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National Review

Attorney General William Barr has known about investigations into Hunter Bidens business and financial dealings since at least spring, but tried to conceal the investigations from the public during the presidential election, according to a new report.One investigation surfaced this week after federal investigators served Hunter Biden with a subpoena seeking financial information in connection with a criminal tax investigation by the U.S. attorneys office in Delaware, according to the Wall Street Journal.Federal prosecutors in Manhattan also scrutinized Bidens business and financial dealings in connection with a broader international financial investigation that has been ongoing for a year, according to the Journal. While Biden is implicated in that investigation, he was not a specific target for criminal prosecution.Neither investigation implicates President-elect Joe Biden."I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs," Hunter Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors."Barr did not budge under pressure from Congressional Republicans who pressed him for more information into the investigations. Investigators worked to keep the cases out of the public eye ahead of the November election, in line with Justice Department guidelines, concerned about the impact their work could have on its outcome, sources told the Journal.Trump on Thursday criticized the Fake News Media, the FBI and the DOJ in a tweet, asking why they did not report the Biden matter BEFORE the Election.In the weeks before the election, a number of Republicans issued calls to investigate Hunter Biden, particularly after a Republican Senate investigation in September released a report on the younger Bidens finances and overseas business interests.Ranking member of the House Judiciary panel Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) wrote to Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray asking what the FBI had done to investigate the explosive report.A number of Republicans in Congress pressed Barr on October 19 to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and his father, demanding that Barr issue a response within five days.Investigators began looking into Hunter Biden following reports of suspicious activity filed by a bank that handled foreign transactions related to him, according to the Journal.Biden previously sat on the board of Ukranian gas company Burisma Holdings, where he made $50,000 per month for his work until April 2019. He also served as an advisor to China CEFC Energy Co. to the companys dealings in Europe and the Middle East.in 2017 he was a shareholder in a venture with the Chinese company while it looked to gain a foothold in the U.S.. That joint venture never took off, but the Senate Republican report found that an entity linked to CEFC paid Biden's law firm millions of dollars for legal and advisory work.The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office began investigating CEFC's activity as part of a corruption case that resulted in the conviction of a former Hong Kong official in 2018. The official was charged with bribing African officials for CEFC's benefit. The company was not charged.President-elect Biden said in a statement Wednesday after news of the tax investigation broke that he is proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.

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Mother killed in crash one month after 12-year-old son gunned down - Yahoo News

GlobeNewswire

2020 SIM Connect Live - Powered by HMG Strategy Join the top CIOs and technology executives from around the world as we explore the CIO's role in fostering radical business innovation and cultural change on the road to 2021 and beyond. WESTPORT, Conn., Dec. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HMG Strategy, the world's 1 digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world, will host the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference for the first time ever on December 15. With 40 chapters across the U.S. and around the world, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is the worlds premier networking organization for IT leaders. The event has already generated more than 500 registrants from around the world with technology executives continuing to flood in to join the event. Click here to learn more about the event and to register.HMG Strategy has produced more than 100 digital events since March, bringing together the worlds most distinguished and innovative technology leaders to discuss the most pressing leadership, strategic, cultural, technological and career challenges facing technology executives now and into the future.HMG Strategy President and CEO Hunter Muller and SIM International CEO Mark Taylor will lead an engaging discussion throughout the event on matters critical to enterprise success and career ascent. Topics technology leaders will be discussing at the event include fostering radical business innovation and cultural change across the organization, preparing your company to grow and thrive into 2021 and beyond, and how to cultivate digital innovation securely.We are incredibly excited for the opportunity to host the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference, said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy. We work closely with SIM leaders from all over the U.S. every day and their experiences provide invaluable insight into the top leadership challenges that technology executives are facing and the future of the industry. This is a cant-miss event.Notable technology executives speaking at the 2020 SIM Connect Live conference on December 15 include: * Julia Anderson, Global CIO, Smithfield Foods * Dr. David Bray, Inaugural Director, Global GeoTech Center & Commission, Atlantic Council * Wayne Bulmahn, Chief Information Officer/Security Officer, UNITE HERE HEALTH * Chris Gates, Group CIO and SVP Hosting Services, Allstate * Melissa Hohauser, SVP, IT Director, Servicing and Ops, TCF Bank * Jeanette Horan, Experienced Board Member and Strategic Advisor * Rodney Kenyon, GVP, Global Oracle Applications Support, Rimini Street * Susan Malisch, VP & CIO, Loyola University Chicago * Quintin McGrath, Senior Managing Director, Technology Management & Enablement, Global Technology Services, Deloitte * Mark Polansky, Senior Partner, Technology Officers Practice, Korn Ferry * John Repko, EVP & CIO, AIG * Rafael A. Sanchez, CIO, Feld Entertainment, Inc. * Marcus Session, President, SIM Tampa Bay; VP of IT Services, Tampa International Airport * Scott Strickland, EVP & CIO, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts * Mark Taylor, CEO, Society for Information Management Valued partners for the 2020 SIM Connect Live on December 12 will include Appian, Aryaka, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Globant, Obsidian, PagerDuty, Rimini Street, the Society for Information Management, Sonatype, Tessian, and Tanium.To learn more about 2020 SIM Connect Live and to register for the event, click here.To learn more about HMG Strategys upcoming CIO & CISO summits, click here.UPCOMING WEBINARS & DIGITAL ROUNDTABLESHMG Strategy has also received exceptional interest in its webinars through the strength of the 400,000+ technology executives in its community and the quality of the content it delivers. HMG Strategy has scheduled multiple 30-to-60-minute webinars over the next few months with an arsenal of innovative technology companies such as Citrix, Darktrace, HCL Technologies, Ivanti, Moveworks, Nutanix, Okta, OutSystems, PagerDuty, RangeForce, RingCentral, UiPath, Zoom, Zscaler, and Zylo.On December 16th, HMG Strategy will host two separate webinars powered by Zoom. The first, Forward Thinking on the Future Digital Workplace, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, will focus on how CIOs and technology executives must focus on what the future of work will look like and how they can best position their companies and team members to remain engaged and productive for the long haul.To learn more about this webinar and to register for the event, click here.At 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT that same day, HMG Strategy will also host a webinar powered by Zoom entitled Protecting the Hybrid Enterprise. In this event, which is tailored for CISOs and security leaders, top security executives will share the steps theyre taking to protect the enterprise as their organizations shift to hybrid work models. These issues include security associated with remote staff bringing unsecured personal devices into the office as well as securing data properly as employees repeatedly transition between in-office and remote workspaces.To learn more about this webinar and to register for the event, click here.Click here to view HMG Strategys complete calendar of upcoming and on-demand webinars.Connecting Enterprise Technology Buyers with the Right VendorsIn the absence of large, national conferences or trade shows, CIOs and technology executives are seeking new ways to connect with their peers and find new business partners to help them drive innovation that can enable their companies to survive and grow.Meanwhile, sales and marketing professionals at enterprise technology companies are looking for successful ways to engage with senior technology leaders and target accounts. HMG Strategy has harmonized these interests by creating the HMG Marketplace.HMG Strategys high-powered Marketplace transforms the time-consuming request-for-information (RFI) process for CIOs and other technology buyers. Now, technology buyers can indicate the types of technologies and services theyre currently interested in and be matched with a prospective provider to make the connection.The HMG Marketplace essentially serves as a reference center to connect the right technology buyers with the right technology providers at the right time, said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy. By filling out a short needs assessment survey, CIO, CTOs and other technology executives are connected with executive leaders and subject matter experts from technology companies to have focused, relevant discussions.Charter members that are actively participating in the HMG Marketplace include Appian, Aryaka, Darktrace, Forescout Technologies, Globant, Ivanti, Obsidian Security, PagerDuty, Slack, Sonatype, Tanium and Tessian.Its challenging for all of us that we cant all be together at these events, says Nicole Eagan, Chief Strategy & AI Officer at Darktrace. But the next best thing is being able to connect through the Marketplace. Were committed that you wont be meeting with a salesperson youll be meeting with myself and the Darktrace executive team. Youve got CIOs and CISOs who will attend these meetings and we would love the opportunity to catch up and strategize together.How it WorksAfter attending an HMG Strategy Executive Leadership Summit, an attendee is redirected to the HMG Marketplace, where they are prompted to fill out a short needs analysis survey to indicate their current technology needs. From there, an HMG Strategy customer relationship specialist evaluates the survey information and schedules a meeting between the technology buyer and the most suitable technology partner in the Marketplace based on the buyers interests.While in the Marketplace, the technology buyer is presented with a menu of options to choose from, including an option to view customer testimonials for that vendor and the business problem that was addressed. Sponsor partners receive highly qualified leads because of the strength of relationships inherent in the HMG network combined with the specific technology or service interest indicated by the buyer.The HMG Marketplace offers multiple benefits to both technology buyers and vendors: * Precision matching of buyer needs with vendor capabilities -- Enterprise buyers can fill out a short needs analysis survey that is used by HMG Strategys Customer Relationship Management team to identify the vendor thats best suited to address their requirements. * Accelerates the sales process for both buyers and sellers - Buyers and sellers quickly identify one another through the needs analysis process and associated reference materials * Ensures Quality Discussions CIOs, CTOs, CISOs and other technology buyers are qualified based on their true interest and by a set of characteristics (size, industry, types of technology/service interests, spend parameters, etc.). Buyers are paired with technology suppliers based on their domains and areas of expertise to avoid wasting time * Drives Higher Conversion and Close Rates for Providers The HMG Marketplace accelerates high-quality deal flow in challenging times and enables technology providers to lower their customer acquisition costsTo learn more about the HMG Marketplace and explore the digital assets that are available there, click here.About HMG StrategyHMG Strategy is the world's leading digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world. Our regional and virtual CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, authored books and Digital Resource Center deliver unique, peer-driven research from CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and technology executives on leadership, innovation, transformation and career ascent. HMG Strategy also produces the HMG Security Innovation Accelerator Panel, a new webinar series thats designed to connect enterprise CISOs and security leaders with the most innovative cybersecurity companies from across the world.The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 400,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders.To learn more about the 7 Pillars of Trust for HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here.HMG Strategy: Your 1 Trusted Digital Platform Connecting Technology Executives to Reimagine the Enterprise and Reshape the Business World.A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17779d3e-a481-401f-a61f-464e73eeb43f CONTACT: Tom Hoffman 203-221-2702 TomHoffman@hmgstrategy.com

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What to do with the 4th pick in a fantasy basketball draft - Yahoo! Voices

Ken Herman|Austin American-Statesman

An email with a good opening line is sure to capture my attention. Heres a recent one:

Howdy Herman. This is the bull sperm muralist with another idea for an article.

I like a good mural. And Im always looking for good ideas to write about. And, though Im not an expert, I have reason to believe bull sperm somehow is important in the bovine cycle of life.

The electronic missive came from Tom Besson, an artist I wrote about in 2017 when he completed a fabulous mural celebrating the history of Elgin Breeding Service, a Central Texas business that collects and sells frozen bull semen.

Thats right. Frozen bull semen. You got a problem with that? You think you can get frozen bull semen via Amazon? I typed in frozen bull semen and the first four results were for a masters thesis about Norwegian Red Bull semen, flea pills for dogs, an energy drink and a box of staples.

But Besson didnt want to talk about frozen bull semen. Pity. He wanted to talk about the festive holiday season.

My family and I have a 40-plus-year history of painting Christmas windows at Austins car dealers, Besson, who also goes by Snap P, told me. It started in the mid-70s when many car dealers were in downtown Austin and no one had to beg that we keep Austin weird because that was its natural state.

Weird, yes. And often unbound by traditional notions of taste and standards. Oh, Snap P, please do regale us with tales of car dealer holiday art of yesteryear.

The bean counters had not yet overtaken the world and the sales managers had a free hand, he said, recalling a downtown dealership that was OK with Bessons interpretation of a band of hippies dancing around a bonfire whose flames became a 20-foot-tall dancing naked woman.

Yes, that says festive holiday season. To somebody.

At a truck dealer, Besson, 69, once painted a New Years artwork featuring an outgoing-year grim reaper that was so scary they had to call me to change it because the grade-school kids on the bus started crying when they rode by.

Yes, what says festive holiday season more than crying kids on a school bus?

Thats all in the past, Besson said as he fondly recalled the last of the halcyon days of hippie Austin and cheap rent.

I recently caught up with him as he, with wife Beth Rolingson and son Pascha, were doing the windows at Leif Johnson Ford on East Koenig Lane. Fairly standard holiday fare was going up there, but Besson fondly remembered when lots of unstandard holiday fare went up on the windows.

It just depended on the personality of the sales manager and general manager, he said. Back in the old days, those people had more freedom to do what they wanted. Austin was a weird city. They accepted strange things.

Maybe even expected them, especially when Besson was hired. From his website bio: My work is born of some strange marriage of Paganism and Roman Catholicism, substituting the juxtaposition of evil and good with the mundane and the inspirational.

Reality, it says, comes with such limitations.

So true.

Besson says he generally doesnt get specific painting orders from his customers. Wife Beth immediately recalled that the problem with Christmas windows sometimes is Christmas. As youve perhaps heard, the word has become somewhat controversial. Besson told me that last year they had to scrape Merry Christmas off the window of a customer who didnt think it was a good idea.

You also can go wrong by excluding Christmas.

Someone came up to us telling us she was offended by our message, Besson reports. We had painted Happy Holidays and she said we were taking Christ out of Christmas. I gave her a little history of Christianity usurping the pagan holidays but this failed to appease her.

Surprising.

Images also cause controversy. Rolingson recalled a window on which they painted gnomes headed to a bonfire and carrying lit torches.

So,Besson said, youve got these torches in their hands and youve got this 10-foot figure and the people say, What in the hell are those torches for? Thats not very Christmasy. So you think, Damn, I dont want to have to scrape that stuff off. So, quickly, theyre holding bells!

Some customers offer general instructions on whether they prefer religious or secular.

I tell them, Well, if I put anything religious up there its so damn pagan nobody will recognize it anyway, Besson said.

Later that day, he sent me another email, this one devoid of frozen bull semen references. I read it anyway.

Do we do what we want or ask the client what they want? Besson wrote. For the most part we do what we want but across the years we have learned what we will be asked to scrape off and repaint.

A few years back, he painted what he called a beautiful winter scene with snow cranes on a winter lake on the windows of a Japanese vehicle dealership.

We were told it wouldn't do as it looked too Japanese, he said. It was scraped and repainted into the more mundane, resisting a mischievous notion to replace it with a Pearl Harbor scene. That would have been wrong.

Though it wasn't a Christmas window, Besson told me of another painting, one of our saddest scrape and repaints was a kneeling 10-foot Jimi Hendrix with his guitar aflame and with the hand of God passing him a joint from the heavens.

This years whimsical, yet pandemic-appropriate offerings include one on a medical facility showing a stethoscope-wielding nurse/angel.

Despite having to learn to live with periodic rejection, Besson enjoys window art.

Like most artists, I enjoy working at a large scale but find that large-scale work is hard to sell and very hard to store, he told me. Window work, which lies somewhere between art and cartooning, allows me to draw big and get paid for it. And the whole family gets to color for a living, at least for awhile.

And, because some things and people in Austin still are weird, sometimes the family gets to color outside the lines. No bull.

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Herman: 40 years of painting holiday decorations on windows - Austin American-Statesman

SINGAPORE - There were 49 cases of fallen windows across Singapore from January to November this year, but no one was injured, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Friday (Dec 11).

The majority of them, 32 cases, involved casement windows, while 16 were fallen sliding windows, and one case of louvre windows.

"There were no injuries from the cases reported," said the BCA in a press release.

The agency said investigations showed that the key causes of fallen casement windows included windows that were found fitted with aluminium rivets which had corroded.

"Corrosion compromises the strength of the rivets, rendering it unable to hold the casement window panels firmly in place," said BCA.

Since 2004, BCA has been issuing retrofitting orders requiring home owners to replace all aluminium rivets with stainless steel ones.

Home owners can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed up to six monthsfor failing to carry out the replacements.

For sliding windows, a key cause is the lack of proper safety stoppers and angle strips to keep the window panels within the tracks, said BCA.

"Sliding window panels without these safety features in place detached and fell when homeowners applied excessive outward force in opening or closing the windows," BCA explained.

It added that home owners should ensure that the safety features are in place, and also replace any worn-out ones.

If a window falls due to lack of maintenance, home owners can be fined up to $10,000, jailed up to one year, or both, said the agency.

Since 2006, 378 people have been fined and 92 people were prosecuted for fallen windows, said BCA.

BCA's facade engineering and technology department director, Mr Lee Chee Weye, said: "Over the past few years, the number of fallen window cases we see yearly remains at about 50 cases. While there has not been an increase in numbers, there has also not been any improvement.

"The risk of injury from falling windows is high and is not a trivial matter. All home owners and occupants can play a part to mitigate this risk by checking and maintaining their windows regularly. Together, we can keep our community safe."

BCA added thathome owners can prevent falling windows by checking and maintaining their windows at least once every six months.

For casement windows, check that fasteners are not rusty or loose, and clean and oil the joints or moving parts. All aluminium rivets should also be changed to stainless steel ones by an approved window contractor.

For sliding windows, check that safety stoppers and angle strips are in their proper places, and change those that are worn out. The tracks also have to be cleaned so that window panels can slide smoothly.

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49 cases of fallen windows reported in first 11 months of 2020 but no injuries: BCA - The Straits Times

Following the eco-efficient low-flow toilet comes the commode a la mode, the tankless toilet. A space-saving bathroom fixture that uses even less water than its two-button flush predecessor.

Unlike traditional toilets that rely on gravity to get the job done, tankless models have a valve that brings water from the supply line in at a higher pressure. This also means the bowl refills quickly between flushes. Used in commercial settings for decades, the modern esthetics and water-saving properties of tankless loos are now becoming popular in single and multi-family applications.

Homeowners flush with cash can also consider the aptly named performance toilet, a multi-functional privy that starts at the $1,000 mark. These high-tech toilets have heated seats, dryer and bidet functionality, complete with hands-free flushing. Some will even freshen the air.

Another innovation is the Sanicompact, by toilet maker Saniflo, which not only saves space and water, it also doesnt require a hole in the floor. No flange to leak, no bolts to rust, no concrete or tile floor to break. It requires a connection to existing plumbing and an electrical outlet, preferably a ground fault circuit interrupter plug.

An ideal solution for renovations, basement developments or anywhere a convenience is required, the tankless Sanicompact is a self-contained macerating toilet. Contents are liquefied and pumped to the nearest stack, sewer line or septic system, whether its above, below or horizontal to the toilets location, to a maximum distance of 25 feet.

Theyre easy to install and can save the average household as much as 52,000 litres of water a year. The Sanicompact is available at major home improvement stores in Canada.

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Tankless toilets save even more water than low-flow toilets - Calgary Herald

TipRanks

Its been up, up, and away for the markets since the end of September. Both the NASDAQ and S&P 500 are trading within 3% of their recent record high levels, after counting for daily fluctuations. Its a clear sign of a bullish mood among investors.And that bullish mood is finding fertile soil among Wall Streets stock analysts, who are not hesitant to make buy-side calls. There are some indications that the analysts are hedging their bets, however, as among the recent Buy reviews published several also offer strong dividend yields.Return-minded investors can find a degree of safety in high-yielding equities. The advantage of such a fundamentally defensive strategy is obvious: stocks that are rising now will bring the immediate gains of share appreciation, while strong dividends will provide a steady income stream regardless of market conditions.Using the data available in theTipRanks database, weve pulled up three stocks with high yields from 7% to 9%. Even better, these stocks are seen as Strong Buys by Wall Streets analysts. Lets find out why.Energy Transfer LP (ET)First up is Energy Transfer, a major name in North Americas hydrocarbon midstream sector. The companys primary network of assets covers 38 states and links three major oil and gas production regions in the Midwest-Appalachian and Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana regions, along with North Dakota. Energy Transfer has smaller assets in the Colorado Rockies, Florida, and northern Alberta. These assets include pipelines, terminals, and storage tanks for natural gas and crude oil. The value of ETs services is clear from the companys $18 billion market cap and $54 billion in annual revenues.That value, along with the effects of the health and economic crises of 2020, are also clear from the companys recent third quarter earnings release. On the negative side, revenues were down 26% from the year-ago quarter, while EPS was down 18%. In absolute numbers, the top line came in at $9.96 million while the bottom line was reported at 30 cents per share. Both figures beat the forecasts by a wide margin.Beating the forecasts was a positive note. On another, the company reported $400 million in cost savings year-to-date, due to initiatives to control and streamline expenses. Total debt long-term debt remained stable at $54 million.In an announcement at the end of October, Energy Transfer declared its Q3 dividend, at 15.25 cents per common share. This was a 50% reduction from previous payments, and implemented for several reasons. Chief among those reasons is releasing cash for debt reduction. The dividend reduction also keeps the dividend yield in line with historical values (with the shares down this year, the yield was artificially inflated), and affordable at current income levels. The new dividend payment annualizes to 61 cents per common share, and even after the reduction gives a high yield of 8.8%.Covering the stock for Raymond James, analyst Justin Jenkins noted, We still see ET's top-tier integrated midstream footprint as a big positive, but risks are high and will remain so. Ultimately, we believe the core business and long-term free cash flow generation (which will improve dramatically in 2021) will help ET differentiate itself within the midstream space ET's large valuation discount to peers is unlikely to completely narrow in the near-term, we see the risk/reward as skewing positive in most scenarios.In line with these comments, Jenkins rates ET a Strong Buy, and his $9 price target suggests it has room for 26% growth in the year ahead. (To watch Jenkins track record, click here)Wall Street appears to be in broad agreement with Jenkins, as ET shares maintain a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus. There have been 8 recent reviews, including 7 Buys and a single Hold. The stocks $9.29 average price target is slightly more bullish than the Raymond James position, implying ~31% upside potential from the $7.09 trading price. (See ET stock analysis on TipRanks)Omega Healthcare (OHI)REITs are frequently known for high-yielding dividends, as tax regulations require these companies to return a minimum percentage of profits back to investors. Omega Healthcare, a real estate investment trust, is no different from its peers in that regard, but it does offer investors a twist. The companys portfolio consists of skilled nursing facilities and senior housing facilities, in an 83% to 17% split. The portfolio is valued at more than $10 billion. It totals 957 facilities in 40 states plus the UK.At the top line, Omega reported declines in Q3 revenues. The $119 million reported was down 53% sequentially and 16% year-over-year. That was the bad news. Adjusted funds from operations (FFO), a common metric used to judge REITs income levels, beat the forecast by 5%, coming in at 82 cents per share. In other positive notes this year, Omega has reported collected 99% of rents due in each quarter of 2020, and successfully issued, this past October, $700 million in Senior Notes at 3.375% and due in 2031. The company aims to use the funds raised to, first, repay existing debt, and second, to cover general operations.Omega currently pays out a 67-cent dividend per common share, and as held that payment steady for nearly three years. The company has a 6-year history of reliable dividend payments. The annualized payment is $2.68 per common share, making the yield 7.1%. This companys performance, including the reliable dividend, prompted JMP analyst Aaron Hecht to rate OHI an Outperform (i.e. Buy). His $43 price target indicates a 14% upside over the next 12 months. (To watch Hechts track record, click here)Backing his stance, Hecht writes, We believe COVID-19 vaccine deliveries will begin to arrive within the next two weeks and skilled nursing facility residents will be prioritized, based on vulnerability. We view this as a major positive for OHI as the largest owner of skilled nursing facilities in the United States. Although OHIs tenants have generally performed well during the pandemic, an increase in demand would be a derisking event We believe OHI deserves a slight premium to its three-year, pre-pandemic comps given demand tailwinds. We are buyers of the stock In the meantime, OHI has a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus, based on 8 reviews breaking down to 6 Buys and 2 Holds. Omegas share price has risen 28% since the first week of November, in the wake of the Q3 earnings. This has pushed the stocks trading price, currently $37.69, slightly above the $36.88 average price target. (See OHI stock analysis on TipRanks)Owl Rock Capital Corporation (ORCC)Last but not least is Owl Rock Capital, a specialty finance company based in New York. Owl Rock works in the middle-market finance sector, offering access to capital for mid-market companies to make acquisitions, fund operations, and conduct recapitalizations. The companys portfolio boasts $10.2 billion in total assets, of which 97% are senior secured assets. Owl Rock has current investments in 110 companies.Owl Rocks third quarter earnings came in slightly below expectations. EPS was 33 cents per share, down 3% sequentially and missing the estimates by 2 cents. Net asset value per share increased 1% quarter-over-quarter, from $14.52 at the end of June to $14.67 at the end of September. In a move to shore up liquidity, Owl Rock priced a public offering of $1 billion in 3.4% notes in the first week of December. The issue is due in 2026, and provides funds to paydown existing debt in the revolving credit facility and to fund general operations.Also in the first week of this month, Owl Creek confirmed that it is discussions to acquire Dyal Capital. The move would combine Owl Creeks direct lending platform with Dyals access to capital solutions.Owl Creek has a regular share dividend payment of 31 cents quarterly, which has been supplemented since May 2019 by a series of 6 special 8-cent dividend payments. Calculating the yield by the regular dividend, we find it at 9.6%, based on an annualized rate of $1.24 per common share. For comparison, the average dividend among S&P-listed companies stands at 2%.The review here was written by Devin Ryan, 5-star analyst with JMP Securities. Focusing on the Dyal Capital announcement, Ryan noted, While it is important to distinguish that this merger is between the management companies, not the BDC directly, and ultimately we do not expect much change, we do think a transaction could represent a positive outcome for ORCC shareholders over time.""We continue to view the opportunity in ORCC shares as attractive due to: 1) strong credit performance and expectations; 2) a well-positioned balance sheet; 3) the earnings scale-up as leverage moves to the target 1.0x by 2H21; and 4) an increase in the yield profile of the portfolio through a higher mix of unitranche loans," the analyst concluded. To this end, Ryan rates Owl Creeks shares an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $14.50 price target suggests a 13% upside in the coming year. (To watch Ryans track record, click here)Owl Creeks Strong Buy consensus rating is based on 6 reviews. These show a 5 to 1 split between Buys and Holds. ORCC is trading at $12.78, and its $13.90 average price target implies ~9% upside. (See ORCC stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Plumbing Insurance Quotes For Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, General Contractors To Protect Their Finances And Business - Yahoo Finance

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of 178 trusts nationwide set to receive a share of 600m to tackle their maintenance backlogs.

It will get 1,515,000 to spend on 25 projects, covering critical maintenance and improvement works.

Outdated ventilation plant and controls at Thomas Linacre Centre will be replaced and water systems at Wigan Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital will be upgraded.

Leaking flat roofs at Wrightington Hospital, Wigan Infirmary and Thomas Linacre Centre will be replaced, and a trust-wide window replacement programme will start at Wrightington and Leigh Infirmary.

Other work includes a new boiler plant at Wrightington, improved cafe at Wigan, and a fire alarm and emergency lighting upgrade at Leigh.

Medical gas systems plants will also be replaced at all sites.

David Evans, the trusts director of estates and facilities, said: I am delighted that the Government has recognised the importance of additional investment to help us address the on-going condition backlog issues across the trusts estate.

The NHS estate is both extensive and complex with many of our buildings and engineering services being built and installed many years ago.

Ongoing investment in the estate is critical in ensuring compliant, high quality and reliable facilities for our clinical teams to treat patients and the continued commitment to fund these critical maintenance and improvement works is welcomed.

The national investment is part of 1.5 billion capital funding announced in the summer, which includes plans to modernise mental health facilities, expand A&E capacity and improve infection control ahead of winter.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: Alongside delivering on our manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, this investment will help our NHS build back better.

These crucial maintenance projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to their patients this winter, helping ensure the NHS is always there for you when you need it.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just 1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here

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Trust reveals how 1.5m fund to improve Wigan's hospitals will be spent - Wigan Today

SINGAPORE: There were 49 cases of fallen windows across Singapore between January and November this year, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a joint media release with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Friday (Dec 11).

Thirty-two of these involved casement windows,or windows with a side that is hinged to a frame.

Sixteen cases were of fallen sliding windows, while the remaining incident involvedlouvre windows or those with horizontal panels.

No injuries were reported from these incidents, said the agencies.

The number of cases reported in the first 11 months of this year is not far from the 51 incidents in the whole of 2019.

Over the past few years, the number of fallen window cases we see yearly remains at about 50 cases.While there has not been an increase in numbers, there has also not been any improvement," saidBCAs director of facade engineering and technology departmentLee Chee Weye.

BCA said the key causes of fallen casement windows included corrosion in aluminium rivets in casement window fittings."Corrosion compromises the strength of the rivets, rendering it unable to hold the casement window panels firmly in place," said the agency.

Since 2004,a retrofitting order issued by BCA requireshome owners to replace all aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones.

In the case of fallen sliding windows, investigations showed that there was a lack of proper safety stoppers and angle strips to keep panels within the tracks.

"Sliding window panels without these safety features in place detached and fell when homeowners applied excessive outward force in opening or closing the windows," BCA added.

Home owners can face a penalty of up to S$5,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months for failing to replace all aluminium rivets in casement windows with stainless steel ones.

In cases of fallen windows due to lack of maintenance, home owners can face a fine of up to S$10,000 and/or a jail term of up to a year.

Since 2006, 378 people have been fined and 92 people prosecuted for fallen windows, noted the authorities.

"The risk of injury from falling windows is high and is not a trivial matter," the agencies said, adding that home owners and occupants should check and maintain their windows regularly.

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49 cases of fallen windows in the first 11 months of this year - CNA

ALBANY -- Congregation Beth Emeths biggest sanctuary has seven floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows, cascades of hundreds of hues of blue dramatically symbolizing the cosmos, skies and oceans during Creation. Floating in the abstract colors are realistic and detailed stained glass scenes of men, women and children celebrating holy days and worshipping. Those scenes were rescued from Temple Beth Emeths 19th century building on Swan and Lancaster Streets.

International authority on stained glass art, Robert Sowers, worked to incorporate those highly detailed human stained glass scenes into the towering blue, green, purple and white abstract designs. The building was dedicated in 1957 and has optimistic, midcentury modern elements like swooping, curved roofs, lots of light and glass.

Even on a gray snowy afternoon, the stained glass shimmers with light.

The realistic scenes are vibrant against the blue background. A beautiful woman gleaning golden sheaves from a field of grain smiles down at visitors.

Yes, thats Ruth from the Bible, an old window from the previous building explains synagogue maintenance director Steve Squires.

He explains that when the old windows included the names of the people depicted, those names were removed before the smaller windows were incorporated into the abstract cosmic windows.

Now, without names, we can see them just humans, just people who are part of all Creation, he adds.

Squires has worked for the synagogue for 30 years and knows all about the treasures it holds.

One of the most fascinating is the Torah scroll displayed in the lobbys glass case. It belonged to Czechoslovakian synagogue but was stolen by the Nazis for Hitlers museum curators. Squires explains that Hitler dreamed of building a Jewish Museum that would showcase the art, religion and culture of an entire population he was determined to murder.

He had curators who kept meticulous records of each object that would go into the museum, said Squires, who remembered that when the Torah scroll was rescued and given to Beth Emeth the tag written by the Nazi curator was inside the box with the scroll.

He leads visitors into a nearby Wolk Hall (named after Rabbi Samuel Wolk, who sadly died right before the 100 Academy Road buildings dedication) where three Tiffany windows sparkle in the darkness. Three wooden doors leading outside were removed and replaced by the Tiffany windows that fill the door frames. One window depicts a life-sized Moses. Visitors have the odd sensation of standing a couple of feet from and eye-to-eye with Moses. His red and burgundy robe and the greenish blue gems surrounding him have the rich pigments that helped make Tiffany famous.

Squires says a Metropolitan Museum of Art researcher came to Beth Emeth to examine the three windows. But she was more astonished by a sample of Tiffanys fabric art owned by Beth Emeth. Its also displayed in a glass case: a silky Torah cover in a shade deep rose with Hebrew words embroidered on it. The researcher said examples of Tiffany's fabric art were rare.

A lot of people dont know that Tiffany made robes, prayer shawls and Torah covers for synagogues, Squires says.

A hall table is loaded with Hanukkah gift bags and little sacks packed with gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil). Most of the celebrations will be via Zoom but at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec.13, there will be a drive-up Menorah lighting worshippers can enjoy safe and warm in their cars.

Just down the hall, a group portrait of the greatest Jewish baseball heroes crowded in front of one dugoutand most of them autographed their portraits. Sandy Koufax and his signature are front and center. Even better, the artist painted the portrait of every person who bought the work of art into the stands. movie director Rob Reiner and talk show legend Larry King are among the famous buyers painted into the stands. They autographed the painting hanging in Beth Emeth.

The synagogue also has striking sculptures outside the building. But Beth Emeth education director Shara Siegfeld, who looks forward to giving tours of the synagogue when the pandemic ends, says the stained glass windows seem to have an especially powerful impact on visitors.

"When all the sunlight is streaming through, the sensory experience is amazing," she says.

In this pandemic year, when so many have lost loved ones, the Creation windows stir the emotions. Those small windows showing nameless humans set against the vast, blue cascade of Creation remind visitors of how brief one individual life is in the thousands of years before and after one person's birth and death. Yet, as Siegfeld points out, the feeling inspired is somehow reassuring because the small, human scenes are so brightly luminous.

In one, two children and a rabbi gaze at candles burning with orange flames surrounded by gold haloes. In another, a stained glass portrait of three men in prayer shawls, their expressions are so vivid. Its the same expression the children have.

Its awe, says Siegfeld - the awe at how valuable an individual life can be, even if its just one fragment in a huge creation.

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Temple's stained glass shimmers with light and history - Times Union

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Danielle Benson is eternally grateful her life was spared on Thanksgiving, after the minivan she was in got caught in the crossfire of a late-night shooting outside the Troost Market.

"I was praying that I don't get shot," Benson said Tuesday. "I couldn't even get down there because my seat was too far up."

Benson's son and brother were still inside the convenience store when the gunfire stopped. It would eventually cost a man his life and this mother of eight children lost her own way of getting around.

"We got to get to the store and during this Corona[virus pandemic], we can't ask people for rides," Benson said. "We have to literally pay out of pocket to ask people to take us to the store."

But that might soon change.

"She was in the wrong place; wrong time," Jean Peters Baker, Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor, said.

Peters Baker's office is working to raise money to replace Benson's minivan through a GoFundMe campaign.

"While we can replace doors and windows, we can replace tires, sometimes we cannot replace vehicles," Baker said, referring to the Caring for Crime Survivors program created in 2018. "So thats why were asking for others to help us, even in small amounts, to help us get there."

Other members of the community also are stepping up.

A KCPD spokesperson told 41 Action News they have identified a person of interest in this case. As detectives search for the suspected killer, the departments social workers are helping Benson's family.

"I know a lot of people say stuff about the police, but just seeing how they helped me in this situation I know all of them [are] not bad," Benson said.

The prosecutor's office, with the help of community members, launched the GoFundMe campaign Wednesday afternoon.

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KC mother of 8 loses minivan in shooting; prosecutor seeks donations to replace it - KSHB