Here in South Florida and around the country, emergency departments see a notable increase in falls, back strains and other injuries during the holidays. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, injuries sustained while decorating account for some 15,000 trips a year to the ER.

Resource spoke recently with two experts from Miami Neuroscience Institute, a part of Baptist Health South Florida:

Jose Andres Restrepo, M.D., medical director for outpatient rehabilitation, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, electrodiagnosis, regenerative medicine and musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis.

Raul A. Vasquez-Castellanos, M.D., neurosurgeon and director of complex spine surgery, specializing in the surgical treatment of complex spinal conditions including tumors, degenerative spine diseases, spinal deformities, scoliosis, kyphoscoliosis and neurotrauma.

We asked Drs. Restrepo and Vasquez for their thoughts on how you can prevent the most common holiday injuries and avoid the ER this holiday season.

Resource: In general, regardless of the season, what are the most common types of injuries you treat in your practice?

Dr. Vasquez: We see a lot of people who come in with nerve impingement, herniated disk, disk degeneration, chronic back pain, and simple spine fractures. Most of these result from falls or lifting heavy things. But I think it also has something to do with the fact that we live in an area with an aging population, at a time when people are living longer. As we age, our flexibility, balance and reaction times all start diminishing. We need to be mindful of our body and what its actually capable of doing.

Resource: What kind of injuries are you seeing now, as people decorate for the holidays?

Dr. Restrepo: So far this holiday season, weve seen a 10 to 15 percent increase in patients with back injuries. Most of these have been a result of decorating ones home for the holidays moving heavy furniture and boxes, falling off ladders and performing various other activities required for the job. Weve had patients complaining of everything from neck pain from looking up for long periods; back pain from bending over and lifting; hand and wrist pain from grappling with hammers, screwdrivers and other tools; ankle sprains from falling off ladders; knee sprains from awkward rotation of the knee, and bursitis of the knee from kneeling on hard surfaces for too long.

One patient came in with a back sprain and lacerations on his back. He was on a ladder stringing holiday lights along the eaves of his house, unspooling the lights he had wrapped around himself as he worked his way along the eaves. At some point he slipped and fell into the bushes below but, fortunately, his fall was broken somewhat by the lights he had wrapped around himself and the ones he had just strung around the chimney. Otherwise, his injuries might have been much worse.

Resource: Are you seeing anything different this year with holiday injuries because of the pandemic?

Dr. Vasquez: We are. What is common now, it seems especially with this second surge were seeing now is people are injuring themselves at home but reluctant to go to the ER because theyre concerned about exposure to the coronavirus. I can tell you that our facilities are perhaps the cleanest, safest spaces anywhere far more so than your local grocery store. Remember that delaying care is aggravating an existing injury. By not seeking treatment, you could possibly wind up with permanent weakness and long-term, chronic back pain. Is that a chance you want to take?

Resource: Dr. Vasquez, what recommendations do you have for avoiding injuries during the holidays?

Dr. Vasquez:

Resource: And Dr. Restrepo, what about youwhat advice can you offer that would help people avoid the ER during the holidays?

Dr. Restrepo:

Resource: If somebody is injured, should they go to Urgent Care or the ER?

Dr. Vasquez: If you suffer an acute injury from a fall, such as a broken back or broken arm, Baptist Health has Urgent Care and Urgent Care Express locations across South Florida, some of which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also have a couple of freestanding emergency departments in West Coral Way and West Kendall, and of course, there are on-campus ERs at all of our hospitals across the region. Serious back injuries requiring specialized care will be referred to our team here at Miami Neuroscience Institute. If you need us, were here 24/7 to help care for you.

Tags: ankle sprain, back pain, back sprain, Dr. Jose Andres Restrepo, Dr. Raul Vasquez-Castellanos, holiday decorating injuries, holiday decorating safety tips, Miami Neuroscience Institute

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Decorating for the Holidays? Doctors Share Tips on How to Avoid a Trip to the ER. - Baptist Health South Florida

Nick Ramos, currently owner of an electrical company in Kerrville and pastor of a local Spanish Baptist Church, took a long and winding road from the mountains of Mexico into the United States and to his current home in Kerrville.

He was a teenaged resident of a village in the mountains of Oaxaca, 300 miles south of Mexico City, when he decided he had to come to the U.S. to have a future, he said.

I left when I was 14 years old to come to the United States with a friend and a relative, in the late 1970s, and we crossed into California as illegals, he said.

Ramos said they traveled together for a while, seeking work in various places along the way, but Ramos eventually made his way through Oregon and into Washington state before moving to San Antonio and finally to Kerrville.

I was too old to go to school by then, but too young to work regularly, and still an illegal; and my life had no meaning or purpose, he said. I was working some, but I was basically a vagabond with no direction in life. But I was blessed to have heard about the Gospel from people I met.

He said one place was in Washington in the snow up to here, he said, gesturing hip-deep where he'd found an orchard operation that included small cabins the workers could stay in. And one day some men in front of the local post office invited him to a home for coffee with a kind Hispanic family.

They fed me, and gave me advice; and the husband told his own story about God changing his life. They invited me to church, but I said no.

But that contact led to a job offer on a ranch in eastern Washington, which he said he started to refuse, but finally said yes. It was while he was working on that ranch that he began to read the Bible, he said.

And God changed my life, he said. Looking back now, God was working in me all along. I got a hunger for learning more, and in the mid-1980s my pastor suggested I go to a theological school.

Ramos said yes, and worked for another year before traveling to school in San Antonio. He graduated from that training in 1987.

The connection to Kerrville happened when a Kerrville pastor visited his theological school to lecture the students. Ramos said he kept a note about that pastors name and home church, and when Ramos graduated, he called that pastor and asked him for work, to gain some experience in his new field of endeavor. That was at the Maranantha Christian Center open here in the 1980s.

I met my wife Margarita there, Ramos said. Shes the hero in my life.

Ramos said about the same time he approached John Miller, then-owner of National Car Sales, a person Ramos said God put alongside him on his path.

Miller hired Ramos, who at the time had no training or experience in repairing, maintaining or selling cars. He hired Ramos to detail and drive the cars Miller bought and sold.

But Miller also offered added training, he said; and Ramos said he started at a $5 per hour salary, already higher than previous jobs offered.

Then he taught me how to rent cars, buy them at auction and sell the vehicles. He was my mentor.

Miller was the one who asked Ramos to learn to speak and read English. And Miller requested Ramos listen to San Antonio radio station WOAI to help his "language" lessons.

Ministry

"Looking back now, over the years, God was working in me, and on me, the whole time. And I got a hunger for learning more," Ramos said. "And I also always have had a desire to do more. And after Margarita and I married in 1990, I got an opportunity to be the pastor of a church in Oklahoma. And when our first child was two years old, we moved up there. Oklahoma was a whole new world, but we stayed a couple years up there."

He said in the mid-1990s, they decided to move back to Texas; and Nick decided to learn another "more practical kind of work to do in addition to ministry."

"I went back to selling cars, before I was hired by a local tradesman doing electrical work. And I fell in love with the work," he said. "As a new electrician, it was low pay for a while and we lived with my in-laws. And in 2000, I started working on my masters' electrician license."

He said while he was getting that license, he continued "side jobs" as an electrician; and that all turned into Ramos Electric. Now his 29-year-old son Nicholas Jr. and 25-year-old daughter Genesis help run that business.

He also continued in ministry, he said, at Calvary Temple Church, and with Pastor Matias Rodriguez, and it was through that connection that he met now-retired Baptist Pastor Bill Blackburn.

In 2004-05, Ramos was invited by Blackburn and others to join the discussions about Christian Men's Job Corps, "again, a wonderful ministry, and I was an initial board member, and now I am again. I also was doing a jail ministry at the Kerr County Jail."

Since then he studied online with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, for a master's degree, graduating again in 2019.

Now he's a student again, enrolled in a doctoral program for another master's degree with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

And about four and a half years ago, Nick and Margarita opened Mission Route 66 Church in Kerrville, starting in people's homes and rented spaces, now located at 425 McFarland St., Kerrville.

"We are targeting people who don't normally go to a church. Sometimes we have 55 or 60 but under COVID, we have rectangular tables each with two or three chairs. We meet at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, and have a coffee bar and a juice bar for a healthy option," he said.

"I had cancer a few years ago, and my doctor and my wife recommended those healthier options," he said. "We also offer Wednesday night Bible studies right now, online and health classes at the church sometimes. I'm just a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread."

He said there are 10 Spanish Baptist churches in this multi-county area; and every three months all the congregations gather in one place.

He said his wife is his hero, and got him into natural things, and 10 years later, his medical scans are clear.

Ramos can be contacted by email at mission.route66@gmail.com or through its website at http://www.missionroute66.org. Ramos holds services Sunday at 10:30 a.m.; and Wednesday at 7 p.m.; and has Instagram and Facebook, too.

Electrical trade

Ramos Electric has a home office at 1105 Ranchero Rd., and can do general maintenance work to custom homes, including lighting controls, heated flooring and specialty lighting.

He can be contacted at Ramoselectrickerrville@gmail.com.

Im home now, and along the way I became a permanent U.S. resident, and then a U.S. citizen five years ago.

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Ramos' journey serves as true inspiration | | hccommunityjournal.com - Community journal

Set 200 years in our future, The Expanse is as much a sci-fi series as it is a political drama. Everyone wants to colonize the solar system and its a race to the start line. Earth is run by the United Nations, Mars is an independent nation terraforming its way to a greener future, and factions along the asteroid belt known as Belters are looking to gain more power on the interstellar stage.

The show has drawn wide praise for its stunning visuals (most sets were built-out on the largest available stages of Pinewood Toronto Studios instead of heavily relying on green screens, and in Season 4, an active quarry helped create adesolate frontier-planet look). Its also famously scientifically accurate, a choice informed no doubt by showrunner Naren Shankar who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and previously worked as a scientific consultant for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Perhaps most impressively, though, from the beginning, the show fought for purposefully inclusive casting that is revelatory for the genre. As pointed out by Tasha Robinson at The Verge, Theres no reason to assume, sight unseen, that any given referenced characters, regardless of their position in the world, will be white men.

Still, among all these technical and narrative achievements, none are as remarkable as the way the women on the show dominate and lead the storytelling. There are women of all ages, races, body types, and sexualities in the universe of The Expanse, in positions of authority, representing the working class, pilots, soldiers, scientists, refugees, community leaders.

Even more impressive than their numbers is the fact that none of them fall into the usual tropes women in genre shows are typically confined to, such as the Girl Boss, the Mary Sue, and the Born Sexy Yesterday (a term coined by YouTuber Jonathan McIntosh who uses it to describe the sci-fi trope found in movies like Tron, The Fifth Element, and the original Planet of the Apes, where women are sexy and helpless, externally Barbie-like but internally child-like).

The minds of the women of The Expanse are always whirring, and the show delights in showing us how they work. As season five unfurls, it becomes clearer and clearer that their stories are the beating heart of the show. So lets give them their due recognition.

Naomi, played by British-Dominican actress Dominique Tipper, is officially the Rocinantes executive officer. Shes also its chief engineer, conscience, and the love interest of its captain, Jim Holden. That order is significant. Her most important role is as the ship whisperer, making sure to repair it post-battle and generally help improve the quality of its flight and operations. Her skills are showcased daily as she attends to the problems, small and large, that spaceflight entails, and the respect she commands is evident in the way Holden regularly defers to her for major decisions concerning the crew.

Naomi is also the conscience of the Rocinante, but she is not an infallible angel immune from having crises of conscience of her own. She was formerly a member of the OPA (the Outer Planets Alliance), a Belter collective seen as either terrorists or freedom fighters depending on whom you ask, and fell in love with one of the groups most brutish members, Marco Inaros, a man who has kept her from her son for years. Inaros actions at the end of Season 4 set him up as the Big Bad of the fifth season, giving Naomi the greatest personal and political motives out of anyone for going after him.

I think sometimes when we talk about representation, we forget about the flawed-ness of humans, Tipper said in a conversation with TV Guide about the image her character provides. We dont just want to see a strong Black woman trope. We want to see a Black woman who is ripped from her family, and is navigating that, and has privilege, and that makes wrong decisions and does the right thing, and youre still in love with her at the end of it. Because I think too often when we try to diversify in Hollywood or on shows, we try and portray the most wholesome version of that or the most palatable version of it, and thats where you run into problems.

Naomi is a Black woman who is the brains of the operation, a friend, a mother, a lover, someone who has been wronged and done wrong but is striving to right it all. As Samantha Olthof writes in FSRs review of The Expanse Season 5, The strong all-around performances this season are crowned by Tippers heart-wrenching delivery of Naomi.

Drummer, played by Canadian actress Cara Gee, is a no-nonsense Belter captain. A lot of her fire comes from a personal connection to the material. Gee is Ojibwe and one of the few Native actors currently working in television let alone a science-fiction series. She explained to Entertainment Weekly at New York Comic-Con that Drummers passion for Belter justice reminds her of the struggles indigenous people are going through now.

In real life, Im an indigenous woman, she says, and so for me, in particular, the questions about access to clean air and water and who has access to that is one that is extremely relevant given that so many reserves dont have access to clean water even in Canada and in the United States, and that, to me, is just so mindblowing: that we can exist in such luxury, some of us, and others so oppressed.

Although she is both strong and smart, Drummer is not the strongest fighter or the smartest engineer on the show. She is, however, one of the most powerful people in any room she enters because of her innate ability to read people and ascertain their desires. She uses this gift to plot. Shes not too proud to work under someone she served as a prized lieutenant to two different OPA faction leaders proving her adaptability or to work with past enemies because she sees its utility.

Shes not too squeamish to take out people aboard her ship who attempt a mutiny because she isnt clouded by idealism about how the groups can someday all get along. And when her legs are injured in the middle of a massive crisis, she powers through the pain and builds a solution while in her hospital bed so that she can return to help her shipmates ASAP. She is the most present of all the characters. Her mind is goal-oriented and always-active: In this moment what do I need, whose resources can I leverage to achieve my goal?

Drummers friendship with Naomi is one of the highlights of the show. Both Belter women share a goal but have two very different perspectives on how to achieve it. In one exemplary scene the two talk about a drug dealer aboard their ship who is supplying incapacitating drugs to skiff drivers. Naomi is worried about handing over the guy to Drummer for fear of letting her down but also because she doesnt want him to be violently punished. This changes when his actions cause another shipmate to lose his life and damage much-needed equipment. I dont expect you to be perfect. Or anyone, Drummer tells Naomi. That skiff driver was free to put whatever he liked into his body we all are until that freedom puts others at risk. And then we act accordingly.

Its a very enlightened leadership approach that demonstrates Drummers nuanced understanding of human behavior while also displaying her pragmatism: things that get in the way of her goal must be dealt with quickly and unsentimentally. With every scene she appears in, Drummer continues to prove she is one of the most unique women to appear in any sci-fi series.

Bobbie, a Martian soldier played by Samoan actress Frankie Adams, is a trope-busting character in a genre prone to racist stereotypes where Asian characters are concerned. This September, a tweet went viral for dissecting the harmful trope of the nonverbal woman that many women of color are forced into on-screen. Within the thread, it was particularly evident that this trope is especially common for Asian female characters (Karen Fukuhara appears twice on the list for two different nonverbal roles). In addition to being nonverbal for largely unexplained reasons, Asian characters are also typically depicted as unfeeling and expendable (author Paula Young Lee wrote about this specific trope, The Expendable Asian Crewmember, for Salon).

In The Expanse, Bobbie is the antithesis of these harmful stereotypes. She has a lively personality, is purposeful but not mechanical, and is definitely not expendable to the show. Since her introduction in Season 2, Bobbie has been given the most prized arc on any genre show: a heros journey.

In a memorable sequence that could have easily been cut (or would never even be filmed on another show), Bobbie escapes from her room in the Mars embassy using her know-how in order to MacGyver an exit. Instead of nailing it on the first round, she noodles around until she finds a tool made of strong enough material to penetrate her window: fittingly, the purple heart Mars awarded her for parroting propaganda instead of standing in her truth. We watch her work through the problem. Methodical, logical, relentless. Her attributes arent just buzzwords to satisfy a demand for more feminist storytelling, they are provable because of the material the character is given.

The shows writers also avoid the infamous Mary Sue trope by showing us how she achieves her wins and also letting us see her lose. We know Bobbie is a force of nature not because of her cool Martian war suit but because weve seen her kick ass with or without it. An interrogation scene shows she has the moral fortitude to stand up to her military command when she smells something rotten even if it means breaking from the Good Little Martian she was groomed to be her entire life.

In another scene, she and two other characters get ambushed, and Bobbie has to figure a way out. She connects to the ships site plan and comes up with a daring escape. We watch as she makes her way through a shaft John McClane-style and takes out some gunmen. The sequence isnt all adrenaline, though, because while she can bluntly take out a series of men, she isnt a machine, so she knows she doesnt have to. When she encounters an electrician who stands between her and her goal, she uses her words to find a peaceable solution.

Bobbies humanity is textual and is always present even in fight scenes. Her journey from blunt instrument for Mars to free-thinking agent of change has been one of the most rewarding on the show.

Clarissa, played by Nadine Nicole, was introduced as the older sister of Julie Mao, the missing person who set off the events of the first season. The uber-privileged daughters of early-season antagonist Jules-Pierre Mao have very different trajectories on the show. While Julie turns her back on her father and his nefarious plans for weaponizing a lethal alien protomolecule, aligning herself with the Belter revolutionaries, Clarissa is at first glance a blindly loyal daughter.

In the third season, she begins a methodical attack against Team Rocinante in an effort to seek justice for her father, whose ill-doings the crew helped bring to light. Clarissa is so committed to this assignment that she adopts an alter ego, goes undercover, and gets non-reversible modifications to her body that turn her into a lethal machine when activated. Her plans set off one of the tensest sequences in the show thus far: a multi-spaceship chase through an unexplored alien ring. Her fate seems sealed until, in a crucial moment, she overhears Holden and Naomi discuss how they need to save everyone from a potentially extinction-level event, and Clarissas view of him and of herself shifts. Her change of heart helps Team Rocinante thwart a hasty call from a captain who is seconds from killing them all.

After a seasons worth of evidence pointing to her as the most cunning and unapologetic villain the team has yet faced, Clarissa ends up being a hero in their hour of need. Instead of killing her off after one redeeming heroic act (one of the tropiest tropes ever), the show decided it was more interesting to let us watch her change and grow, and it was right. Clarissa has plenty of time to stew on her bad life choices because she ends up receiving a life sentence for committing multiple homicides.

Nicole was bumped to series regular for Season 5, and her arc in this season and on the show overall is evidence of the way The Expanse tries to complicate our understanding of simple television tropes like good guys and villains. On this show, doing something bad doesnt make you a villain at least, not permanently. Similarly, doing one good thing doesnt mean youre a good person. Clarissas character arc is a microcosm of the moral struggle that everyone on the show is going through in their own way.

Avasarala, played by Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, is a shrewd and incredibly fashionable politician on the show who eventually becomes the UN Secretary-General, a.k.a the leader of Earth. She sees the world as a chessboard. In the third episode of the first season, theres a scene between Chrisjen and Frank, an old friend, in which he recounts a story about the time a young Chrisjen was tasked with coming up with a card game for some friends to play.

You said we each get five cards, you dealt them out, then you pointed to the far end of the yard, and you said, Now whoever gets to the tree first, wins. You dropped your cards and were halfway there before anyone else realized what was happening. Frank explains that that was the moment he became terrified for her because it was the moment he realized she would do anything to win. The story neatly summarizes Chrisjens character. Imagine the ruthless political maneuvering of Game of Thrones Cersei but used for good instead of evil.

In Season 4, Chrisjen faces a challenge to her seat as UN Secretary-General, and the election advisers she hires to help secure the win ask her to appear more maternal to voters, to exercise soft power rather than the blunt and sweary force shes used to wielding, and she all but laughs in their faces.

The Expanse liberates Chrisjen from one of the worst constraints to which a female character can be chained: the prison cell of likeability. She is canonically and iconically unconcerned with whether people like her or not as long as she gets the job done. She is noteworthy because she is a powerful female character who is not simply a carbon copy of male leaders who came before her. This is foregrounded in the very first episode of the series, in which she is depicted as equally at ease torturing a man for information at a UN black site as playing with her grandson.

Shes the most complex character in the series, capable of extreme warmth and coldness, both manipulative and caring, at times the most arrogant and at others the wisest. Though she begins the fifth season fresh off of losing the election, she is not diminished by the loss but fortified by it. If future genre writers are looking for a way to nimbly write about women and power, hers is the mold they should cut from.

Naomi, Camina, Bobbie, Clarissa, and Chrisjen are just five of the many complex female characters that populate The Expanse. There are a lot of shows set in space, but The Expanse has distinguished itself in a classic and oft-explored genre by making sure that women are given, at minimum, equal standing with men on the show. Women are heroes and rogues, they can save the world, and they have just as much power to end it.

In the mythology of The Expanse, society has already moved past the -isms that are still plaguing our world, like racism and sexism, but the series insistence that thats not just a line in the proverbial show bible but a real, critical, and undeniable part of its writing, will undoubtedly be its greatest legacy.

See the original post here:
The Women of The Expanse Will Be the Shows Greatest Legacy - Film School Rejects

DeFlyer and cousin Don Vidler have co-owned the store for 35 years, creating displays in only hours that are as comprehensive as the products sold inside. Windows include quaint ceramic snowmen, Santa statues, light-up presents and holiday lawn signs.

The community also took the reins on a window with an Aurora Historical Society theme, using festive crochet blankets, sewn pillows and poinsettia-patterned tablecloth, lined up top with a map of historic East Aurora.

There are elves hard at work in the display windows outside of Fisher-Price on Girard Avenue, just off Main Street in East Aurora. (When you pass Vidlers on your right, hang a right on Riley Street.)

A dozen or so 2-foot-high antique figurines sport red and green plaid and white beards, working away at making toys for Santas sleigh and surrounded by sawdust, paint cans, Christmas trees and Rudolph.

Fisher-Price senior electrician Matt Alice starts assembling the circa-1920s and '30 displays every September and is ready to go by Thanksgiving.

It gives everyone hope. They see the lights, make sure that the holiday is coming, Alice said. Theres so much going on in our world today, that maybe something a little stable thats been going on for years, put up in the same fashion, something to cling onto.

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Festivities on foot: Take a walking tour of holiday windows - Buffalo News

The vessel will be used to transfer different types of solid waste from Dalma Island in Al Dhafra Region to Ruwais landfill on a regular basis.

The first marine waste vessel in Abu Dhabi with the capacity to transfer 200 tonnes of trash per week has been launched in Al Dhafra region.

The Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) introduced it as part of its continued efforts to enhance the collection, transportation and treatment of solid waste.

The vessel will be used to transfer different types of solid waste from Dalma Island in Al Dhafra Region to Ruwais landfill on a regular basis.

The first-of-its-kind facility in the emirate of Abu Dhabi articulates Tadweers continued efforts to protect the environment and ensure the public health and safety in line with the highest international standards.

Compared to traditional methods, the vessel can accommodate large-sized waste containers, doubling the centres capacity to transfer huge amounts of waste from different areas of the island.

The 79-tonne vessel is approximately 26 meters long, and is operated under the supervision of a permanent crew comprising six members, including two captains, a mechanic, an electrician and two assistants.

The vessel will operate six times a week, carrying a total 200 tonnes of waste in a highly professional and environment-friendly manner.

Dr Salem Al Kaabi, director-general of Tadweer, said: The opening of our first marine waste vessel comes as part of Tadweers continued efforts to develop an integrated waste management system to address the challenges posed by the increasing amounts of waste. Such efforts contribute to achieving Abu Dhabi governments objective of promoting environment sustainability and minimising the adverse effects of pollution on the environment.

We launched this facility to provide the highest standards of waste management services in Dalma Island and to ensure its aesthetic appeal as a destination that boasts many tourist attractions and natural treasures.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

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Marine vessel to carry 200 tonnes of trash every week in Abu Dhabi - Khaleej Times

The Loudoun County Health Department is tracking at least three outbreaks of COVID-19 resulting from Halloween parties put on by kids, said Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend.

Goodfriend told county supervisors on Nov. 17 that those were among a number of outbreaks in Loudoun over the past several weeks that were preventable.

COVID-19 cases in Loudoun continue to climb, with the Health Department reporting the latest seven-day rolling average of new cases as 65.7 new cases a day as of Nov. 18. While cases are climbing, they have not reached the peak of new infections Loudoun saw at the end of May, when there were more than 100 new cases a day.

That puts Loudoun in a better place than the state at large, which has already far exceeded the first surge of COVID-19 cases and is setting new records for the viruss spread, with an average of 1,761 new cases a day across Virginia.

Loudoun so far is also more fortunate than some other areas of the country; in some areas, some hospitals are already nearing capacity. That has meant hospitals in the DC region are absorbing patients from other areas; HCA StoneSprings Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Amy Paratore said that hospital has been getting patients transferred in from southwest Virginia, Spotsylvania, and West Virginia.

So far Loudouns healthcare systems are not yet stressed, Goodfriend said, but he warned winter weatherand its accompanying surge in respiratory diseases of all typesis not yet here.

Right now, were a relief valve for some of the other areas that dont have capacity, Goodfriend said. As opposed to what was going on earlier in the year, this is a national problem right now, so as we get over overwhelmed, there really arent many places to offload cases to out of the National Capital Region.

He said the best thing to do now is try to keep COVID cases as low as possible, away from people who are most likely to be hospitalized with it.

As opposed to April, May and June, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Goodfriend said. Thats vaccination. But theres going to be unfortunately, significant darkness before we get to that light, and we really need everyone to participate in these next couple months.

But one bright spot, Goodfriend said: Currently health officials are not aware of anyone who contracted COVID-19 by voting in November. He commended Loudouns elections officers, who worked together with his office to make the election as safe and smooth as possible.

This is the time when folks really need to take those steps, as was mentioned by the hospitals, of keeping your distance, wearing your mask, and if youre at all feeling sick, stay home and get a test, Goodfriend said. []Lets learn from Halloween. If we dont have to travel at Thanksgiving, lets not, and lets not put on parties.

Related

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Halloween Parties Caused at Least 3 COVID-19 Outbreaks - Loudoun Now

Donald Norcross Is The Last Person Who Should Be Throwing Around Words Like Catastrophic And B.S.

Norcross calls Postal Service changes, B.S., but we all know the real B.S. is Norcross policies

COLLINGSWOOD Claire Gustafson, Republican candidate for Congress in New Jerseys First Congressional District, said today that Congressman Donald Norcross is the last person who should be throwing around words like catastrophic and B.S.

At issue is that according to published reports Donald Norcross, at a press conference at the Bellmawr Postal Service processing center, referred to changes made in Postal Service operations by the Post Master General as catastrophic and said, Its B.S.

Its laughable that Congressman Donald Norcross would refer to anything as catastrophic when the real catastrophe in our congressional district was created by him, Claire Gustafson said. In February 2014, when he announced his first run for Congress, Norcrossbraggedthat he led the charge on getting the Economic Opportunity Act passed into law, the very law that led to his family and friends getting $550 Million in tax breaks.

Gustafson continued, Norcross went on to refer to Postal Service changes as B.S. when we all know the real B.S. comes from his mouth every time he mentions being a union electrician when he hasnt set foot on a job site in around 20 years. I interact with union labor more at industry trade shows for my business on job sites more often than he does.

Gustafson added, The catastrophic B.S. is local media allowing Donald Norcross to back away from his early bragging about the role he played in passing the law that ensured his family and friends got all those tax breaks. It must be nice to be part of the political cartel that rules South Jersey, the media even gave Norcross a free pass whenhe compared Camden City workers to childrenwhile backing up Holtecs owner after he made controversial comments.

Gustafson continued, Many of those tax incentives created by the law Norcross bragged about passing could have been used to help other areas of the district that are hurting. Imagine if businesses were helped move to the area of the Paulsboro Port. We might be bringing in steel from Brazil rather than wasting opportunity on Russian steel and taxpayers might finally be getting a return on their $255 million investment. Instead Donald Norcross worked hard in the state Senate to get tax breaks for his family and friends in Camden. As a member of Congress he seems to forget the district runs south to the Gloucester County Border with Salem County. He represents more than just the political cartel that rules South Jersey.

Its time to put an end to the catastrophic B.S. created by Norcross and the political cartel he happens to be a member of and thats why Im running for Congress, Gustafson said.

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Norcross Is The Last Person Who Should Be Throwing Around Words Like Catastrophic And BS - InsiderNJ

Norwich Viewing municipal utilities as a "gold standard" and hoping they can be used as a "measuring stick" for storm response, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, joined state legislators at Norwich Public Utilities on Tuesday to hear about NPU's storm response.

The visit came among ongoing and widespread criticism of Eversource for its response to Tropical Storm Isaias, and a day after Energy and Technology Committee leaders unveiled bipartisan regulatory legislation.

NPU General Manager Chris LaRose and spokesperson Chris Riley hosted Courtney, Energy and Technology Committee Chairman state Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex; and state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, for a discussion in NPU's emergency operations center.

According to NPU, 35% of customers lost power due to Isaias, but of those 7,500 customers, 99% had power restored in two days and 100% in three days.

"When the storm came, I don't think anybody honestly predicted the damage that was going to happen," LaRose said, but noted that NPU prepared for a Category 3 hurricane.

In the response, he said the utility's priorities were hospitals, then business centers, then places with the most customers per outage. But he also said NPU doesn't wait until the end to deal with outages that affect only one or two households.

NPU has 146 employees, and all the general managers are unionized. That's about the same number of workers NPU had in 2011, when Connecticut saw massive power outages from both Hurricane Irene and the October snowstorm.

LaRose said it takes about 10 years for someone to become a skilled lineman, and the company pre-fills jobs before they're vacant if they know a lineman is approaching retirement age.

He said there's no program in the state technical school system specifically for linemen but NPU looks for people who have a "high school education with a strong intellectual background" and gets some people who come in with an electrician's license.

NPU has 11 linemen responsible for power restoration, and after power was restored for all NPU customers following Isaias, eight worked from the Saturday to the Wednesday after the storm providing mutual aid to Eversource. They helped people in Lyme, Old Lyme, East Lyme and Waterford, for example.

NPU rates are about 24% less than those of Eversource but it varies throughout the year, La Rose said. NPU is holding a public hearing next week on rates and looking to put out a three-year rate schedule.

The paradox is that some want to see legislation enabling municipal utilities like NPU and Groton Utilities to expand their coverage area because of their storm response, but part of the strong storm response comes from having a small territory.

"We do very well in a storm response because we have a small and nimble area," Riley said.

Similarly, in response to a question from Osten about moving into other communities, LaRose later said that "if you get large, you have some of the issues of being as quick and as nimble."

Despite Eversource being much larger, both Courtney and Osten expressed that they thought it was fair to make a comparison with NPU's performance.

"To me, we're talking about the same weather event, we're talking about the same state and in some cases even the same county or region," Courtney said. Comparing Norwich to Sprague, Osten added, "When you go 10 miles down the road and it takes an additional five days to get power back, that doesn't make a whole boatload of sense."

e.moser@theday.com

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What went right with Norwich Public Utilities' response to Isaias? - theday.com

ALBANY The Dougherty County Commission is advertising openings for the following board appointments that will be made for current unexpired terms and terms of various lengths. Resumes and/or letters of interest must be received by 5 p.m. on Sept. 9.

JOINT BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS & APPEALS: One appointment. The joint appointment will fill an unexpired three-year term ending Oct. 1, 2022. The board considers appeals from citizens regarding decisions and/or interpretations of the building inspector as it relates to the Southern Standard Building Code. Applicants should have building industry experience. The board meets on an as-needed basis.

AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING, & VENTILATION BOARD: One appointment. The appointment will fill an unexpired one-year term ending Dec. 31. The purpose of this board is to review all matters pertaining to standards for use of air conditioning, heating and ventilation. The board meets on an as-needed basis.

CHEHAW PARK AUTHORITY: One county appointment. The appointment will fill a three-year term ending June 30, 2023. The Chehaw Park Authority is the governing body, created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, for Chehaw Park & Zoo comprising 800 acres of land located in Dougherty and Lee counties. The authority is an institution of purely public charity, dedicated to the promotion of the general public welfare in matters of cultural development, education, pleasure, convenience and recreation of the public at large, and particularly those citizens residing in Lee and Dougherty counties. The authority was created as and shall remain a public beneficence, dedicated to the good of humanity and the general improvement and happiness of society. It is declared and established that the operation, maintenance, and expansion of the park is a proper public purpose and that the authority shall be responsible for operation, maintenance and expansion of the park. The authority meets the third Monday of the month at 6:15 p.m. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and be a resident of Dougherty or Lee county.

ELECTRICAL BOARD: One appointment. The appointment will fill an unexpired one-year term ending Dec. 31. The purpose of this board is to consider all matters related to electrical installations, including alterations, repairs and equipment. The board meets on an as-needed basis. One appointment must be a master electrician, two must be electrical suppliers, one must be a professional engineer and one represents a citizen member.

FLOOD PLAIN MANAGEMENT REVIEW BOARD: One appointment. The appointment will fill an unexpired three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2021. The purpose of the board is to consider variances on structures that are below the required base flood elevation levels and to consider special-use permits for proposed development in the floodway. This board meets on an as-needed basis.

For additional information on appointed boards, commissions and authorities, call the County Clerks Office at (229) 431-2121 extension 0 or email jware@dougherty.ga.us.

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Dougherty government seeks applicants for board appointments | News - The Albany Herald

Has a home theater been your dream for long but you believe you do not have enough space for it? Forget about such excuses! Now, you can either buy a TV lift and install your home theater in a place you want, or you can make your own lift system. The first option might cost pretty much. But if you have the needed money and you have found a system that you like, why not use it?

If you want to save some funds or you prefer something customized, making a DIY TV lift for your interior is the best option. You will need to buy a lift system here, and all the other elements you can make on your own.

We believe that you know already where you want to have your new home theater. If you are in doubt, we can suggest some ideas.

If you are planning to get a fireplace, it is a good idea to check one with a slot for TV. Modern options even have a power outlet for such purposes. Check if the slot size is big enough for your home theater, and the issue is solved. It looks modern and stylish. Though if you have a fireplace and are planning to install the screen in it or behind it, this idea is not the best one. If the fireplace is not made to be used with a TV set, the influence on your TV might be devastating. Drastic changes in temperature and humidity will decrease the item service life and deteriorate the experience in general.

Do you have an old dresser that has to be thrown away but is kept for some reason? You can use it to install your home theater there!

While the idea with a fireplace is clear: everything is already installed there, you might opt for a dresser.

Now, the cabinet for your new home theater is ready. You can move on to the TV lift part.

First, you need to choose a TV lift. You can make it, too, but you need good skills, special tools, and solid knowledge of the technology. If you do not have experience with such things, your TV lift might end up collapsing and destroying your TV screen and all the equipment.

If the TV lift is hidden in the dresser, its design might be not crucial. Though if you want you can choose the nicest one.

Once you are ready with all the preparations, you can fix the items. Attach the TV lift to the back wall of the dresser. If you believe that it is not sturdy enough (in most cases it cannot support the weight of a big screen and the weight of the lift system), consider reinforcing it. You can mount a metal or wooden bar on the back side and fix the application on the bar.

The TV lift comes with special supports for the screen. Mount the screen on the supports and fix it. do it properly otherwise, it might fall and get damaged.

Cabling is one more issue. In your case, you can just leave it hidden in the dresser. Fix them with special cable clips to avoid tangling. If you want, you might hire an electrician to hide them completely, but we believe that indeed, this is not the case when you need it. The main thing is to avoid interfering with the moving screen and tangling.

You can install the cable box anywhere in the dresser. Just make sure it does not interfere with anything.

Finally, you can test the installation. Check whether the screen popups properly and hides smoothly. Once more verify that everything is installed firmly enough. Make the last adjustments if needed. After that, your home theater is ready to be used. Invite your close people and enjoy it!

The rest is here:
Create an Amazing Home Theater with the Help of a DIY TV Lift - edmchicago.com