Category Archives: Sealand

ORLANDO, Fla. Five years ago, SeaWorld whale Tilikum died after a lung infection.

Tilikum died Jan. 6, 2017, a Friday, surrounded by trainers, care staff and veterinarians, SeaWorld said.

Amusement park officials said he was being treated for a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection before his death.

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Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired, SeaWorld president and CEO Joel Manby said. My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.

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Tilikum was estimated to be about 36 years old at the time of his death. He was brought to SeaWorld after Canadas Sealand of the Pacific closed in 1992. He had been at the amusement park ever since.

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In 2010, Tilikum killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau when he grabbed her after a Dine with Shamu show and pulled her into the pool.

Tilikum was also involved in the deaths of two other people in the 1990s.

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On this day: Beloved SeaWorld whale Tilikum died after lung infection five years ago - WFTV Orlando

And can you blame them? There's the jumble of images hilariously oriented to fit (mostly) within the blue border; above it, the formatting for the text of "The Great Seal of St. Francois County" appears to be trying to liftoff and escape from the rest of the seal; and just looking at the thing for more than a few seconds produces a kind of seasick nausea, because this seal is an *experience* and that experience is chaos.

And lest one presume this is just some .jpg floating around on the county website, please be advised: It's real and it's spectacular.

Three years later, St. Francois County could be getting a new seal. Gallaher, who is still Commissioner and in his 70s, addressed a St. Francois County Commission in a regular meeting this week. He acknowledged a "fever pitch on social media about the county seal" and announced that the county is looking at ways to redesign his self-admittedly slapdash work.

"It was a rush deal way back when," he said according to the Journal's account of Tuesday's meeting. "I had two days for the public to come up with a seal and my design is proof positive that I am not artistically inclined."

But while his graphic design skills may have lacked technical polish, the result captivated internet users who could only look at the seal, squint, and wonder how is this real?

On Reddit, the seal hit the site's front page over the weekend. Days later, user wtf703 was kind enough to completely redesign the seal so the eagle isn't tipping into an abyss; the redesign made the Bible/cross combo even more pronounced, because this designer is a complete pro who understands what their customer wants.

It wasn't just Reddit getting in on the fun: On Twitter, many users responded with references to the "Graphic Design Is My Passion" meme.

They're all amazing and terrible. This is our favorite:

I would like it to be better than the seal we have now," he said, "which would be a slam dunk."Follow Danny Wicentowski on Twitter at @D_Towski. E-mail the author at Danny.Wicentowski@RiverfrontTimes.com

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St. Francois to Redesign its Seal Because Everybody Made Fun of It - Riverfront Times

Opened your gas bill this month? Did you suffer some sticker shock? The price of a therm ofnatural gas has more than doubledsince January of 2021. According to utility companyNICOR, the price of a therm of natural gas in January 2021 was 29 cents, and in January of 2022, it jumped to 61 cents per therm. That is more than a 100% increase.

Utility companies have been warning consumers that this winter was going to be an expensive one. The US Energy Information Administrationcites part of the reason for the increase in utility costs was a polar vortex storm last February that substantially increased energy consumption and disrupted energy supply in Oklahoma and Texas. Other factors globally also have impacted the price of heating a home.

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) a watchdog organization, credits the following for the high price of natural gas. "1) increased demand as economies worldwide begin to recover from the pandemic; 2) increased Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) exports to other parts of the world, such as Europe, keeping supply lower here; 3) less gas exploration and well construction in recent years; 4) increased use of gas for electricity generation in a hot summer of high air-conditioning use; and 5) Hurricane Ida knocked more than 90 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico offline in late August, according to theEnergy Information Administration. "

CUB also states that utility companies are only allowed to pass on the cost of gas without markup. They make their money off of the rates they charge to deliver gas to our homes. This is according to state laws, and is overseen by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Winter survival strategies

Lots of tips are offered to help conserve heat in your home in the cold months.

Heating your home safely

For residents having trouble paying their utility bill, please contact :

Office of Community Assistance

Illinois Department of Commerce

1-877-411-9276 or communityassist@illinois.gov

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Opened your gas bill? What made the price of heating your home jump? - Geneseo Republic

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.

There's always something cool to see at CES, with massive televisions and futuristic PC gaming setups appearing every year. It's great to see so many cool ideas, but sometimes those things take a while to actually transform into something you can buy. It's not always easy to tell what's coming out this year and what's coming out eventually, but we're here to help.

Everything we've gathered here is a new announcement for CES 2022 that's either available now or will be later this year. We'll be updating this article all week as more products are announced.

Garmin has stepped up from the Venu 2 and 2S by adding a speaker and microphone, meaning you can now take calls and send a quick text right from your wrist. It maintains all the great trackers it had before and adds an AMOLED display that's clear in daylight. Plus, unlike the competitors, this watch has a battery that lasts up to nine days on a single charge. You should note, though, that the new watch only comes in one size: 43mm.

Read our Garmin Venu 2 Plus first take.

These compact earbuds sport an ergonomic design for a comfortable and secure fit and have active noise cancellation. They also get up to seven hours of playtime and are fully waterproof, so you don't have to worry about sweat or a change of weather.

Read our Jabra Elite 4 active first take.

Chipolo Card Spot

Never lose your wallet ever again

Chipolo connects your personal items with a companion app so that you can find everything in seconds, and the company is now releasing a wallet finder that can easily slide right into one of your card slots. It's safe, it's slim, it hits up to 105dB when you ring the alarm and it's IPX5-rated water-resistant. It has a long battery life as well, lasting up to two years.

AnkerWork B600 Video Bar

Simply your desk with this all-in-one device

With a built-in light, dual speakers, 2K resolution and four-mic array, this video bar aims to take your remote calls and basic content creation to the next level.

Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000

Four bands of traffic and Wi-Fi 6E put this router at the top of the game

That's right. This year Asus is bringing a strong lineup, including the first quad-band gaming router with four separate bands of traffic. Featuring both 5 and 6GHz bands, this high-powered gaming router offers top transfer rates of up to 4.8Gbps. This update also gets a step up to a 64-bit quad-core CPU. This product is set to drop sometime in the first quarter of 2022 for $649.

Read our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 first take.

Dell XPS 13 Plus

The premium flagship line gets a minimalist overhaul

With the new keyboard going edge to edge and no discernible touchpad, the new system looks sleek and modern. The function keys have also been replaced by a new capacitive function key row that is touch-controlled and swaps between Fn keys and media controls. The display can go up to a 4K OLED screen and 28-watt Intel processors. It's expected to drop this spring starting at $1,199.

Read our Dell XPS 13 Plus first take.

Razer Zephyr Pro

The wearable air purifier gets amped up in this Pro edition

Pictured above is the original Razer Zephyr, but the Pro version's design hasn't changed in terms of its looks. The main upgrade to this version is the addition of a built-in voice amp. While part of the original design, it never made it to shelves in an effort to keep the price down. However, between the silicone seal and the functional fans, being heard was an issue. The debut of the amped version is slated to ship out this year, but it'll cost you $50 more than the original, coming in at $149. The rest of the specs are set to stay the same.

Read our Razer Zephyr Pro review.

The Wemo smart doorbell offers stiff competition with other premium options, featuring the standard options like two-way talk, live streaming and activity zones, as well as premium features like a 178-degree field of view, end-to-end encryption, local processing of person, animal and vehicle alerts, and facial recognition features that work with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video Set. It's slated to ship within the next two months and you can preorder it now.

Read our Belkin Wemo video doorbell review.

Motorola MA1

Game changing adapter brings wireless to Android Auto

The Motorola MA1 is a wireless car adapter designed to untether the Android Auto experience. The 5GHz Wi-Fi connection allows for fast media transmission and means you won't have to plug in your phone for it to communicate with your car. Set to ship at the end of January, you can preorder it now.

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CES 2022 was so much more than vaporware: 9 things you can actually buy this year - CNET

You might not have known it was a thing, but coffee extract is a solid baking addition and a way cheaper alternative to vanilla extract. Plus, you can easily make it at home (which is helpful since it's not always readily available in mainstream grocery stores). Much like vanilla extract, it works well to enhance the flavor of a lot of homemade desserts, especially chocolate ones. In fact, chocolate and coffee extract are a match baked in heaven.

Order coffee extract online or, if you want to make coffee extract at home, you can follow this recipe fromSaving Room for Dessert. Simply combine gently crushed coffee beans in an airtight jar with vodka, let sit for a week on the counter, gently shaking about once a day, then strain the entire jar through a fine mesh sieve into a bottle you can seal and store.

It's a one-for-one substitute for vanilla extract, so certainly consider it as an option for when you're in a baking bind and need a comparable ingredient.

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10 Vanilla Extract Substitutes That Taste Like The Real Thing - Tasting Table

People are fuming after their bins were not emptied for nearly a month.

Hyde Housing Association, which runs Sealand House in Strood, installed metal doors on the block's communal bin stores which are only accessible using a fob.

But the firm forgot to provide Medway Norse, which looks after the Towns' refuse collections, with any fobs.

Susan Jones, who lives at Sealand, said she and other residents had tried contacting Hyde, as did Norse and Medway Council, but did not hear anything for more than three weeks.

The 66-year-old said: "The communication is terrible. Half the time residents do not know what is going on.

"We have now got an environmental and fire issue. We have really now become extremely fed-up with the way we are treated."

All residents share the communal bin store which Susan said was "overflowing" due to the amount of rubbish building up.

Tony Morgan, Hydes head of housing, said: "Id like to apologise to our customers for the delays in their bins being collected.

"We replaced the bin doors as we wanted to improve waste management at Sealand Drive.

"Unfortunately, we omitted to send a copy of the fob for the new bin stores. As soon as we were made aware that Medway Norse was unable to access the bin stores, we ensured that they received keys. We have also suggested that in future, if the bin store is inaccessible, Medway Norse contact us immediately.

"We also encourage our residents to always let us know if there are any issues that need to be addressed so that we can act promptly."

The store has been improved, Susan said, but she said she and others had been left disappointed by the service from Hyde and it took them too long to act.

She added: "It has not been a good time. The residents do not have a voice. I have had enough. I do not want to deal with this any more."

A spokesman for Medway Norse said: "This has been resolved. The landlord had indeed changed a set of locks and waste crews have been unable to gain access.

"The new fob was given to the crews and so the bin store is being cleared."

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Bins left "overflowing" after a month of missed collections - Kent Online

By Richard Parmee, founder and CEO of X-ray inspection technology specialist Sapphire Inspection Systems

Inspection of food and beverages to ensure they are free of foreign bodies is a routine feature of factory production lines. But the latest X-ray inspection technology can do so much more than detect a fragment of metal or glass in a box of chicken nuggets.

Has a product got the correct amount of filling, for example and is it evenly distributed within the product? Are there any missing or damaged items in a multipack? Is there a tiny speck of sauce trapped in the seal of a ready meal letting in oxygen to spoil the food?

A new generation of inspection technology is offering unrivalled real-time insights into all aspects of food products without disrupting traditional factory procedures and high-speed production lines.

When X-ray inspection first became available in the mid-1980s, its primary purpose was to replace the metal detectors that factories were using to detect stray fragments of metal in food products. The performance of the metal detectors was affected by a variety of factors such as temperature fluctuations, metalized packaging and even the fat in cheese or meat.

As well as overcoming these performance limitations, X-ray technology was found to be capable of detecting additional foreign bodies, including glass, bone, ceramics, stone, and certain types of plastic. It could even find such dense contaminants within a container of the same material metal in metal, for example, or glass in glass as the software was able to factor out the presence of material of uniform thickness.

Further developments in image processing software now mean X-ray inspection systems can routinely mask out features that would otherwise be seen as a contaminant. The pull tab of a metal can, for example, could cause a false reject as it deviates from the uniform thickness of the main body of the can. But detailed information about the geometry of the can means the pull tab can be automatically located and defined as an area of lower sensitivity giving a reliable means of inspection.

The latest image processing software can also cope with the variations in thickness and shape of glass containers. Glass jars, for example, can have ridges and bulges, they can be tapered, and the base can often be thicker. This all requires much greater tolerance from X-ray inspection technology.

Accurate and repeatable measurements of the mass of material within a particular region of a product is another useful feature of X-ray inspection. The technology not only checks the weight of an entire product, it can individually weigh a series of items within the product. So, in a pack containing six apple pies, the one pie with less filling than the others will be identified and rejected even if the remaining five pies have slightly too much filling.

Molded chocolate bars with embedded wafers can also benefit from this aspect of the technology. If the wafer is missing, the molds get filled with chocolate, which is more expensive for the manufacturer costing more than $700,000 per year for a typical production line producing between 4,000 and 8,000 bars per minute.

The same technique can also be used to check that each donut has the correct amount of jelly in it or that a box of chocolates has the right chocolates in the correct positions. It can even check that your ready-to-cook meal has all the ingredients you need, or that your sushi lunch is not missing its chopsticks.

Seal inspection is another aspect of food processing benefiting from the latest generation of X-ray inspection technology. Once the protective gas mix has reduced the amount of oxygen inside the food packaging, a good seal is crucial to help the contents stay fresh for as long as possible. If a salad leaf gets caught up in the seal and is left sticking out of a packaged pasta salad, for example, it will breach the airtight seal and allow in oxygen which will make the product spoil faster and lead to wastage and customer complaints. With the latest X-ray technology, two images are generated from a single detector one optimized for the product and one for the seal area. It means even the tiniest speck of sauce trapped in the seal of a ready meal can be detected.

With the food processing market projected to exceed $4 trillion by 2024, the latest generation of X-ray inspection technology is playing a key role providing a new vision for the future of the industry.

Richard Parmee is founder and CEO of X-ray inspection technology specialist Sapphire Inspection Systems. As well as designing bespoke solutions, Richard and his team provide a wide range of standard X-ray inspection systems to cater for hundreds of different products in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Link:

How X-ray Inspection Is Providing a New Vision for the Food Industry - Food Industry Executive

Hosted by Carolyn Manno and Mike Janela, the Puppy Pre-Show will showcase a series of fun and whimsical events that will put each of the five participating dogs "puppy-ness" to the test. The participating dogs will be judged in several categories including puppy playtime, agility and the magnificent mile-ish.

"Welcoming a puppy is a rewarding time for pet owners, and at Royal Canin we work hard to provide the best possible start for all puppies," said Jason Taylor, Royal Canin's Vice President of Marketing and Assistant Show Chairman of the AKC National Championship. "The action viewers will see in the Puppy Pre-Show is not only entertaining it's also an amazing opportunity to learn more about the participating breeds and tips on healthy puppy development, which is why we're proud to present the Royal Canin Puppy Pre-Show, as well continue our long-standing sponsorship of the AKC National Championship."

As a leader in pet nutrition, Royal Canin recognizes nutrition can play a critical role in pet health, especially during the important stage of puppyhood. Puppyhood is a stage of massive physical and behavioral changes. Nutrition tailored to their specific developmental needs can help them grow from fragile young puppies to strong, healthy dogs. Royal Canin puppy diets offer nutrition tailored to each of the puppy growth stages. Puppies rapidly grow, and their digestive, immune and skeletal development require high-quality proteins, vitamins, and balanced energy and mineral content.

"Growth is a time of rapid change, discovery, and new encounters for your puppy," said Dr. Catherine Lenox, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), and Regulatory Veterinary Manager at Royal Canin. "As puppies grow, their immune systems are still developing, so it is important to support your puppy with the right nutrients from the start."

The Future ChampionsThe dogs competing for puppy glory in this year's Royal Canin Puppy Pre-Show include:

The Puppy Pre-Show winner will be revealed during the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin on January 2nd at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Following the broadcast on ABC a special broadcast of the Royal Canin Puppy Pre-Show, featuring the winner, will be available on the Royal Canin YouTube page on Monday, January 3, 2022.

For more information about the Royal Canin Puppy Pre-Show and to pick your Puppy Pre-Show line up, visit @RoyalCaninUSon Instagram.

For more information about Royal Canin, visit http://www.royalcanin.com.

About Royal CaninRoyal Canin is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition. Founded by a veterinarian in 1968, Royal Canin has more than 50 years of experience in delivering individualized nutritional solutions. In collaboration with an expert team of nutritionists,breedersand veterinarians from around the world, Royal Canin places cats and dogs at the central point of the innovation process. The Royal Canin product line offers a range of diets based on size, age, breed,lifestyleand therapeutic requirements. Royal Canin diets are available at veterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores nationwide. Royal Canin is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. To learn more about Royal Canin, visitwww.royalcanin.comand "LIKE" us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/royalcanin.us.

About the American Kennel ClubFounded in 1884, the American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization, which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 22,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred and mixed breed dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite and the AKC Museum of the Dog. For more information, visit http://www.akc.org.

AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.

Become a fan of the American Kennel Club on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @AKCDogLovers

SOURCE Royal Canin

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ROYAL CANIN PUPPY PRE-SHOW PUTS THE MAGNIFICENCE OF PUPPYHOOD ON CENTER STAGE IN ADVANCE OF AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - PRNewswire

The nations highest award for valor the Medal of Honor may be given to five soldiers after President Joe Bidens signed the 2021 defense policy bill. And four from the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, known also as the Black Hawk Down incident, could see their awards upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.

In the bill, Congress formally waived time limits on presenting the awards a final administrative step necessary for Biden to present them.

Of the five potential Medal of Honor recipients, three fought in the Korean War, and two fought in the Vietnam War. The list of potential upgrades includes:

In addition to the Medals of Honor, Congress also waived time requirements for four soldiers involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. Pending Army Secretary Christine Wormuths approval of the awards, the four soldiers now eligible to receive the Distinguished Service Cross are:

The potential upgrades to the Armys second-highest valor award come on the heels of 58 Silver Star upgrades presented to veterans of the Black Hawk Down engagement after a comprehensive review earlier this year.

All awards authorized by Congress will require final approval from the appropriate authorities.

Davis Winkie is a staff reporter covering the Army. He originally joined Military Times as a reporting intern in 2020. Before journalism, Davis worked as a military historian. He is also a human resources officer in the Army National Guard.

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Congress authorizes Medal of Honor for 5 soldiers and awards upgrade for 4 Black Hawk Down troops - ArmyTimes.com

Twenty-six-year-old Braxton Louis Danley walked into an Army Recruiting Station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in March of 2018 to take his pre-screening internet-delivered Computer Adaptive Test a precursor to the ASVAB test.

But he failed, and after his recruiters repeatedly denied him the chance retake the test until he agreed to study, he became resentful, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia.

What followed were years of Danley harassing and cyberstalking his main recruiter, identified in court documents as a female with the initials J.J.

I remember every thing you pricks done to me so time to settle the score, the Luray, Virginia, man wrote in a May 14, 2018 email to J.J.s official Army email address, court documents show. The message was the first of many threatening text messages, emails and phone calls.

Danley even called the recruiting station later that day and told a different recruiter that the Army needed to arrest him (Danley) because he was angry.

Following the threatening email and phone call, J.J. contacted local law enforcement, which, on May 18, signed a No Trespass Notice barring Danley from the Harrisonburg recruiting station.

This only angered Danley more, court documents allege.

Two weeks later, on June 1, Danley sent a text message to J.J.s official cell phone, saying, so thats how it is now you f*ck my goddamn record up. Now I cant get a job anywhere ok you want to play.

According to court documents, the recruiter did not in fact, want to play. She chose not to respond, and following a barrage of text messages from Danley, was issued a new official phone.

Nine days later, Danley used one of his parents Facebook accounts to send her more messages.

Hey it Brax, the first of three messages sent on July 10, 2018, read.

Cant under stand why you f*cked me over in that test guess cause I look like a drugy right ?... I try to fix my life and you f*cked it now im hunted by your people f*ck you none of you will walk away if you serve papers on mea fight is here now face me.

Following these messages, the recruiter sought and was granted a Preliminary Protective Order against Danley, which he violated with a Dec 23, 2018 Facebook post. The message was directed at J.J. and two other recruiters, telling them to lock and load f*ckers ima at your doorstep now.

Danley was promptly arrested, and convicted of misdemeanor charges of violation of protective order and sentenced to 12 months in prison in February 2019. However, he was released at the end of June 2019.

A few months after his release, Danley made another Facebook post, this time saying, remember j rj this is to. you im coming to get you.

Along with the threatening message, Danley also posted a link to a sKitz Kraven music video, depicting a brutal home invasion. The film follows a masked man as he ties up, tortures and kills the family who lived there, all to the tune of explicitly violent lyrics.

At one point, Danley was deemed mentally unfit to understand the severity of his actions and was briefly placed in the custody of the states Attorney General to receive treatment for his concerning mental health, documents revealed.

As a result, J.J. continued to seek legal action against Danley, who ultimately pled guilty to cyberstalking Dec. 20, 2021.

Danleys sentencing trial is set for Feb. 1, 2022. He faces up to five years in prison if he receives the maximum sentence.

The case was investigated by the Harrisonburg Police Department and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber.

Rachel is a Marine Corps veteran, Penn State alumna and Master's candidate at New York University for Business and Economic Reporting.

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He wanted to be a soldier. When he failed, he stalked his recruiter - ArmyTimes.com