The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak this Thursday night – Friday morning, August 11-12. This may be an above average year for the number of meteors.
The best time to watch for Perseid meteors will be from about 1 am (after the moon sets) until about 4 am at the first traces of daylight.
Perseus will be high in the northeast, but meteors should be visible over much of the sky. A dark observing site will be best.
ConAgra Foods, a Russellville, Ark. establishment, is recalling approximately 3,806 pounds of frozen chicken and beef entrée products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The metal fragments range in size between 2 and 9 millimeters (mm) in diameter, and are curled, malleable and shiny. The metal fragments may be embedded in the sauce contained within the frozen entrée products.
The frozen chicken and beef entrée items were produced on June 13, 2016 and June 22, 2016. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF only)]
* 22-oz. plastic bagged meal packages of “P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Brand Signature Spicy Chicken.” with “Use By” date of 6/08/17 and case code 5006616500.
* 22-oz. plastic bagged meal packages of “P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Brand Mongolian Style Beef.” with “Use By” date of 6/17/17 and case code 5006617400.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 233” or “EST. P-115” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distributors and retail locations in Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The problem was discovered July 1, 2016, when an establishment employee observed metal fragments while dispensing sugar from a supplier for sauce formulation during processing. The resulting sauce is a component in the frozen entrée products.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions or injuries due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
The Amateur Radio Relay League announces a special Independence week event. The event consists of contacting stations in all of the original thirteen colonies. This is a great way to spend Independence Day and a great way to introduce your friends to amateur radio.
The eighth annual 13 Colonies Special Event takes place from 1300 UTC on July 1 until 0400 UTC on July 7. Stations working the special event station in at least one of the original 13 states — or all 15 participating stations — will be eligible for a certificate. A Liberty Bell endorsement will be attached for stations contacting sister special event station WM3PEN, in Philadelphia, where independence was declared. Back this year, is a second sister station GB13COL in Durham, England.
Stations will be on the air from each of the original 13 colonies — Connecticut (K2D), Delaware (K2E), Georgia (K2G), Massachusetts (K2H), Maryland (K2F), North Carolina (K2J), New Hampshire (K2K), New Jersey (K2I), New York (K2A), Pennsylvania (K2M), Rhode Island (K2C), South Carolina (K2L), and Virginia (K2B). All HF bands and all modes will be in play, with the exception of 60 meters. Operation on 2 and 6 meter simplex is encouraged.
The ARRL will sponsor a 2016 Atlantic Season Hurricane Webinar on Thursday, July 21, at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on Friday, July 22, UTC). The approximately 90-minute session will address the role of Amateur Radio during the 2015 Hurricane Season. Anyone interested in hurricane preparedness and response is invited to attend this online presentation.
Topics will include a meteorological overview of the upcoming season; Amateur Radio station WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center: Who We Are and What We Do; ARRL Media and Public Relations; the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN); the VoIP Hurricane Net, and ARRL coordination and interface.
The program will include presentations by representatives of the National Hurricane Center and WX4NHC, the VoIP Hurricane Net, the HWN, the Canadian Hurricane Centre, and the ARRL. Webinar registration is open to all, but should be of particular interest to radio amateurs in hurricane-prone areas. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session.
For additional information, contact ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U.
From ARRL web site.
Happy Flag Day! This is the day that Americans across the country post the United States flag. Streets are lined with old Glory. Americans started celebrating Flag Week on Sunday.
I forgot. In this day of political correct common core, they probably don’t teach this in school. Title 36 of the United States Code (PDF) covers all Patriotic Observances. Flag Day is covered in Section 110 of the code. The observance commemorates the adoption of the first United States flag on June 14, 1777. National Flag Week is covered under Section 122, of Title 36, and is the week in which June 14 occurs.
There is more. There is Honor America Days. This is covered in Section 112 of Title 36. Honor America Days is the 21-days from Flag Day until July 4 in which,
Congress declares that there be public gatherings and activities during that period at which the people of the United States can celebrate and honor their country in an appropriate way.
I can only find one city that has events celebrating Honor America Days, though they conduct their celebration a couple of weeks after. Rome, New York (Facebook) has an Honor America Days parade on July 30. Although they do have a Patriotic 5/10K run during the 21-day period.
Another little know fact is that Independence was declared on July 2, not July 4. The declaration was issued to the public two-days after the vote taken by Congress to be read and declared publicly. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3,
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
The Museum Ships Weekend Event, sponsored by the Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station, will begin Saturday, June 4 at 0000Z ending at 2359Z June 5th. Amateur operators will have the opportunity to contact almost 100 stations including retired ships from the U.S. Navy and Maritime service and Maritime museums.
On June 3, Ham operators can download an Excel spreadsheet of the participating stations from the New Jersey Amateur Radio Station web site.
The main operating modes will be single-side band (SSB) and International Morse Code (CW). There will be some PSK31 operations and some of the ships will fire up their origianl amplitude modulation (AM) equipment.
Interested Amateur radio operators can get more information and find contact information at the Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station web site.
Exceptional Health Products of Tulsa Oklahoma is recalling Angel Wings™ – Daily Multi 120 Capsules because this product contains undeclared SOY and MILK allergens. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to Soy or Milk allergens run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
The following product was distributed nationwide to consumers through mailorder.
Product Name: Angel Wings™ – Daily Multi 120 Capsules
Lot Numbers: 14656, 14657, 15109, 15489, 15488, 15616, and 16007
This voluntary recall has been initiated because this product contains undeclared SOY and MILK allergens. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to Soy or Milk allergens run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
No illnesses have been reported to date. This was brought to our attention by the Food and Drug Administration that found inconsistencies with our supplier’s allergen statement on the Amino Acid ingredients used in this formulation.
The recalled lot numbers began shipping nationwide on December 23, 2014. If you find the recalled lot numbers on the bottom of any bottle you have inventory you may return it to the address at the bottom for a full refund or replacement. If you have further distributed this product, please identify the recipients or your customers and notify them at once of this product recall.
If you have any questions, call 888-548-0477 Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST. We are sorry for this inconvience and appreciate your assistance.
Comparing prices, performance and network practices of broadband service providers can be challenging, even for savvy consumers. With this in mind, the FCC created Open Internet transparency rules requiring providers to convey sufficient information for consumers to make informed choices about available broadband services. Based on recommendations from its Consumer Advisory Committee, the FCC provides templates for broadband labels – one for landline and one for mobile – that service providers may use to supply consumers with information about their services.
If a provider uses a broadband label template, here’s the type of information you can expect to see:
Service providers who use the labels will satisfy the FCC’s requirement to make transparency disclosures in the proper format, or a format that meets the needs of consumers. However, providers may still be in violation of FCC rules if the content of their labels is misleading or inaccurate or if they make misleading or inaccurate statements to customers in ads or elsewhere. In such cases, consumers can file complaints with the FCC at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.
The new rules will go into effect later this year, but service providers may begin using the broadband label templates anytime. The labels can serve as a helpful comparison shopping tool for consumers. Look for and consider them when you shop for service.
On March 3, 2016, Vascular Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: VASC), initiated a nationwide recall of Guardian II hemostasis valves used in catheterization procedures. Specific lots of the products have been recalled because they pose an increased risk of air leakage that may lead to an air embolism, which could result in serious injury or death. This recall only affects the Guardian II hemostasis valves and does not include the Guardian II NC hemostasis valves. No injuries have been reported in association with this issue to date.
Healthcare facilities that have the affected Guardian II hemostasis valves should remove the products from their inventory and return them to Vascular Solutions.
The recalled products were manufactured from March 2015 to February 2016 and distributed from April 2015 to February 2016.
The recalled products are specific lots of Model Numbers 8210 and 8211. A listing of the recalled lots is available from Vascular Solutions and has been provided to each facility that purchased the affected products. A total of 26,550 devices have been manufactured, with 5,283 distributed in the United States. The condition that led to the recall may affect approximately 2.4% of recalled devices.
Vascular Solutions Inc. voluntarily initiated the recall on March 3, 2016 through an Urgent Medical Device Recall notification distributed to purchasers of the affected products. The notification identified the specific lots subject to the recall and included instructions on how to return the affected products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified this as a Class I recall. FDA defines Class I recalls as “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
Consumers with questions may contact the company by phone at 1-888-240-6001 Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central Time or by email at customerservice@vasc.com. Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program:
For further information, connect to www.vasc.com.
Progressive Gourmet Inc. of Wilmington, MA, is voluntarily recalling its frozen, 9 ounce packages of Taste of Inspirations Edamame Rangoon out of an abundance of caution because they have the potential to contain crustacean shellfish (crab). People who have an allergy to crustacean shellfish run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. The item is produced for Hannaford Supermarkets.
The product comes in a 9 ounce carton, marked with Best Before: 1 1117 on the back of the retail carton. Note, no other production runs of this product are impacted by this recall.
The potentially impacted Edamame Rangoon were possibly sold to consumers at select Hannaford stores located in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
A consumer reported the mislabeling incident. The firm has initiated prompt corrective actions to prevent future mislabeling. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product.
Consumers who have purchased 9 ounce packages of the edamame rangoon are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-224-7630 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday EST).