chance you got into iit..then the contribution of your teacher is 0% 12) Do periodic revision..1:3:7:21:63 Read notes...next time do some questions...next time listen lecture. 13) Throughout your preparation, there will be several chemical reactions running in your life. Don't always focus on the end product. Sometimes the By Product will stay with you for the rest of your life. 14) No matter if you did waste your 11th, you can still get selected just join a dropper course rather than 12th. But if you didn't wasted your 11th..Your selection probability is 10000% as 75% aspirants have their 11th wasted. 15) If you attempted 60 questions and got 7 incorrect then your -7 will not be from 240... -7 will be from (53 questions marks) i.e 212-7...205 16) Don't love to clear JEE..just hate to not clear JEE. 17) Focus on small mistakes in daily lifestyles. Majority people know how to study..but very few knows how to study effectively and that effectives comes from the small mistakes that we do in our daily routines. 18) Work not untill you can say that I deserve to go to IIT but untill IIT can say that I deserve to have you. 19) Make your life boring..so Studying feels interesting. 20) Plan doesn't work.. change the plan not the goal 21) Forget the past. Remember the lessons. 22) You are not making the plans. Your plans are only coming through you not from you. 23) At every point during JEE journey, you have 2 options always. 24) Make every day as your first day of your Drop year and make your Exam day as your last day of Drop year. 25) Always remember the chaos of one day before JEE and the result day...in case of you haven't gone through a proper structural journey. 26) JEE is all about hardwork and lasting till the end..it has nothing to do with Mind. 27) In the pursuit of competing with others in this journey, we often gain our competitors qualities good and even mentally defying ones, which later hinders us to reach and go all the way to our true potential. 28) The day you cry bcz of the syllabus and prep..is the day you starts to come on the right track. 29) Aspirants are not lazy, they just have options. 30) JEE doesn't care if you are average in studies. It cares if you are average in your curiosity. Be fearless in this long run and just sustain till the end. 31) You started this alone. You cried for it alone. You will end this alone. People will come at your success that will be just a phase. You will always end up being alone. That is life. 32) Time is a vector quantity. 33) Kuch lamhe hote h..apka pura sharir roo deta h..siwaye apki aankho ke. 34) Problems are problems just because you know that they are problems. 35) Never study from the teacher who uses PYQ's as class illustrations. 36) Don't study initially from PYQ's. They'll set your threshold low.
2024.05.15 01:56 Snow_The_4th_Man Will Tricare coverage backdate to my enlistment date?
Joined the Navy Reserves on April 23.
I've contacted Tricare and they've told me that they can't enroll me because I'm not in their system yet.
I started shitting blood tonight.
If I go to the emergency room and get treatment, can I get that hospital bill covered by Tricare? Will they backdate my coverage to my enlistment? Or will my coverage only only backdate to my enrollment?
I really want to go to the hospital tonight, but if this is going to result in a giant medical bill (that I have to pay), I'd rather just roll the dice and see if the condition will go away by itself.
Side question: Is Tricare Select full coverage? Or will I still pay some portion of this medical bill?
submitted by Snow_The_4th_Man to navy [link] [comments]
I've contacted Tricare and they've told me that they can't enroll me because I'm not in their system yet.
I started shitting blood tonight.
If I go to the emergency room and get treatment, can I get that hospital bill covered by Tricare? Will they backdate my coverage to my enlistment? Or will my coverage only only backdate to my enrollment?
I really want to go to the hospital tonight, but if this is going to result in a giant medical bill (that I have to pay), I'd rather just roll the dice and see if the condition will go away by itself.
Side question: Is Tricare Select full coverage? Or will I still pay some portion of this medical bill?
2024.05.15 01:55 Snow_The_4th_Man Will Tricare coverage backdate to my enlistment date?
Joined the Navy Reserves on April 23.
I've contacted Tricare and they've told me that they can't enroll me because I'm not in their system yet.
I started shitting blood tonight.
If I go to the emergency room and get treatment, can I get that hospital bill covered by Tricare? Will they backdate my coverage to my enlistment? Or will my coverage only only backdate to my enrollment?
I really want to go to the hospital tonight, but if this is going to result in a giant medical bill (that I have to pay), I'd rather just roll the dice and see if the condition will go away by itself.
Side question: Is Tricare Select full coverage? Or will I still pay some portion of this medical bill?
submitted by Snow_The_4th_Man to tricare [link] [comments]
I've contacted Tricare and they've told me that they can't enroll me because I'm not in their system yet.
I started shitting blood tonight.
If I go to the emergency room and get treatment, can I get that hospital bill covered by Tricare? Will they backdate my coverage to my enlistment? Or will my coverage only only backdate to my enrollment?
I really want to go to the hospital tonight, but if this is going to result in a giant medical bill (that I have to pay), I'd rather just roll the dice and see if the condition will go away by itself.
Side question: Is Tricare Select full coverage? Or will I still pay some portion of this medical bill?
2024.05.15 01:17 TrackingSystemDirect Does Driving Slower Save Gas
 | Does Driving Slow Save Gas? - The Truth About Fuel EfficiencyFuel prices have been skyrocketing all year long, and with the average gasoline price over $4.00 nationwide there has never been a better time to talk about fuel economy. One of the most common questions about fuel efficiency and factors that contribute to reducing fuel economy (or how to best save fuel) is related to speed: Does driving slower actually save gas? Or is it just folklore?Let’s take a closer look before you plan your next road trips, and get the latest gas mileage tips to help save you money! Learn how GPS trackers can help!: https://konnectgps.com https://preview.redd.it/mr1cwfp56h0d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=47a399ca2feebdee0fc2e196f2129299c40790fa Does Driving Slower Save Fuel - The FactsIf you are driving faster will you burn through more gas? Yes—sometimes—but also no.The truth is that every automobile has a sweet spot at which the car’s gas mileage peaks; for most vehicles, that’s between 50 and 60 miles per hour, depending on other external conditions such as proper tire inflation, wind resistance, and more. Finding the optimal fuel economy doesn’t mean driving too slow, nor does it mean you should drive fast. Let’s look at the factors that contribute to driving costs if you’re looking to save money on gas and get optimal fuel efficiency:
Related Article: Wireless GPS Trackers For Fuel Consumption Reduction 7 Fuel-Efficient Driving TechniquesCheck out these driving tips that can help you save money on gas as a result of striving to provide optimal fuel efficiency:
How Much Fuel Can You Save With Smooth Proactive DrivingThe best part about trying to chase ways to save fuel costs is that most of the time it also means driving more safely. It is less about choosing to drive fast or driving slow and more about driving at a safe highway speed and driving the speed limit. The best way to save money on gas and increase your car's gas mileage is by limiting actions that result in unnecessary fuel consumption. The same driving tips that you might see for plug-in hybrid or hybrid vehicles can also help limit your driving costs; striving to provide a smooth, safe experience is generally going to save fuel costs!But just how much can you save money on gas by embracing proactive driving tips? Depending on where you look, it may be as much as 40% of your fuel costs. So let’s recap those principles:
Frequently Asked QuestionsCan Driving Slower Really Save Gas?Yes, driving at an efficient speed can significantly improve fuel efficiency and save gas. However, it's essential to find the optimal speed for your specific vehicle to maximize savings.What Is The Optimal Speed For Fuel Efficiency?For most light-duty vehicles, the optimal speed for fuel efficiency ranges between 50-60 mph. This can vary based on vehicle type, engine size, and weight. Keep in mind that factors like tire pressure and driving habits also impact fuel efficiency.How Does Driving Speed Affect Car Insurance?Auto insurance providers often consider driving habits when determining rates. Safer, less aggressive driving, which includes adhering to posted speed limits and maintaining efficient speeds, may lead to lower car insurance premiums.Can Electric And Alternative Fuel Vehicles Benefit From Driving Slower?Yes, electric cars and other alternative fuel vehicles, such as fuel cell vehicles, can also benefit from driving at optimal speeds. Maintaining efficient speeds can help extend the range of these vehicles and reduce energy consumption.How Does Cold Weather Impact Fuel Economy?Fuel economy in cold weather tends to decrease rapidly for both traditional and electric vehicles. Combining trips, using idle reduction strategies, and proper car care can help mitigate the effects of cold weather on fuel efficiency.What Are Some Other Tips For Driving More Efficiently?Aside from maintaining an efficient speed, you can improve fuel efficiency by keeping tires properly inflated, removing excess weight, using cruise control when appropriate, and performing regular vehicle maintenance.Are There Any Studies On The Relationship Between Driving Speed And Fuel Efficiency?Yes, Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a study that demonstrated the relationship between driving speed and fuel efficiency. The study found that aggressive driving and exceeding the posted speed limit led to increased fuel consumption.Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (2019). Effects of Driver Aggressiveness on Fuel Consumption Originally published here: https://www.trackingsystemdirect.com |
2024.05.15 00:33 ThrowAway943533 DDC's representative was not completely accurate when describing Wisconsin's room tax law at the April 9, 2024 Ephraim village board meeting
The minutes, included in a draft version within the May 14, 7:00 P.M. board packet, https://ephraim.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24-5-14-Board-Packet.pdf#page=11, describe the DDC employee as stating:
There is nothing in the state statutes which requires that a single tourism entity receive the 70%. The 70% portion of the room tax money may be distributed to multiple tourism entities, if that is what the Door County Tourism Zone Commission desires. It happens that there is only one tourism entity presently receiving the money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is another option for Ephraim to look into.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/f states that tourism entities must have been created before January 1, 2015. The Ephraim Business Council was first registered with the state in 1963: https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpsearch/Details.aspx?entityID=6E03737&hash=1855910145&searchFunctionID=00c8372f-e872-4732-87cc-d096cf086605
The 1963 founding means it is old enough. As a tourism entity, it would be required to spend 51% of its revenues on tourism promotion and tourism development, and provide destination marketing staff and services for the tourism industry in a municipality.
If the Ephraim Business Council received enough room tax money from the Tourism Zone, and passed it to the village of Ephraim for tangible municipal development, that would allow it to qualify for the 51% if it does not already. Eligible tangible municipal development expenses count as a form of “tourism promotion and tourism development”, according to https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/fm
The Ephraim Business Council maintains the Ephraim Visitor Information Center, and this 990 form indicates that it has one full time, salaried employee: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/391539213/202311189349200636/full
That means it meets the “destination marketing staff and services” requirement.
The Ephraim Business Council could create a committee made up of entirely of unpaid Ephraim village board members. The council could receive a portion of the 70% directly from the Tourism Zone, and allocate it to the village for eligible tangible municipal development purposes according to the decisions of the committee.
That things could be set up this way is contradicted by what the DDC representative said at the meeting, according to the draft minutes. State law has restrictions about how to spend the 70% portion of room tax money, but her comment over-stated the extent of the restrictions. This is what https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1m/b/2 states:
The quoted comment from the DDC representative came as part of a discussion on whether room tax dollars from the Community Investment Fund could be spent on fireworks. Elsewhere, https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Open-Session-Packet-April-2024.pdf#page=32, it is revealed that the village of Ephraim has accumulated a legal bill of $22,548 over their complaint regarding the Community Investment Fund. In responding to the complaint, the Door County Tourism Zone Commission has spent $4,903. Ephraim would like the Tourism Zone to pay the $22,548 so they don’t have to, but the Tourism Zone won’t pay it.
This is a waste of tax money. A democratic alternative to wasting more tax money on legal fees would be for a special joint meeting to be held for all board and council members, from all Door County municipalities. Together, they could write and vote on a resolution expressing their intentions to the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. The resolution could be more of a general nature if there isn’t much agreement, or it could spell things out more precisely if that is possible.
Topics they could consider:
A resolution written in this manner would not be legally binding on the Tourism Zone, but the Tourism Zone board members would be practically compelled to follow it. If certain board members don't comply, they could be removed and replaced, since they serve at the pleasure of the principal elected official in their member municipalities. Any members which are removed may be replaced by someone else chosen by the principal elected official, and confirmed by a majority vote of the board or council members who were present at the time of the vote: https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Door-County-Tourism-Zone-Commission-By-Laws.pdf#page=2
Wisconsin's state constitution restricts the state government itself from being a party in carrying on works of internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/wiscon/_18/_12
There are exceptions to this and a history of court cases. However, the clause only applies to the state. Municipalities are allowed to build internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/reading_the_constitution/reading_the_constitution_3_1.pdf#page=7
This implies that any system of allocating tangible municipal development dollars must stem from municipal authority instead of the state’s own authority. Because the scope of tourism entities includes tangible municipal development, and tangible tangible municipal development includes the works of internal improvements, it would be unconstitutional for them to claim powers derived directly from the state.
The powers of the Tourism Zone to tax and distribute funds, and of Destination Door County and the Community Investment Fund to spend the funds distributed to them, are derived from municipal authority. Along with the method for appointing and removing Tourism Zone board members, the authority structure suggests that a resolution authored by a joint meeting of the municipalities would be regarded as compelling by the Tourism Zone.
The state does not forbid municipalities from holding joint meetings. This is a recent example of a joint meeting held by two town boards: https://townofoaklandwi.com/2024/04/28/joint-meeting-town-of-meenon-town-of-oakland-on-05-01-2024-615pm-new-town-hall/
This notice describes the meeting being held at a new town hall. An earlier article describes the towns considering the purchase of a property together to serve as a town hall for both towns: https://www.burnettcountysentinel.com/news/shared-town-halls-possible/article_9dcfb588-a30d-11ed-b60f-0fb4ae6c11d9.html
If two towns in Burnett County can hold a legally valid joint meeting, nineteen Door County municipalities are capable of doing the same.
If nothing is done and the status quo continues, will legal bills continue to increase? Besides the current dispute, a second legal issue has the potential to arise, resulting in more litigation. This would be if the Community Investment Fund were to grow too large. One person recorded in the draft Ephraim minutes described the fund as already being at a million and a half dollars. There are several annotations stating that tax money cannot be accumulated and kept as a surplus having no public purpose: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/60/vi/40/5
Although this refers to towns, the authority to spend tax room money is likewise delegated, so it also applies to the Tourism Zone, Destination Door County, and the Community Investment Fund. Were they to accumulate a surplus with no public purpose, courts could intervene. Exactly how much of a surplus there would need to be for courts to get involved, I don't know.
submitted by ThrowAway943533 to DoorCounty [link] [comments]
DDC still has to by state law receive 70% of the room tax collection.The title reflects my assumption that the draft minutes correctly report what was said on April 9. If this was misreported, I will delete the post right away.
There is nothing in the state statutes which requires that a single tourism entity receive the 70%. The 70% portion of the room tax money may be distributed to multiple tourism entities, if that is what the Door County Tourism Zone Commission desires. It happens that there is only one tourism entity presently receiving the money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is another option for Ephraim to look into.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/f states that tourism entities must have been created before January 1, 2015. The Ephraim Business Council was first registered with the state in 1963: https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpsearch/Details.aspx?entityID=6E03737&hash=1855910145&searchFunctionID=00c8372f-e872-4732-87cc-d096cf086605
The 1963 founding means it is old enough. As a tourism entity, it would be required to spend 51% of its revenues on tourism promotion and tourism development, and provide destination marketing staff and services for the tourism industry in a municipality.
If the Ephraim Business Council received enough room tax money from the Tourism Zone, and passed it to the village of Ephraim for tangible municipal development, that would allow it to qualify for the 51% if it does not already. Eligible tangible municipal development expenses count as a form of “tourism promotion and tourism development”, according to https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/fm
The Ephraim Business Council maintains the Ephraim Visitor Information Center, and this 990 form indicates that it has one full time, salaried employee: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/391539213/202311189349200636/full
That means it meets the “destination marketing staff and services” requirement.
The Ephraim Business Council could create a committee made up of entirely of unpaid Ephraim village board members. The council could receive a portion of the 70% directly from the Tourism Zone, and allocate it to the village for eligible tangible municipal development purposes according to the decisions of the committee.
That things could be set up this way is contradicted by what the DDC representative said at the meeting, according to the draft minutes. State law has restrictions about how to spend the 70% portion of room tax money, but her comment over-stated the extent of the restrictions. This is what https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1m/b/2 states:
the commission shall contract with another organization in the zone to perform the functions of the tourism entity.This does not expressly prohibit a commission from contracting with two or more organizations, each receiving part of the 70%.
The quoted comment from the DDC representative came as part of a discussion on whether room tax dollars from the Community Investment Fund could be spent on fireworks. Elsewhere, https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Open-Session-Packet-April-2024.pdf#page=32, it is revealed that the village of Ephraim has accumulated a legal bill of $22,548 over their complaint regarding the Community Investment Fund. In responding to the complaint, the Door County Tourism Zone Commission has spent $4,903. Ephraim would like the Tourism Zone to pay the $22,548 so they don’t have to, but the Tourism Zone won’t pay it.
This is a waste of tax money. A democratic alternative to wasting more tax money on legal fees would be for a special joint meeting to be held for all board and council members, from all Door County municipalities. Together, they could write and vote on a resolution expressing their intentions to the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. The resolution could be more of a general nature if there isn’t much agreement, or it could spell things out more precisely if that is possible.
Topics they could consider:
- Whether more money should be spent on legal expenses
- What percentage of the 70% should be allocated to DDC
- Which other tourism entities ought to receive contracts with the Tourism Zone, and the proportion of the 70% which should go to each tourism entity
- Proportion of room tax which ought to go to tangible municipal development
- Which projects ought to be funded with tangible municipal development, and which tourism entity should be responsible for funding the projects
A resolution written in this manner would not be legally binding on the Tourism Zone, but the Tourism Zone board members would be practically compelled to follow it. If certain board members don't comply, they could be removed and replaced, since they serve at the pleasure of the principal elected official in their member municipalities. Any members which are removed may be replaced by someone else chosen by the principal elected official, and confirmed by a majority vote of the board or council members who were present at the time of the vote: https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Door-County-Tourism-Zone-Commission-By-Laws.pdf#page=2
Wisconsin's state constitution restricts the state government itself from being a party in carrying on works of internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/wiscon/_18/_12
There are exceptions to this and a history of court cases. However, the clause only applies to the state. Municipalities are allowed to build internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/reading_the_constitution/reading_the_constitution_3_1.pdf#page=7
This implies that any system of allocating tangible municipal development dollars must stem from municipal authority instead of the state’s own authority. Because the scope of tourism entities includes tangible municipal development, and tangible tangible municipal development includes the works of internal improvements, it would be unconstitutional for them to claim powers derived directly from the state.
The powers of the Tourism Zone to tax and distribute funds, and of Destination Door County and the Community Investment Fund to spend the funds distributed to them, are derived from municipal authority. Along with the method for appointing and removing Tourism Zone board members, the authority structure suggests that a resolution authored by a joint meeting of the municipalities would be regarded as compelling by the Tourism Zone.
The state does not forbid municipalities from holding joint meetings. This is a recent example of a joint meeting held by two town boards: https://townofoaklandwi.com/2024/04/28/joint-meeting-town-of-meenon-town-of-oakland-on-05-01-2024-615pm-new-town-hall/
This notice describes the meeting being held at a new town hall. An earlier article describes the towns considering the purchase of a property together to serve as a town hall for both towns: https://www.burnettcountysentinel.com/news/shared-town-halls-possible/article_9dcfb588-a30d-11ed-b60f-0fb4ae6c11d9.html
If two towns in Burnett County can hold a legally valid joint meeting, nineteen Door County municipalities are capable of doing the same.
If nothing is done and the status quo continues, will legal bills continue to increase? Besides the current dispute, a second legal issue has the potential to arise, resulting in more litigation. This would be if the Community Investment Fund were to grow too large. One person recorded in the draft Ephraim minutes described the fund as already being at a million and a half dollars. There are several annotations stating that tax money cannot be accumulated and kept as a surplus having no public purpose: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/60/vi/40/5
Although this refers to towns, the authority to spend tax room money is likewise delegated, so it also applies to the Tourism Zone, Destination Door County, and the Community Investment Fund. Were they to accumulate a surplus with no public purpose, courts could intervene. Exactly how much of a surplus there would need to be for courts to get involved, I don't know.
2024.05.15 00:23 businessnewstv How to Start a Healthcare Staffing Agency in South Dakota in 2024
Introduction to healthcare staffing agencies
Healthcare staffing agencies play a vital role in providing qualified healthcare professionals to meet the growing demand for healthcare services. These agencies act as intermediaries between healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals, ensuring that the right professionals are placed in the right positions. The introduction of healthcare staffing agencies has revolutionized the healthcare industry, offering opportunities for both healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities to optimize their operations and provide quality care. In this article, we will explore the opportunities and challenges of starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota.Importance of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota
Healthcare staffing agencies play a crucial role in South Dakota by addressing the growing demand for qualified healthcare professionals. With the increasing population and the need for quality healthcare services, these agencies serve as a bridge between healthcare facilities and skilled healthcare workers. They ensure that healthcare facilities have access to a pool of competent and reliable professionals, while also providing employment opportunities for healthcare workers. By effectively matching the right professionals with the right healthcare facilities, these agencies contribute to the overall improvement of healthcare delivery in South Dakota. Moreover, they help alleviate the burden on healthcare facilities by handling the recruitment and placement process, allowing them to focus on providing quality care to patients. Overall, healthcare staffing agencies are essential in meeting the staffing needs of the healthcare industry in South Dakota and ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services to the community.Market analysis of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota
Market analysis of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota reveals several opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs looking to start and grow their own agency. The healthcare industry in South Dakota is experiencing significant growth, creating a high demand for qualified healthcare professionals. This presents a lucrative market for staffing agencies to connect healthcare facilities with the right talent. However, the competition in the industry is also intense, with numerous established agencies already operating in the state. To succeed in this market, entrepreneurs need to carefully analyze the current landscape, identify gaps and niches, and develop unique strategies to differentiate their agency. Additionally, understanding the regulatory requirements and compliance standards specific to South Dakota is crucial for ensuring smooth operations and building trust with clients and healthcare professionals. With the right research, planning, and execution, entrepreneurs can navigate the market and establish a successful healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota.Legal Requirements for Starting a Healthcare Staffing Agency
Licensing and registration
Licensing and registration are crucial steps in starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. In order to operate legally and provide quality services, it is important to obtain the necessary licenses and registrations from the appropriate authorities. This ensures compliance with state regulations and helps build trust with clients and healthcare professionals. The process of obtaining licenses and registrations may vary depending on the type of agency and the services offered. It is essential to thoroughly research and understand the requirements, fees, and timelines involved. Additionally, maintaining updated licenses and registrations is vital to avoid any legal issues or disruptions in business operations. By prioritizing licensing and registration, healthcare staffing agencies can establish a solid foundation for success in South Dakota's competitive healthcare industry.Insurance and liability
Insurance and liability are crucial aspects to consider when starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. As the healthcare industry is highly regulated, it is important to have the appropriate insurance coverage to protect the agency, its employees, and clients. This includes professional liability insurance to cover any potential malpractice claims, general liability insurance to protect against accidents or injuries on the agency's premises, and workers' compensation insurance to provide financial support for employees who may suffer work-related injuries. Additionally, it is essential to regularly review and update insurance policies to ensure they meet the changing needs of the agency and comply with state and federal regulations. By prioritizing insurance and liability management, healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota can mitigate risks and safeguard their operations, reputation, and financial stability.Compliance with employment laws
Compliance with employment laws is a crucial aspect of starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. As the healthcare industry is highly regulated, it is essential to adhere to all relevant laws and regulations to ensure the agency operates legally and ethically. This includes understanding and complying with federal and state employment laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Additionally, healthcare staffing agencies must also comply with industry-specific regulations, such as those set forth by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Failing to comply with these laws and regulations can result in severe penalties, legal consequences, and damage to the agency's reputation. Therefore, it is imperative for healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota to prioritize compliance with employment laws to ensure the success and longevity of their business.Recruitment and Hiring Process
Identifying staffing needs
Identifying staffing needs is a crucial step in starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. Understanding the demand for healthcare professionals in the state is essential for determining the specific staffing needs of healthcare facilities. By conducting thorough research and analysis, healthcare staffing agencies can identify the areas and specialties that require the most attention. This knowledge allows agencies to tailor their recruitment efforts and provide healthcare facilities with qualified professionals who can meet their staffing needs effectively. Additionally, staying updated on industry trends and changes in healthcare regulations is vital for staying ahead of the competition and addressing the evolving staffing needs of healthcare facilities in South Dakota.Sourcing qualified healthcare professionals
Sourcing qualified healthcare professionals is a critical aspect of starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. The success of the agency relies heavily on the ability to attract and retain top talent in the healthcare industry. To ensure the highest level of care for clients, it is essential to have a rigorous screening and selection process in place. This includes conducting thorough background checks, verifying credentials and certifications, and assessing the skills and experience of potential candidates. Additionally, building strong relationships with educational institutions, professional organizations, and other healthcare providers can provide valuable networking opportunities and access to a pool of qualified professionals. By investing in effective sourcing strategies, a healthcare staffing agency can position itself as a trusted provider of high-quality healthcare professionals in South Dakota.Screening and interviewing candidates
Screening and interviewing candidates is a critical step in the process of starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. The success of the agency relies heavily on the quality of the healthcare professionals it recruits and places in various healthcare facilities. To ensure that only the most qualified candidates are selected, thorough screening and interviewing techniques must be employed. This includes conducting background checks, verifying credentials, assessing clinical skills, and evaluating cultural fit. Additionally, it is essential to adhere to all legal and ethical guidelines throughout the screening and interviewing process. By implementing a rigorous screening and interviewing process, healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota can attract top talent and provide exceptional services to healthcare facilities in the region.Building Relationships with Healthcare Facilities
Understanding the needs of healthcare facilities
Understanding the needs of healthcare facilities is crucial for starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. Healthcare facilities rely on staffing agencies to provide them with qualified and competent healthcare professionals to meet their staffing needs. By understanding the specific needs of healthcare facilities, such as the demand for specialized healthcare professionals or the need for flexible staffing solutions, consulting firms can develop effective strategies to address these needs. By offering tailored staffing solutions and providing expertise in healthcare staffing, consulting firms can help healthcare facilities optimize their staffing processes and ensure the delivery of quality patient care.Negotiating contracts and agreements
Negotiating contracts and agreements is a crucial aspect of running a successful healthcare staffing agency. It requires careful consideration and attention to detail to ensure that both parties involved are satisfied with the terms and conditions. One of the key challenges in this process is dealing with corporate companies that may be losing money. It is important to approach such negotiations with tact and professionalism, offering solutions and strategies that can help mitigate their financial difficulties. By understanding their unique situation and providing tailored solutions, healthcare staffing agencies can build strong partnerships with corporate companies, creating mutually beneficial agreements that contribute to the growth and success of both parties.Providing ongoing support and communication
Providing ongoing support and communication is crucial for the success of a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. By maintaining open lines of communication with clients and healthcare professionals, the agency can ensure that staffing needs are met efficiently and effectively. This includes regular check-ins with clients to assess their staffing requirements and address any concerns or issues that may arise. Additionally, the agency should establish a reliable system for healthcare professionals to communicate their availability and preferences, allowing for seamless coordination and scheduling. By prioritizing ongoing support and communication, the healthcare staffing agency can build strong relationships with clients and healthcare professionals, leading to long-term success and growth.Marketing and Promotion Strategies
Creating a strong online presence
Creating a strong online presence is crucial for any healthcare staffing agency looking to thrive in today's digital age. With the majority of people turning to the internet to search for healthcare services, having a well-established online presence can significantly increase visibility and attract potential clients. To create a strong online presence, healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota should focus on developing a professional website that showcases their expertise, services, and testimonials from satisfied clients. Additionally, investing in search engine optimization (SEO) strategies can help the agency rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential clients to find them. Lastly, leveraging social media platforms and online advertising can further enhance the agency's online presence, reaching a wider audience and establishing credibility in the industry. By prioritizing the creation of a strong online presence, healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota can position themselves as leaders in the field and effectively compete in the digital landscape.Networking with healthcare professionals and facilities
Networking with healthcare professionals and facilities is crucial for the success of a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. By building strong relationships with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers, the agency can gain valuable insights into the needs and preferences of the local healthcare community. This knowledge can help the agency tailor its staffing solutions to meet the specific requirements of healthcare facilities in South Dakota. Additionally, networking allows the agency to establish partnerships with hospitals, clinics, and group homes, which can lead to a steady stream of clients and job opportunities. By leveraging these connections, the agency can position itself as a trusted and reliable resource for healthcare staffing in South Dakota.Utilizing targeted advertising and marketing campaigns
Utilizing targeted advertising and marketing campaigns is crucial for the success of a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota. By identifying the specific needs and preferences of healthcare professionals and facilities in the area, the agency can tailor its messaging and promotional activities to effectively reach its target audience. This may involve utilizing online platforms, such as social media and job boards, to connect with potential candidates and clients. Additionally, the agency can leverage local partnerships and industry networks to expand its reach and visibility. A well-executed advertising and marketing strategy can help the agency establish a strong brand presence, attract qualified healthcare professionals, and build relationships with healthcare facilities, ultimately leading to the growth and sustainability of the business.Challenges and Opportunities in the Healthcare Staffing Industry
Shortage of healthcare professionals
The shortage of healthcare professionals is a significant challenge faced by the healthcare staffing industry in South Dakota. With the increasing demand for healthcare services, there is a growing need for skilled and qualified professionals to meet the needs of the population. However, the limited availability of healthcare professionals, especially in rural areas, poses a major obstacle to the growth and expansion of healthcare staffing agencies. This shortage not only affects the quality of patient care but also puts a strain on existing healthcare facilities. To address this issue, it is crucial for healthcare staffing agencies to develop strategies to attract and retain healthcare professionals, such as offering competitive salaries, providing professional development opportunities, and establishing partnerships with educational institutions to promote healthcare careers in the state.Competition from other staffing agencies
Competition from other staffing agencies is a significant challenge that healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota face. With the increasing demand for healthcare professionals, the market has become highly competitive. To stand out from the competition, healthcare staffing agencies need to focus on providing exceptional services and building strong relationships with healthcare facilities. One area that can give a competitive edge is email deliverability. Ensuring that emails are delivered to the intended recipients in a timely manner is crucial for effective communication and maintaining client relationships. By prioritizing email deliverability, healthcare staffing agencies can enhance their communication channels and improve overall client satisfaction.Changing healthcare regulations and policies
Changing healthcare regulations and policies play a crucial role in the success and growth of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota. Staying updated with the latest changes ensures compliance and adherence to legal requirements. It also allows agencies to adapt their operations and strategies to meet the evolving needs of the healthcare industry. By closely monitoring and understanding these regulations and policies, healthcare staffing agencies can effectively navigate challenges and capitalize on new opportunities.Conclusion
Summary of key points
Starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota presents both opportunities and challenges. To succeed in this venture, it is important to understand the key points that can help navigate the industry. One of the key points to consider is the projected growth of the nursing industry in Georgia by 2023. This presents a significant opportunity for healthcare staffing agencies to provide qualified nursing professionals to meet the increasing demand. Additionally, understanding the specific regulations and licensing requirements in Georgia will be crucial for operating a successful agency in the state. By staying informed about industry trends and regulations, healthcare staffing agencies can position themselves for success in the competitive healthcare staffing market.Future prospects of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota
The future prospects of healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota are promising. With the increasing demand for healthcare professionals and the growing population in the state, there is a significant need for staffing agencies to provide qualified and skilled healthcare professionals. This presents a great opportunity for healthcare staffing agencies to expand their operations and cater to the healthcare needs of the community. However, along with the opportunities, there are also challenges that healthcare staffing agencies need to address. These include the competition from other staffing agencies, the need to constantly update their knowledge and skills to meet the changing healthcare landscape, and the need to maintain a strong network of healthcare professionals. Despite these challenges, healthcare staffing agencies in South Dakota have the potential to thrive and contribute to the overall healthcare industry in the state.Final thoughts on starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency
Starting and growing a healthcare staffing agency can be a challenging but rewarding endeavor. For aspiring entrepreneurs in South Dakota, there are ample opportunities to tap into the growing healthcare industry. The state's favorable business environment and high demand for healthcare professionals create a conducive environment for startups in this sector. However, it is essential to be aware of the challenges that come with running a staffing agency, such as fierce competition and the need to establish strong relationships with healthcare facilities. By leveraging technology, networking with industry professionals, and providing excellent service, entrepreneurs can overcome these challenges and build a successful healthcare staffing agency in South Dakota.In conclusion, starting a healthcare staffing business online is a great opportunity in 2023. With the increasing demand for healthcare professionals, there is a huge potential for success in this industry. If you want to learn more about how to start your own healthcare staffing business, visit our website. We provide a complete guide on how to get started, including step-by-step instructions and valuable tips. Don't miss out on this chance to build a successful online business in the healthcare industry. Take action now and visit our website to begin your journey.
2024.05.14 22:00 Soninetz Softr Pricing: updated Affordable Plans and Costs
 | Did you know that 80% of businesses struggle with pricing their products effectively? Pricing plays a crucial role in the success of any business, and finding the right balance is key. When it comes to pricing software, getting it right is even more critical. Softr pricing offers a solution that simplifies this complex process, helping businesses optimize their pricing strategies effortlessly. In this post, we will explore the benefits of Softr pricing and how it can revolutionize your approach to pricing software products. submitted by Soninetz to NutraVestaProVen [link] [comments] Useful Links: Key Takeaways
Understanding Softr Pricing PlansSoftr is revolutionizing the way individuals, entrepreneurs, SMBs, agencies, and larger enterprises build web applications without code. With its intuitive platform, Softr offers a range of pricing plans tailored to various needs and budgets. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore each pricing tier in detail to help you make an informed decision.1. Free Plan: Ideal for Passion ProjectsFor individuals embarking on passion projects or exploring new ideas, Softr's Free Plan offers a perfect starting point. Here's what you get with this plan:
2. Basic Plan: Empowering EntrepreneursEntrepreneurs looking to launch new products and ventures can benefit greatly from Softr's Basic Plan. Here's what you get with this plan:
3. Professional Plan: Perfect for SMBs and AgenciesSmall to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and agencies seeking to build portals and internal tools can find everything they need with Softr's Professional Plan. Here's what you get with this plan:
4. Business Plan: Advanced Solutions for TeamsTeams engaged in building advanced custom applications can leverage the powerful features of Softr's Business Plan. Here's what you get with this plan:
5. Enterprise Plan: Tailored Solutions for Larger CompaniesFor larger enterprises requiring extra volume, security, and dedicated support, Softr's Enterprise Plan offers customized solutions. Here's what you get with this plan:
Choosing the Right Softr Pricing PlanWhether you're an individual with a passion project, an entrepreneur launching a new venture, an SMB or agency building portals and internal tools, or a larger enterprise in need of advanced solutions, Softr has a pricing plan tailored to your needs. Evaluate your requirements, budget, and goals carefully to choose the plan that aligns best with your objectives. With Softr, you can unlock the power of no-code app development and bring your ideas to life without limitations.BenefitsMonthly billing offers flexibility for users who prefer short-term commitments and the ability to adjust their subscription payments based on their needs. It allows users to pay on a month-to-month basis without a long-term contract, providing them with the freedom to cancel or change their plan easily.AdvantagesAnnual billing, on the other hand, provides cost savings for those willing to commit to a longer period upfront. Subscribers often receive discounts or incentives when opting for an annual payment plan, resulting in lower overall costs compared to monthly billing. This option is ideal for users or businesses looking to save money in the long run by managing data.Pricing Structures ComparisonWhen comparing the pricing structures between monthly and annual plans, it's essential to consider factors such as total cost, payment frequency, and budgeting preferences. Monthly plans offer more immediate flexibility but may cost more over time, while annual plans provide savings but require a larger upfront investment.Useful Links: Evaluating Softr's ValueValue Propositiontr's pricing plans offer a versatile range of features tailored to different user requirements and data. The platform provides options for both individuals and businesses, ensuring flexibility for users in choosing the right plan based on needs.User-Centric PlansThe pricing tiers cater to various user needs, from personal projects to enterprise solutions. Users can select plans based on factors like the number of websites needed, custom domains, and e-commerce capabilities.Scalability Optionstr's plans come with scalability options that allow users to upgrade or downgrade as their needs evolve. This ensures that users have the freedom to adjust their subscription based on changing requirements.Features and CapabilitiesKey FeaturesSoftr's plans offer a range of features to cater to diverse needs of users and data. Users can easily create item details, display details, and profiles. The platform also supports testimonials, reviews, and notes for enhanced user engagement with users' data.CapabilitiesWith Softr, users can leverage powerful capabilities such as Charts, Calendar, Inbox, and Kanban boards. These tools enable efficient project management and seamless collaboration among team members.Additional Features in Business and Enterprise PlansThe Business and Enterprise plans of Softr come with advanced features to elevate user experience for users and manage data. Users can integrate external data sources effortlessly, customize their specific details page, and engage in interactive discussions through the platform's dedicated chat feature.
Special Offers and DiscountsNew User PromotionsSoftr frequently offers special discounts and promotional deals for new users signing up during specific events or weeks. These promotions often include custom codes that users can apply at checkout to avail of discounted pricing.Loyalty Programs and Referral BonusesFor existing users, Softr provides loyalty programs and referral bonuses as part of their deal status. Users can benefit from these programs by referring friends or businesses to the platform, earning rewards such as free email domains or additional features.Ongoing OffersUsers can also find ongoing offers listed in the footer section of the Softr website. These offers may include security code upgrades, standard email integrations, or even opportunities to delete records for enhanced data management.Final RemarksIn evaluating Softr's pricing plans, you've gained insights into the value they offer, whether through monthly or annual billing. By understanding the features, capabilities, and special discounts available, you're better equipped to make an informed decision that aligns with your needs and budget. Remember, the key is to assess how Softr can best support your goals while maximizing the benefits it provides.As you navigate the realm of Softr pricing, keep in mind the significance of choosing a plan that not only fits your current requirements but also scales with your future aspirations. Take advantage of the knowledge you've acquired to select a pricing plan that propels your projects forward efficiently and cost-effectively. Your success with Softr starts with selecting the right plan for you. Ready to level up your data game? Try Softr for free and create amazing portals or tools effortlessly! Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the different Softr pricing plans available?tr offers various pricing plans tailored to different needs, including a free plan with basic features, a Pro plan for advanced functionalities, and a Business plan for scaling up your projects.Is it better to opt for monthly or annual billing with Softr?Opting for annual billing with Softr can save you money compared to monthly billing. You get a discount when you choose the annual subscription, making it a cost-effective choice in the long run.How can I evaluate the value of Softr for my projects?You can evaluate Softr's value by considering its ease of use, range of features like customizable templates and integrations, customer support quality, and how well it aligns with your project requirements.What key features and capabilities does Softr offer?tr provides essential features like drag-and-drop builder, responsive design, database integration, e-commerce functionality, SEO tools, and more. These features empower you to create professional websites and web applications efficiently.Does Softr offer any special offers or discounts?tr occasionally provides special offers and discounts on their pricing plans. Keep an eye out for promotions during holidays or special events to take advantage of discounted rates and enhance your savings.Useful Links: |