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RIL fixes May 14 as record date for rights issue

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has fixed May 14 as the record date to determine the shareholders eligible to apply for its upcoming rights issue.Relian




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Physical oil rally might be short-lived

Output cuts help,but demand recovery still timid




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Brighton Covid-19 case highlights challenges of resuming EPL




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Michael Douglas teases Ant-Man 3 update, asks fans to "hang tight"

Reports state that Ant-Man 3 is in development at Marvel Studios, but the MCU is keeping its plans somewhat guarded.





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Black Light Express by Phillip Reeve


From my recent review of Black Light Express for Locus:


Philip Reeve’s absolutely incredible world building again takes center stage in Black Light Express, the sequel to Railhead. The second book picks up soon after the events that brought Railhead to a stunning close, with former thief and unwitting catalyst Zen Starling having fled the Network Empire along with Nova, his android girlfriend. Meanwhile, completely against her will, Threnrody Noon, the Paris Hilton of the empire-controlling Noon family, has assumed the position of Empress. She is only a pawn of more powerful interests however and virtually trapped in the palace attending a haze of pointless engagements while her former fiance, Kobi, is on the other side of the galaxy about to be forced into a corporate approved marriage with someone he has never met. Basically, the fallout from Railhead is reverberating across all the lives of the major characters while, unknown to them, it’s about to get a lot lot worse. 

What Black Light Express (and the first book, Railhead), offers readers is sentient trains, a vapid rich girl who decides she doesn't want to be a pawn anymore, political machinations, alien technology, aliens, dinosaur-descended aliens, human-android romance, the fact that the human-android romance is the best kind of romance, more stupid rich people, the satisfaction of rich people losing because they are stupid, a protagonist who is smart and scrappy and more than willing to walk on the wrong side of the law because playing by the rules gets you only so far (and those rich jerks are the ones who wrote the rules in the first place).

Oh - and a train is killed and that is far more upsetting than you would think. 

As I wrote in my review, I'm really surprised that these books are not more well known. They  are excellent SF (which is not too common in the YA literary world) as well as being excellent political mirrors for much of modern society. Check them out!




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Third Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus

A third Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus.






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Stars CLASSICS Highlights | 1999 Stanley Cup Final Games 2 and 3 vs. Sabres

Stars CLASSICS Highlights | 1999 Stanley Cup Final Games 2 and 3 vs. Sabres




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Pilotlight - pathways to self-directed support





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Why Have I Never Thought of This?

After an hour or two of mowing, it always seems like a good idea to leave my initials in the lawn. ~Not-So-Handy Andy







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Let's Get Right Down to the Dirty Business







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NO SAND ANYWHERE IN SIGHT




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Lead dressed like gold: Laser-altered molecules cast alchemy in a different light

Since the Middle Ages, alchemists have sought to transmute elements, the most famous example being the long quest to turn lead into gold. Now, Princeton University theorists have proposed a different approach to this ancient ambition — just make one material behave like another. The researchers demonstrate that any two systems can be made to look alike, even if just for the smallest fraction of a second.




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Twice as bright: Earth-sized planets with two suns could still be habitable

Scientists know that two-star systems can support planets, but the question has remained whether an Earth-size terrestrial planet were orbiting two suns could it support life. A study in the journal Nature Communications has now found that an Earth-like planet orbiting two stars could be habitable if it were within a certain range from its two stars.




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EPA Announces Change to Cleanup Plan for Lightman Drum Company Superfund Site

NEW YORK – Because levels of contamination in groundwater are falling naturally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend part of its previous plan to clean up an area of the Lightman Drum Company Superfund site in Winslow Township, New Jersey.




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Flüchtlinge: Zahl der Asylanträge offenbar deutlich gesunken

Folgen der Corona-Grenzschließungen: Beim Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge sind in den ersten Monaten dieses Jahres offenbar fast ein Drittel weniger Asylanträge gestellt worden als im Vorjahreszeitraum.




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Boris Palmer: FDP macht umstrittenem Grünen-Politiker Aufnahmeangebot

Nach seinen provokanten Aussagen zur Corona-Pandemie diskutieren die Grünen über einen Parteiausschluss von Tübingens Oberbürgermeister Boris Palmer. Nun macht ihm die FDP Avancen.




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Waldkraiburg in Bayern: Staatsanwaltschaft wirft Mann versuchten Mord in 27 Fällen vor

Ein 25-jähriger Mann hat die Anschläge auf Geschäfte türkischstämmiger Inhaber in Waldkraiburg gestanden. Der Tatverdächtige habe sich dem IS anschließen wollen, gab die Staatsanwaltschaft bekannt.




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Corona in der Fußball-Bundesliga: Der Fall Dynamo Dresden könnte alle Saisonpläne zunichte machen

Fußball-Zweitligist Dynamo Dresden muss nach positiven Corona-Fällen für zwei Wochen in Quarantäne. Das könnte den Plan zur Fortsetzung der Saison gefährden. Denn die Chancengleichheit ist jetzt kaum noch gegeben.




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Gordon Monson: Utah, BYU, Utah State football players deserve the right to an NFL dream, and a way back if their dream is folly




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Brooklyn man arrested for molesting eight women, including six victims groped in one day: police

Nearly all of the assaults occurred on Thursday along the border of South Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant between 9:55 and 11:15 a.m., cops said.




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Offaly rage against Deane and the dying of the light

In the latest in this series on the greatest matches he ever witnessed, RTÉ GAA commentator Darragh Maloney looks back at that 2000 All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Offaly and Cork.




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ESPN booting Booger McFarland and Joe Tessitore from Monday Night Football: reports

The McFarland-Tessitore MNF experiment is over after two years.




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NFL Draft 2020: Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins picked by Rams in 4th round

Tight end who scored 16 touchdowns for the Boilermakers is picked by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round.

       




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UFC 249: Justin Gaethje finishes Tony Ferguson to capture interim lightweight title

Justin Gaethje produces the best performance of his career to finish Tony Ferguson and win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249.




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6 Ultimate Inca Trail Highlights

One of the most popular hikes in South America, the Inca Trail is definitely the experience of a lifetime. A centuries-old trail, it begins in the ancient Incan capital of Cusco and winds some 88 kilometers to some of the world’s most iconic ruins: Machu Picchu. Of course, the entirety of Inca Trail is absolutely stunning, from stunning snowcapped Andean peaks to centuries-old ruins situated in bucolic river valleys. However, these 5 highlights are truly bound to make your jaw drop.

Wayllabamba. The endpoint of the first day’s trek along the Inca Trail, Wayllabamba, which means “grassy plain” in Quechua, is the perfect spot to watch the sunset behind the dramatic Andean peaks. This grassy plain overlooks a stunning spot of Andean scenery, with centuries-old Incan terraces winding through the surrounding mountainsides. There is even a village nearby where travelers can mingle with local villagers.

Image courtesy of flatfootedadventurer.com

The Valley of Llulluchapampa. Trekkers will start off the first portion of day two of the journey hiking through the picturesque Valley of Llulluchapampa. As you gradually ascend in altitude, you will even be afforded perfect views of stunning snowcapped cliffs.

Image courtesy of Panoramio.com

Runkuracay: This unique oval structure, sometimes colloquially know as the “Egg Hut,” is believed to have been a kind of rest stop for Incan travelers, called a tambo, providing them with a place to spend the night and rest their animals. It is the perfect place to enjoy a mid-hike break and marvel at the beauty of Incan architecture.

Image courtesy of lenstherapy.wordpress.com

Sayacmarca: First discovered by the famous Hiram Bingham when he wandered along a road extending from Machu Picchu, the dramatic Sayacmarca is situated at a fork in an old Incan road in a dense subtropical forest full of butterflies and hummingbirds. Quechua for “Dominant Town,” these unique ruins have an almost mystical air about them and are arguably the most impressive along the Inca Trail (except for Machu Picchu itself, of course!). It is believed that Sayacmarca was actually built by the Colla, a major enemy of the Incas, and that the Incas took over the site following their conquest of the group.

Image courtesy of 4feet2mouths.com

Phuyupatamarca: Dubbed “La Ciudad entre la Niebla” (“The City above the Clouds”), this major archeological site is situated a staggering 3,200 meters above sea level. Apropos to the nickname, Phuyupatamarca is very often surrounded by dense, white clouds. The ruins, dramatically constructed into a steep cliffside, contain five stone baths that fill up with freshwater during the rainy season. It is believed that these baths were used for religious ceremonies. Visitors can also check out the site’s elaborate hydraulic system, a true testament to impressive capabilities of Incan engineering. Of all of the Incan ruins in the region, Phuyupatamarca is arguably the most intact and therefore a truly spectacular site for trekkers passing through.

"Phuyupatamarca (cloud-level town)" by D. Gordon E. Robertson - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Huiñay Huayna (Wiñay Wayna): Huiñay Huayna (traditionally spelled Wiñay Wayna in Quechua, the language of the Incas) was constructed into a steep hillside overlooking the Urubamba River. In addition to the site’s ancient houses and temples, it also boasts an incredibly complex system of Incan terraces, formerly used for agriculture. The name of the site roughly translates to “Forever Young,” and many trekkers report that these ruins are the most beautiful found along the trail.

Image courtesy of http://blog.teara.govt.nz

These are just some of what you will see along the Inca Trail: Learn more about popular Inca Trail itineraries here




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Montreal fighter Felicia Spencer confirmed for UFC 260

Canadian Felicia (Feenom) Spencer's on-again off-again title challenge against UFC featherweight champion Amanda (Lioness) Nunes has been confirmed for UFC 250.




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Sport24.co.za | US women's World Cup star Alex Morgan welcomes daughter

Two-time women's World Cup winner Alex Morgan and husband Servando Carrasco have welcomed a new player to their team.




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Sport24.co.za | Brighton chief urges caution over Premier League restart plan

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has warned a premature return to football action from the coronavirus pandemic could "cost lives".






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New study examines lifting of pub and nightclub restrictions

(University of Stirling) A new University of Stirling study is seeking to understand how the easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on licensed premises can be effectively managed to protect emergency services.




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Structural insight into the recognition of pathogen-derived phosphoglycolipids by C-type lectin receptor DCAR [Protein Structure and Folding]

The C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) form a family of pattern recognition receptors that recognize numerous pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi, and trigger innate immune responses. The extracellular carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) of CLRs forms a globular structure that can coordinate a Ca2+ ion, allowing receptor interactions with sugar-containing ligands. Although well-conserved, the CRD fold can also display differences that directly affect the specificity of the receptors for their ligands. Here, we report crystal structures at 1.8–2.3 Å resolutions of the CRD of murine dendritic cell-immunoactivating receptor (DCAR, or Clec4b1), the CLR that binds phosphoglycolipids such as acylated phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (AcPIMs) of mycobacteria. Using mutagenesis analysis, we identified critical residues, Ala136 and Gln198, on the surface surrounding the ligand-binding site of DCAR, as well as an atypical Ca2+-binding motif (Glu-Pro-Ser/EPS168–170). By chemically synthesizing a water-soluble ligand analog, inositol-monophosphate dimannose (IPM2), we confirmed the direct interaction of DCAR with the polar moiety of AcPIMs by biolayer interferometry and co-crystallization approaches. We also observed a hydrophobic groove extending from the ligand-binding site that is in a suitable position to interact with the lipid portion of whole AcPIMs. These results suggest that the hydroxyl group-binding ability and hydrophobic groove of DCAR mediate its specific binding to pathogen-derived phosphoglycolipids such as mycobacterial AcPIMs.




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The multi-ness of fighting the short-term and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic




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Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration

Drawing on experiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific region, this report presents eight strategies that represent best practices developed by immigrant-receiving countries to increase the economic contributions of immigration.




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Kadi-Ann James-Sinclair committed to fighting COVID

Mandeville, Manchester: Those who have no choice but to face the monster that is wreaking havoc on the land, particularly those who have dependents, cannot be commended enough. For the next few weeks, we will be introducing you to some of the...




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Be strong for your families - Lady Allen sends message of strength in COVID-19 battle, urges women to fight on

Lady Allen – wife of Jamaica’s Governor General Sir Patrick Allen – says Jamaican women are among the strongest and most resilient in the world, and despite many bearing the full brunt of the coronavirus pandemic as breadwinners for their families...




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Frigatebirds sleep in mid-flight

New research shows that frigatebirds can sleep on the wing, with just one or both halves of their brain

When Charles Darwin arrived at the Galápagos Islands in 1839, he had the opportunity to observe the habits of frigatebirds, and marvelled at their graceful flight manoeuvres and their ability to soar up high. “When it sees any object on the surface of the water,” he wrote, “[it] descends from a great height… with the swiftness of an arrow; and at the instant of seizing with its long beak and outstretched neck, the floating morsel, it turns upwards, with extraordinary dexterity, by the aid of its forked tail, and its long, powerful wings.”

Related: Sleepy brains neglect half the world | Mo Costandi

Related: Birds pack more cells into their brains than mammals

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Cannabis may enhance night vision

New research shows that the drug makes cells in the retina more sensitive to light

25 years ago, pharmacologist M. E. West of the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, noted that local fisherman who smoke cannabis or drink rum made with the leaves and stems of the plant had “an uncanny ability to see in the dark,” which enabled them to navigate their boats through coral reefs. “It was impossible to believe that anyone could navigate a boat without compass and without light in such treacherous surroundings,” he wrote after accompanying the crew of a fishing boat one dark night, “[but] I was then convinced that the man who had taken the rum extract of cannabis had far better night vision than I had, and that a subjective effect was not responsible.”

Some of these crew members told West that Moroccan fishermen and mountain dwellers experience a similar improvement after smoking hashish, and in 2002, another research team travelled to the Rif mountains in Morocco to investigate further. They gave a synthetic cannabinoid to one volunteer, and hashish to three more, then used a newly developed piece of kit to measure the sensitivity of their night vision before and after. Confirming West’s earlier report, they found that cannabis improved night vision in all three of their test subjects.

Related: How marijuana impairs memory

Related: A brief history of psychedelic psychiatry | Mo Costandi

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Addressing the Immigration Status of Illegal Immigrants Brought to the United States as Children

Testimony of Margie McHugh, Co-Director of MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, U.S. House of Representatives.