Kids

Does Ceres have underground pockets of water? Ceres, the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, was thought to be composed of rock and ice. At the same time, Ceres was known to have unusual bright spots on its surface. These bright spots were clearly imaged during Dawn's exciting approach in 2015. Analyses of Dawn images and spectra indicated that the bright spots arise from the residue of highly-reflective salt water that used to exist on Ceres' surface but evaporated. Recent analysis indicates that some of this water may have originated from deep inside Ceres, indicating Ceres to be a kindred spirit with several Solar System moons, also thought to harbor deep water pockets. The featured video shows in false-color pink the bright evaporated brine named Cerealia Facula in Occator Crater. In 2018, the mission-successful but fuel-depleted Dawn spacecraft was placed in a distant parking orbit, keeping it away from the Ceres' surface for at least 20 years to avoid interfering ...

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 1, 2020 is Vespro della Beata Vergine . Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin) by Claudio Monteverdi is an extended composition for the evening vespers on Marian feasts, printed in 1610. The composer set the usual Latin psalms and Magnificat, but also solo concertos in the style of the emerging opera. The ambitious composition, which uses traditional Gregorian chant as cantus firmus, is scored for soloists, choirs of up to ten parts, and orchestra. Monteverdi wrote it when he was maestro di capella in Mantua, where he served as musician and composer for the Gonzagas, the Dukes of Mantua. He had it printed in Venice, with a dedication to Pope Paul V dated 1 September 1610 (pages from a copy pictured). He then travelled to Rome to deliver it to Pope Paul in person. Monteverdi became director of music at San Marco in Venice in 1613. His Vespers represent a milestone of music history at the transition from ...

screed , v : (transitive, chiefly Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, dated) To rend, to shred, to tear. (transitive, Scotland, also figurative, dated) To read or repeat from memory fluently or glibly; to reel off. (transitive, construction, masonry) To use a screed to produce a smooth, flat surface of concrete, plaster, or similar material; also (generally) to put down a layer of concrete, plaster, etc. (intransitive, Scotland) To become rent or torn. [...] (Northern Ireland, Scotland) (intransitive, chiefly humorous) To play bagpipes, a fiddle, or a pipe. (intransitive) To make a discordant or harsh scratching or tearing sound. (transitive, chiefly humorous, obsolete) To play (a sound or tune) on bagpipes, a fiddle, or a pipe.

Blue-hour view of the free-standing bell tower of the Pula Cathedral, Pula, Croatia. The present-day cathedral came into existence through a series of expansions of pre-existing 5th-century religious buildings, whereas the baroque-style bell tower, located in front of the basilica, was added in 1707 and was built using stones taken from the Roman-built Pula Arena.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 1, 2020: Blue-hour view of the free-standing bell tower of the Pula Cathedral, Pula, Croatia. The present-day cathedral came into existence through a series of expansions of pre-existing 5th-century religious buildings, whereas the baroque-style bell tower, located in front of the basilica, was added in 1707 and was built using stones taken from the Roman-built Pula Arena. https://ift.tt/3jzFsLM

UNITED STATES AGREES WITH POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY TO RESOLVE ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT Headquarters, Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) WASHINGTON (August 31, 2020)The United States announced today that Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) has agreed to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and Indiana law by undertaking measures to improve its environmental compliance at the Petersburg Generati Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

United States and State of Nebraska Reach Settlement with Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. for Violations of Multiple Environmental Laws Region 07 Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Finalizes Power Plant Effluent Limitation Guidelines that Save Money and Reduce Pollution Headquarters, Water (OW) WASHINGTON (August 31, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced final revisions to specific effluent guidelines and standards for “steam electric” power plants. Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Proposes Update to Cleanup Plan for New Hampshire Plating Superfund Site in Merrimack Region 01 (MANCHESTER, N.H.) – The U.S. Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Will Coordinate with City of Somerville to Remove Contamination at Conway Park Region 01 BOSTON — The U.S. Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Urges Communities Affected by Hurricane Laura to Avoid Indoor Air Dangers Region 06 DALLAS – (Aug 31, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds communities, families, and business owners to be aware of conditions that could lead to poor or dangerous indoor air quality following Hurricane Laura. Published August 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

In the largest-ever study of glacial lakes, researchers using 30 years of NASA satellite data have found that the volume of these lakes worldwide has increased by about 50% since 1990 as glaciers melt and retreat due to climate change. August 31, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/2YPf0WK via IFTTT

As the International Space Station orbited more than 200 miles above our home planet, the crew caught this glimpse of the sunrise casting long shadows over a cloudy Philippine Sea. via NASA https://ift.tt/2ELAaOm

Now school

SS 433 is one of the most exotic star systems known. Its unremarkable name stems from its inclusion in a catalog of Milky Way stars which emit radiation characteristic of atomic hydrogen. Its remarkable behavior stems from a compact object, a black hole or neutron star, which has produced an accretion disk with jets. Because the disk and jets from SS 433 resemble those surrounding supermassive black holes in the centers of distant galaxies, SS 433 is considered a micro-quasar. As illustrated in the animated featured video based on observational data, a massive, hot, normal star is locked in orbit with the compact object. As the video starts, material is shown being gravitationally ripped from the normal star and falling onto an accretion disk. The central star also blasts out jets of ionized gas in opposite directions – each at about 1/4 the speed of light. The video then pans out to show a top view of the precessing jets producing an expanding spiral. From even greater distances, t...

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 31, 2020 is New York State Route 175 . New York State Route 175 is a west–east state highway located in Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. The 15.46-mile (24.88 km) route begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 east of the village of Skaneateles. It heads towards the northeast as Lee Mulroy Road, traversing farmland. It then passes through the village of Marcellus before ending at a junction with U.S. Route 11 in Syracuse. Designated in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the highway brought about an increase in population and development along its route. The section of Route 175 from downtown Marcellus to New York State Route 173 in Onondaga was built along the historical Seneca Turnpike, which was established in 1800 and dissolved in 1852. At 157 miles (253 km), the turnpike was the longest in the state at the time and was instrumental in the development of the villages ...

peewah , n : The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), a South American palm tree. The edible fruit of this plant, which has an orange or red skin when ripe, orange pulp which turns floury when cooked, and a single large seed. Today is the Independence Day of Trinidad and Tobago.

A juvenile Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus in flight over Mount Carmel, Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel. The brown feathers at the base of the neck show it is a young bird (adults have a white collar ruff); the lack of rings and tags at this time of year implies that this one has not yet been caught, ringed, and tagged by ornithologists.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 31, 2020: A juvenile Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus in flight over Mount Carmel, Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel. The brown feathers at the base of the neck show it is a young bird (adults have a white collar ruff); the lack of rings and tags at this time of year implies that this one has not yet been caught, ringed, and tagged by ornithologists. https://ift.tt/3b9bStP

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus pandemic. Reopening America’s Economy: U.S. Secretary of Labor Announces Award of Nearly $20 Million To Combat Opioid Crisis – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia announced the award of nearly $20 million in funding to four states as part of a new pilot program to address the health and economic impacts of widespread substance and opioid misuse, addiction and overdose by providing retraining and other services to workers in communities significantly impacted by the opioid crisis. The grantees are the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Maryland Department of Labor, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Defending Workers’ Rights to Paid Leave and Wages Earned: As Schools Reopen, U.S. Department Of Labor Answers Questions About Eligibility for Paid Le...

EPA Supports State of Texas’ Air Monitoring Efforts Following Hurricane Laura Region 06 DALLAS – (Aug 30, 2020) To support the response to Hurricane Laura, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 6 office has deployed mobile air monitoring staff and equipment to the Southeast Texas area. Published August 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it one of the most massive stars known. This star is the brightest object located just above the gas front in the featured image. Close inspection of images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, however, have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357. Appearing perhaps like a Gothic cathedral, energetic stars near the center appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon. via NASA https://ift.tt/31D4Lqn

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 30, 2020 is House of Music . House of Music is the fourth and final album by American R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, released in 1996 by Mercury Records. Bassist-vocalist Raphael Saadiq (pictured), guitarist-vocalist D'wayne Wiggins, and percussionist-keyboardist Timothy Christian Riley worked on its songs independently before recording them together as a group. While doing most of the production, Tony! Toni! Toné! emphasized musicianship and expanded on their previous work's traditional soul influences with live instrumentation and balladry. Music journalists have noted the album's incorporation of old-fashioned and modern sensibilities, themes of love and romance, and witty, sensitive lyrics. The album charted for 31 weeks on the Billboard 200 and sold over a million units in the United States. Critics praised the musicianship and songwriting, later deeming it a masterpiece of 1990s R&B. Despite its success, the group dis...

unmannerly , adj : (also figurative) Not mannerly (“polite; having good manners”). unmannerly adv (archaic) In a way that is not mannerly; discourteously, rudely.

"Everything is Going to be Alright" artwork by Martin Creed, Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 30, 2020: "Everything is Going to be Alright" artwork by Martin Creed, Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand https://ift.tt/3b86Spf

Deep shadows create dramatic contrasts between light and dark in this high-resolution close-up of the martian surface. Recorded on January 24, 2014 by the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the scene spans about 1.5 kilometers. From 250 kilometers above the Red Planet the camera is looking down at a sand dune field in a southern highlands crater. Captured when the Sun was about 5 degrees above the local horizon, only the dune crests were caught in full sunlight. A long, cold winter was coming to the southern hemisphere and bright ridges of seasonal frost line the martian dunes. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, one of the oldest operating spacecraft at the Red Planet, celebrated the 15th anniversary of its launch from planet Earth on August 12. via NASA https://ift.tt/3lvjsna

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Mundo De Colores Inc. – operator of five Minneapolis-area Spanish language childcare facilities – has paid 28 employees back wages and restored leave valued at $19,447. The employer failed to provide the workers leave required under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). WHD determined Mundo De Colores Inc. – operating as Jardin Spanish Immersion Academy – denied paid leave under the FFCRA to workers who qualified for the benefit, and, in some cases, required employees to use accrued personal time off instead of granting paid leave under the EPSLA. In other cases, the employer required employees to take leave without pay when they were in fact qualified for paid time off under the FFCRA. Once notified of its obligations by WHD, the employer paid the back wages. “Employers must comply with the Families First Coron...

ORLANDO, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), US Aluminum Services Corp. – a residential aluminum construction contractor based in Orlando, Florida – will pay 19 employees $32,702 in owed wages for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD investigators determined US Aluminum Services Corp. paid its employees a flat rate per day, regardless of the number of hours they worked in a workweek. This practice resulted in violations when employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek and the employer failed to pay them overtime. The employer also failed to keep required records of the total number of hours employees worked.   “Paying workers a piece-rate or day-rate does not mean that those workers are not entitled to overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Wildalí De Jesús, in Orlando, Florida. “The U.S. Department o...

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), KNM Holdings LLC – operator of Church’s Chicken franchise locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma – has paid $1,653 in back wages to an employee after the employer wrongly denied the employee’s request for paid sick leave to fulfill a healthcare provider’s order to self-quarantine for two weeks due to the coronavirus. WHD investigators determined the employee’s request qualified for paid leave under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). WHD also found KNM Holdings LLC failed to provide required paid leave after the employee reported their children’s school and childcare center were unavailable due to the coronavirus. When contacted by WHD representatives, KNM Holdings LLC cooperated fully and, once it understood its responsibility, ag...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and Employment and Training Administration (ETA) both published guidance related to the reopening of schools. WHD has released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for workers and employers about qualifying for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The new FAQs issued today explain eligibility for paid leave relative to the varied formats and schedules schools have announced as they plan to reopen, including blending in-person with distance learning. WHD is providing this information to explain the benefits and protections available under both the paid sick leave and the expanded family and medical leave provisions of FFCRA. “We understand the challenges faced by parents as schools begin to reopen, with their schedules for in-person learning looking very different from those during more traditional school years,” said Wage and Hour Division Administrator Cheryl Stanton. “We...

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 29, 2020 is Commissioner Government . The Commissioner Government was a short-lived Serbian collaborationist puppet government established in the German-occupied territory of Serbia during World War II from 30 April to 29 August 1941. It was headed by Milan Aćimović (pictured) and was pro-German, anti-Semitic and anti-communist. The Aćimović government was merely an instrument of the German occupation regime, carrying out its orders within the occupied territory without appearing to moderate its policies. The government actively assisted the Germans in exploiting the population and the economy, and its members regarded their own participation in the Holocaust as "unpleasant but unavoidable". By mid-July, the Germans had decided that the Aćimović regime was incompetent, and the Commissioner Government resigned at the end of August. It was succeeded by the Government of National Salvation, in which Aćimović initially retained th...

pushbike , n : (Australia, New Zealand, Britain, informal) A pedal bicycle, as distinguished from a motorized bicycle. pushbike v (intransitive, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, informal) To travel by pushbike. The Grand Départ or start of the Tour de France long-distance bicycle race is scheduled to take place in Nice, France, on this date in 2020, after being postponed from 27 June due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Oderbruch, near Siekierki in Poland. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 29, 2020: Oderbruch, near Siekierki in Poland https://ift.tt/3b7f49p

Confio just launched on IFTTT! https://ift.tt/3jqmqrq

Confio CONFIO itself depicts “TRUST”, we provide economical and precised solution for smart home automation. Since 2015 we are working to smart up the electrical components so that controlling and safety can be served in a plate. Our products can be used to control the electrical components as well as secure the house from any mishaps. The door sensor and motion sensor can be used as a security bridge when we are not around. If there is an intruder trying to invade the automated home, when no one is around then call, mail and SMS can be triggered to notify the owner. This solution gives us a blindfolded security and safety for our home. Published August 28, 2020 at 03:30PM View Confio Applets on IFTTT

EPA hỗ trợ việc chuẩn bị và ứng phó với bão theo một số cách, bao gồm Headquarters, Region 06 WASHINGTON (26 Tháng Tám, 2020) - Giải quyết tình trạng thiếu hụt nh Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Chất lượng nước của các khu vực bị ảnh hưởng bởi lũ lụt do bão Laura Headquarters WASHINGTON (26 Tháng Tám, 2020) - Hôm nay, Cơ quan Bảo vệ Môi trường Hoa Kỳ (EPA) đã đưa ra tuyên bố sau liên quan đến chất lượng nước của các khu vực bị ảnh hưởng bởi lũ lụt do cơn bão Laura. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Promotes Commitment to Protect Water Quality and Coral Reef Restoration in Tampa, Florida Region 04 Tampa, Fla. (August 28, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Associate Deputy Administrator Doug Benevento and EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker visited The Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Published August 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Kalite Dlo nan Zòn ki te Sibi Enpak Inondasyon an pandan Ouragan Laura a Headquarters, Region 06 WASHINGTON (26 dawout 2020)- Jodi a, Ajans Etazini pou Pwoteksyon Anviwònman (Environmental Protection Agency, EPA) te pibliye deklarasyon ki annapre a pou sa ki konsène kalite dlo nan zòn ki te sibi enpak inondasyon pandan Ouragan Laura a. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA soutni preparasyon ak entèvansyon nan divès fason, ki genyen ladan Headquarters, Region 06 Washington (26 dawout 2020) - Fè Fas ak Mank Kabiran: Lwa Clean Air a pèmèt Administratè EPA a Wheeler, nan konsiltasyon ak Sekretè Enèji Brouillette, pou egzante kèk egzijans pou kabiran pou fè fas ak mank kabiran ki rive akoz ouragan an. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA has selected five proposals for concept studies of missions to help improve understanding of the dynamics of the Sun and the constantly changing space environment with which it interacts around Earth. August 28, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/34JkNAL via IFTTT

Calidad del agua en las áreas afectadas por inundaciones debido al huracán Laura Headquarters WASHINGTON (28 de agosto de 2020) - Hoy, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) emitió la siguiente declaración con respecto a la calidad del agua en las áreas afectadas por inundaciones debido al huracán Laura. Published August 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

La EPA apoya la preparación y respuesta ante huracanes de numerosas maneras, como Headquarters WASHINGTON (28 de agosto de 2020) - Abordar la escasez de combustible: La Ley de aire limpio permite al administrador de la EPA, Andrew Wheeler, en consulta con el Secretario de Energía, Brouillette, aplicar exenciones de ciertos requisitos de los combustibles pa Published August 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

This Hubble Space Telescope image depicts a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, the result of the "death" of a star 20 times more massive than our Sun 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. Light from this supernova takes around 2,400 years to reach Earth. via NASA https://ift.tt/3gzjyqd

This exciting and unfamiliar view of the Orion Nebula is a visualization based on astronomical data and movie rendering techniques. Up close and personal with a famous stellar nursery normally seen from 1,500 light-years away, the digitally modeled frame transitions from a visible light representation based on Hubble data on the left to infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope on the right. The perspective at the center looks along a valley over a light-year wide, in the wall of the region's giant molecular cloud. Orion's valley ends in a cavity carved by the energetic winds and radiation of the massive central stars of the Trapezium star cluster. The single frame is part of a multiwavelength, three-dimensional video that lets the viewer experience an immersive, three minute flight through the Great Nebula of Orion. via NASA https://ift.tt/34EgAP1

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 28, 2020 is Réunion ibis . The Réunion ibis (Threskiornis solitarius) is an extinct bird formerly endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. Subfossil remains were found in 1974, and it was formally described in 1987. Early travellers described a white bird on Réunion that flew with difficulty, later assumed to refer to a white relative of the dodo. The ibis subfossil suggested that the tales referred to this bird instead. The ibis was mainly white, although its wing tips and plume feathers on its rear were black. The neck and legs were long, and the beak was relatively straight and short for an ibis. Similar to its extant relatives but more robust, it was about 65 cm (25 in) long. Subfossil wing-bones indicate that it had reduced flight capabilities. The diet of the ibis was invertebrates foraged from the soil. In the 17th century it lived only in mountainous areas, perhaps due to predation by introduced animals and hunting by...

emporium , n : (also figurative) A city or region which is a major trading centre; also, a place within a city for commerce and trading; a marketplace. (also figurative) A shop that offers a wide variety of goods for sale; a department store; (with a descriptive word) a shop specializing in particular goods. (historical) A business set up to enable foreign traders to engage in commerce in a country; a factory (now the more common term). (by extension, obsolete) The brain.

View of Warsaw from the terrace of the Royal Castle (1773). Painting (oil on canvas) by Bernardo Bellotto (1722–1780).. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 28, 2020: View of Warsaw from the terrace of the Royal Castle (1773). Painting (oil on canvas) by Bernardo Bellotto (1722–1780). https://ift.tt/3hOlOvr

WeBeHome - Security and Smart Home Interaction with our Security and Smart Home service. To manage your Alarm and control your Copenhagen Blinds, lightning, shades and much more. Published August 27, 2020 at 03:00PM View WeBeHome - Security and Smart Home Applets on IFTTT

WeBeHome - Security and Smart Home just launched on IFTTT! https://ift.tt/2D6i3Cn

Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, has named Robyn Gatens as acting director of the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters. August 27, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3lpGwnr via IFTTT

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced actions it is taking to assist Americans in states affected by Hurricane Laura. In response to the anticipated needs of those living in states in the path of Hurricane Laura, the Department and its agencies are taking the following actions: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has actively engaged with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies and is prepared to provide assistance; The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will be prioritizing all calls in the affected areas to continue to provide uninterrupted service to workers and employers; The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is prepared to provide Disaster Dislocated Worker Grants to help affected states address workforce needs. The disbursement of funds will be determined as needs are assessed by state and local partners. ETA is also...

In the week ending August 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,006,000, a decrease of 98,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 1,106,000 to 1,104,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,068,000, a decrease of 107,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 1,175,750 to 1,175,250. Read the full release.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia today announced the award of nearly $20 million in funding to four states as part of a new pilot program to address the health and economic impacts of widespread substance and opioid misuse, addiction and overdose by providing retraining and other services to workers in communities significantly impacted by the opioid crisis. The grantees are the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Maryland Department of Labor, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. In October 2018, President Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which directed the Department to develop a pilot grant program focused on addressing the economic and workforce impacts associated with the high rate of substance use disorders. The Department’s grant program – “Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development” – was created in response to th...

EPA Requests Applications for $10 Million GLRI Grant to Monitor Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Region 05 CHICAGO (Aug. 27, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications to monitor ecological conditions in the coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes. Published August 26, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Regional Administrator Visits Central Illinois, Highlights Over $6 Million for Clean Water Projects Region 05 PEORIA, Ill. (August 27, 2020) – Today U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Kurt Thiede concluded a trip to central Illinois, where he announced $6.7 million in funding for clean water projects across the state.  Published August 26, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA will broadcast a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket full-scale booster test at 2:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 2, on NASA Television and the agency’s website, followed by a media teleconference. August 27, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/34Dccj4 via IFTTT

NASA has awarded a contract to HSG LLC of Las Vegas to provide the agency environmental management, environmental health, and medical services. August 27, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3b2M6XV via IFTTT

U.S. EPA settles with City of San Juan Bautista, Calif. over wastewater violations; City commits to major infrastructure improvements Region 09 SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a settlement agreement with the City of San Juan Bautista over violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Published August 26, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA announces public comment period on proposed hazardous waste permit for Heritage Thermal Services, Inc. in East Liverpool, Ohio Region 05 EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (August 27, 2020) – Tomorrow, the U.S. Published August 26, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Coastal Restoration Grants Will Help Massachusetts and Rhode Island Communities Region 01 BOSTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) announced the awarding of $1.8 million in new funding to local organizations working for clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems in Southeast New England. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

In this large celestial mosaic taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and published in 2019, there's a lot to see, including multiple clusters of stars born from the same dense clumps of gas and dust. via NASA https://ift.tt/3hysgqd

This intergalactic skyscape features a peculiar system of galaxies cataloged as Arp 227 some 100 million light-years distant. Swimming within the boundaries of the constellation Pisces, Arp 227 consists of the two galaxies prominent right of center, the curious shell galaxy NGC 474 and its blue, spiral-armed neighbor NGC 470. The faint, wide arcs or shells of NGC 474 could have been formed by a gravitational encounter with neighbor NGC 470. Alternately the shells could be caused by a merger with a smaller galaxy producing an effect analogous to ripples across the surface of a pond. The large galaxy on the top lefthand side of the deep image, NGC 467, appears to be surrounded by faint shells too, evidence of another interacting galaxy system. Intriguing background galaxies are scattered around the field that also includes spiky foreground stars. Of course, those stars lie well within our own Milky Way Galaxy. The field of view spans 25 arc minutes or about 1/2 degree on the sky. via NA...

EPA Ready to Support FEMA, State Efforts on Hurricane Laura Region 06 DALLAS – (Aug 26, 2020) EPA has an organized emergency response program for responding to man-made and natural disasters and is positioned to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, local, and tribal partners in response to Hurricane Laura. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 27, 2020 is Operation PBFortune . Operation PBFortune was a covert United States operation to overthrow the democratically elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz (pictured) in 1952. The operation was planned by the Central Intelligence Agency and authorized by President Harry Truman. It was motivated by US fears that Árbenz was being influenced by communists, and lobbied for by the United Fruit Company. The operation was planned with the support of Anastasio Somoza García, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and Marcos Pérez Jiménez, the dictators of Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, respectively. The plan involved providing weapons to the exiled Guatemalan military officer Carlos Castillo Armas, who was to lead an invasion from Nicaragua. US secretary of state Dean Acheson became concerned that the coup attempt would damage the image of the US and terminated the operation. Two years later, another covert CIA action, Operation PBSuc...

poisoned chalice , n : (idiomatic) Something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful; an apparently beneficial or benign instrument or scheme for causing death or harm.

Red-billed Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus portrait, New Brighton, New Zealand. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 27, 2020: Red-billed Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus portrait, New Brighton, New Zealand https://ift.tt/3llGZab

Water Quality of Flood-Impacted Areas from Hurricane Laura Headquarters, Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) WASHINGTON (August 26, 2020) — Today, The U.S. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Administrator Wheeler Concludes Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Swing Visiting EPA Research Facilities, Meeting with Agricultural Stakeholders Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) Richmond, Va. (August 26, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler concluded a three day visit through the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast region with a visit to EPA’s Research Triangle Park (RTP) campus in Raleigh, N.C. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Coastal Restoration Grants Will Help Massachusetts and Rhode Island Communities Region 01 BOSTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) announced the awarding of $1.8 million in new funding to local organizations working for clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems in Southeast New England. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA awards $38.4 million to Maryland for water quality improvement projects Region 03 PHILADELPHIA (Aug. 26, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has awarded $38.4 million to Maryland for water quality improvement projects to address wastewater treatment and stormwater runoff. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA and USDA Announce Competition to Advance Agricultural Sustainability in the United States Headquarters, Research and Development (ORD) WASHINGTON (August 26, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges, a joint EPA-USDA partnership and competition to advance agricultural sustainability in the United States. Published August 25, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

What does this Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Spirograph have in common with Women's Equality Day? via NASA https://ift.tt/3aXrtMU

LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has sentenced Mahyar David Yadidi – a San Pedro, California, chiropractor – to prison and ordered him to make restitution for defrauding the International Longshore and Warehouse Union-Pacific Maritime Association (ILWU-PMA) Welfare Plan. The court’s action follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and Office of Inspector General (OIG). The court sentenced Mahyar David Yadidi – owner of Philips San Pedro Chiropractic – to 46 months in prison and ordered to make $1,976,832 in restitution for defrauding the maritime union welfare plan.  Investigators found that, from July 2016 through October 2018, Yadidi, fellow chiropractor Ivan Semerdjiev and personal trainer Julian Williams engaged in a scheme to defraud the welfare plan. Specifically, the trio offered kickbacks to patients for visiting the clinic, and billed the plan for services not...

COLUMBUS, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment requiring Robert Walton, Jr. – CEO of Hadsell Chemical Processing – to restore $65,842 to the Hadsell Chemical Processing Simple IRA Plan after the Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) found that Walton, as plan fiduciary, violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The default judgment – entered in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division in Columbus – bars Walton from acting as a service provider or fiduciary to any ERISA-covered plan in the future. It also enjoins him from engaging in future ERISA violations. In approximately February 2017, the Waverly, Ohio-based company ceased operations and filed a petition for bankruptcy in April 2017. “The default judgment demonstrates that fiduciaries that fail to work solely in the interest of plans and participants will be held accountable,” said Employee Benefits Security Administration Regio...

HARTFORD, CT – The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut has approved a consent order and judgment requiring fiduciaries Executive Printing of Darien LLC, Chapin Packaging LLC and John Trask Pfeifle to restore $17,352.83 to the Darien, Connecticut, companies’ 401(k) retirement benefits plan. The action follows a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation that found – from July 2014 to August 2015 – the defendants, fiduciaries to the Chapin Packaging LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust, violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). EBSA determined that the fiduciaries withheld employee contributions and failed to remit them to the retirement plan. They also failed to secure a fidelity bond for the plan beginning in January 2018. The order and judgment requires the defendants to restore the $17,352.83 – that represents the unremitted contributions and lost opportunity costs – to the plan, ...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $80,684,142 in grants through the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) to provide career services, training services, youth services, related assistances, and housing services to eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents. These awards fall into two categories: NFJP Career Services and Training Grants, aimed to help farmworkers retain their current jobs in agriculture and to acquire new skills to start careers that provide higher wages and stable-year-round employment, and NFJP Housing Grants, which help create safe and sanitary housing for farmworkers. The Department will award $74,562,142 for Career Services and Training Grants to fund 47 grants. The Department is also awarding $6,122,000 in NFJP Housing Grants to fund nine organizations in regions needing farmworker housing services. “The Department of Labor is focused on investing in quality career services and training oppor...

The Wikipedia article of the day for August 26, 2020 is Battle of Crécy . The Battle of Crécy was fought on 26 August 1346 in north-east France during the Hundred Years' War. It resulted in a victory for a greatly outnumbered English army led by King Edward III over the French led by King Philip VI and heavy loss of life among the French. The English prepared a defensive position on a hillside near Crécy-en-Ponthieu. After the French mercenary crossbowmen were routed by English longbowmen, French cavalry made repeated charges. They had to force their way uphill over muddy ground across pits dug by the English, while taking heavy casualties from the longbowmen. The ensuing hand-to-hand combat against the English men-at-arms was described as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible". The French charges continued late into the night, all with the same fierce fighting, until the French were repulsed. The battle established the effectiveness of the longbow as ...

jackbooted , adj : Wearing jackboots. (figurative) Authoritarian or oppressive, especially in a cruel or violent manner.

Panoramic view of Silver Lake during dusk, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on August 26, 2020: Panoramic view of Silver Lake during dusk, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States. https://ift.tt/2QqyUCU

EPA and Hawaii Libraries Reach Agreement to Identify, Close Pollution-Causing Large Cesspools Region 09 EPA and Hawaii Libraries Reach Agreement to Identify, Close Pollution-Causing Large Cesspools State Public Library System Will Self-Audit to Further Protect Water Resources Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker Signs Memorandum of Understanding with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Region 04 RALEIGH, N.C.  (August 25, 2020) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

La EPA responde ante la tormenta tropical Marco y se prepara para el huracán Laura Headquarters, Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) WASHINGTON (24 de agosto de 2020) — Debido a la tormenta tropical Marco que afecta a la Costa del Golfo y el huracán Laura que se proyecta va a seguir una ruta similar, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de los EE. UU. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Responds to Tropical Storm Marco, Prepares for Tropical Storm Laura Headquarters, Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) WASHINGTON (August 24, 2020) — With Tropical Storm Marco impacting the Gulf Coast and Tropical Storm Laura projected to follow a similar path, the U.S. Published August 23, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler, Congressman Hudson Highlight Trump Administration Action on PFAS at Roundtable in Fayetteville, N.C. Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) Fayetteville, N.C. (August 25, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler attended a roundtable hosted by U.S. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA, U.S. Department of Defense, and State Partners Launch Technical Challenge Seeking Innovative Ways to Destroy PFAS in Firefighting Foam Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) Fayetteville, N.C. (August 25, 2020) — At a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) roundtable hosted by U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-08) today in Fayetteville, N.C., U.S. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA has assigned astronaut Jeanette Epps to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission, the first operational crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station. August 25, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/2QpI8PC via IFTTT

A newly discovered, roughly Earth-sized planet orbiting our nearest neighboring star might be habitable, according to a team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile. via NASA https://ift.tt/2YuEIiX

EPA Reminds Facility Operators to Prepare for Hazardous Weather Region 06 DALLAS – (Aug. 25, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds facility operators of requirements for preventing, minimizing and reporting chemical releases. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Statement on Cancellation of Bipartisan PFAS Destruction Research Squashed by Obama EPA Leadership Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) WASHINGTON (August 25, 2020) — Today, U.S. Published August 24, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced additional funding of $7,334,788 for a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant awarded to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in response to Hurricane Michael.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued an emergency declaration for the State one day prior to the storm’s landfall on Oct. 10, 2018. These funds will allow grant participants to continue the ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts in 35 counties.  Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that cause significant job losses. The mission of the Department is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working...

WASHINGTON DC – With telework arrangements expanding in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-5 to clarify an employer’s obligation to track the number of hours of compensable work performed by employees who are teleworking or otherwise working away from premises controlled by their employers. In a telework or remote work arrangement, the question of the employer’s obligation to track hours actually worked for which the employee was not scheduled may often arise. While the guidance issued today responds directly to needs created by new telework or remote work arrangements that arose in response to the coronavirus, it also applies to other telework or remote work arrangements. “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, more Americans are teleworking and working variable schedules than ever before to balance their jobs with a myriad of family obligations, such as remote learning for their chil...

DALLAS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has entered into a conciliation agreement with Wells Fargo Bank N.A. in which the bank has agreed to pay $7,800,000 in back wages and interest to resolve allegations of hiring discrimination. OFCCP alleged that Wells Fargo discriminated against 34,193 African American applicants for banking, customer sales and service, and administrative support positions at U.S. locations nationwide and 308 female applicants for administrative support positions, in violation of Executive Order 11246. The Executive Order prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition to paying the back wages and interest, the employer agreed to provide 580 affected applicants with job opportunities as tellers, personal bankers, customer sales and service representatives, and administrative support pos...