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Yesterday, early morning risers around planet Earth were treated to a waning Moon low in the east as the sky grew bright before dawn. From the Island of Ortigia, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy this simple snapshot found the slender sunlit crescent just before sunrise. Never wandering far from the Sun in Earth's sky, inner planets Venus and Mercury shared the calm seaside view. Also in the frame, right of the line-up of Luna and planets, is bright star Spica, alpha star of the constellation Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in Earth's night. Tomorrow the Moon will be New. The dark lunar disk means mostly dark nights for planet Earth in the coming week and a good chance to watch the annual Leonid Meteor Shower. via NASA https://ift.tt/3lvjLyb

NASA and SpaceX are now targeting 7:27 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 15, for liftoff of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with astronauts to the International Space Station. November 14, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3nnH51k via IFTTT

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The Wikipedia article of the day for November 14, 2020 is Project Excalibur . Project Excalibur was an American Cold War–era research program to develop nuclear-device-powered, space-based X-ray lasers as a ballistic missile defense. X-ray lasers were conceived in the 1970s by George Chapline Jr. (pictured with George Maenchen) and further developed by Peter L. Hagelstein, both working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Edward Teller. After a promising test, Teller discussed the proposal in 1981 with US president Ronald Reagan, who in 1983 incorporated it in his Strategic Defense Initiative. Further underground nuclear tests suggested progress was being made. Reagan refused to abandon the technology at the 1986 Reykjavík Summit arms-control talks, even after a critical test demonstrated it was not working as expected. Researchers at Livermore and Los Alamos began to raise concerns about test results, and the infighting became public. In 1988 the program budget was cu...

cogitabund , adj : (archaic, literary) Deep in thought; meditative, thoughtful. The French sculptor Auguste Rodin, who created the sculpture known as The Thinker, was born 180 years ago on 12 November 1840.

Dome interior of Queen Mother's Apartments in Harem of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 14, 2020: Dome interior of Queen Mother's Apartments in Harem of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul https://ift.tt/2GYAsCT

Nearing Full Implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System Delivers Results Region 10 (Seattle)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the U.S. Published November 12, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Nov. 5, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued 204 citations arising from inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $2,856,533.  OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to: Implement a written respiratory protection program; Provide a medical evaluation, respirator fit test, training on the proper use of a respirator and personal protective equipment; Report an injury, illness or fatality; Record an injury or illness on OSHA recordkeeping forms; and Comply with the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 OSHA has withdrawn a citation issued on Oct. 23, 2020, to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, New York, (Inspection #1473958 with proposed penalty of $9,639) after the employer provided evidence of a good faith...

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Nov. 5, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued 204 citations arising from inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $2,856,533.  OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to: Implement a written respiratory protection program; Provide a medical evaluation, respirator fit test, training on the proper use of a respirator and personal protective equipment; Report an injury, illness or fatality; Record an injury or illness on OSHA recordkeeping forms; and Comply with the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 OSHA has withdrawn a citation issued on Oct. 23, 2020, to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, New York, (Inspection #1473958 with proposed penalty of $9,639) after the employer provided evidence of a good faith...

The Ministry of Health (MoH) notified WHO that between 13 September and 1 October 2020, eight cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) including seven deaths were confirmed in animal breeders. Districts affected include Tidjikja and Moudjéria (Tagant region), Guerou (Assaba region) and Chinguetty (Adrar region). Laboratory confirmation of RVF infection was performed using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the National Institute for Public Health Research (INRSP) in Nouakchott. The age of infected patients varied between 16 and 70 years old and included one woman and seven men. All seven deaths occurred among hospitalised patients with fever and haemorrhagic syndrome (petechia, gingivorrhagia) and vomiting. Between 4 September to 7 November 2020, a total of 214 people were sampled and their samples have been sent to the INRSP for laboratory testing with a total of 75 testing positive for RVF (RT-PCR and serology by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positiv...

With a degree in computer engineering and computer science from the University of Southern California, Lauren Denson is now an quality engineer and supervisor at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. via NASA https://ift.tt/3pqzdOa

NASA is targeting 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST) Saturday, Nov. 21, for the launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, the first of two identical satellites to head into Earth orbit five years apart to continue sea level observations for at least the next decade. November 13, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3pBNwjg via IFTTT

With a degree in computer engineering and computer science from the University of Southern California, Lauren Denson is now an quality engineer and supervisor at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. via NASA https://ift.tt/2Ur74IO

The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180 thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star forming region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic arachnid sprawls across the top of this spectacular view, composed with narrowband filter data centered on emission from ionized hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Within the Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation, stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of massive stars, cataloged as R136, energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are other star forming regions with young star clusters, filaments, and blown-out bubble-shaped clouds. In fact, the frame includes the site of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, right of center. The rich field of view spans about 2 degrees or 4 full moons, in th...

Lighthouse at the entrance of Dingle Bay. Learn more .

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 13, 2020 is Edward Thomas Daniell . Edward Thomas Daniell was an English artist known for etchings and Middle Eastern landscape paintings. Taught by John Crome and Joseph Stannard, he is associated with the Norwich School of painters, who were mainly inspired by the Norfolk countryside. After graduating in classics at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1828, he was ordained as a curate in 1832 and appointed to a curacy in London in 1834. He became a patron of the arts, and a friend of the artist John Linnell. In 1840, after resigning his curacy and leaving for the Middle East, he encountered the archaeological expedition of Charles Fellows in Lycia, and joined as their illustrator. He contracted malaria and died from a second attack of the disease. He normally used a small number of colours for his watercolour paintings; his distinctive style was influenced in part by Crome, J. M. W. Turner and John Sell Cotman. As an etcher he anticipa...

fantasia , n : (music, also figurative) A form of instrumental composition with a free structure and improvisational characteristics; specifically, one combining a number of well-known musical pieces. (chiefly art, by extension) Any work which is unstructured or comprises other works of different genres or styles. A traditional festival of the Berbers of the Maghreb (in northwest Africa) featuring exhibitions of horsemanship. The Walt Disney animated film Fantasia premiered on this day 80 years ago in 1940.

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 13, 2020: Lighthouse at the entrance of Dingle Bay https://ift.tt/36yna8P

Nearing Full Implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System Delivers Results Region 02 NEW YORK (November 12, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the United States. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region Delivers Results by Reducing Permit Backlog, Identifying Formerly Contaminated Properties for Reuse Region 09 SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the U.S. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Announces $20 Million to Improve Access to Drinking Water in Tribal Communities Headquarters, Water (OW) WASHINGTON (November 12, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) announced that it will dedicate more than $20 million in infrastructure funding to projects that will improve access to safe drinking water for American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Region 7 Delivers Results in the Heartland Region 07 Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule establishing registration requirements for pooled plan providers. The rule implements the registration requirements for pooled plan providers pursuant to the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act). The SECURE Act amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new type of multiple employer plan (MEP) called a “pooled employer plan.”  Pooled employer plans must be administered by a “pooled plan provider.” “Pooled employer plans will give employers, especially small unrelated employers, a way of offering their employees a workplace retirement savings option with reduced burdens and costs,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration Jeanne Klinefelter Wilson. “This final rule lays the groundwork for a sensible registration process so that providers can ge...

In the week ending November 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 709,000, a decrease of 48,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 6,000 from 751,000 to 757,000. The 4-week moving average was 755,250, a decrease of 33,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,500 from 787,000 to 788,500.

PALM BAY, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Cornelius Electrical Contractors Inc. – based in Palm Bay, Florida – will pay $19,642 in back wages to 13 employees after violating overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD investigators determined that the electrical contractor failed to record and pay as work time the hours employees spent driving between work sites. That unpaid travel time resulted in overtime violations when workweeks exceeded 40 hours. Cornelius Electrical further violated FLSA overtime requirements when it failed to include incentive pay in the calculation of workers’ overtime rates, instead basing their time and one-half rates only on their hourly base rates. This exclusion resulted in the employer paying for overtime hours at rates lower than those required by law. Recordkeeping violations resulted from the employer’s failure to record travel time as hours worked. “The U.S. Department ...

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has entered into an Early Resolution Conciliation Agreement with JP Morgan Chase & Co., resolving allegations that the financial institution engaged in systemic compensation discrimination against female employees in certain professional positions, and establishes enhanced future compliance commitments. The parties have submitted a proposed consent decree that is subject to approval by the Administrative Law Judge. An OFCCP compliance review in 2012 found that JP Morgan Chase paid at least 93 females employed within its Investment Bank, Technology & Market Strategies unit, less than comparable men employed in the same positions. OFCCP filed suit against JP Morgan Chase with the Department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges in January 2017.  While not admitting liability, JP Morgan Chase will, as part of the overall agreement, pay at least $9.8 million – which includ...

CUSSETA, AL – On Nov. 9, 2020, ALJoon LLC – operating as Ajin USA of Cusseta – was sentenced after entering a plea of guilty to a charge of willful violation of an OSHA standard.  The company will pay a $500,000 fine and $1,000,000 in restitution to the estate of a temporary machine operator who suffered fatal crushing injuries in June 2016 at the auto parts manufacturer’s Cusseta, Alabama, facility. DOJ instituted a criminal prosecution after an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), cited the company for 23 violations, including 19 egregious willful violations for failing to use energy control procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance, and for exposing employees to caught-in, struck-by and crushing hazards.  The enforcement action is currently pending before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. In the agreement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Ala...

FRANKLIN, TN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant – based in Franklin, Tennessee – has paid $179,878 in back wages to 40 employees to resolve minimum wage violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD investigators found Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant violated the FLSA when the employer required servers to pay $7 to $10 per shift into a tip pool that the restaurant retained to pay the hourly rates of non-tipped workers. The FLSA does not allow employers to keep servers’ tips. WHD also found that the employer retained the credit card tips hosts earned on carryout and to-go orders, resulting in additional FLSA minimum wage violations. Garcia’s failure to record which of the servers paid into the tip pool, how much they provided and on when they did so also resulted in recordkeeping violations. “The Wage and Hour Division is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have earned, and th...

Nearing Full Implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System Delivers Results Region 03 PHILADELPHIA (November 12, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 87% of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA settles with pesticide producers doing business in Longmont, Colorado to resolve alleged violations of pesticide labeling requirements Region 08 DENVER – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into settlements with Central Garden & Pet, Inc. (CG&P) of Walnut Creek, California, and Nufarm Americas Inc. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Trump Administration Welcomes Two New Members as U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions Headquarters WASHINGTON (November 12, 2020) — Today, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA to temporarily suspend work at Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc site for the winter Region 05 For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-032 Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Awards $75,000 to Miami University Students through People, Prosperity and the Planet program Region 05 For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-034 Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA completes $5.5 million cleanup of Tremont/Clark Field site in Cleveland Region 05 For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-030 Published November 11, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA to Recognize the Former Naval Training Center Site Work in Orlando, Florida with 2020 National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards Region 04 ORLANDO, Fla. – (November 10, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a virtual award ceremony to recognize the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The galaxy UGCA 193, seen here by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, is a galaxy in the constellation of Sextans (The Sextant). via NASA https://ift.tt/38lSg6e

With its closest approach to planet Earth scheduled for November 14, this Comet ATLAS (C/2020 M3) was discovered just this summer, another comet found by the NASA funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. It won't get as bright as Comet NEOWISE but it can still be spotted using binoculars, as it currently sweeps through the familiar constellation of Orion. This telephoto field from November 8, blends exposures registered on the comet with exposures registered on Orion's stars. It creates an effectively deep skyview that shows colors and details you can't quite see though, even in binoculars. The comet's telltale greenish coma is toward the upper left, above Orion's three belt stars lined-up across the frame below center. You'll also probably spot the Orion Nebula, and famous Horsehead Nebula in the stunning field of view. Of course one of Orion's belt stars is nearly 2,000 light-years away. On November 14, this comet ATLAS will fly a mere 2.9 li...

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 12, 2020 is St. Croix macaw . The St. Croix macaw (Ara autocthones) is an extinct species of macaw whose remains have been found on the Caribbean islands of St. Croix and Puerto Rico. It was a medium-sized macaw of unknown coloration, slightly larger than the extinct Cuban macaw. It was described in 1937 based on a tibiotarsus leg bone (pictured) unearthed from a kitchen midden at a pre-Columbian site on St. Croix. A second specimen consisting of various bones from a similar site on Puerto Rico was described in 2008, and a coracoid from Montserrat may belong to this or another extinct species of macaw. The St. Croix macaw is one of 13 extinct macaw species that have been proposed to have lived on the Caribbean islands. Macaws were frequently transported for long distances by humans in both prehistoric and historic times, so it is impossible to know whether species only known from bones or written accounts were native or...

World Wide Web , proper n : (Internet) Usually preceded by the: collectively, all of the hypertext documents (web pages) on the Internet stored in different computers around the world that hyperlink to each other and to other kinds of media, and are typically retrieved by the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Today is the 30th anniversary of the day in 1990 when Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau coined the term in a formal proposal to build a “web” of “hypertext documents” to be viewed by “browsers” using a client–server architecture.

Morning game reserve in Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyAlfred von Croÿ commissioned the english landscape architect Edward Milner with the gardening in the 1860s. The work was carried out by the gardener Charles Barnard.Wikipedia: Dülmen • Edward Milner. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 12, 2020: Morning game reserve in Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyAlfred von Croÿ commissioned the english landscape architect Edward Milner with the gardening in the 1860s. The work was carried out by the gardener Charles Barnard.Wikipedia: Dülmen • Edward Milner https://ift.tt/35kyAxC

ROOME Roome features simple innovative products such us smart dimmer switches, lights, ceiling fans, bathroom heaters. And make all kinds of home things which can be smart controlled through our E-bridge Getaway Published November 11, 2020 at 09:01AM View ROOME Applets on IFTTT

ROOME just launched on IFTTT! https://ift.tt/2IwU7Kv

What color is the Moon? It depends on the night. Outside of the Earth's atmosphere, the dark Moon, which shines by reflected sunlight, appears a magnificently brown-tinged gray. Viewed from inside the Earth's atmosphere, though, the moon can appear quite different. The featured image highlights a collection of apparent colors of the full moon documented by one astrophotographer over 10 years from different locations across Italy. A red or yellow colored moon usually indicates a moon seen near the horizon. There, some of the blue light has been scattered away by a long path through the Earth's atmosphere, sometimes laden with fine dust. A blue-colored moon is more rare and can indicate a moon seen through an atmosphere carrying larger dust particles. What created the purple moon is unclear -- it may be a combination of several effects. The last image captures the total lunar eclipse of 2018 July -- where the moon, in Earth's shadow, appeared a faint red -- due to light ...

Nearing Full Implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System Delivers Results Region 04 ATLANTA (November 10, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 11, 2020 is Fabian Ware . Sir Fabian Ware (1869–1949) was a British journalist and the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He travelled to the Transvaal Colony where he became Director of Education in 1903. Two years later he became editor of The Morning Post. He expanded the paper but was forced to retire in 1911. When the First World War started, Ware was appointed commander of a mobile ambulance unit and began marking and recording the graves of those killed. In 1916 the Department of Graves Registration and Enquiries was created with Ware at its head. On 21 May 1917 the IWGC was founded; Ware served as its vice-chairman. He ended the war as a major-general, having been mentioned in despatches twice. Post-war, Ware was heavily involved in the IWGC's function. When the Second World War broke out, he continued to serve as vice-chairman of the IWGC and was re-appointed...

poppy , n : Any plant of the genus Papaver or the family Papaveraceae, with crumpled, often red, petals and a milky juice having narcotic properties; especially the common poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) which has orange-red flowers; the flower of such a plant. A bright red colour tinted with orange, like that of the common poppy flower. poppy:   (chiefly Australia, Britain, Canada) A simple artificial poppy flower worn in a buttonhole or displayed in other contexts to remember those who died in the two World Wars and other armed conflicts, especially around Remembrance Sunday. [...] Today, the date in 1918 when hostilities in World War I ceased, is observed as Remembrance Day in many countries to remember armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

Nicolas de Fer, map of Trier and surroundings, 1692. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 11, 2020: Nicolas de Fer, map of Trier and surroundings, 1692 https://ift.tt/36qXpar

Nearing full implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System delivers results in EPA Region 8 Region 08 DENVER – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Nearing Full Implementation, EPA’s Lean Management System Delivers Results Headquarters WASHINGTON (November 10, 2020) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has implemented the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) to 83% of the agency across the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Announces Cleanup Plan for Superfund Site in Atlantic, Iowa Region 07 Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker Signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Region 04 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (November 10, 2020) – Yesterday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA Announces Nearly $500 Million for Water Infrastructure Projects in Northern California Region 09 SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate will hold a community town hall meeting with Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen and his leadership team at 3 p.m. EST Tuesday, Nov. 17, to discuss updates to NASA’s science programs, share the current status of activities, and roll out the agency’s 2021 NASA Science Planning Guide. November 10, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/36nGwgT via IFTTT

EPA Announces Nearly $500 Million for Water Infrastructure Projects in Northern California Headquarters, Water (OW) WASHINGTON (November 10, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

HOUSTON, TX – TracWorks Inc. – a railroad track construction, maintenance and rehabilitation company based in a Houston, Texas – has paid $4,804 in back wages after wrongly denying an employee leave under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSLA) and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).  The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found that an employee requested paid leave to care for their child after their school closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. TracWorks denied leave and later terminated the employee in violation of the EPSLA and EFMLEA provisions of the FFCRA. After contact by WHD, TracWorks paid the owed back wages and agreed to reinstate the employee. “The U.S. Department of Labor continues to educate employees and employers during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Wage and Hour District Director Robin Mallett in Houston, Texas. “We encourage employers and empl...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its recognition of 675 U.S. employers as honorees in the 2020 HIRE Vets Medallion program for their recruitment, hiring, and retention of America’s veterans. Collectively, this year’s award recipients hired more than 37,000 veterans since 2018. Following President Donald J. Trump signing the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) of 2017, the annual HIRE Vets Medallion program awards employers from around the nation that exemplify a commitment to civilian employment of U.S. military veterans. U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia participated in a virtual ceremony honoring the award recipients on Nov. 10, 2020, the eve of Veterans Day, at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to announce this year’s award recipients. “HIRE Vets Medallion honorees have demonstrated their dedication to hiring veterans and helping them establish and enjoy meaningful, lon...

MIAMI, FL – After investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), two Miami, Florida-area aviation engine repair and service companies have paid $541,026 in wages to 134 employees after the investigations found minimum wage and overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The WHD investigations found Turbine Engine Center Inc., located in Medley, Florida, and Miami NDT Engine Services LLC, located in Doral, Florida, violated the FLSA when they both missed payroll, resulting in minimum wage and overtime violations. To resolve the violations, Turbine Engine Center paid $299,625 in wages to 76 employees and Miami NDT Engine Services paid $241,401 in wages to 58 employees. “Employers are obligated to comply with the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act and pay their employees all of the wages they have earned for all of the hours they have worked, no later than their regularly scheduled payday,” said Wage and Hour Division District Dir...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today approved additional funding for a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant awarded to the California Department of Employment Development in response to the wildfires of November 2018. Today’s award of $14,666,666 will allow grant participants to continue disaster-relief cleanup and recovery efforts in the communities affected by the fires, as well as provide for the continuation of employment and training services to eligible individuals in those communities.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a major disaster declaration in response to the fires in November 2018, allowing the state to request Dislocated Worker Grant funding. Grant participants in disaster-relief positions address cleanup and humanitarian assistance activities in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dis...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced additional funding for an opioid-crisis National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant for the New York Department of Labor. The award of $1,863,815 will provide continued services to eligible individuals in communities across 22 New York counties 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 will also provide employment and training services to participants seeking careers in healthcare professions related to addiction, mental health treatment and pain management.                                         The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid ...

EPA at 50: Celebrating a Legacy of Enforcement and Compliance Achievements Headquarters, Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) WASHINGTON (November 10, 2020) — This month, as part of its 50th anniversary commemoration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) is highlighting the historic contributions of its programs.   Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Administrator Wheeler Concludes U.S.-Brazil Environmental Framework Dialogue Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) WASHINGTON (November 10, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler participated in a U.S.-Brazil Environmental Framework Dialogue alongside Minister Salles of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment. Published November 09, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA released an independent review report Tuesday indicating the agency is now ready to undertake its Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign to bring pristine samples from Mars to Earth for scientific study. November 10, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3nfjwHF via IFTTT

Launch is scheduled for 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. via NASA https://ift.tt/2UdvXYe

This cosmic close-up looks deep inside the Soul Nebula. The dark and brooding dust clouds near the top, outlined by bright ridges of glowing gas, are cataloged as IC 1871. About 25 light-years across, the telescopic field of view spans only a small part of the much larger Heart and Soul nebulae. At an estimated distance of 6,500 light-years the star-forming complex lies within the Perseus spiral arm of our Milky Way Galaxy, seen in planet Earth's skies toward the constellation Cassiopeia. An example of triggered star formation, the dense star-forming clouds in the Soul Nebula are themselves sculpted by the intense winds and radiation of the region's massive young stars. In the featured image, stars have been digitally removed to highlight the commotion in the gas and dust. via NASA https://ift.tt/2JIwJdF

EPA awards over $2.4 million to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for environmental protection Region 09 SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands – The U.S. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA awards nearly $3.1 million to Guam for Environmental Protection Region 09 HONOLULU – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $3,080,680 in grants in 2020 to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (GEPA) to strengthen its environmental protection program capacity. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 10, 2020 is Episode 14 (Twin Peaks) . "Episode 14" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. Featuring Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise (pictured) and Richard Beymer, it centers on an investigation into the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in a rural town in Washington state. In this episode, FBI special agent Dale Cooper (MacLachlan) and Sheriff Truman (Ontkean) continue to search for Laura's killer. Cooper and Truman arrest Benjamin Horne (Beymer), believing him to be possessed by a demon, but later that night the demon's real host, Leland Palmer (Wise), murders Madeline Ferguson (Lee). "Episode 14" was first broadcast on November 10, 1990, by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and was watched by an audience of 17.2 million households. The episode was well-received. Academic readings of the entry have highlighted the theme of duality an...

rake , n : (agriculture, horticulture) A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor. (by extension) A similarly shaped tool used for other purposes. (gambling) A tool with a straight edge at the end used by a croupier to move chips or money across a gaming table. [...] (Northern England and climbing, also figurative) A course, a path, especially a narrow and steep path or route up a hillside. (mining) A fissure or mineral vein of ore traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so. (Britain, originally Northern England, Scotland) A series, a succession; specifically (rail transport) a set of coupled rail vehicles, normally coaches or wagons. (systems theory) In cellular automata: a puffer that emits a stream of spaceships rather than a trail of debris. (Midlands, Northern England) Alternative spelling of raik ...

Interior of the parish church Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 10, 2020: Interior of the parish church Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria https://ift.tt/2IqmD0g

EPA to conduct aerial survey of Olin Superfund Site in Wilmington, Mass. week of November 9th or 16th Region 01 WILMINGTON, MASS. – Within the next two weeks, Olin Corporation (Olin) plans to conduct an aerial survey over the Maple Meadow Brook wetlands in Wilmington. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

CHARLOTTE, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Barrday Corp. – an industrial textile manufacturer operating in Charlotte, North Carolina – paid $2,606 in back wages for wrongly denying paid leave to an employee under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). The employee missed work to care for a child whose place of care was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. WHD found that Barrday Corp. violated the requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) by denying the employee paid family leave, and later terminating the employee. FFCRA provides workers up to two weeks of paid leave, and the EFMLEA provides up to an additional 10 weeks of paid leave at two-thirds their regular rate of pay to care for their children whose school or childcare provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus. After WHD contacted Barrday, the employer agreed to reinstate the employee, pay the back wages and comp...

EPA, DOJ and Alabama Take Action to Address Clean Water Act Violations at the Kronospan, LLC Facility in Eastaboga, Alabama Region 04 ​ Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

U.S. EPA settles with New York’s Quest USA Corp. for importing unregistered disinfectant product into Los Angeles Region 09 LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Quest USA Corp. for violations of federal pesticide law. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Urges Communities in Tropical Cyclone Eta’s Path to Avoid Indoor Air Dangers, Use Generators Safely Region 04 ATLANTA – (Nov. 9, 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 Tropical Cyclone Eta. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Enter into First-Time MOU to Advance Engagement with Agriculture Community Headquarters, Office of the Administrator (AO) WASHINGTON (November 9, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a first-time Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Innovation Center for U.S. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Ready to Support FEMA, State Efforts on Tropical Cyclone Eta Region 04 ATLANTA – (Nov. 9, 2020) The U.S. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EST Tuesday, Nov. 10, to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report by an agency-commissioned independent board about NASA’s plans with ESA (European Space Agency) for a Mars Sample Return mission. November 09, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/3leevPj via IFTTT

BOSTON, MA – A federal court in Massachusetts has issued a temporary restraining order against two construction contractors and a representative of one of the companies to prevent retaliation or discrimination after the defendants began a campaign of alleged threats and retaliation against an employee who complained about not receiving overtime pay and requested money he was due. Issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston, the order names JKA Construction Inc., a carpentry contractor in Watertown, Massachusetts; Mendes Candido Framers Corp., a framing contractor in Hudson, Massachusetts; and Luiz Mauro Vilela Jr., Mendes Candido’s vice president and secretary. The order enjoins them, and those acting on their behalf, from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by retaliating or discriminating against any current or former employee. The court’s action follows a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation that found that ...

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2020. NAW 2020 includes a series of events held nationwide as thousands of participants celebrate the dynamic and evolving work of apprentices. This year’s events will focus on both traditional Registered Apprenticeship Programs and newly created Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs. NAW 2020 will focus on themes and industries in which apprenticeships are making a significant difference for American workers, including information technology, healthcare, financial services, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. “Apprentices have a crucial role to play in our ongoing economic recovery, and National Apprenticeship Week is a way for us to show the nation what they bring to the table,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch. “Over and over again, they reinvigorate our workplaces with their vision and their commitment to their futures, and bus...

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: Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia on the October Jobs Report – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the October 2020 Employment Situation Report: “The strong economic rebound continues, with approximately 900,000 private sector jobs gained back in September and again in October, and the October unemployment rate dropping a full point, to 6.9 percent.” American Workers Come First, Trump Administration Launches ‘Engaging as One Workforce for America’ Initiative – The Trump administration announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Agriculture will be joining efforts to put American workers first in a post-coronavirus economic recovery initiative to help more families experience ...

NASA has selected 17 U.S. companies for 20 partnerships to mature industry-developed space technologies for the Moon and beyond. The NASA and industry teams will design a 3D printing system for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, test a simple method for removing dust from planetary solar arrays, mature a first-stage rocket recovery system fo November 09, 2020 from NASA https://ift.tt/35ds0ZZ via IFTTT

NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, left, Victor Glover, second from left, Mike Hopkins, second from right, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, right, are seen as they speak to members of the media after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission. via NASA https://ift.tt/38sgr30

EPA Seeks Small Businesses Input on Risk Management Rulemaking for HBCD Headquarters WASHINGTON (November 9, 2020) — The U.S. Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue to Decline as the American Economy Flourishes Under the Trump Administration Headquarters, Air and Radiation (OAR) WASHINGTON (November 9, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released 2019 greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). Published November 08, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

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Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative featured image was captured as a composite from three separate exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The time was early 2014. Although our Sun has just passed the solar minimum of its 11-year cycle, surface activity should pick up over the next few years with the promise of triggering more spectacular auroras on Earth. via NASA https://ift.tt/3n6C11e

U.S. EPA Recognizes Freight Industry Leaders for Environmental Performance Region 03 PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 5, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored 75 freight industry leaders in supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency with its annual SmartWay Excellence Awards today. Published November 04, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

EPA Announces $1.16 Million in Grants to Support Innovative Approaches to Source Reduction Region 03 PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 5, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the selection of 11 organizations across nine states receiving $1.16 million in grant funding to support pollution prevention activities. Published November 04, 2020 at 09:00PM Read more

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 9, 2020 is Japanese battleship Yashima . Yashima was a Fuji-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 1890s. Yashima (a classical name for Japan) was designed and built in the United Kingdom, as Japan lacked the necessary industrial capacity. Her main battery consisted of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns. Commanded by Captain Hajime Sakamoto at the start of the Russo-Japanese War, the ship participated in the Battle of Port Arthur on 9 February 1904 when Vice-Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō led his battleships and cruisers in an attack on Russia's Pacific Squadron. Yashima was involved in war operations until May, when she struck two mines off Port Arthur. She did not sink immediately, but capsized while under tow later that day. The Japanese were able to keep her loss a secret from the Russians for over a year; as part of the deception, surviving crewmen who were guarding Port Arthur addressed their letters as if...

endorheic , adj : (hydrology) Of a basin or lake: having no outflow to an external body of water such as a river or ocean, and only losing water through evaporation or seepage into the ground.

View of the Alaska Range from Tok, Alaska, United States.. Learn more .

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 9, 2020: View of the Alaska Range from Tok, Alaska, United States. https://ift.tt/38q53ED

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Why is Phobos so dark? Phobos, the largest and innermost of two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire Solar System. Its unusual orbit and color indicate that it may be a captured asteroid composed of a mixture of ice and dark rock. The featured picture of Phobos near the limb of Mars was captured in 2010 by the robot spacecraft Mars Express currently orbiting Mars. Phobos is a heavily cratered and barren moon, with its largest crater located on the far side. From images like this, Phobos has been determined to be covered by perhaps a meter of loose dust. Phobos orbits so close to Mars that from some places it would appear to rise and set twice a day, but from other places it would not be visible at all. Phobos' orbit around Mars is continually decaying -- it will likely break up with pieces crashing to the Martian surface in about 50 million years. via NASA https://ift.tt/3eEpa3d

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 8, 2020 is King brown snake . The king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) is a species of highly venomous snake of the family Elapidae, native to northern, western, and Central Australia. Despite its common name, it is a member of the genus Pseudechis (black snakes) and only distantly related to true brown snakes. First described by the English zoologist John Edward Gray in 1842, it is a robust snake up to 3.3 m (11 ft) long. It is variable in appearance, with individuals from northern Australia having tan upperparts, while those from southern Australia are dark brown to blackish. The dorsal scales are two-toned, sometimes giving the snake a patterned appearance. Its underside is cream or white, often with orange splotches. The snake is considered to be a least-concern species. Its venomous bites often produce extensive pain and swelling, and deaths have been recorded, most recently in 1969. Its victims are treated with black-sna...