All posts by Rabindra

Rain dampens Repsol Honda Team’s qualifying hopes

Moto GP 2022, Round 14

San Marino, September 05, 2022: A trying day on the Italian coast for Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl as changeable conditions robbed both riders of a final flying lap in Q1.

Promising conditions and promising pace buoyed the Repsol Honda Team as Saturday’s action at the San Marino Grand Prix began. Pol Espargaro was looking especially strong in the morning session as he found another 0.3s to end FP3 in ninth. A crash at Turn 15 late in that same session meant the #44 was unable to crack the combined top ten and once again had to participate in Q1. Rain would ruin Espargaro’s chances of improving on his second run and he will therefore start in the 19th.

Like his Repsol Honda Team teammate, Stefan Bradl authored further improvements in Free Practice 3 as he went another half a second quicker. With the best time of 1’32.838 before the rain arrived, Bradl will start just behind Espargaro in 20th place for Sunday’s 27-lap race. Bradl’s aim is again to make up positions and return to battling for the points, with a mixed forecast ahead there are still several unknowns for when the lights go out at 14:00 Local Time.

Marc Marquez made a welcome return to the Repsol Honda Team box in Misano, listening in during debriefs and working with Bradl and Espargaro to understand where the RC213V currently is. The eight-time World Champion was declared fit by MotoGP and circuit medical staff.

Pol Espargaro – 19^th

“Today was a day where we had a huge amount of potential but there were finally a lot of pieces which did not come together. We made a mistake with the FP3 strategy, my first lap – which was my fastest finally, did not feel that good to me. The second tire felt much better but I crashed. In the afternoon I was cautious on my first flying lap and then the rain started, so we were really hurt here. Tomorrow is a new day and we will try our best to maximize what is possible in the race.”

Stefan Bradl – 20^th

“We have improved again today which is really good, we got very unlucky when the rain arrived and it stopped us from improving further. This can sometimes happen and it’s a shame because we couldn’t show our full speed. Let’s see what will happen tomorrow, our pace is better than some of the riders ahead of us but it can be tricky to overtake around Misano. We also have the weather to contend with.”

San Marino Grand Prix – Qualifying Results

NSEFI Elated and Bouyant on India’s Solar Growth and on New Policy Announcements of the Ministry

# NSEFI Chairman Pranav R Mehta congratulates Ministry on recent announcements

Delhi, 5th Sept 2022:

NSEFI is elated and buoyant about Indian Solar growth. NSEFI Chairman Pranav R Mehta has congratulated the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Minister Shri R K Singh on path-breaking reforms and policy changes announced by the ministry in the last 3 months. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched a unified rooftop solar portal where consumers can avail of direct benefit transfer of rooftop subsidy.

Speaking on this Mr. Mehta said that “ The rooftop portal launched by Prime Minister Modi is a step in the right direction and has the potential to change India’s residential rooftop sector”. Moreover, we are very happy that our longstanding request to do away with benchmark prices for deciding subsidy has been accepted and a fixed per kW subsidy has now been approved for these systems.

According to the new procedure up to 3 KW rooftop solar system, a subsidy of 14,588/- will be provided. For systems between 3 – 10 kW apart from 14,588/- for the first 3 kW, an additional 7,294/- per kW will be provided. Systems above 10kW where there was no subsidy before will now be eligible for a fixed subsidy of 94,822/- will be provided.

SEFI Chairman Pranav Mehta also congratulated the Hon’ble Minister on accepting NSEFI’s request of allotting a separate category in the Production Linked Incentive II Scheme for Solar Cell and Module manufacturing to promote the MSME manufacturing ecosystem in India

With these developments, NSEFI expects India’s Solar growth and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision of the Honble Prime Minister in the area of Solar will accelerate.

Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates BLive’s second Multi-brand EV store in Nagpur, third in the state

Mumbai/Nagpur, India, September 05, 2022: India’s fastest growing Multi-brand EV platform announced the opening of its second multi-brand Experience store in Nagpur. Sri. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India inaugurated the store. The store offers a wide range of products and direct support to EV customers across the region. With the focus shifting to electric mobility, it’s important to provide the customers the opportunity to experience the different options and choices available to them. The new store will have an in-house quick service kiosk, battery swap facilities, and EV charging infrastructure. It will also act as a customer experience center for brands. This is the fourth BLive store in the state with two stores in Nagpur and one in Pune.

BLive aims to offer an interactive experience to all its customers by showcasing over 20+ brands of electric two-wheelers (e2Ws) and electric bicycles (e-bikes) designed and manufactured by Indian brands, through its unique Omni channel platform. With the launch of this store, the company wants to bring everything related to E2W under one roof. All BLive stores currently feature key brands like Kinetic Green, Techo Electra, Gemopai, BattRE, LML – Detel, E-Motorad, Hero Electric, and others to charge solutions and post Sales service packages. Through the experience stores, BLive brings the unique Phygital experience to help consumers experience EVs and understand EVs before purchase.

Speaking of the launch, Samarth Kholkar, CEO & Co-Founder, BLive, said, “It is our privilege that Sri. Nitin Gadkari ji is inaugurating our Nagpur store. This is a huge boost to our mission of – EV in every home in India. With the launch of this multi-brand EV Experience store, BLive is working towards accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. BLive is adopting an all-inclusive approach in the electric vehicle market; bridging gaps and setting up a one-stop shop for all consumer needs. The BLive Experience Stores, which will soon be live across 100+ locations in India, will help consumer experience and buy their choice of EVs.”

With this new store in Nagpur, BLive is bringing Clean Tech closer to customers, thus joining the global vision of bringing carbon emissions to zero. The store is not only going to give the customers a hands-on EV experience but a variety of brands and designs of vehicles to choose from at their convenience. The store will also provide an extensive after-sales EV care experience, including roadside assistance, easy finance options, comprehensive service packages, and e-mobility spare parts.

Commenting on the partnership, Burhanuddin Ali, EAZY RIDE said, “We are excited and looking forward to this partnership with BLive. EVs are slowly but steadily gaining momentum in India and this partnership gives us an opportunity to be part of this EV wave. Also having a multi-brand EV store gives us an opportunity to offer more products and unique experiences to our customers.”

BLive is focused on launching EV Experience stores initially in South and West India. BLive also plans to drive a deeper penetration in tier-2 and tier-3 cities where customers struggle to shift to clean mobility due to a lack of options and is looking for more store partners on a franchise model to open more stores across the country.

AVEKSHA a free, sixth Day Care Centre for industrial workers inaugurated at Moulali

Mr. Madhusudhan, CEO, TSIIC; Mr. Vidya Sagar; DGM SIDBI inaugurated the 6th AVEKSHA free Day Care Centre for industrial workers

Hyderabad, September 04, 2022: AVEKSHA a free Day Care Centre for industrial workers inaugurated at Moulali on Friday. It is set up in the Moulali Industrial estate.

It was inaugurated by Mr. Madhusudhan, CEO, of TSIIC. Ms. Madhavi, Zonal Manager, TSIIC, Mr. Vidya Sagar; DGM SIDBI and Ms. Raina Bihani.

Speaking on occasion Mr. Madhusudhan, CEO, TSIIC said it is a good initiative. But, the local community in this case the local industrial body should take ownership and see that it is run smoothly for a long time.

Mr. Vidya Sagar; DGM SIDBI said the child daycare centre for industrial workers is the need of the hour. Sustainability of it is more important. I am sure the initiative will prove to be successful and this model will be replicated across the industrial belts all over India.

Ms. Uma Gurkha of COWE appealed to all the industrialists in the audience to encourage their women family members to become part of the COWE journey.

It is an initiative of COWE(Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India) and is powered by SIDBI(Small Industries Development Bank of India), the Principal Financial Institution for Promotion, Financing and Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector and others.

It is the 6th centre, out of 20 Day Centres it plans to inaugurate. These will be set with support from SIDBI.

The day-care centres are equipped with trained caretakers, recreational facilities in the learning environment, and CC cameras to ensure safety

The holistic welfare of the industrial workers is very important said Ms Uma Gurkha of COWE.

Rupees two lakhs is being invested in setting up each of these centres. Rupees 40,000/- a month will be spent on running these centres.

Aveksha is a National Project by COWE & SIDBI and is not just limited to Telangana. After completing the 20 centres in Telangana, the vision is to have Aveksha centres across INDIA.

Aveksha means ‘To Take Care Of. It is a free facility meant for children of women workers especially in the industrial sector and for the underprivileged sections of society.

SIDBI is bearing the operation costs, TSIIC, and CSR wings of private corporates have taken care of the cost of setting up the centre. SIDBI extended Rs 1crore from their CSR Funds towards the 20 Anveksha Free Day Care Centres

COWE launched its pilot centre in 2019, and in 2022, in the industrial Areas of Jeedimetla, Cherlapally, Uppal and Kallakal.

The centres are equipped with CCTV to monitor day-to-day activities and necessary amenities have been provided to create a joyful learning environment that encourages the toddlers to enjoy their stay throughout the day.

Each day-care centre is spread over an area of 500 to 1000 sqft. They are fully equipped to take care of 20-30 children from 9 am to 6 pm. Each centre will have three staff members -a Coordinator, Sr. Care Taker, and Jr. Care Taker. A vigilance team, monitoring CC footage, qualified trainers and systems auditors ensure the best standards are maintained.

Hightower Headed to White House to Share Impact of Clean Energy & Local Community Initiatives

Cincinnati, OH, September 02, 2022 – Stephen Hightower, CEO of Hightowers Petroleum Company and Hightower EV SolutionsCin, has been invited to the White House by President Biden and Vice President Harris to attend the Communities in Action: Building a Better Ohio event set for next week.

The half-day forum will be held in-person at the White House and will highlight the Administration’s federal investments and the impact on communities across Ohio, the invitation said.

Hightower said he is excited to tell Washington about the economic possibilities for Butler County as well as how the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act affects the business community.

“Ohio will continue to be one of the nation’s leaders in the expansion of electric vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure. Here at Hightowers, we continue to make investments in renewable fuels, carbon reduction and offering EV solutions to our customers,” said Stephen Hightower.

The bi-partisian Inflation Reduction Act offers Ohioans expanded tax credits for energy efficient commercial buildings, new energy efficient homes, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

“Our customers like GM, Ford, Nissan, FedEx, UPS and so many others are starting to make tremendous investments in Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs),” added Hightower.

Hightower EV Solutions is a national developer, technology integrator, and design builder of turnkey EV charging infrastructure projects. With the ability to execute projects throughout the United States, Hightower EV can provide enterprise level solutions.

Beyond the service and product offerings at Hightower EV solutions, Hightowers Petroleum Company recently announced their 100% renewable diesel partnership with NESTE. The renewable diesel is a high-quality, high-performance fuel, a more sustainable alternative to fossil diesel, helping its users reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%* when emissions over the fuel’s life cycle are compared with fossil diesel.

“With Neste MY Renewable Diesel, companies can reduce their climate emissions significantly in an instant by just changing the fuel. It is chemically identical to fossil diesel, and works seamlessly with existing diesel engines,” said Stephen Hightower.

Business is not the only thing that matters to the Hightower family. The family’s roots run deep in Middletown, Ohio.

The Robert Sonny Hill Community Center in Middletown is a place where three generations of Hightowers grew up. The revitalization of the Community Center is now a main focus for not only the Hightower family but also for the City of Middletown.

​​The project received $4 million from the Middletown City Schools for a preschool in the building, $2 million from the city of Middletown and $1.5 million from Butler County Board of Commissioners.

Marlon Styles, Jr., Middletown City Schools Superintendent, said a preschool campus at the center will allow “greater access to high-quality programming” and will prepare more children for “a successful educational journey.”

Since the district is partnering with the city and the county with American Rescue Plan Act funds, Styles said the district has “a rare opportunity” to give the community a family-friendly facility where children of all ages can have fun in a safe environment.

The Butler County Commissioners received the ARPA dollars from the federal government and allowed community organizations to apply for funding.

“Our vision to achieve the most benefit of the ARPA funds to the people of Butler County was to restore the lost education from the pandemic and prepare our residents for the emerging industries being created for the future,” said Butler County Commissioner TC Rogers.

Another beneficiary of the ARPA funds is the local career technical school- Butler Tech.

Butler Tech will receive $15 million through American Rescue Plan funding to create a workforce pipeline to advanced aviation and manufacturing. The plan includes an expanded facility at the Middletown Regional Airport.

Workforce predictions indicate that:
● 47% of U.S. jobs could be phased out in the future because of technological advances.
● 65% of high school students are predicted to work in jobs that don’t yet exist.
● 75% of the companies that are expected to be in the top 500 by 2027 haven’t yet been established.

“It’s really a remarkable opportunity to be an economic catalyst for the county,” said Jon Graft, Butler Tech Superintendent/CEO.

Hightower’s vision to bring education, technology and a comprehensive all-inclusive energy ecosystem, is made possible by the Administration’s policies to deliver funds to Ohio.

Stephen Hightower actively serves on the board for the National Petroleum Council, The Fuels Institute, The Electrical Vehicle Council and API.

MedMal Direct Names VP of Claims

Jacksonville, FL, September 02, 2022 – MedMal Direct Insurance Company (“MDIC”), the direct-to-physician medical professional liability insurance carrier, announces Steven Carey as its new Vice President of Claims, effective immediately. Steven Carey’s promotion follows the recent addition of Jeremy Leal as Sr. Claims Specialist with Jeremy’s 18 years of medical professional liability claims management.

Marc D. Hammett, President and CEO of MedMal Direct, praised the decision, “Steven is an experienced claims professional with a strong desire to apply the strategies learned to defend our insureds working with our local defense counsel. I have had the pleasure to work with him directly since he joined our team in 2020. His understanding of physician medical professional liability claims coupled with his dedication to being responsive to our insureds, clear communication throughout the process and securing expert counsel to defend their reputation. This passion and desire to work on behalf of our insureds during this difficult and trying time makes Steven the perfect selection to assume this role for the organization.”

Steven Carey served as the Assistant Vice President of Claims for MedMal Direct Insurance Company and has more than 14 years of claims management experience in medical professional liability.

P. Butler Ball, CEO and Director of Physicians Trust, Inc., MedMal Direct’s parent company, applauded the selection, “Our Board is pleased to have Steven assume the VP of Claims role and the challenge to manage the claims responsibilities at MedMal Direct. Steven’s experience in the industry, his commitment to excellence and his dedication to our insureds makes him the ideal choice to lead our claims team.”

The promotion of Steven Carey and recent addition of Jeremy Leal by the company occurs while the organization is experiencing significant opportunities for growth in the nine states in which it serves physicians.

Loveforce International Announces September Book Giveaways

Santa Clarita, CA, September 03, 2022   Loveforce International will give away four books during the month of September. The books will be given away one at a time, in succession, on four consecutive Friday’s beginning on Friday, September 9th, and ending on Friday, September 30th. Each of the book giveaways will coincide with Loveforce International Digital Music Singles releases. Each book given away will be the E-book version of the book. All of the book giveaways will be worldwide on Amazon exclusively.

The book that will be given away on Friday, September 9th Outrageous Stories 2 by Mark Wilkins. The book is filled with offbeat more fictitious and outrageous humor articles and stories. The book makes fun of treasured holiday traditions, the rich, the famous, and the infamous. The book is targeted toward college-age or older adults with an offbeat, irreverent, sense of humor.

The book that will be given away on Friday, September 16th Classroom Confessions 2 English & Spanish versions by Mark Wilkins. The book contains stories filled with offbeat teachers, bright students, thugs, bullies, heroes, and lyrics that attempt to bring the reality of public education along with its struggles and glory to life for the reader. The book introduces characters like Mr. Happyhands, The French Substitute, Dean Bravo, and The Bushwhacker. The book is written from the memories of someone who has been involved in Public Education for many years.

The book that will be given away on Friday, September 23rd is A Week’s Worth Of Fiction 2 By Mark Wilkins. The book features seven different Science Fiction stories each followed by a poem that provides further insight into the story or character in the story. Within its pages, you will find stories about a girl who has the cure for a deadly disease, a woman on a date with a psychosomatic disease called prophecy, a robot chicken, a supernatural fly, an astral projection, a teacher in a new job where everything is not what it seems and a futuristic world where the only economy is barter.

The book that will be given away on Friday, September 30th is The Loveforce International Reader 2 by Mark Wilkins. The Prophet of Life, Gary Ishka The book contains eight different stories from eight different books by three different authors. The writings include stories about personal faith, a world of bartering, a wet woman, a big fish, a killing season, teachers, and random quotes.

“As usual, we have chosen books for giveaways that both are representational of the rich variety of genres and subject matter available in the over 100 books we publish and are related in a way to the Digital Music Singles we are releasing that week,” said Loveforce International CEO Mark Thomas.

“Outrageous Stories is an offbeat parallel to the song “Another Nail In Your Coffin” by Billy Ray Charles. Classroom Confessions is related to the new song “School Is A Microcosm Of Life” by Teacherz. A Week’s Worth of Fiction 2, are Science Fiction Stories, which kind of go with the concept of Ami Cannon’s song “A Little Boy From Above.” The Loveforce International Reader 2, goes nicely with the song “Je Joue” being released that week, as they both represent samplings. “Je Joue” is a sampler song in that it is released under different titles in different cultures, having Spanish, Swahili, Hindu, and Arabic title translations being released simultaneously in different nations,” he Continued.

Infosec Institute Awards Security Education Scholarships to Help Close Cyber Skills and Diversity Gap

Madison, WI, September 03, 2022 –(PR.com)– Infosec Institute, a leading cybersecurity education provider and part of Cengage Group, today announced fourteen recipients of the 2022 Infosec Accelerate Scholarship. Established in 2018 to draw new talent from under-represented groups to join the cybersecurity industry and close the growing skills gap, the program awards lifetime access to Infosec Skills, a $10,000 value, to help recipients launch and advance their cybersecurity careers.

“The cybersecurity industry has long dealt with a lack of diversity, which has contributed to a growing cyber skills gap. Awarding lifetime access to our Infosec Skills platform across underrepresented groups is our way to help close the gap and bring new ideas to the table,” said Jim Chilton, Infosec GM and Cengage Group CIO. “Applicants for this scholarship showed passion and determination to grow their cybersecurity skills, sharing their goals of making an impact in the security industry. We congratulate our 2022 Infosec Accelerate scholars, and look forward to watching them develop their cybersecurity abilities and grow their careers.”

Infosec Skills, Infosec’s technical skill development platform, includes over 1,400 resources to assess teams and close skills gaps with hands-on cyber ranges, projects and courses. Scholarship recipients have unlimited access to the newly released Infosec Skills cyber range, where cyber professionals can learn to defend against MITRE ATT&CK® Matrix for Enterprise tactics and techniques, perform penetration tests and practice writing secure code in an enclosed environment. Labs inside the cyber ranges guide learners through realistic scenarios inside the operating environments they’d encounter on the job — with clear learning objectives and actionable lessons.

2022 Infosec Accelerate Scholarship winners are:

Infosec Accelerate Women Scholarship

Thanyathorn Thanapattheerakull | Toronto, Canada
Betta Lyon-Delsordo | Missoula, Montana
Heidys Cabrera | Hialeah Gardens, Florida

Infosec Accelerate BIPOC Scholarship

Summer Black | Oak Lawn, Illinois
Jade Brown | Beachwood, Ohio
Joanina Perez | Brockton, Massachusetts

Infosec Accelerate Military & Veteran Scholarship

Shaz Baig | Brooklyn, New York
Brian Nordemo | Laconia, New Hampshire
Christopher Chisholm | Missoula, Montana

Infosec Accelerate Undergraduate Scholarship

Nicholas Kenyon | Cape Coral, Florida
Anthony Torres | Santa Clarita, California
Nicholas Langenfeld | Wild Rose, Wisconsin

Infosec Accelerate LGBTQI+ Scholarship

Angelica Bonus | San Diego, California
Kandice Kucharczyk | Cape Coral, Florida

KIB to Celebrate 31st Annual Trash Bash Volunteers Invited to Register Online or Participate Remotely Get E

Irving, TX, September 03, 2022 –(PR.com)– Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) will celebrate the 31st annual Trash Bash on Saturday, Sept 24 at T.W. Richardson Grove Park, 333 E. Interstate Highway 635, from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will focus their efforts on the Northern Campion Trails and surrounding area, with the goal of keeping litter from reaching the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The cleanup will be held on National Public Lands Day, traditionally the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event, and will also be part of Keep Texas Beautiful’s “Fall Sweep.”

KIB will provide litter pickers, gloves, trash and recycle bags. In addition to the cleanup, volunteers will have the opportunity to visit a variety of educational and entertaining exhibits to learn about reptiles and water conservation, participate in STEM activities, play disc golf, or enjoy a puppet show. Lunch will be provided, with a vegetarian option, after the cleanup.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring canned or other non-perishable food items to benefit Crisis Ministries of Irving Food Pantry in downtown Irving. Those who donate will receive a T-shirt, while supplies last.

As they did with last year’s event, KIB is also offering a “virtual” option. Volunteers will conduct their own cleanups at a safe Irving location of their choice. They will report to KIB by posting pictures and data to their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages using the hashtag #IrvingTrashBash31. Online registration is not required for the virtual option.

“Our tradition of holding the Trash Bash on National Public Lands Day and in conjunction with the statewide Fall Sweep makes our volunteers feel that they are part of a much bigger picture,” said KIB President Scott Wilson. “While our primary goal is to pick up litter and keep it from reaching the waterway, the addition of educational and interactive tables will make this event much more than just a cleanup. We encourage Irving residents to join us at T.W. Richardson Grove, or for those who are participating remotely, we look forward to seeing their photos on social media.”