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As telescopes around planet Earth watch, Mars is growing brighter in night skies, approaching its 2020 opposition on October 13. Mars looks like its watching too in this view of the Red Planet from September 22. Mars' disk is already near its maximum apparent size for earthbound telescopes, less than 1/80th the apparent diameter of a Full Moon. The seasonally shrinking south polar cap is at the bottom and hazy northern clouds are at the top. A circular, dark albedo feature, Solis Lacus (Lake of the Sun), is just below and left of disk center. Surrounded by a light area south of Valles Marineris, Solis Lacus looks like a planet-sized pupil, famously known as The Eye of Mars . Near the turn of the 20th century, astronomer and avid Mars watcher Percival Lowell associated the Eye of Mars with a conjunction of canals he charted in his drawings of the Red Planet. Broad, visible changes in the size and shape of the Eye of Mars are now understood from high resolution surface images to be ...

U.S. EPA Awards Nearly $566,000 to Improve Post-Hurricane Waste Management in Northern Mariana Islands Region 09 HONOLULU — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $565,980 to the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Super Typhoon Yutu for hazardous and solid waste management. Published September 30, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Wraps Up Midwest Swing in Michigan Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) East Lansing, Mich. (September 30, 2020) — Today, U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA awards over $11.8 million for clean diesel projects in California Region 09 SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $11,804,942 in Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant funding to partners throughout California. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Highlights $95 Million in Funding for Water Infrastructure and Drinking Water Quality in Michigan Headquarters, Water (OW) East Lansing, Mich. (September 30, 2020) — At a press conference at the East Lansing Water Treatment Plant, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler highlighted significant EPA investment in the state of Michigan’s water infrastructure and drinking water quality. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for October 1, 2020 is Rwandan Civil War . The Rwandan Civil War was a conflict between the Hutu-led Rwandan Armed Forces and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), founded by Tutsi refugees. The war began on 1 October 1990 with an RPF invasion but the army, assisted by French troops, had largely defeated the RPF by the end of the month. Paul Kagame (pictured, left) took command of the rebels and in a few months began a multi-year guerrilla war. In 1992, after a series of protests, Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana (pictured, right) began peace negotiations with the RPF and domestic opposition parties. Despite disruption by the extremist group Hutu Power and a fresh RPF offensive, the Arusha Accords were signed in August 1993. United Nations peacekeepers were installed, but Hutu Power was steadily gaining influence. After the assassination of Habyarimana in April 1994, between half a million and a million Tutsi and moderate Hu...

Sinocentrism , n : (historical) The belief, held by the ancient Chinese, that China was literally the centre of the world. (politics) The practice of viewing the world from a Chinese perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the pre-eminence of Chinese culture. (politics) Ethnocentrism among the Han people of China; Han chauvinism. Today is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.

Olive grove near Agii Douli, Corfu, Greece. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on October 1, 2020: Olive grove near Agii Douli, Corfu, Greece https://ift.tt/34cfM1Y

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, currently aboard the International Space Station, will answer questions posed by high school students from across the nation this week. September 30, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3ijk7oU via IFTTT

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has awarded $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.  Fiscal Year 2020 Brookwood-Sago grants focus on improving safety for the use of powered haulage equipment through improved training and training materials aimed at reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use, and improving belt conveyor safety. The grants also focus on improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines. Funding will enable grant recipients to develop training materials, provide mine safety training or educational programs, recruit mine operators and miners for the training, and conduct and evaluate the training.  Established by the Mine Improvemen...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced additional funding for an opioid-crisis National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant for the Cherokee Nation. The award of $1,998,834 will provide continued employment and training services to eligible individuals in communities across 14 counties included in the tribal jurisdiction that are affected significantly by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose. The project provides eligible grant participants with disaster-relief employment in jobs addressing the impacts of the opioid crisis, such as peer recovery navigators. The project also provides employment and training services to individuals affected by the opioid crisis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in October 2017, enabling the Cherokee Nation to request this funding. Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, ...

WASHINGTON, DC – At Naval Air Station Jacksonville today, Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence and U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia announced the launch of a new Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop for military spouses. TAP is administered by the Department’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS). The Transition Employment Assistance for Military Spouses (TEAMS) effort will assist military spouses in their career endeavors with training on employment essentials, tailored to their unique circumstances. “Military spouses make great sacrifices for our country. As a nation, we should lessen those burdens when we can, including in the workplace,” said Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “The TEAMS initiative will equip military spouses with skills they can use to participate more fully in our nation’s economy even as they shoulder the challenges of life in a military family.” “Military spouses sacrifice so much for the strength and readiness of our Armed Force...

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has awarded $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.  Fiscal Year 2020 Brookwood-Sago grants focus on improving safety for the use of powered haulage equipment through improved training and training materials aimed at reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use, and improving belt conveyor safety. The grants also focus on improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines. Funding will enable grant recipients to develop training materials, provide mine safety training or educational programs, recruit mine operators and miners for the training, and conduct and evaluate the training.  Established by the Mine Improvemen...

EPA and USDA Reach Agreement to Redelegate CERCLA Authority at the Historic Matterhorn Mill Near Telluride, Colorado Headquarters WASHINGTON (September 30, 2020) — Today, the Office of Mountains, Deserts and Plains within the U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA begins hazardous waste removal following Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Mateo County Fires Region 09 SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday, September 29 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began the field operations to assess and remove household hazardous waste from burned properties in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Mateo counties. Published September 28, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

BILLINGS, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed separate alliances with the Montana Contractors Association (MCA) and Montana Contractors Compensation Fund (MCCF) to address safety and health hazards at worksites throughout the state. The renewals continue multi-year alliances, and will focus on enforcement, regulatory and outreach initiatives to reduce construction industry hazards, including silica exposure, falls, trench collapses, scaffolding, electric shock and arc flashes, and repetitive motion injuries. “After many successful years, OSHA looks forward to continuing efforts with the Montana Contractors Association and the Montana Contractors Compensation Fund to identify best practices that ensure the safety and health of Montanans working in construction,” said OSHA Billings Area Office Director Art Hazen. The OSHA Alliance Program fosters collaborative relationships with groups committed to worker safety a...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today released a list of 17 goods produced in China under conditions of forced labor in violation of international standards. The list includes five new goods added in 2020 – including gloves, hair products, textiles, thread/yarn and tomato products – all of which are linked to state-sponsored forced labor by ethnic and Muslim minorities. The release of this list of goods made with forced labor is part of a broader U.S. government effort to address forced labor in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where more than one million Uighurs and other ethnic and religious minorities have been detained. Estimates range from at least 100,000 to possibly hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in China who may be working in conditions of forced labor following detention in Chinese Communist Party re-education camps. “Forced labor and abusive child labor are dehumanizing, ruining lives and families,” said Sec...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) posted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would increase and enhance financial transparency for unions regulated by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA).   The NPRM proposes revision of an annual financial disclosure form, Form LM-2, which labor organizations use to report their financial conditions and operations under the LMRDA, also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act. The NPRM would also introduce a new enhanced Form LM-2LF for the largest labor organizations. The purpose of this rulemaking is to allow members to stay better informed of their union’s financial conditions and operations. Increasing union financial transparency better enables members to more meaningfully and effectively participate in the democratic governance of their union. The reforms would also serve as a deterrent of fraud and embezzlement, and aid in its detection. “The Office of L...

EPA Approves Innovative Products to Aid in Wildfire Management Headquarters, Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) WASHINGTON (September 30, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved two new products that could prove helpful in preventing future wildfires in Western states. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Announces $200,000 Environmental Justice Grant to Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO), Office of Policy (OP) Traverse City, Mich. (September 30, 2020) — Today, at a virtual press conference in Michigan with Michigan House Majority Leader Triston Cole (MI-105), U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Administrator Wheeler Announces $5 Million in GLRI Funding for Great Lakes Trash-free Water Projects Headquarters, Water (OW) Traverse City, Mich. (September 30, 2020) — At a press conference today in Traverse City, Mich., U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Wraps Up Minnesota Visit Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) Minneapolis, Minn. (September 29, 2020) — Today, U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA to award up to $3.5 million for Clean Diesel projects in Colorado and Utah Region 08 DENVER (September 30, 2020) – Today, U.S. Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA to Award Over $2.23M for Clean Diesel Projects in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri Region 07 Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Published September 29, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, the crew brought devices with them called retroreflectors, which are essentially small arrays of mirrors. via NASA https://ift.tt/3ifdBj5

Yes, but have you ever experienced the Eagle Nebula with your ears ? The famous nebula, M16, is best known for the feast it gives your eyes, highlighting bright young stars forming deep inside dark towering structures. These light-years long columns of cold gas and dust are some 6,500 light-years distant toward the constellation of the Serpent (Serpens). Sculpted and eroded by the energetic ultraviolet light and powerful winds from M16's cluster of massive stars, the cosmic pillars themselves are destined for destruction. But the turbulent environment of star formation within M16, whose spectacular details are captured in this combined Hubble (visible) and Chandra (X-ray) image, is likely similar to the environment that formed our own Sun. In the featured video, listen for stars and dust sounding off as the line of sonification moves left to right, with vertical position determining pitch. via NASA https://ift.tt/2EOq2Vw

Port of Providence Selected for EPA Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Grant Region 01 PROVIDENCE - The Port of Providence is one of 11 air toxics monitoring projects selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive funding under the Agency’s Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring grants. Published September 28, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 30, 2020 is Herbert Maryon . Herbert Maryon (1874–1965) was an English sculptor, conservator, goldsmith, archaeologist and authority on ancient metalwork. Maryon was the first director of the Arts and Crafts–inspired Keswick School of Industrial Art, then taught at the universities of Reading and Durham until 1939. During this time he designed the University of Reading War Memorial, excavated one of the oldest gold artefacts in Britain, and authored the standard Metalwork and Enamelling. Maryon left retirement to join the British Museum, and is best known for his conservation work on the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, including restorations of the shield, the drinking horns, and the iconic Sutton Hoo helmet. In other work he restored a Roman helmet, coined the term pattern welding, and wrote a paper influencing a painting by Salvador Dalí. Maryon was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1956; asked by Queen Elizabeth II what he d...

translate , v : Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another. (transitive) To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. (intransitive) To provide a translation of spoken words or written text in another language; to be, or be capable of being, rendered in another language. (transitive) To express spoken words or written text in a different (often clearer or simpler) way in the same language; to paraphrase, to rephrase, to restate. (transitive) To change (something) from one form or medium to another. (transitive, music) To rearrange (a song or music) in one genre into another. (intransitive) To change, or be capable of being changed, from one form or medium to another. (transitive, genetics) To generate a chain of amino acids based on the sequence of codons in an mRNA molecule. Senses relating to a change of position. (transitive, archaic) To move (something) from one place or position to anot...

Church of San Juan el Real in the center of Calatayud, province of Zaragoza, Spain. The baroque church was built in the 17th and 18th century and hosts among others some of the oldest remaining paintings by Francisco de Goya in the pendentives of the main dome.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 30, 2020: Church of San Juan el Real in the center of Calatayud, province of Zaragoza, Spain. The baroque church was built in the 17th and 18th century and hosts among others some of the oldest remaining paintings by Francisco de Goya in the pendentives of the main dome. https://ift.tt/34ecBa9

Austin-Based Lemi Shine Recognized as one of EPA’s 2020 Safer Choice Partners of the Year Region 06 DALLAS – (Sept. 29, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized Lemi Shine as a Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winner. Published September 28, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA awards $24.7 million to West Virginia for water quality improvement projects Region 03 PHILADELPHIA (September 29, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has awarded $24.7 million to West Virginia for water quality improvement projects to address wastewater treatment and stormwater runoff. Published September 28, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA leader's St. Cloud visit cites City Hall, old Tech in touting grant funding Headquarters Sarah KocherSt. Cloud Times September 28, 2020 Published September 28, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor examines her eye with a Fundoscope aboard the International Space Station with remote support from doctors on the ground. via NASA https://ift.tt/3kXWT9C

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has established a hotline and email address to receive and investigate complaints under existing Executive Order 11246 as well as Executive Order 13950, “Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” issued on Sept. 22, 2020 by the President of the United States. The new OFCCP Complaint Hotline to Combat Race and Sex Stereotyping can be reached at 202-343-2008 or via email at OFCCPComplaintHotline@dol.gov. Executive Order 13950 was issued “to promote economy and efficiency in Federal contracting to promote unity in the Federal workforce, and to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” The order enables employees to file complaints alleging that a Federal contractor “is utilizing training programs in violation of the contractor’s obligations under those orders.” “Federal contractors must not engage in unlawful race or...

Govee Home Govee Home allows you to control your smart devices, like lights, leak detectors, and smart plugs. With IFTTT, you can create automated tasks, such as having your strip lights power on when you open your door. You can also connect all your smart home apps and sync them with your daily routine automatically. Published September 28, 2020 at 08:30PM View Govee Home Applets on IFTTT

Govee Home just launched on IFTTT! https://ifttt.com/govee

Triple star system GW Orionis appears to demonstrate that planets can form and orbit in multiple planes. In contrast, all the planets and moons in our Solar System orbit in nearly the same plane. The picturesque system has three prominent stars, a warped disk, and inner tilted rings of gas and grit. The featured animation characterizes the GW Ori system from observations with the European Southern Observatory's VLT and ALMA telescopes in Chile. The first part of the illustrative video shows a grand vista of the entire system from a distant orbit, while the second sequence takes you inside the tilted rings to resolve the three central co-orbiting stars. Computer simulations indicate that multiple stars in systems like GW Ori could warp and break-up disks into unaligned, exoplanet-forming rings. via NASA https://ift.tt/3n8oCqj

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has established a hotline and email address to receive and investigate complaints under existing Executive Order 11246 as well as Executive Order 13950, “Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” issued on Sept. 22, 2020 by the President of the United States. The new OFCCP Complaint Hotline to Combat Race and Sex Stereotyping can be reached at 202-343-2008 or via email at OFCCPComplaintHotline@dol.gov. Executive Order 13950 was issued “to promote economy and efficiency in Federal contracting to promote unity in the Federal workforce, and to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” The order enables employees to file complaints alleging that a Federal contractor “is utilizing training programs in violation of the contractor’s obligations under those orders.” “Federal contractors must not engage in unlawful race or...

EPA Awards $353,516 Grant to Shelby County to Fund Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring in Memphis, Tenn. Region 04 MEMPHIS, TENN. – (SEPTEMBER 28, 2020) Today, the U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Awards $353,516 Grant to South Carolina to Fund Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring in North Charleston Region 04 COLUMBIA, S.C. – (September 28, 2020) Today, the U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Awards $571,670 Grant to Georgia to Fund Metro Atlanta Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Region 04 ATLANTA – (September 28, 2020) Today, the U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Kicks Off Midwest Swing in Minnesota Announcing Environmental Justice Grants, Highlighting Brownfields, Meeting with Agricultural Partners Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) Stanchfield, Minn. (September 28, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler kicked off his Midwest swing in Minnesota with a tour of Brownfield sites in St. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA requires Hawaii’s largest refrigerated food warehouse to improve chemical safety Region 09 HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Unicold Corporation to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act at Unicold’s cold storage and distribution facility in Honolulu, Hawaii. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA provides $328,459 for ethylene oxide air quality monitoring and risk assessment in Utah Region 08 SALT LAKE CITY (September 28, 2020) — The U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 29, 2020 is Valston Hancock . Valston Hancock (31 May 1907 – 29 September 1998) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot. After fifteen years of occupying staff and training posts, he saw combat in the Aitape–Wewak campaign of the Pacific War during 1945. Flying Bristol Beaufort light bombers, he led No. 100 Squadron, and later No. 71 Wing, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, Hancock became the inaugural commandant of RAAF College, followed by a succession of senior positions, before being promoted to air marshal and serving as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. He was knighted in 1962. In his role as the Air Force's senior officer, Hancock continued the policy of developing a chain of forward airfields in Northern Australia. He also evalua...

obscene , adj : Offensive to current standards of decency or morality. Lewd or lustful. Disgusting or repulsive. (by extension) Beyond all reason; excessive. (chiefly Britain, criminal law) Liable to corrupt or deprave. Banned Books Week, organized by the American Library Association to celebrate the freedom to read and to draw attention to banned and challenged books, is held in 2020 from September 27 to October 3.

Aerial photo of Ujście Warty National Park near Kostrzyn nad Odrą (Poland). Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 29, 2020: Aerial photo of Ujście Warty National Park near Kostrzyn nad Odrą (Poland) https://ift.tt/3cFwVEZ

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to discuss the economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary Scalia toured Fredon and met with company leadership, employees and apprentices to discuss economic recovery and building a stronger workforce through apprenticeships. “I’d like to thank the Fredon Corporation for allowing me to visit today and for the informative discussions I had with apprentices, workers, and company leadership,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “Employers across the nation are increasingly relying on apprenticeship programs to give workers the skills needed to contribute to our nation’s economic comeback. President Trump’s actions will also be crucial to powering our economy out of the pandemic. His decisions to expand apprenticeship programs, cut taxes, roll back unnecessary regulatory requirements, and to implement fair and reciprocal trade agreements like the USMCA will help us rebuild ...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $8 million for three projects relating to Unemployment Insurance (UI). These projects will continue operations of the UI Integrity Center of Excellence, provide funding for the continued oversight of the UI Interstate Connection Network (ICON), and provide funding for the continued operations of the UI Information Technology Support Center (UI ITSC). “These projects address weaknesses within the UI system exposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. By strengthening the integrity of the UI system, increasing the cohesion between the states via a data exchange network, and developing better information technology practices, we are improving unemployment and reemployment services and outcomes for American workers,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch. “We recognize that more must be done and we are committed to working with our partners from the National Association of State Workfor...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $4.1 million in grant funding to help recruit, train and retain more women in quality pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. Administered by the Department’s Women’s Bureau and the Employment and Training Administration, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grants are designed to help women pursue occupations in non-traditional industries to organizations in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas and Washington State. “The Women’s Bureau is honored to administer the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants,” said Women’s Bureau Director Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D. “This grant program provides funding to community organizations to help women reach self-sufficiency by providing the skills needed to pursue careers that they may have thought were out of reach to them.” The 2020 WANTO grant recipients are: Recipient Location Award Center for Employment Training San Jos...

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in Atlanta, Georgia, announced it will hold a virtual symposium on Oct. 6, 2020, to promote inclusive workplaces for individuals with disabilities. The event coincides with October’s 75th annual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. OFCCP Southeast Region’s I Am Able-Access Ability committee will host the symposium in collaboration with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Excellence in Disability in Inclusion (EDI) Award winners PepsiCo and CVS Health, and the Florida-based nonprofit organization “Who Got Game.” Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of disability inclusion, ODEP’s programs and assistance to companies to help build inclusive workforces, PepsiCo and CVS Health’s award-winning disability inclusion programs, how to create an effective disability inclusion program, and how a small Florida non-profit orga...

EPA Announces a $657,840 Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Grant to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Region 10 The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will receive a $657,840 U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Administrator Visits Minnesota Farm, Announces $642,546 to Minnesota Department of Agriculture for Pesticides Programs Headquarters Minneapolis, Minn. (September 28, 2020) — Today, U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA and Clark County reach agreement over unpermitted Laughlin Lagoon Dredging Project Region 09 LAS VEGAS — Today, the U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Awards MPCA $731,893 for State, Tribal Brownfields Program Headquarters St. Cloud, Minn. (September 28, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the award of $731,893 to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) brownfields program during a tour of brownfield cleanup sites in St. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Announces Selection of Awards for $320,000 in Environmental Justice Grants to Minnesota Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO), Office of Policy (OP) Minneapolis, Minn. (September 28, 2020) — Today, U.S. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA Announces Air Toxics Monitoring Grant Winners in California Region 09 SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected two air toxics monitoring projects in California to receive grant funding under the Agency’s Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring program. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Pictured is the Soyuz MS-16 crew ship, currently docked to the International Space Station's Poisk module. via NASA https://ift.tt/34a42Ni

The United States and New Jersey Reach Settlement for Cleanup at the Hercules, Inc. Superfund Site, Gibbstown, New Jersey Region 02 NEW YORK – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of New Jersey today announced the lodging of a consent decree with Hercules LLC to perform the cleanup design and conduct the cleanup selected by EPA for the Hercules, Inc. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA at 50: Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Efforts Help Communities Build Back More Resiliently Headquarters WASHINGTON (September 28, 2020) — This week, as part of its 50th anniversary commemoration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Homeland Security is highlighting the agency’s efforts to recover from and mitigate against natural and manmade disasters. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Announces $5 Million in Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Grant Winners Headquarters, Air and Radiation (OAR) WASHINGTON (September 28, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 11 air toxics monitoring projects to receive $5 million in funding under the agency’s Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring grants program. Published September 27, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

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 Scalia Highlights Economic Reopening and Apprenticeship Announcement in Greensboro, North Carolina – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina to discuss the economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary Scalia toured Machine Specialties, Inc. and met with company leadership, employees, and apprentices to discuss economic recovery and building a stronger workforce through apprenticeships. U.S. Department of Labor Announces Phased Reopening Of Job Corps Campuses – Students will return to Job Corps centers in a phased approach based on guidance from the CDC and the OSHA, supplemented by recommendations from state and local health officials, and the recommendations of the health consultants who work with Job Corps. U.S...

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What lies at the edge of an expanding supernova? Subtle and delicate in appearance, these ribbons of shocked interstellar gas are part of a blast wave at the expanding edge of a violent stellar explosion that would have been easily visible to humans during the late stone age, about 20,000 years ago. The featured image was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope and is a closeup of the outer edge of a supernova remnant known as the Cygnus Loop or Veil Nebula. The filamentary shock front is moving toward the top of the frame at about 170 kilometers per second, while glowing in light emitted by atoms of excited hydrogen gas. The distances to stars thought to be interacting with the Cygnus Loop have recently been found by the Gaia mission to be about 2400 light years distant. The whole Cygnus Loop spans six full Moons across the sky, corresponding to about 130 light years, and parts can be seen with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). via NASA https://ift.tt/2S...

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 28, 2020 is Rigel . Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the constellation of Orion, approximately 860 light-years (260 pc) from Earth. It is the brightest and most massive component of a star system of at least four stars that appear as a single blue-white point of light to the naked eye. A star of spectral type B8Ia, Rigel is calculated to be anywhere from 61,500 to 363,000 times as luminous as the Sun, and 18 to 24 times as massive. Its radius is over 70 times that of the Sun, and its surface temperature is 12,100 K. Rigel varies slightly in brightness, its apparent magnitude ranging from 0.05 to 0.18. It is classified as an Alpha Cygni variable. It is generally the seventh-brightest star in the night sky and is usually the brightest star in Orion, though it is occasionally outshone by Betelgeuse. With an estimated age of 7 to 9 million years, Rigel has exhausted its core hydrogen fuel, expanded and cooled to become a supe...

berestology , n : (palaeography) The scientific study of birchbark manuscripts. Today is the International Day for Universal Access to Information, which is recognized by the United Nations to emphasize the importance of public access to information.

Strelitzer Straße in Berlin-Mitte at night. View towards Fernsehturm.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 28, 2020: Strelitzer Straße in Berlin-Mitte at night. View towards Fernsehturm. https://ift.tt/36cqxUE

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement regarding the President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. “Amy Coney Barrett is an admired teacher, scholar, and judge.  President Trump has selected a top-notch nominee of unquestioned ability and integrity.”

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Freedompro just launched on IFTTT! https://ift.tt/3mWqv9q

Have you ever watched a lightning storm in awe? Join the crowd. Oddly, details about how lightning is produced remains a topic of research. What is known is that updrafts carry light ice crystals into collisions with larger and softer ice balls, causing the smaller crystals to become positively charged. After enough charge becomes separated, the rapid electrical discharge that is lightning occurs. Lightning usually takes a jagged course, rapidly heating a thin column of air to about three times the surface temperature of the Sun. The resulting shock wave starts supersonically and decays into the loud sound known as thunder. Lightning bolts are common in clouds during rainstorms, and on average 44 lightning bolts occur on the Earth every second. Pictured, over 60 images were stacked to capture the flow of lightning-producing storm clouds in July over Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. via NASA https://ift.tt/36bxzJ2

The Wikipedia article of the day for September 27, 2020 is Margaret Macpherson Grant . Margaret Macpherson Grant (1834–1877) was a Scottish heiress and philanthropist. Born in Aberlour parish to a local surgeon, she was educated in Hampshire and inherited a large fortune from her uncle, Alexander Grant, a planter and merchant who had become rich in Jamaica. Macpherson Grant took up residence in Aberlour House, which had been built for her uncle by William Robertson. She lived unconventionally for a woman of her time, entering into what was described as a form of marriage with a female companion, Charlotte Temple, whom she met in London in 1864. Macpherson Grant donated generously to charitable enterprises, establishing an orphanage (now the Aberlour Child Care Trust) and founding St Margaret's Episcopal Church in Aberlour. She made several wills over the course of her life that would have left her estate to Temple, but after Temple left her to marry a man, Macpherson Grant revoke...

censor , n : (Ancient Rome) One of the two magistrates who originally administered the census of citizens, and by Classical times (between the 8th century B.C.E. and the 6th century C.E.) was a high judge of public behaviour and morality. An official responsible for the removal or suppression of objectionable material (for example, if obscene or likely to incite violence) or sensitive content in books, films, correspondence, and other media. (education) A college or university official whose duties vary depending on the institution. (obsolete) One who censures or condemns. [...] (psychology) A hypothetical subconscious agency which filters unacceptable thought before it reaches the conscious mind. [...] censor v (transitive) To review for, and if necessary to remove or suppress, content from books, films, correspondence, and other media which is regarded as objectionable (for example, obscene, likely to incite violence, or sensitive). Banned Books Week, organized by the American Lib...

Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) burrowing into the sand.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on September 27, 2020: Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) burrowing into the sand. https://ift.tt/3kOKl4r

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded approximately $22 million in contract investments to 12 Industry Intermediaries to continue the Department’s efforts to expand the number of apprenticeship opportunities in growing sectors across the country. This effort will further Registered Apprenticeship expansion strategies in high growth industries including information technology (IT), cybersecurity, telecommunications and 5G advanced manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare and health IT, transportation and logistics, and energy. Industry Intermediaries are organizations uniquely positioned to convene employers within an industry or sub-sector to determine skill needs and workforce trends and to work with employers on a regional and national level to develop apprenticeship programs with the goal of increasing the number of apprenticeship opportunities.  “With today’s contract awards, the Department is increasing transparency and accountability for our diversity,...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced plans for the national reopening of Job Corps campuses with select centers welcoming students starting Oct. 20, 2020. Each Job Corps Center, subject to national office oversight, will determine the best approach to resume on-site operations ensuring the health and welfare of the students and staff. Not all Job Corps campuses will resume physical operations at the same time. The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, in partnership with the Job Corps Center operators, is closely monitoring national, state, and local health and safety guidelines to determine which campuses are ready to reopen. “The U.S. Department of Labor seeks to ensure Job Corps can provide hands-on career training in a safe environment for our students and staff,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employment and Training Administration John Pallasch. “The U.S. workforce needs them, and we look forward to seeing them on campu...

LITTLE ROCK, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), D&L Inc. – a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration company based in Blytheville, Arkansas – has paid $40,371 in back wages to 52 employees working out of its Blytheville, and Darlington, South Carolina, locations for violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  WHD investigators determined that D&L Inc. – doing business as D&L Inc. HVAC & Sheet Metal – failed to count the time employees spent driving between job sites as work time when determining when overtime was due. Instead, the employer recorded drive time separately and paid for it at straight time rates, regardless of the total number of hours employees worked. By doing so, the employer failed to pay overtime when those hours occurred in workweeks of more than 40 hours.   D&L Inc. paid back wages to 36 employees in Blytheville and 16 in South...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) of up to $6,877,500 to the California Department of Employment Development in response to the recent wildfires. The initial award of $3,438,750 will assist California in creating disaster-relief jobs to address debris cleanup and delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the wildfires. Initially, the project will focus on efforts in Lake, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.  As damage assessments are completed, work may expand to any of the California counties included in the associated major disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Aug. 22, 2020. California may request additional funding increments based on the project’s demonstrated need.  On Aug. 16, 2020, lightning strikes ignited more than 600 wildfires across California. Several fires grew quickly in the ...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of approximately $156 million in grants through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) to provide career services and training services to low-income older individuals who are seeking to enter or re-enter the workforce. SCSEP aims to move participants of the program into unsubsidized employment in both the public and private sectors, promote part-time work experiences in community service assignments for unemployed low-income individuals who are 55 years of age or older, and foster self-sufficiency. Successful grant applicants presented clear service delivery models that will enable eligible individuals to successfully participate in the program and achieve these program goals. The Department awarded approximately $156 million in the SCSEP to fund 21 grants to national non-profit organizations through the program’s general funds, as well as funds set aside by statute to fund organizations with...

AUSTIN, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Controllables Management LLC – owner of five Austin, Texas restaurants – has paid $46,153 to 206 employees for violations of the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).    WHD investigators found Controllables Management LLC missed payroll at five of its restaurants in Austin. By doing so, the employer failed to pay required minimum wage and overtime pay to its employees, in violation of the FLSA. The restaurant also failed to keep accurate records as the law requires. The investigation included the following restaurants in Austin: Sixth & Lamar Inc., doing business as 24 Diner Cookbook LLC, doing business as Cookbook Café Elm Food Hall LLC, doing business as Fareground Food Hall Heartfelt Hospitality LLC, doing business as Irene’s Four Round Windows LLC, doing business as Italic “Employers must pay their employees the wages they ...