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The best conditions for your products
When transporting meat, the main thing is to ensure that the best conditions are created for your products. We transport deep frozen, fresh and hanging meat daily. Every day, we arrange multiple return cargoes from the United Kingdom.
Good trucks and trailers is half the work
Optimum conditions start with our modern vehicle fleet. Our special meat trailers are fitted with tail lifts, dual evaporators and provisions for hanging meat.All of our trailers are equipped with a cooling system that meets all of today’s requirements. A complete temperature record ensures that we can continually monitor the conditions in the trailers. In addition, it is possible to create various compartments in a single trailer set at different temperatures.
Deliver a batch of hanging or frozen meat to Ireland or the United Kingdom?
Our drivers have specific knowledge of vulnerable products. Prior to and during the journeys, our dedicated employees constantly monitor the temperature in the trailer. As the haulier for large European abattoirs and traders, we are fully aware of what is involved in the transport of meat. To ensure our services are always of the highest quality, we work according to the latest HACCP standards. | <urn:uuid:9ccffc60-7087-4195-bb3d-8e5d8ee8806c> | https://vanduijntransport.nl/en/meat/ | en | 0.933773 | 0.047232 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Smart Ideas: Revisited
Great Window Design Ideas
Windows are how you are able to see out of your house. They also play an important role in the overall design considerations of your home. You, therefore, have to treat them as such. Here are some window designs you can consider for your house.
The designs you go for should allow for lots of light in the house. Natural light is not only pleasant to have in there, but it also serves more purposes. For one, you shall reduce the dependence on electricity, which reduces your energy expenses. This is also how you stay healthier as the sun is necessary for the synthesis of some nutrients. The sun is also good for your mind and spirit. You therefore have to be keen on the placement and pointing of the windows in your home.
You then need to have them facing a great view. The window shall be what packages and presents some of the views out there, such as a mountainside, seaside, vegetation, a farm, a flower garden, your yard, and so many others. There shall be a lot to admire about an expansive view out of your house. A great window adds to the charm and beauty you get to experience each time.
There is also a lot to gain from skylights. These make for great view any time you feel like it. This shall explain why we have convertible cars, and skylights on other cars. Skylights get more light into the house, whether it is the sun or the moon. They make for an amazing ambiance in the bedroom. This will make it a more pleasurable and comfortable place to hang out in.
You will also not lack when it comes to window shapes and sizes. This shall add to the diversity of your interior design. You shall come across rectangular, square, circular, octagonal, and even freeform shaped windows. Different sizes will also offer different views. They also help you add an element of variety and mystery to what people manage to see. You will discover more in this section when you consult with professionals like milgard windows.
There is also the choice to get different levels of opacity for the windows. There is no rule that says windows have to be clear. Opacity gives you a chance to preserve some privacy in those rooms. You will get enough light from those opaque choices. You shall even find windows whose translucency can be adjusted, to suit your needs at any time in terms of a full view or privacy.
You shall achieve a lot when you focus on the window designs in your residence. You will achieve this especially when a renovation project is underway. You can also learn more about how to improve other areas of your house. Take time to see more here. | <urn:uuid:da1619b8-2fab-4e04-887b-d73f89f1d933> | https://www.aoltimewarnerfoundation.org/smart-ideas-revisited-2.html | en | 0.961212 | 0.018447 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Bentley have announced a more powerful version of the Mulsanne, their flagship sedan. For those with slightly deeper wallets and an even deeper desire for kilometres per hour, you can put your name down for the the appropriately named Mulsanne Speed.
The car uses the same 6,75-litre twinturbo V8 as the cooking Mulsanne except its power output is up from 376 kW to 395 kW and the torque from 1 020 N.m to 1 100 N.m. This, says Bentley, will hustle the mighty 2 720 kg car to 100 km/h in 4,9 sec and have a top speed of 305 km/h. The engine is claimed to have been made 13% more efficient with regard to CO2 emissions and Bentley quote a still very thirsty combined cycle fuel economy figure of 16,8 L/100 km.
There has also been some work done to the car’s eight-speed, paddle-shifted automatic gearbox which has been recalibrated to make use of the extra torque, and there’s also a new “S” mode which keeps the engine’s revs up so that the turbochargers are always on boost. The suspension receives the once-over too with a new “Sport” mode that stiffens the standard air suspension and also adjusts the steering system for greater feedback and accuracy.
You’d have to be something of a Bentley trainspotter to note the visual differences between the normal Mulsanne and the Speed version. The Speed has some darkened elements in the grille and lights, and its 21-inch wheels feature a directional pattern, which is a first for Bentley. There is “Speed” badging on the front fenders and door sill treadplates. Inside it's also pretty much the same as the standard Mulsanne save for special piano black veneers with carbon-fibre inlays.
The 2015 Mulsanne Speed will have its world debut at the Paris Motor Show at the beginning of October. | <urn:uuid:d5a27052-d9b2-4462-b8ac-d5de4f9d31e5> | https://www.carmag.co.za/news-blog/new-models-blog/bentley-mulsanne-speed-revealed/ | en | 0.940515 | 0.049458 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Top 5 tips for taking care of braces
Clean teeth and healthy dental practices while wearing braces are necessary since braces can easily trap food and plaque. When that happens, the chances of tooth decay go through the roof.
Let us look at some helpful tips to ensure your child’s braces stay clean and in good shape so that they can function properly.
Brushing and flossing with braces
1. Brush and floss after meals and right before bed
The American Dental Association advises brushing two times daily. This is important for everyone. But, it’s especially important for those with braces. Food tends to get stuck in braces pretty easily, which can lead to acid buildup and cavities. This is why most orthodontists advise brushing 4 times per day; in the morning after breakfast, after lunch or right after school, after dinner and at bedtime. The extra brushing helps the mouth stay debris-free, helps fight cavities and prevents potential damage to the braces.
Brushing alone can’t remove all the food particles between your teeth, especially with the brackets and rubber bands. And as the alignment of teeth changes, some cracks and crevices may harbor more debris than your child is used to. Which is why we suggest using some helpful flossing tools! Dental picks, floss threaders*, superfloss, and waterpiks are all great tools that provide more powerful flossing solutions for those in braces. Each tool is designed to improve the effectiveness of flossing for those wearing braces. We suggest researching a couple of them to discover the best solution for your child.
2. Swish with water after eating
Swishing water around the mouth after meals is a great way to remove bits of food caught in braces. The water will be able to get rid of a lot of the stuck food, but harder to reach debris will need to be brushed or flossed away.
Besides, swishing warm salt water can relieve irritation from braces, reducing the possibility of an infection and promotes a healthy mouth.
Kids and braces
3. Replace toothbrushes regularly
It is recommended to replace toothbrushes every 3-4 months for healthy and clean teeth. Children and teenagers with braces wear out their toothbrushes faster. This is mostly from the damage to the bristles by the braces. In addition to the 3-4-months rule, if you notice the bristles are getting worn or frayed, it is time for a new toothbrush.
4. Stay away from hard and sticky foods
While without braces, hard and sticky foods can damage your teeth. The damage is worse with braces. Hard food can cause the bands or wires in braces to snap. Sticky foods, on the other hand, can get wedged in the braces and can be really difficult to remove. For children and teenagers with braces, these types of food should be avoided to keep their teeth clean and healthy.
Taking care of your braces
5. Visit your dentist
Routine dental check-ups and cleanings are important while you have braces. The orthodontist helps straighten teeth. The dentist is there to make sure they stay healthy. Braces make teeth more prone to plaque and tartar accumulation, so cleanings are actually more important now than ever. Therefore, we recommend frequent or 3-month cleanings.
Pediatric and teen oral care in Fleming Island, FL to the rescue!
From your child’s first visit to receiving oral care and advice for healthy and clean teeth, our doctors and staff at Pediatric Dentistry in Fleming Island, FL make visits to the dentist fun and worthwhile for both parents and kids.
Book an appointment with Pediatric Dentistry in Fleming Island, FL today or call (904) 215-7800 to learn more about caring for teeth with braces and keeping them clean and healthy.
*We are not an affiliate of Amazon, nor are we sponsored with the recommended flosser company. We just recommend these and they can easily be found on Amazon
Posted in EducationTagged , , , | <urn:uuid:622b2c33-e5b9-41d1-a2bd-8639df5c497f> | https://www.drbethkailes.com/blog/top-5-tips-for-taking-care-of-braces/ | en | 0.938185 | 0.03264 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
fbpx Keemo's Inspiring Message | Mustard Seed Communities
Keemo's Inspiring Message
You are here
Keemo always has a bright, smiling face. With a childhood of surgeries that led to him losing his ability to walk, understandably he wasn't always so positive. Now, he is an inspirational speaker and shares his story with the hope that his joyful spirit will help others.
He came to Mustard Seed's Dare to Care program, a home for children with HIV, after his mom passed away when he was 5-years-old. The displacement was hard at first but with the love of the caregivers and other children at the home, it was easier for him to settle in.
As a child growing up he wanted to be a soldier because of a desire to protect his nation. He was very active and enjoyed doing the fun things that other boys his age were doing until he was 13. He started experiencing excruciating joint pain and was having difficulty getting up after he sat down. He was not able to play soccer or lift heavy items. After a series of falls, he could no longer walk at the age of 14.
While he was bedridden he was very afraid of anyone touching, holding, or lifting him with the fear of having another bone broken. He would often ask the question “why me?” He reached a point where he started giving up on life and started to refuse his medication. However, he found strength from the positive people in his life, like his brothers at Mustard Seed's Matthew 25:40 home who love and care for him.
Now at age 24, Keemo shares his story at organizations in Jamaica. He hopes to be able to speak internationally and make an impact everywhere he goes.
Connect with Us | <urn:uuid:ef21d65b-1ce8-4505-b8df-50f9f39011bf> | https://www.mustardseed.com/blog/keemos-inspiring-message&utm_source=homepage_slide&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=blogpromotion&s_src=blogpromotionslide&s_subsrc=blogpromotion | en | 0.991997 | 0.060337 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Rob Sachs
Executive Producer
Rob Sachs is an award-winning journalist and the Executive Producer for America Abroad, AAM’s monthly radio documentary series.
He has worked in the national radio industry since 2000. He’s been a producer at NPR on programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Tell Me More.
In 2006 he launched his own NPR podcast titled “What Would Rob Do?: An Irreverent Guide to Life’s Daily Indignities.” The audience for the podcast grew to over 15,000 listeners per episode and became the basis of a book published in 2010 by John Wiley and Sons.
Rob has also reported for NPR, WAMU, KUOW, KCRW, and other radio outlets. Additionally he was a lecturer at the University of Maryland where he taught broadcast radio journalism.
Rob received his bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Maryland with his wife and three children.
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How police license plate readers can invade your privacy
License plate readers scan plate numbers and then cross-reference them with a “hot list” of plates of wanted or stolen vehicles. The problem is that only a small fraction of the plates are on the wanted list; the rest belong to non-criminal, law-abiding people – people whose movements the government could now conceivably track.
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In Cuba, electronic communication can be tricky for people on the island trying to reach the outside world. It's not only daunting — but can be dangerous. Despite those obstacles, Cubans have found ingenious ways to make their voices heard.
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Middle East comedians are using ISIS to make jokes
The rise of ISIS and their brutal acts of terror have been a horrifying development in the past year. And yet within in the Middle Eastern artistic community, an unlikely group of voices has begun to stand up to try and combat’s the group’s message of fear and intolerance: comedians.
How American fifth graders react when introduced to the concept of child marriages
The concept of child marriage is a completely foreign idea in the United States. Yet in many parts of the world, including South Asia and Africa, it’s as common as the idea of marriage itself. In countries such as, Niger, Chad and the Central African Republic, for example, more than two-thirds of girls were married off before their 18th birthday in 2007. That’s according to the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). | <urn:uuid:79f785ca-6ce1-460a-a107-c8076ac561d7> | https://www.pri.org/people/rob-sachs | en | 0.95205 | 0.02509 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Cockpit Protection Is the Last Safety Frontier of Open Wheel Racing
Is it time for a canopy?
Shawn Gritzmacher
DEATH HAS ALWAYS BEENand will always be—a part of motor racing. Its first personal visit came at age 19 on my first day as a professional race-car mechanic; former America's Cup skipper Tom Blackaller pulled away from the pits, made it halfway through the lap, and died of a massive coronary after exiting Sears Point's carousel. My ignominious debut was followed by more surreal chapters—scrubbing pools of dried blood left behind by shattered bones in an Indy-car chassis and hearing engines fall silent while injured drivers are enveloped by safety workers.
When Justin Wilson died after being struck by debris at Pocono Raceway in August, the predictable hail of anguish and sorrow followed: Another friend buried, more questions of whether it could have been prevented. And there's something new to ponder.
Our sport works from a belief—often a little lie we tell ourselves—that something positive will come from each sacrifice. Fire-related deaths brought flame-resistant overalls. Broken wheels and chassis components that once rained from above after a crash were kept earthbound with safety tethers. Mounting numbers of basilar skull fractures inspired the HANS device. It's a coping mechanism that fills the time it takes to develop whatever crash-inspired safety innovations are required.
But Wilson, a 37-year-old husband and father of two, died for a reason that's all too familiar: He was strapped into an open-cockpit Indy car and got hit in the head. Before Wilson, it was F1 driver Jules Bianchi whose exposed helmet met a mobile crane. Two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon crashed and was killed by a pole that caved in the side of his helmet. Wind the clock back to 1994, and it was Ayrton Senna dying in a crash where a piece of suspension pierced his brain.
Michael King/Getty Images
As with Wilson, Bianchi, and Wheldon, Senna's injuries were limited to the one portion of his body that was prone to direct contact. In a sport driven by pushing boundaries, the expected response to their head traumas would be to innovate and overcome, yet the ongoing need to protect drivers with some form of canopy or shield is willfully ignored. Untold millions are continually poured into developing the next performance gizmo, but two decades on from Senna's death, open-wheel sits idling.
"It's asinine to think with all the advancements we've made in this sport, we keep having drivers die from getting hit in the head," says F1 and Indy-car designer Gordon Kimball, whose son Charlie races for Chip Ganassi's IndyCar team. "Where's the sense of urgency to try and stop it from happening again?"
As legendary racing-car designer/driver Dan Gurney has found, death can be a costly form of inspiration.
"I'm not saying you have to have accidents to find better ways to do things, but I think you'll find that is what usually takes place. It's a case of looking for the solution after the fact."
The ongoing need to protect drivers with some form of canopy or shield is willfully ignored.
So if death is the prompt to act, why is open-wheel plagued by inaction on this issue? It's likely rooted in another lie. Thanks to all the safety improvements born from past tragedies, the frequency of deaths in F1 and IndyCar has been on a steady decline. Somewhere in those impressive statistics, the century-old need to keep pushing has been lost. Progress has stalled. However, newfound pressure from an unexpected source could finally force F1 and IndyCar to respond.
Bianchi's and Wilson's deaths inspired an outpouring of concern and support on social media for open-wheel driver safety and indicated that today's fan base is less willing to accept death as an occupational hazard.
"Can we kill a driver every couple of years this way?" Kimball asks. "I don't think so. If you look at the direction society is moving, people don't accept it the way they once did." If the cure for racing's safety malaise is eventually credited to Twitter and Facebook, so be it.
Former race engineer Marshall Pruett regularly ponders life—and death—in the paddock for R&T.
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More From Motorsports | <urn:uuid:91e489db-1300-4e2e-bee9-ff585590c733> | https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a27190/the-last-safety-frontier/ | en | 0.966097 | 0.080614 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
As a result of the franchise business model, 14,337 local businesses provide 149,500 jobs to the Wisconsin economy and account for $11.9 billion of the state's economic output, and $4.4 billion of private sector payroll. Nationally, nearly 733,000 franchise businesses provide 7.6 million jobs, $674.3 billion of economic output and $404.6 billion of GDP, which is 2.5% of U.S GDP.*
Franchise Establishments Get High Marks From Wisconsin Voters | <urn:uuid:552d19ed-fa84-436d-a4c3-ccb76e386ef7> | http://atourfranchise.org/wisconsin | en | 0.869864 | 0.031486 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Victor Jaenada - biography
Galeria Balaguer is pleased to present you for the first time in Barcelona an individual exhibition of Víctor Jaenada (Barcelona, 1977).
From a long time, social concerns and contact with the current situation have determined Víctor Jaenada’s work, and these preoccupations can be treated from different perspectives. We will see pieces with a banal and frivolous appearance, from the popular culture, and others who are made from the most intense and momentous human being, so these last pieces contains hair, nails, blood and other elements related with the physique idea of life-death.
The radical, chaotic and “unconcerned” Víctor Jaenada’s universe wants to disorientate us, and later it submerges us on a dynamic, shaking and intentional atmosphere that hides a depraved and solid structure. | <urn:uuid:1919eaf9-7b2f-48ec-ae79-d6ef1f442980> | http://imgdyzsglnhtqen.galeriabalaguer.com/en/victor-jaenada/biography | en | 0.891203 | 0.032739 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
What is diplontic life cycle
This discussion on What is haplontic and diplontic life cycle?
Difference Between Haplontic and Diplontic Life Cycle
About the Author: A life cycle is a period involving one generation of an organism through means of reproduction, whether through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction. Some lichen, however, such as Lobaria scrobiculata, have a unique feature: This ensures that the gametes will have only one set of chromosomes, so when they fuse again during sexual reproduction, the resulting zygote will have the two sets of chromosomes of a normal diploid cell.
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what is diplontic life cycle
These three types of cycles feature alternating haploid and diploid phases n and 2n. The cycles differ in the product of meiosis, and whether mitosis growth occurs.
Haplontic Diplontic Life Cycle
This results in a zygote which then germinates. A new study places value on indigenous and local knowledge contribution in the...
What is haplontic and diplontic life cycle?
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what is diplontic life cycle
One of the gametes comes from a female and the other from the male. This continues on for the organism's entire life cycle.
what is diplontic life cycle
Why do I need to sign in? This allows a nice mixture of the genetics of both parents and increases diversity of traits in the gene pool for natural selection to work on.
what is diplontic life cycle
Upvote 2. The haplontic life cycle consists of a free-living gametophyte while the diplontic life cycle consists of a free-living sporophyte in plants. Some species use asexual reproduction to make offspring, while others reproduce using sexual reproduction. Fertilization of the gametes produces the next generation.
3 Types of Sexual Life Cycles
You can study other questions, MCQs, videos and tests for Class 11 on EduRev and even discuss your questions like What is haplontic and diplontic life cycle? Like the haplontic and diplontic life cycles, organisms that have an alternation of generations sexual life cycle begin life as a diploid zygote formed from the fusion of haploid gametes from a male and a female.
All that you need for Class 11. Heather Scoville is a high school science teacher and writes science curriculum for online science courses. Recovering Forests Important to Conservation Feb. Updated February 15, 2019. Instead, the process of meiosis is what creates the haploid gametes from the diploid cells in the body.
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Ogle County Small Claims Court, Illinois
Before Filing a Small Claims Court Case in Ogle County
It is strongly recommended to send a demand letter to the defendant before filing a small claims court case. Demand letters are a written summary explaining the facts surrounding your case and why you are entitled to money (which should be drafted in a polite, clear, concise way). Sending a demand letter is recommended because filing a case and resolving it in court often takes time. Additionally, collection of any court award takes additional time and is never guaranteed. If it is possible to settle your case before filing with the court, it is an option worth exploring. Additionally, putting down your case in clear words is something a plaintiff will have to do anyways when a complaint is filed (and certainly done in preparation for the trial).
Can I have an attorney represent me in Small Claims Court?
Locations for Small Claims Court in Ogle County
Small Claims Court cases are heard at:
Ogle County Courthouse
P.O. Box 69
Oregon, IL 61061-0069
106 South 5th Street
Suite 300
Oregon, Illinois 61061-0337
The clerk’s phone number for the court is: 815-732-3201
The clerk’s fax number for the court is: 815-732-9093
How to File a Small Claims Court Case
To begin a small claims case, the party needs to file a document with the court clerk called a complaint. A blank complaint can be obtained by contacting the court clerk’s office. The party filing the complaint to begin the court case is called the plaintiff. The party being sued in the complaint is called the defendant.
Can I file a case in Ogle County?
Who hears my case in Ogle County Small Claims Court
Ogle County allows for a small claims court case to be either a bench (judge) or jury trial. You are encouraged to consult with an attorney prior to requesting a jury trial. A jury trial is much more complex and difficult for a person to represent themselves in and requires substantially more preparation. Requesting a jury trial also has additional costs for the party making the request.
Who can Bring a Case in Ogle County Small Claims Court?
Any individual or corporation doing business in Illinois can both sue and be sued in small claims court. The court may require the appointment of a guardian for those parties under the age of 18. The court does require that any corporation acting as a plaintiff in small claims court be represented by an attorney. If a defendant is a corporate entity, only certain officers or members of the corporation are allowed to represent it.
What happens after the Small Claims Court Trial?
If the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, it will issue a judgment of monetary damages. The law in Illinois requires that an appeal from the judgment be filed within thirty days of the date the judgment is entered by the court.
Service of a Ogle County Small Claims Court Defendant
Preparing for a Small Claims Court Hearing
A party preparing for a small claims court trial should prepare the case to make a clear, understandable presentation to a judge. Before the trial date, you should gather any pieces of evidence that will help you explain your side of the case including any contracts, receipts, photographs, or other documents. Preparing a short chronology of the events in your case is helpful. The court will pay particular attention to details including times, dates, value of damages so it is critical to have these details noted and documented ahead of time (and even including them in your complaint). You should also take steps to secure the attendance of any witnesses that have information to help your case. You should make sure any witness you need is aware of the location of the court (including courtroom number) and the time and date of the trial. If the person refuses to come to court, you may need to take steps to issue a subpoena for them to attend.
What Happens at a Small Claims Court Trial
Small Claims Court in Ogle County
Ogle County Small Claims Court
Ogle County Small Claims Court
Small claims court is a special type of civil court where a party can file a case for $10,000 or less. Small claims court in Ogle County uses simpler rules and procedures than regular civil court which allows cases to be tried or resolved quicker and by people who are not attorneys.
What Types of Cases are handled in Ogle County Small Claims Court?
• breach of contract
• property damage
• personal injury cases
• eviction
• repossessions of personal property that was leased or purchased on credit
• garnishment case against a debtor
| <urn:uuid:3f87679d-64ee-4c81-b779-d9e37f03041c> | http://smallclaimscourthouse.com/illinois/ogle-county/ | en | 0.938529 | 0.019449 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
– Discord Discussion
We now use discord service for faster response time and discussion for new and current player base. Feel free to join in and discuss with us.
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What to Bring
Check the weather forecast and pack appropriately. Most of our time is spent outdoors.
Layers, bug repellent, sunscreen, and extra socks are always good options. Blankets and pillows. Costuming. Snacks for in between meals. Beverages, especially water. Staying hydrated is important! Also make sure to bring toiletry materials such as towels, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.
NPCs should bring dark clothes with no logos and comfortable shoes/boots that are either in period or dark and non-descript. Most costuming will be provided, however have a nice blank (and warm) base is beneficial.
Your First Event
Welcome to Alliance Larp Traverse City! That first event can be a daunting prospect. NPC vs PC? What do I need to bring? How do I make a character? Where will I sleep? Will I be fighting all the time? What about food? This handy guide will help ease you into your first event.
Before we answer all those burning questions, a few useful facts:
FOIG – Find Out In Game. Many times you will ask a question and receive this answer. This simply means that the answer is IG (in game) and thus your character should ask someone in game.
IG – In game. This refers to your character and everything in the game world.
OOG – Out of Game. This refers to you the person, general information, and the real world.
NPH – New Player Helper. This is a person designated to assist new player with safe combat techniques, general rules, and answering questions.
Marshal – Certified in Rules and Enforcement. These are the people to make the official call on the field if there is a rules question. Their ruling is final. Should you still disagree, go with their ruling to ensure the flow of game play and ask for an adjudication after the event (or when downtime allows).
Adjudication – Amending something that has happened in game due to incorrect ruling. This is most commonly done for deaths that occurred due to npc error or rules confusion. An adjudication can never change the story. What happened happened. However, it may amend things such as your total death count on your character sheet.
NPC – Non Player Character. These are the monsters, merchants, and general minions of the plot team. Their cards are determined by plot.
PC – Playable Character. These are the adventurers. Each adventurer builds their own character based around the rules and abilities found in the Alliance Larp Rule Book.
GS – Goblin Stamps. This is a virtual currency awarded for donations (monetary, time and labor, etc) to the chapter. These stamps can be redeemed for a variety of things including blanketing events (getting xp for events you weren’t at, and monthly blankets), coin, production, and sometimes even ritual scrolls.
Starting out as an npc gives you the opportunity to test the waters. NPCing is free. NPCing gives you the chance to try many roles, such as fighting, rp, spell casting, etc, before you lock yourself into a particular character. It is a great way to learn the rules, figure out what you can and can’t do, and see how the whole thing works, before you invest in a personalized character.
Some people prefer to jump right in. The rulebook walks you through starting build, classes, races, etc. Design your backstory, costume, weapons, and character sheet. If you need help at any point, reach out to our oog forums.
When your character is all designed and ready to go, feel free to make a post on the IG forum. This can be a great way to introduce yourself, make a few potential friends, and maybe even find a ward to sleep in!
Your First Day at NPC Camp
So, you want to be a monster. You pack up your weekend bag of dark clothes and head on down to camp. When you arrive, check in at logistics. This ensures you will get credit for your time spent npcing, and they can direct you to npc camp. Once in npc camp, get settled in and introduce yourself around. Generally a NPH will come find you and any other new players for a safe combat lesson. Before game on, npc camp is in setup mode. Once game on approaches, you will be given a role, a costume, and instructions. NPCs are always in demand. Once game on is called and pcs start hunting for adventure, you will be constantly on the go. Look to your
plot runners and more experienced npcs for help/questions.
Your First Day as a PC
Your bags are packed, character submitted, background submitted, and maybe even a donation so you can back blanket for extra xp. You head on down to camp and make your way to logistics. At logistics you make any payments needed and hand in any donations you may have. You will be given a character card along with any tags owed you. These tags may include armor tags (based on costume), weapon tags (starting weapons),
spell books, and any production tags for skills used or GS spent. The tags you receive correlate to what your character has on their card. So a templar might receive an armor tag for having leather bracers (must have actual REAL leather bracers), a sword tag (weapons are owned by individuals, you will need to bring your own or ask someone in advance to borrow), and a spellbook with 2 first level spells and 1 second level spell in it. Every new character also receives 15 copper as starting money. Once you are checked in, you need to find a place to put your stuff.
Head on down to the pc cabins and find yourself a bunk. As a general guideline, under the bunk is considered out of game. Feel free to stash your purse or wallet there, but not your IG things or coin. When players are ready to start, they tend to gather in the tavern to wait for game on. At game on the owner, gm, and head of plot will give everyone a general overview of specific rules, effects, etc for this particular event. Once game on is called, you are now your character! Go talk to people, both pc and npc to find out what’s happening. Most people tend to form groups or guilds to adventure with, but this is not a requirement. If you want to hide in the woods and ambush people and never officially meet a single person… that is your perogative. No matter what you decide to do, remember, it is a game! Have fun! | <urn:uuid:3f1ad74e-42e9-46e3-905b-00ee1a0702c2> | http://traversecitylarp.com/game-guide/ | en | 0.94971 | 0.023609 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Effects of Glyphosate on Soils and Plants
One of the most common agricultural chemicals in use today is Glyphosate. It is commonly used for weed control and also crop “burn down” prior to planting the new crop. However, most people have no idea of how it actually works and what it does to the soils where it is used.
Glyphosate works by crippling a plant’s nutritional pathways and immune systems. To do so, it blocks the absorption of Manganese through a critical pathway. As a secondary affect, it also is a very efficient mineral chelator, thus tying up critical minerals in both the plant and the soil and reducing the nutrition to the plant
Once the plant is crippled, Glyphosate promotes the growth of soil-borne pathogens while effectively killing all the pathogen inhibiting beneficial microbes. The pathogens then attack the weakened and crippled plant which kills it.
There are four key points in this process that most farmers don’t understand, and don’t currently compensate for.
1. Glyphosate inhibits Manganese absorption, even in “roundup ready” plants.
Manganese is a critical mineral used by the plant in many functions and processes. It is critical in key nutrient absorption and utilization processes as well as photosynthesis, so a lack of manganese is extremely detrimental to the strength, growth, and development of the plant.
2. Glyphosate chelates (ties up) many nutrients, making them unavailable to the plant.
The glyphosate molecule has a very strong negative charge, so it very efficiently attracts and holds onto any available positively charged minerals. This reduces the mineral nutrition available for the plant, weakening the plant and making it more susceptible to disease and pests, even "round-up ready" varieties.
The lack of mineral nutrition can be especially challenging for plants when they are trying to set their yield. Plants determine yield based on the nutrients available to them. If the nutrients are tied up, there will be a significant decrease in yield because of it. For example, according to industry documentation, the recommended first application of ghlyphosate in corn is between V3 and V5. It is precisely during that time frame that the corn plant is determining how many kernels to produce around the circumference of the cob. Take away nutrition and the cobs will be smaller!
glyphosate biocidal properties3. Glyphosate is an extremely efficient anti-microbial product, targeting almost exclusively the beneficial microbes.
The beneficial soil microbes are very sensitive to glyphosate, with extreme results at even very low concentrations (as low as .01 ppm). So applying glyphosate essentially wipes out your protective soil microorganisms, leaving it open to the proliferation of pathogenic organisms (disease).
4. Glyphosate stimulates the proliferation of pathogenic organisms
The affect goes far beyond lack of toxicity. Most pathogenic organisms are not sensitive to glyphosate and can easily withstand its application, even in higher concentrations. However, glyphosate actually excites and strengthens the pathogens, increasing their reproduction beyond the normal response to a lack of beneficial control.
Most farmers say, “But I have to do something about my weeds!”
There are other methods of dealing with unwanted growth, but they are longer term solutions, and they take some extra work too.
If you are determined to use glyphosate, then there are some tools and methodologies you can use to minimize the negative effects.
1. Use Argosy RF which greatly increases the effectiveness of the glyphosate while requiring much less of it and fewer applications, thus reducing some of the secondary negative effects.
2. Always apply glyphosate with Glyphonix to block the mineral chelation effect and allow uninterrupted nutrient flow to the plant.
3. If you use glypohosate for burn-down before planting the next crop, don’t plant immediately. Wait 10-14 days before planting for better results (and always apply microbiological boosters when planting to replace what the glyphosate killed).
4. Always follow glyphosate application with foliar trace mineral supplements, especially manganese. Apply the foliar supplements 7-10 days after the glyphosate application.
5. Always follow glyphosate application with microbiological supplements and stimulation. Apply microbiology 7-10 days after the glyphosate application.
6. By following these recommendations, you can minimize your short-term glyphosate usage and compensate for the negative effects while working toward better and longer-term solutions which will keep your soils and your plants healthy and functional. Healthier soils produce healthier plants which have less disease and better yields, providing better results for you and your farm.
Take Back Your Farm
Restoring Nature's Sustainability! You're Next, so call now!
(435) 753-2086 | <urn:uuid:da7d5eb3-4eca-413e-aa35-da9e478ea31f> | http://www.biomineralstechnologies.com/farm-solutions/reduce-chemicals/effects-of-glyphosate-on-soils-and-plants | en | 0.919307 | 0.301979 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tuesday 28 January, 2020
Venezuela's Maduro announces power rationing amid outages
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday announced a 30-day plan to ration electricity following nationwide power cuts that have inflicted misery on millions of people and ignited protests, including one near the presidential palace in Caracas.
The rationing plan will help deal with the outages that have also cut off water supply and communications for days at a time, Maduro said in a speech on national television in which he also warned against any unrest in reaction to the blackouts.
Hours before Maduro's appeal for calm, protests broke out in neighbourhoods in the capital and other cities following a call by opposition leader Juan Guaido to demonstrate against the government's failure to provide basic services. Many took to balconies and building windows to bang pots in protest and shout curses at Maduro. They also burned trash and blocked roads.
While police did not intervene in most cases, alleged government supporters known as "colectivos" appeared in some areas on motorbikes and threatened protesters, who quickly dispersed. The "colectivos" are sometimes armed and video posted on social media showed masked men as well as men firing shots in the streets.
In his speech, Maduro said "colectivos" and other pro-government groups should keep order as Venezuela grapples with the blackouts, which he has blamed on U.S.-led sabotage without offering clear evidence.
"We're confronting monsters who want to destroy Venezuela," said Maduro, who said the electricity rationing would balance generation and transmission with consumption, with the aim of ensuring water supply.
Guaido says years of government neglect, mismanagement and corruption have left the electrical grid in shambles.
"There is no sabotage," the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly wrote on Twitter. "They brought the electrical system to a collapse because they are corrupt and now they can't resolve it because they are incapable."
Some of the protests on Sunday occurred near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, in a direct challenge to Maduro.
"No one can put up with this. We spend almost all day without electricity," said Karina Camacho, a 56-year-old housewife who was about to buy a chicken when electronic payment machines stopped working. "There's been no water since (last) Monday, you can't call by phone, we can't pay with cards or even eat."
The ongoing blackouts now mark another point of tension in a country paralyzed by political and economic turmoil, compounding a humanitarian crisis and deepening a prolonged standoff between two political parties vying for power.
Netblocks, a group monitoring internet censorship, said network data showed just 15 percent of Venezuela was online after the latest power cuts struck Sunday morning, while water supply, phone service and internet continued to be shaky and unreliable.
The United States and dozens of other countries support Guaido's claim that Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate. The U.S. has imposed oil sanctions and other economic penalties on Venezuela in an attempt to force him out of power, but he has yet to show signs of backing down.
The latest outage comes just weeks after Venezuela experienced nationwide blackouts on March 7 which shut down schools, offices and factories and paralyzed nearly every part of the oil-rich country of 31 million.
| <urn:uuid:b3f28309-80c5-48a6-8b04-edee4f65921f> | http://www.looptt.com/content/venezuelas-maduro-announces-power-rationing-amid-outages | en | 0.96927 | 0.060216 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Aglare Lighting Co., Ltd.
Automotive LED Bulbs
automotive led bulb
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• Factory Location: China
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Detail Information
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3. Solid-state, high-shock, and vibration-resistant.
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6. Customized designs are welcome.
7. Applications: parking, stop, and turn signal.
8. Auto/aircraft.
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Specification :
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Aglare Lighting Co., Ltd.
• China | <urn:uuid:b595a8ec-4e68-4a83-a46f-88039b5e966d> | http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/showroom-8391-4-5-0000084333-3612.php | en | 0.701834 | 0.027564 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Old 03-14-2010, 07:18 PM #128
Avalon Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: OC, CA and next...
Posts: 1,289
Default Re: No Food - No Fear
Originally Posted by FIIISH View Post
I have a question I was hoping someone could help me answer.
I understand how it is possible to survive without the energy we get from food,
but how is it possible to survive without nutrients or water?
Is it simply mind over matter?
That is a good question fiiish which I have been thinking of for awhile now. I don't know the answer but how about a few observations... for discussion sake.
As long as we are in the habit of eating then are body expects food and tells us so when we are hungry. However, so much food now is filled with chemicals that actually are designed to chemically trigger the 'growling' or 'I'm hungry' response/sensation artificially. Most of our food supply goes in one end and out the other. So what is our body really getting out of the foods we eat? Seems really that we are mostly eating based on 'smells good' and the taste. And then we have to take supplements to fill in the void. So eating the food supply is just a waste of money because there is no nutrition in it, it has become just a habit or a social thing to do. Experiment yourself... go on a fast and then try and hang out with friends and family, virtually everything there is to do is surrounded by some form of food and drink!!!!
So how would the body get nutrition if you didn't take supplements because there is no nutrition in our food anymore? And as you mentioned what about the 'energy' factor? So how about this... as long as we are in the habit of eating our body is in the 'spend energy to digest food' mode. But as soon as you go on a fast a body mechanism makes a switch. The first day you still have the hunger pains, but the second day the body seems more heightened or on an alert mode, its like a different mechanism is switched on and the body conscious has a different outlook. Could the body draw in what it knows it is deficient from in the air we breath and absorb Sunlight and convert it into whatever component the body desires? Can Sunlight and Air provide a foundation of 'base' components and then the body will know what to do to convert the 'base' components into whatever nutrient the body at the time currently needs.
Our bodies are a chemical factory and can produce virtually any chemical known on Earth as long as the 'base' components are available or are not interfered with from toxins, pollutants, preservatives/gummy material, or allergic reactionary substances, drugs, etc.
And if you had the right kind of 'ingredients' in your gut to encourage the right kind of flora then wouldn't your body be able to grow its own food supply in your intestines through a balanced flora, which would include nutritional supplementation through the good flora growing inside you. Keifer grows in the dark, so how many other organisms could grow inside you that were cooperative to the body for a self sustaining relationship?
When something is absent desire is turned on to fulfill the absence, then that desire attracts the solution in whatever shape or form is necessary to fill the desire to fix the disharmony and bring in equilibrium. When its dark and we desire to see we find a light. Our body mechanism will find a way to attract nutrition through Air, Sunlight, and whatever it can get to grow inside by whatever means is available to the body conscious. Fear and panic of not having food or water available will obviously override this mechanism in most people because who ever heard of the body figuring out for itself how it will find what it needs.
In other words one could fast with the express purpose of observing their body to see how it will 'find' nutrition and water (water can be absorbed through the Air we breathe or perhaps just recycled within the body too). Or one could suddenly find themselves without food and water and panic based on the thinking that they will starve to death if they don't eat!!!!!
If someone were to really understand the mechanics of harnessing free energy that is available all around us at all times they could in essence magnify their own body into a powerhouse! For example... we walk around in the sunlight every day and for the most part we are free to be outside and the sunlight all around is basically harmless (walk to your mailbox get your mail and walk back inside and not get cooked...easy right). Now take a magnifying glass and position it just so, at the right angle in the sunlight and you can harness the power of the sun to focus it it a lethal weapon to burn leaves with, You get the point.
A plant converts sunlight into sugar proteins and grows, so the plant becomes solidified sunlight and all the plant needs is minerals, water, and sunlight to magnify, conduct electricity, and convert energy from one form to another all by itself within the 'reflection' of the DNA code it possess.'
Most of the population have had their Root chakra trimmed or interfered with (humans are being turned into 'hydroponic' beings) so they are not grounded enough to Earth in order for this process to function nonetheless be observable. So grow your root chakra back and see what changes take place in your body... no roots no grow-ageing. Yes there are some other details but we can see the concept.
Tesla never invented 'Free Energy' he just figured out how to harness, focus, and magnify what already exists, but don't tell anyone!
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A pair of ostriches in front of a large green grassy field.
Some Threatened
Struthio camelus
• CLASS: Aves (Birds)
• ORDER: Struthioniformes
• FAMILY: Struthiondae
• GENUS: Struthio
• SPECIES: camelus
• SUBSPECIES: camelus (red-necked or North African ostrich), molybdophanes (Somali ostrich), massaicus (Masai ostrich), australis (South African ostrich)
The ostrich is the largest and heaviest living bird. As its species name, camelus, suggests, the ostrich was once known as the “camel bird” because of its long neck, prominent eyes, and sweeping eyelashes, as well as its jolting walk. Also, like camels, the ostrich can tolerate high temperatures and go without water for long periods of time.
As it is so heavy, this flightless bird that can never take to the skies; instead, it’s built to run. Its long, thick, and powerful legs can cover great distances without much effort, and its feet have only two toes for greater speed.
Ostriches can sprint in short bursts up to 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour), and they can maintain a steady speed of 31 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour). Just one stride can be 10 to 16 feet (3 to 5 meters) long—that’s longer than many rooms! When danger threatens, ostriches can escape pretty easily by running away. Ostrich chicks can run at speeds approaching 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour) at just a month old!
If they can't fly, why do they have wings? For one thing, ostriches hold their wings out to help them balance when they run, especially if they suddenly change direction. Their main use, though, along with the tail feathers, is for displays and courtship. To show dominance, an ostrich holds its head up high and lifts its wings and tail feathers; to show submission, the head, wings, and tail droop down.
Unlike most birds’ feathers, ostrich feathers are loose, soft, and smooth. They don’t hook together the way feathers of other birds do, giving ostriches a "shaggy" look. The feathers can also get soaked in the rain, because ostriches do not have the special gland many birds have to waterproof their feathers while preening. Adult male ostriches have striking black-and-white plumage; immature birds and adult females have grayish brown feathers.
Ostriches live in groups, which helps with defense. With their long necks and keen vision, they can see for great distances, so in a group at least one of them is likely to notice danger approaching. Ostriches sometimes gather in a large flock of 100 or more, but most flocks are smaller, usually about 10 birds or just a male and female pair. The groups have a pecking order, with a dominant male that establishes and defends a territory, a dominant female called the "main hen," and several other females. Lone males may also come and go during breeding season.
Contrary to the popular myth, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand! When an ostrich senses danger and cannot run away, it flops to the ground and remains still, with its head and neck flat on the ground in front of it. Because the head and neck are lightly colored, they blend in with the color of the soil. From a distance, it just looks like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand, because only the body is visible. Some ostrich eggs are lost to hyenas, jackals, and even Egyptian vultures, which break open eggs by dropping stones on them. But when an adult ostrich is threatened, it attacks with a clawed foot that delivers a kick powerful enough to kill a lion.
Native to Africa, ostriches are found in savanna and desert regions, were they graze among giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and gazelles. Ostriches are omnivores, and they eat whatever is available in their habitat at that time of the year. They mostly eat plants, especially roots, leaves, and seeds, but they also munch on insects, snakes, lizards, or rodents that come within reach. When an ostrich eats, food is collected in the crop at the top of the throat until there is a large enough lump to slide down the throat.
Ostriches eat things that other animals can’t digest. They have tough intestines that are 46 feet (14 meters) long—if you stretched them out—in order to absorb as many nutrients as possible. These big birds also swallow sand, pebbles, and small stones that help grind up food in the gizzard. Ostriches do not need to drink water, since they get what they need from the plants they eat, although they drink if they come to a water hole. They also have a special way of raising their body temperature on hot days to reduce water loss.
Ostriches at zoos are fed special bird pellets containing vitamins and minerals, along with browse and vegetables like carrots and broccoli.
The dominant or "alpha" hen mates with the territorial male, and they share the tasks of incubating the eggs and caring for the chicks. The other females may mate with that male or other wandering males, and then lay their eggs in the same nest as the main hen’s eggs—a communal “dump” nest that is little more than a shallow depression scratched in the dirt by the male. The main hen puts her eggs in the center of the nest to make sure they have the best chance of hatching, but many of the other eggs may also be incubated.
Ostrich eggs are famous for their size, averaging 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length, 5 inches (13 centimeters) across, and weighing about 3 pounds (1,500 grams). Yet an ostrich egg is small in relation to the size of the adult. An ostrich hen lays 7 to 10 eggs at a time, but her large body can easily cover dozens more. Communal laying has advantages for an ostrich flock: more eggs successfully hatch overall in a communal nest than if each female ostrich had her own nest to incubate and protect. Usually the drab-colored main hen takes incubation duty during the day; the black-plumed male takes over and incubates at night.
Newly hatched chicks are about the size of barnyard chickens, but they grow at a rate of 1 foot (30 centimeters) per month, and by 6 months of age they are nearly as large as their parents. A few days after the chicks hatch, they leave the nest to travel with their parents. The adults shelter them under their wings to protect them from sun and rain. When chicks are threatened, the male ostrich reacts with alarm, his neck outstretched and mouth open. This is not a prelude to an attack but one of several “distraction displays” meant to divert a predator’s attention so the chicks can scatter into the grass or run for cover, accompanied by the female.
Baby ostriches are covered with a stiff, spiky down and don’t begin to show their adult plumage until four months of age. Male ostriches don’t attain their black-and-white feathers until they reach sexual maturity in three to four years. It’s not known how long they live in the wild, but ostriches in zoos live up to 40 years.
When family groups of ostriches meet, they may challenge each other with short chases, and then the winning adult pair takes all the chicks with them. Some of these "nurseries" can end up with 300 chicks and only a couple of adults to mind them.
In the early days of the San Diego Zoo, infertile ostrich eggs were often served at the lunch room in the Zoo or taken home by Zoo employees for domestic use. A note about ostrich eggs in our member magazine, ZOONOOZ, from 1935 said, “They are very tender, making delicious angel food cakes. They are also good when hard boiled, and it takes more than an hour to cook them properly for this sort of service.”
Currently, there are ostriches in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's African Plains.
Humans have had a long association with ostriches due primarily to the birds’ feathers. Records show the ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian empires all actively groomed, farmed, and traded ostrich plumes. Throughout the ages, ostrich feathers have been worn by royalty, adorned the helmets of medieval knights, and festooned the elaborate hairdos of ladies. In the late 18th century, the hat industry brought the fashion for all types of feathers to its zenith and turned the hunting of wild birds for their feathers into a major global enterprise.
Ostrich plumes were particularly prized. South Africa turned to the commercial farming of ostriches for their feathers. It quickly became a profitable industry; so valuable were ostrich plumes that in the early 20th century, they ranked fourth on the list of South African exports after gold, diamonds, and wool. By 1913, more than 1 million ostriches lived on commercial farms throughout the world. Then, overnight, the bottom dropped out of the feather market due, surprisingly, to the invention of the car. Early cars had no roof or windshield, and women passengers found their feathers stripped from hats and blown away.
Ostrich farming continues today on a smaller scale primarily to supply the feather duster industry. Farm-raised ostriches are also harvested for eggs, supple leather, and gourmet meat that is lower in cholesterol than beef.
At one time, most of Africa was home to the ostrich. Today, although not threatened, the ostrich requires strict protection and farming to conserve the remaining wild populations. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has been working with the red-necked ostrich in Niger and providing technical expertise and funding to develop and manage a breeding program for the birds to establish secure and self-sustaining populations in that country.
We still have much to learn about this interesting bird’s complex social life.
30 to 40 years
Number of eggs laid: 7 to 10 per female
Size of egg: 6 x 5 inches (15 x 13 centimeters) average; weighing about 3 pounds (1,500 grams)
Incubation period: 42 to 46 days
Number of young at hatch: Up to 60 from different females in a common nest
Age of maturity: 3 to 4 years
Height: Female, 5.7 to 6.2 feet (1.7 to 1.9 meters); male, 6.9 to 9 feet (21. to 2.7 meters)
Weight: Female, 198 to 242 pounds (90 to 110 kilograms); male, 220 to 287 pounds (100 to 130 kilograms)
An ostrich’s eye is almost 2 inches (5 centimeters) across—the largest eye of any land animal.
Weighing in at more than 3 pounds (1,500 grams), the ostrich egg is the largest egg—in fact, the largest single cell—found on our planet today. Only dinosaurs produced larger eggs.
One ostrich egg is equivalent to the weight of about 24 chicken eggs.
The ostrich is the only bird that has two toes: all other birds have three or four.
Flightless Fancy
No other avian species has the fast, fearless, and flexible resume of the ostentatious ostrich... | <urn:uuid:e3433840-9dcd-44e4-915f-4a54e43b8058> | https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/index.php/animals/ostrich | en | 0.946682 | 0.144323 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
dGB Earth Sciences - 25 years
FAQ Survey Setup
Q: I only have 2D data, why do I need to set up as if I have a 3D survey?
A: Because OpendTect works in a 3D space. Just to be able to have some ‘work space’, an initial work wireframe - some kind of 3D raster must be set up. It defines the boundaries and granularity of the elements in space. You can use ‘Set for 2D only’ which fills everything with sensible numbers.
Q: I have a 2D line only. Why doesn’t ‘Scan SEG-Y file’ set up the survey?
A: Because 2D lines have insufficient information to set up a 3D survey working cube. Just scan the file for coordinate ranges and average trace distance, then use ‘Set for 2D only’ to set up your survey.
Q: My SEG-Y scan says: ‘one in-line only’ (or invalid coordinates, or …).
A: Scan only works if the SEG-Y file has the correct info in the trace headers. Your SEG-Y file may not have the data required to set up the survey. Per trace, a coordinate and an inline/crossline. If you select the wrong locations or if the data is bad, you get this sort of problems. Remember: you do not *have* to use a SEG-Y file scan to set up your survey. You can do it ‘by hand’, and later import the cube with only inline/crossline or only coordinates from the headers.
User Documentation Survey Setup
Q: I would like to locate the OpendTect survey bounding box and wells correctly in Google Earth. How do I go about that?
A: The workflow for this is described in detail in the following PDF file:
Google Earth - OpendTect Survey Position | <urn:uuid:7b006326-d230-4566-9d6c-dcdf211d7567> | https://dgbes.com/index.php/support/faq-survey-setup | en | 0.875488 | 0.843957 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tinga Tinga Tales: Why Elephant Has a Trunk
“You see, there was a time when Elephant had no nose. He was big, he was clumsy and he was very, very SMELLY!” Come to Tinga Tinga, the land of stories and surprises, to find out how Elephant was turned from a smelly, dirty creature with a short, stubby nose into the glorious beast we know today. When Elephant’s nose gets “snapped” by a grumpy Crocodile, it is stretched and stretched until it is a very useful long, wiggly nose indeed! TERRUMPETT! An African folktale is vibrantly retold for curious tots in this richly colourful story of how the elephant came to be, inspired by the indigenous Tinga Tinga art of Tanzania.
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Why Pork or Pig Meat Is Haram in Islam
Why Pork or Pig Meat Is Haram in Islam
Eating of pig meat can origin no less than 70 diverse types of diseases. They said that tapeworms or ova die when we cooked well pig meat. But, according to a survey in the USA, 24 people suffering from a disease which was spread after eating pig meat and 22 had cooked very well pork. This shows that ova don’t die under the regular cooking temperature. If you want to taste Saudi food, must go for Umrah with Islamic Travel. They have a lot of packages just like Cheap Ramadan Umrah Packages 2019.
Diseases Instigated by Pork
There are many bacterial and parasitic germs are found in pig meat which causes several serious diseases. Diseases may be fatal or spreadable after eating pork. Now scientists believe, Islam theory about pork is correct.
Parasitic Diseases
There are many bloodsucking diseases which spread after eating pork. A list is given below,
• Trichina worms
This worm is a very dangerous parasite and causes Rheumatism and muscular pain. The patient may die because no symptoms are shown. No one is protected from this disease and no cure for it.
Why Pork or Pig Meat Is Haram in Islam
• Pork Tape Worm
This worm causes many diseases such as anemia, diarrhea, extreme depression melancholia, and digestive disturbances. Its larva settles down in brain, liver, lungs or spinal cord and grows there.
• Round Worms
This worm causes digestive disturbances, appendicitis, and obstructive jaundice.
• Hook Worms
This worm causes heart failure, edema, anemia, typhoid, and diarrhea.
• Schistosoma Japonicum
This worm causes bleeding and if ova stable in the brain and spinal cord then paralysis and death may occur.
• Paragomines Westermaini
This worm causes bleeding of the lungs.
Why Pork or Pig Meat Is Haram in Islam
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Easter Umrah Packages with Flights by Islamic Travel
• Metastrongylus Apri
This worm causes bronchitis and abscess of lungs.
Bacterial Diseases
There are some bacterial diseases which may people affect and permanent disabilities. A list is given below,
• Tuberculosis Fusiformis Necro Urus
During this a disease people difficult to heal, the disease called foot-rot.
• Salmonella Cholera Suis
Instigating cholera Paratyphoid Brucellosis and it may lead to enduring disabilities.
• Swine Erysipelas
It causing Erysipelas in man.
Why Pork or Pig Meat Is Haram in Islam
Fats in Filthiest Animal
According to nutrition’s pig meat contain more fat than other meats like cow, chicken etc. You see the people who love to eat pork, are fatter than normal people. Therefore, cholesterol level increases that people and flatter to atherosclerosis circulatory accidents and unexpected demise.
So, I think Allah is merciful to Muslims who save them many diseases just prohibit us to pig meat. Allah is indeed Kind and Most Magnificent. Before going to Umrah thru Cheap Umrah Packages 2019 just vaccinate yourself. | <urn:uuid:7c5b0bba-d9ec-42eb-8e48-3163624d801b> | https://hajjumrahexpress.wordpress.com/tag/pig-meat-is-haram-in-islam/ | en | 0.902545 | 0.323477 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Actress Song Ji-hyo and actor Kim Moo-yeol are the lead characters in a new thrilling film about a brother and sister.
Song Ji-hyo and Kim Moo-yeol have been cast as the lead characters in an upcoming mystery-thriller film Daughter, which is directed by Son Won-pyeong and produced by BA Entertainment. According to one report, the two actors began filming on February 13.
In Daughter, Kim and Song take on the role of Seo-jin and Yoo-jin, respectively, who are brother and sister. But they don’t necessarily have a normal and healthy relationship. The tension and distrust that comes between partially come from Yoo-jin who suddenly reappears after having gone missing for 25 years.
Additionally, having been traumatized from her disappearance, it is hard for Seo-jin to come to terms with her existence. Unfamiliar and wary of his sister after over two decades apart, he watches her closely for clues about where she has been and what she had been up to.
Kim Moo-yeol in the movie Illang: The Wolf Brigade
Kim Moo-yeol, who has experience in both television shows and films, is considered a prime actor to play Seo-jin. In this role, he is expected to show a wide range and spectrum of emotion that supersedes his previous characters.
Likewise, Song Ji-hyo will as Yoo-jin deviates from her mature romantic characters of the past and her “girl crush” entertainment show persona. Instead, she is mysterious, emotionally unavailable and dangerous.
Song Ji-hyo on the set of Daughter – MY Company/ BA Entertainment
However, Kim and Song are not the only famous names involved in the Daughter. The film’s director and screenwriter is Sohn Won-pyeong, a notable writer who is the recipient of several literary awards. Her novel Almonds, which was awarded Changbi Publisher’s Young Adult Literature Prize, and The Counterattack of Thirty, established her unforgettable presence in the Korean literary world over the course of about three years.
Notable, before delving into book writing, Sohn directing and producing short films such as Cine21 (2001), Your Meaning (2007), and Good Neighbor (2011). For her work, she received an award at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival and the 7th Seoul International Film Festival. With Daughter being an original screenplay from Sohn’s mind, it is already generating a buzz.
By O.C | <urn:uuid:05e8050c-3a90-4b07-a02f-df333b1e1983> | https://kpoplove.koreadaily.com/actress-song-ji-hyo-begins-filming-for-new-mystery-thriller-film/ | en | 0.964985 | 0.051562 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Help language development. Donate to The Perl Foundation
Log::Timeline cpan:JNTHN last updated on 2019-07-02
# Log::Timeline
When building an application with many ongoing, potentially overlapping,
tasks, we may find ourselves wishing to observe what is going on. We'd like to
log, but with a focus on things that happen over time rather than just
individual events. The `Log::Timeline` module provides a means to do that.
**Status:** while `Log::Timeline` itself works, the things to make it useful
are still to come. It has been published at this point to enable integration
of it into an upcoming Cro release, so HTTP requests and server pipelines can
be logged. An upcoming Comma release will provide a means to visualize the
timeline and observe it live.
## Key features
Currently implemented:
* Log tasks with start and end times
* Log individual events
* Tasks and events can be associated with an enclosing parent task
* Include data with the logged tasks and events
* Have data logged to a file, or exposed over a socket
* Visualize task timelines in [Comma]( (from Comma Complete
2018.5, and will be in Comma Community 2018.7)
* Support by [Cro](, to offer insight into client
and server request processing pipelines (from 0.8.1)
* Introspect what tasks and events a given distribution can log
* When running on MoarVM, get access to a whole range of VM-level tasks and
events too, such as GC runs, thread spawns, file open/close, process
spawning, optimization, etc.
* Turn on/off what is logged at runtime (socket mode only)
## Providing tasks and events in a distribution
Providing tasks and events in your application involves the following steps:
1. Make sure that your `META6.json` contains a `depends` entry for `Log::Timeline`.
2. Create one or more modules whose final name part is `LogTimelineSchema`, which
declares the available tasks and events. This will be used for tools to
introspect the available set of tasks and events that might be logged, and
to provide their metadata.
3. Use the schema module and produce timeline tasks and events in your application
### The schema module
Your application or module should specify the types of tasks and events it wishes to
log. These are specified in one or more modules, which should be registered in the
`provides` section of the `META6.json`. The **module name's final component** should be
`LogTimelineSchema`. For example, `Cro::HTTP` provides `Cro::HTTP::LogTimelineSchema`.
You may provide more than one of these per distribution.
Every task or event has a 3-part name:
* **Module** - for example, `Cro HTTP`
* **Category** - for example, `Client` and `Server`
* **Name** - for example, `HTTP Request`
These are specified when doing the role for the event or task.
To declare an event (something that happens at a single point in time), do the
`Log::Timeline::Event`. To declare an task (which happens over time) do the
`Log::Timeline::Task` role.
unit module MyApp::Log;
use Log::Timeline;
class CacheExpired does Log::Timeline::Event['MyApp', 'Backend', 'Cache Expired'] { }
class Search does Log::Timeline::Task['My App', 'Backend', 'Search'] { }
### Produce tasks and events
Use the module in which you placed the events and/or tasks you wish to log.
use MyApp::Log;
To log an event, simply call the `log` method:
Optionally passing extra data as named arguments:
To log a task, also call `log`, but pass a block that will execute the task:
MyApp::Log::Search.log: -> {
# search is performed here
Named parameters may also be passed to provide extra data:
MyApp::Log::Search.log: :$query -> {
# search is performed here
## Collecting data
### Logging to a file in JSON lines format
Set the `LOG_TIMELINE_JSON_LINES` environment variable to the name of a file
to log to. Each line is an object with the following keys:
* `m` - module
* `c` - category
* `n` - name
* `t` - timestamp
* `d` - data (an object with any extra data)
* `k` - kind (0 = event, 1 = task start, 2 = task end)
A task start (kind 1) and task end (2) will also have:
* `i` - a unique ID for the task, starting from 1, to allow starts and ends to
be matched up
An event (kind 0) or task start (kind 1) may also have:
* `p` - the parent task ID
### Socket logging
Set the `LOG_TIMELINE_SERVER` environment variable to either:
* A port number, to bind to `localhost` on that port
* A string of the form `host:port`, e.g. ``
**Warning:** Don't expose the socket server to the internet directly; there
is no authentication or encryption. If really wishing to expose it, bind it to
a local port and then use an SSH tunnel.
#### Handshake
Upon connection the client *must* send a JSON line consisting of an object that
includes the keys:
* `min` - the minimum protocol version that the client understands
* `max` - the maximum protocol version that the client understands
The client *may* include other keys in the object speculatively (for example, if
protocol version 3 supports a key "foo", but it speaks anything from 1 to 3, then
it may include the key "foo", knowing that a previous version of the server will
simply ignore it).
In response to this, the server *must* send a JSON line consisting of an object
that includes *at most one of the following*:
* `ver` - the version number of the protocol that the server will speak, if it is
understands any of the versions in the range the client proposed
* `err` - an error string explaining why it will not accept the request
In the case of sending an `err`, the server *should* close the connection.
If the initial communication from the client to the server:
* Does not start with a `{`
* Does not reach a complete line within 1 megabyte of data
Then the server may send a *may* send a JSON line with an object containing `err` and
then close the connection.
#### Protocol version 1
No additional configuration keys from the client are recognized in this version of the
Beyond the initial handshake line, the client should not send anything to the server. The
client may close the connection at any time.
The server sends JSON lines to the client. This lines are the same as specified for the
JSON lines file format.
## Checking if logging is active
Call `Log::Timeline.has-output` to see if some kind of logging output is set up in
this process, This is useful for avoiding introducing logging if it will never take | <urn:uuid:3dfa960a-9c93-4048-a61a-b1075cb43356> | https://modules.raku.org/dist/Log::Timeline:cpan:JNTHN/README.md | en | 0.826118 | 0.833461 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Weathered Teak · Soy Mason Candle
Weathered Teak - Rich, masculine fragrance that leads with spicy tones of ginger and peppercorn and cedar wood. Middle notes of teakwood and tobacco leaf fuse into the finale of amber, patchouli, green musk and sandalwood.
Top: Ginger, Peppercorn, Spice
Middle: Teak, Tobacco Leaf
Base: Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli
Net Wt. 11oz - 55+ hours
Melted wax is not for use on body.
Customer Reviews
Based on 1 review Write a review | <urn:uuid:7b8d3d37-514c-43df-9fae-cd264c7478db> | https://mosleylanesoy.com/products/weathered-teak-soy-mason-candle | en | 0.816033 | 0.126346 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
👍 #779 – Why Don’t People Back Up?
Backing up. It's the single most important thing you can do to protect your digital assets. Yep, it's even more important than good password hygiene (though that's incredibly important as well). And yet....
Why don't people do it? I have some theories.
Regardless, though ... just do it.
Also this week:
"Meh, this account doesn't matter. It doesn't need great security. I have no money for hackers to steal anyway!" -- Rich or poor, please trust me when I say that account matters more than you think.
It surprises me how often the topic of anonymity comes up. Not privacy, but proactively wanting to completely hide ones online activity, for reasons I can only speculate on. Depending on who you're hiding from it can be really hard, and easy to get wrong.
I even did this this week: swapping out a hard drive. It went swimmingly. It's not really that difficult, just a little time consuming.
Have a great week!
Why Don't People Back Up?
I recently posted a recommendation for a specific backup program, but it got me to thinking about backing up in general.
It's a common topic here on Ask Leo! for a good reason. Not a day goes by that I don't see somebody suffering for lack of a backup. Not a day goes by that I don't see somebody who could have avoided a serious problem simply by having taken a backup.
So why don't more people back up?
Continue Reading: Why Don't People Back Up?
This Week's Articles
Why that "Unimportant" Account Matters
One of the pushbacks I get when I reiterate the importance of securing your online accounts relates to accounts people consider “unimportant”. When dealing with such an account, many feel that extra security measures are more hassle than they're worth. As a result, they often use poor passwords, re-use passwords, fail to set up recovery mechanisms, and more.
My concern is twofold: accounts often become more important over time, and a breach of even a so-called “unimportant” account can still cause headaches in the future.
Then, of course, there are those who feel all their accounts are unimportant.
Continue Reading: Why that "Unimportant" Account Matters
If I Do These Things, Will I Be Anonymous?
I do not understand how if you take the following steps that you can be found out:
• You take your personal laptop out of town with you, completely different state.
• You connect to a free open wifi from another location where you can't be filmed/on camera.
• You use a new burner email account with all fake information.
• You send the anonymous email.
Please tell me how anyone could trace that back to one's true identity.
The desire for anonymity is strong for many reasons; some legitimate, others less so. I want to use this as an example to show just how difficult it is these days to stay absolutely anonymous, particularly when it comes to email.
For example there's at least one glaring problem with the setup you describe.
Continue Reading: If I Do These Things, Will I Be Anonymous?
How Do I Transfer My System to a Replacement Drive?
My hard drive states that failure is imminent and I should replace it immediately. My questions are as follows: when I replace my hard drive, will I need to install a new operating system? Is there a way to clone my current hard drive completely, including my operating system? If I am able to clone my entire hard drive, will I need hardware or some device between the old hard drive and the new while I do the transfer? What is the best way to save my existing files if I can't salvage my entire hard drive? Are there software programs that can help me do this?
There are indeed programs that can help — they're called backup programs.
While there are many, many ways to do what you want to do, I'm going to review what I think is the most resilient and appropriate way.
It's how I do exactly the same thing.
Continue Reading: How Do I Transfer My System to a Replacement Drive?
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Tucker Carlson Savagely Obliterates Ilhan Omar, Suggests She Should Never Have Been Granted Citizenship
By HJIC at IllicitInfo
Kirsters Baish’s POV| Fox News host Tucker Carlson has made a name for himself as the kind of guy who tells it like it is, even if it makes people unhappy. On Friday, he slammed Democratic Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, claiming that she hates our country, calling her “a symbol of America’s failed immigration system if there ever was one.”
Carlson stated, “This week the trump administration revealed its proposal to overhaul America’s immigration system. The proposal would not by itself build the often-promised wall on our southern border nor would it cut current levels of immigration despite the fact that most Americans would like to see that happen. The one big thing the administration’s proposal would do is give priority to immigrants who might actually help America, skilled workers with English proficiency. It’s hard to see an argument against a system like that. There isn’t really an argument against that system.”
Trending: Giuliani Begins Releasing Doomsday Files: Reveals Records Suggesting Fired Amb Yovanovitch Perjured Herself, Denied Visas to Witnesses Who Could Prove Obama Admin Corruption (VIDEO)
“For years Democrats have argued that immigrants make vital additions to our economy: they are smarter than we are, they are harder working, and do better in school. They found more companies. The president has decided to take Democrats at their word. He says he wants all of those good things that immigrants bring.”
He continued, “Well, much the world would move here if they could, hundreds and hundreds of millions of people. So why wouldn’t we pick the absolute best? Immigrants with skills and English would fit in better here: their kids would do better in school, they would be more likely to contribute to social programs instead of draining them. So, are Democrats rejoicing in this change? Of course not. They are outraged. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke for the party when she said really merit is a bad word because everybody has merit.”
The Fox host pushed, “What a shame we can’t staff the Democratic caucus in the Congress using the same criteria the speaker would like to fill our country. We want to attract the best from many parts of the world she says, but of course, by that Pelosi doesn’t mean what she says, she means just the opposite. Because what exactly is best about immigrants who have criminal records or middle school educations or no ability to hold a job? The answer is there is nothing best about that. Immigrants like that might be nice people much more likely to burden the United States than benefit it, at least economically.”
“Harvard doesn’t admit students that can’t speak English. It says so right on their website. So why should our country? The left doesn’t want to answer questions like that or even have the conversation. ‘Shut up, racist!’ Instead, they just declare the current system is great, no evidence necessary. For the left, whether the country benefits is not the point. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar––herself a symbol of America’s failed immigration system if there ever was one, someone who hates this country coming here at public expense––spent yesterday demanding the abolition of ICE, the decriminalization of illegal immigration itself, and an end to all deportation programs. She demands open borders, the unlimited arrival of anyone who wants to come to America, whether they have anything to contribute or not, and by the way, you get to pay for it. And if you don’t want to, you’re a bigot,” said Carlson.
“Well you know what this is really about, of course. It’s not about civil rights, that’s a joke. It’s about money and power. Their money, their power. The left has aligned with business interests that profit from cheap obedient workers. Low-skilled immigrants have a harder time assimilating into the American mainstream. They stay poorer and learn English more slowly, they’re more likely to remain ethnic underclass, all of which makes them much more likely to vote Democratic long-term. That’s the point, obviously. Skilled immigrants might assimilate and become less reliable Democratic voters. They might even compete with the children of our ruling class, that’s not allowed.”
God Bless.
Facebook Has Banned Us!
| <urn:uuid:dd186d53-02a2-423b-aa80-71e31abb4dac> | https://rightwingtribune.com/2019/05/20/tucker-carlson-savagely/ | en | 0.959675 | 0.122474 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Winner of the Arthritis Foundation® Ease-of-Use Commendation, these scissors make cutting intricate details and tight patterns easy for people with arthritis or limited hand strength. A spring-action design opens the blades after each cut to reduce hand strain, and the high-grade, stainless-steel blades feature a precision-ground edge that stays sharp longer and cuts all the way to the tip — essential for anyone who cuts fabric. Additionally, the blades include a titanium coating that is three times harder than steel to provide superior durability and lasting value. Plus we love the soft handle for a more comfortable grip. | <urn:uuid:0d6b5be6-2146-4b1d-8d72-c628197d7ee5> | https://www.cottoneerfabrics.com/product/micro-tip-easy-action-scissors/ | en | 0.884073 | 0.424163 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
DF Archive
Tofranil® (Imipramine hydrochloride)
Brand name:
Pronounced: TOE-fra-nil
Generic name: Imipramine hydrochloride
Other brand name: Tofranil-PM
Why is Tofranil® prescribed?
Tofranil is used to treat depression. It is a member of the family of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants.
Most important fact about Tofranil
Serious, sometimes fatal, reactions have been known to occur when drugs such as Tofranil are taken with another type of antidepressant called an MAO inhibitor. Drugs in this category include Nardil and Parnate. Do not take Tofranil within 2 weeks of taking one of these drugs. Make sure your doctor and pharmacist know of all the medications you are taking.
How should you take Tofranil?
Tofranil may be taken with or without food.
You should not take Tofranil with alcohol.
Do not stop taking Tofranil if you feel no immediate effect. It can take from 1 to 3 weeks for improvement to begin.
Tofranil can cause dry mouth. Sucking hard candy or chewing gum can help this problem.
–If you miss a dose…
If you take 1 dose a day at bedtime, contact your doctor. Do not take the dose in the morning because of possible side effects.
If you take 2 or more doses a day, take the forgotten dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the one you missed and go back to your regular schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.
–Storage instructions…
Store at room temperature in a tightly closed container.
Tofranil side effects
* Side effects may include:
Breast development in males, breast enlargement in females, breast milk production, confusion, diarrhea, dry mouth, hallucinations, hives, high blood pressure, low blood pressure upon standing, nausea, numbness, tremors, vomiting
* The most common side effects in children being treated for bedwetting are:
Nervousness, sleep disorders, stomach and intestinal problems, tiredness
* Other side effects in children are:
Anxiety, collapse, constipation, convulsions, emotional instability, fainting
Why should Tofranil not be prescribed?
Tofranil should not be used if you are recovering from a recent heart attack.
People who take drugs known as MAO inhibitors, such as the antidepressants Nardil and Parnate, should not take Tofranil. You should not take Tofranil if you are sensitive or allergic to it.
Special warnings about Tofranil
In clinical studies, antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Tofranil or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Tofranil has not been studied in children less than 6 years old. Tofranil-PM is not approved for use in children.
Additionally, the progression of major depression is associated with a worsening of symptoms and/or the emergence of suicidal thinking or behavior in both adults and children, whether or not they are taking antidepressants. Individuals being treated with Tofranil and their caregivers should watch for any change in symptoms or any new symptoms that appear suddenly–especially agitation, anxiety, hostility, panic, restlessness, extreme hyperactivity, and suicidal thinking or behavior–and report them to the doctor immediately. Be especially observant at the beginning of treatment or whenever there is a change in dose.
You should use Tofranil cautiously if you have or have ever had: narrow-angle glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye); difficulty in urinating; heart, liver, kidney, or thyroid disease; or seizures. Also be cautious if you are taking thyroid medication.
General feelings of illness, headache, and nausea can result if you suddenly stop taking Tofranil. Follow your doctor’s instructions closely when discontinuing Tofranil.
Tell your doctor if you develop a sore throat or fever while taking Tofranil.
This drug can make you sensitive to light. Try to stay out of the sun as much as possible while you are taking it.
If you are going to have elective surgery, your doctor will take you off Tofranil.
Both increased and decreased blood sugar levels have been reported during Tofranil therapy. If you have diabetes or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), your doctor will monitor you closely.
Be sure your doctor knows if you have a history of mental disorders. Tofranil could cause a manic episode in people with bipolar disorder or a psychotic episode in those with schizophrenia.
Unless it’s absolutely essential, Tofranil is not recommended for people undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Possible food and drug interactions when taking Tofranil
Never combine Tofranil with an MAO inhibitor (see “Most important fact about Tofranil”). If Tofranil is taken with certain other drugs, the effects of either could be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Tofranil with the following:
Albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin)
Antidepressants that act on serotonin, including Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft
Antipsychotic drugs such as Mellaril and chlorpromazine
Barbiturates such as Nembutal and Seconal
Blood pressure medications such as Catapres
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Cimetidine (Tagamet)
Decongestants such as Sudafed
Drugs that control spasms, such as Cogentin
Epinephrine (EpiPen)
Flecainide (Tambocor)
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Other antidepressants such as Elavil and Pamelor
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Propafenone (Rythmol)
Thyroid medications such as Synthroid
Tranquilizers and sleep aids such as Halcion, Xanax, and Valium
Extreme drowsiness and other potentially serious effects can result if Tofranil is combined with alcohol or other mental depressants, such as narcotic painkillers (Percocet), sleeping medications (Halcion), or tranquilizers (Valium).
If you are switching from Prozac, wait at least 5 weeks after your last dose of Prozac before starting Tofranil.
Special information if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
The effects of Tofranil during pregnancy have not been adequately studied. Pregnant women should use Tofranil only when the potential benefits clearly outweigh the potential risks. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, inform your doctor immediately. Tofranil may appear in breast milk and could affect a nursing infant. If this medication is essential to your health, your doctor may advise you to stop breastfeeding until your treatment is finished.
Recommended dosage for Tofranil
The usual starting dose is 75 milligrams a day. The doctor may increase this to 150 milligrams a day. The maximum daily dose is 200 milligrams. People who need to take 75 milligrams or more a day may use Tofranil-PM capsules instead of the regular tablets.
Tofranil is not to be used in children to treat any condition but bedwetting, and its use will be limited to short-term therapy. Safety and effectiveness in children under the age of 6 have not been established. Tofranil-PM should not be used in children for any reason.
Total daily dosages for children should not exceed 2.5 milligrams for each 2.2 pounds of the child’s weight.
Doses usually begin at 25 milligrams per day. This amount should be taken an hour before bedtime. If needed, this dose may be increased after 1 week to 50 milligrams (ages 6 through 11) or 75 milligrams (ages 12 and up), taken in one dose at bedtime or divided into 2 doses, 1 taken at mid-afternoon and 1 at bedtime.
People in these two age groups should start with 25 to 50 milligrams per day of Tofranil tablets, since Tofranil-PM capsules are not available in these dosage strengths. The dose may be increased as necessary, but effective dosages usually do not exceed 100 milligrams a day.
Any medication taken in excess can have serious consequences. An overdose of Tofranil can cause death. It has been reported that children are more sensitive than adults to overdoses of Tofranil. If you suspect an overdose, seek medical help immediately.
* Symptoms of Tofranil overdose may include:
Agitation, bluish skin, coma, convulsions, difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, drowsiness, heart failure, high fever, involuntary writhing or jerky movements, irregular or rapid heartbeat, lack of coordination, low blood pressure, overactive reflexes, restlessness, rigid muscles, shock, stupor, sweating, vomiting
Leave a Reply | <urn:uuid:bae376eb-1990-4a4b-bcc0-8bbcea3c4adf> | https://www.depressionforums.org/tofranil-imipramine-hydrochloride/ | en | 0.911688 | 0.030933 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
clean water act
Corporate watchdogs call for ouster of BP CEO
INSTITUTE INDEX: Killer goo imperils Florida waters
August 9, 2013 - Toxic algae is choking Florida rivers and estuaries, killing animals, sickening people, and costing billions of dollars. Why is the Obama administration backing away from plans to clean up the pollution that's causing the problem? That's a question protesters will be asking this weekend.
A turning point on mountaintop removal?
Lawsuit seeks withheld information about leaking Gulf oil wells
| <urn:uuid:f828934d-c0bc-466d-8d1d-0439641e4e46> | https://www.facingsouth.org/tags/clean-water-act?page=1 | en | 0.936343 | 0.851896 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
India Human Rights Commission probes alleged extrajudicial killings
© WikiMedia (Yann Forget)
India Human Rights Commission probes alleged extrajudicial killings
India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is investigating alleged extrajudicial killings in Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Telangana.
Four people accused in the rape and murder of Priyanka Reddy, a veterinarian whose killing evoked national outrage, were shot dead on Friday after what the Hyderabad police claim was an attempt to steal police officers’ guns and escape.
Human rights campaigners and groups have demanded an independent probe into the custodial deaths. “There must be an independent judicial inquiry into this, there must be accountability,” said human rights lawyer Vrinda Grover. The police have received widespread public support for what many have termed “instant justice.” Celebrations hit the streets in Hyderabad with revelers showering flower petals on police officers. Prominent citizens, including federal ministers, took to social media in support of the killings.
Extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary executions and enforced disappearances are prohibited by international law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which India is a party, prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life and guarantees the right to a fair trial. The UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions stipulate, “there shall be thorough, prompt and impartial investigation of all suspected cases of extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions, including cases where complaints by relatives or other reliable reports suggest unnatural death.” | <urn:uuid:464f70a6-1c52-4244-a134-e7c3bc9c6738> | https://www.jurist.org/news/2019/12/india-human-rights-commission-probes-alleged-extrajudicial-killings/ | en | 0.925306 | 0.051735 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tired of counting sheep?
9 December 2009
Is lack of sleep giving you bags under your eyes?
Are you so sleep-deprived that the only way you can get through the morning is by drinking a triple espresso?
Not being able to sleep affects everyone at some point in their life and about 10% of the population suffer from insomnia that continues for six months or more. Many experts recommend that we get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night and whilst it is important to make sure that we get enough sleep, it is equally important that we get good quality sleep. The body needs rest, the brain needs sleep… Sleep is necessary to help our brain recover and recuperate from the day’s activities. We have different cycles of sleep to achieve this. These cycles are known as Rapid Eye Movement(REM) and non-REM (slow wave) sleep, and they are meant to occur in a specific order and for the right amount of time. If you are not getting enough sleep, or your sleep cycles are disturbed, then your brain is not getting enough time to rejuvenate and ‘reset’, and you are more likely to suffer some of the following: • Poor concentration • Poor memory • Clumsiness/carelessness • Low mood • Irritability • Fatigue So what keeps us tossing and turning all night? Whilst there are many reasons for sleep disturbances, stress is the most common trigger. Researchers have found that there is often an increase in stress hormones (such as cortisol) in people who have sleeping problems. So if it takes you a while to nod off, or if you frequently wake during the night and cannot fall back to sleep, then it is essential to address your stress levels. Tips for a better night’s sleep… • Get regular exercise (avoid exercising two hours before bed) • Eliminate stimulants such as caffeine and sugar (even reducing them during the day may help) • Try to go to bed around the same time each night • Create a dark sleeping environment • Limit alcohol consumption • Use the bed and bedroom only for sleep and intimacy with your partner • If you can’t sleep, try not to focus too hard on getting to sleep as this creates stress and can perpetuate the situation. | <urn:uuid:d27ed8f5-b1cb-43f2-b0ad-701634fa3f46> | https://www.melbournewellness.com.au/blog/tired-of-counting-sheep/ | en | 0.954906 | 0.032776 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The final "this is it I'm starting again and this is it for sure" moment
S: 10st0lb C: 9st12lb G: 9st0lb BMI: 22.3 Loss: 0st2lb(1.43%)
I decided yesterday enough was enough. I have had about 12 "this is it I'm starting again and this is it for sure I am going to lose that stone" moments in the past month.
Now it's either a friends birthday meal out and I decide I deserve a treat. "I have been good for 31 hours i deserve a pizza and chips followed by chocolate cake."
True story. Or ill have a couple of glasses of wine as I have saved up some syns, its my Tuesday night off and the boys doing a late why not right?
BAM Ive gotten tipsy off a glass and a half and eaten 3 packets of Quavers,half a box of chocolate fingers and a bowl of crunchy nut.
"low in syns you know healthy extra. Probs." I tell myself, as i shovel them in my gob while flicking between sex in the city and anything without adverts while the kitten tries to eat my hair.
Ok that was a particularly bad night and would like to add I had been at work ergo up since 4am and hormonal.
ANYWAYS I digress.
Its not that I don't think I can do it. I just use to care alot more I feel, Im happy now with a house, a long term boyfriend, a kitten.
I think I always saw being healthy in a very superficial way, where as now I dont care as much what I look like so the health has also fallen by the way side.
Now dont get me wrong I still am kind of peeved that i have so many lumps and bumps (I dont hold weight well) I only want to lose a stone and I am under no impression that I need to lose alot of weight but at the rate its going on I am just not happy about it and I have kind of realised that health yeah kind of not just a superficial thing so yes.
I have bought a book to write evvvverything in. Ill submit my days food here if I remember but today was.
Breakfast: 15g branflakes (HEB), fat free yogurt, apple. Tea with milk (HEA) and stevia.
Snack: Tea x3 milk (HEA) 3 walnurtt halves (HEB)
Dinner: Batchalor High Veg Mushroom and Garlic Super Pasta and an apple. Cup of coffee with milk (HEA) and stevia. Exotic fruit salad pre cut.
Tea: Braising steak stew with pepperpot (1syn) carrot, swede, gherkins, colliflower, broccoli and mustard (0.5syn)
Snack Melon 2 carrots and 2 tbsp red pepper hummus (4syns)
Thats all for now wow it looks like i have eaten tonnes jeeze. Im sure I will have more of a rant tomorrow after all it is gym day :|.
So far my weight loss journey has been a lot like my toaster habits, I stand and watch and impatiantly press the pop up button only to have a prod and feel that's its still pale and a bit soft.
Had a hormonal breakdown about s crisp sand which but some lovrlirs on here kept me sane and I managed to back away from it and make a cup of tea and just CALM THE HELL DOWN. Lost 2 lbs last week feel I may stay the same this week as I have a Halloween shindig this weekend and although I have been saving syns I feel it may not cut it as portion size has been a bit off. Ranty rant over bad day in the kitchen. Xxxxx | <urn:uuid:a13c078a-37af-4e07-8850-a49252de0895> | https://www.minimins.com/threads/the-final-this-is-it-im-starting-again-and-this-is-it-for-sure-moment.346833/ | en | 0.961434 | 0.021562 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Diasporic youth: untapped asset in rebuilding Somalia
There has been little consideration of the possible positive contributions of Somali youth from the diaspora.
Yasin Ahmed Ismail
25 April 2013
For the last two decades, Somalia has been widely known for famine, anarchy and piracy. Since 1991, the Somali nation has been engulfed in a civil war between various tribes fighting for power and a radical militant group fighting to overthrow the newly elected government. Al-Shabab, the militant group whose name in Arabic means ‘The Youth” have managed to tarnish the image of Somali youths due to their recruitment of Somali youths from North American cities and other Somali diaspora communities. This stigma of radicalization has stuck – especially when it comes to those from the diaspora – who are as a result the subject of numerous academic studies and controversies. However, there has been little consideration of the possible positive contributions of Somali youth from the diaspora.
Somali diaspora
During the last 22 years of Somalia’s civil war, thousands of Somalis fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, and those who were best educated resettled in the western world and in the Middle East. Throughout the civil war, the Somali diaspora population has kept the Somali nation alive, remitting more than $1 billion a year. Today, educated Somalis from the diaspora serve or have served in the highest positions of government; including the former Prime Minister who is a Harvard graduate and a former Professor of Economics at Niagara University. This diasporic population is today estimated at around a million, or 14% of Somalia’s population, making it one of the largest such populations in the world.
Based on literature reviews, the issues surrounding the involvement of the diaspora in their home countries have been studied extensively. These studies have covered everything from the financial remittances sent from abroad to the contribution to development undertaken by the members of the diaspora. In general, the diaspora population is today gradually revealing itself to the international community as a significant player in the affairs of their homeland. This is true, especially given recent examples of members of the various diasporas participating in reconciliation efforts, reconstruction and peace building in Afghanistan, Liberia, Somalia and other countries that are in or emerging from conflict. However, the missing aspect from this study is what contribution the young people living in the diaspora can play in these rebuilding efforts.
I conducted a survey of Somali diasporic youths to fill this missing data on the diaspora. The aim of the research was to find the percentage of educated youths amongst this cohort, the level of education, language fluency and their willingness to return to Somalia. These factors are crucial to identifying the involvement of the Somali diaspora in rebuilding Somalia. Around 700 Somali youths from 38 countries responded to the survey. The data collected shows an untapped resource that the Somali nation could take advantage of as it strives to rebuild itself.
For the purpose of this survey, I defined ‘youths’ as those who are between the ages of 18-28 years old. The average age of those who participated in the survey was 22 years. 52% of the respondents were male and 48% female. 61% of the respondents were born in Somalia, and 19% of them once lived in a refugee camp. 37% of the respondents have been back to Somalia in the last five years. 64% of the respondents are citizens of the countries they currently reside in. Of all the respondents, 41% are fluent in three languages, while 17% are fluent in more than four. 90% of the respondents are fluent in the Somali language.
As pointed out earlier, the level of education of these young people is one crucial factor, if they are to be considered an asset not only by the Somali government but also by the international community during this rebuilding phase. Human capital is a scarce resource greatly needed in all aspects of institution-building and the physical reconstruction of Somalia, but at the same time it is the important variable that is missing. Of all the diaspora youths surveyed, 13% are either still in high school or possess a high school/GED diploma; 30% are still in college; 7% possess an associate degree; 38% have a Bachelor’s degree and the remaining 1% have obtained a doctorate.
Based on this data, 87% of the respondents are either working on a degree or already possess a degree. In addition, since a significant amount of the respondents are still in college, I further surveyed their field of study. From the survey; medicine, engineering, international relations, political science and business were the popular fields of study, even though majors ranging from aviation management, women’s studies and graphic design are also being studied by Somali youths.
“As a young person who has only known of a Somalia in turmoil and famine, rebuilding it has always been at the forefront of my mind. Somali youths today who live in rich countries like the US and the UK have the unique opportunity to go to university, specialize in something and bring it back to Somalia. I feel as though the future of Somalia lies not in the hands of the people there, but in our hands. We’re given so many opportunities and we need to utilize them. Education is key. My family came to the United States long before the civil war in 1991, for the sole purpose of getting a higher education. Although the war destroyed Somalia, it brought us the opportunity to better it. Knowledge is power.” – a respondent to the survey.
Another important factor that the survey was designed to discover was the language fluency of Somali diasporic youth. No matter how educated they are; lack of fluency in the Somali language will significantly hinder the role they can play in the current and future affairs of the Somali nation. In addition, many of the older generation have accused the younger generation, especially those born in the diaspora of forgetting their culture and language. What I found is that Somali youths living in the diaspora are fluent in many languages, since they are scattered all over the globe. According to the survey, they were fluent in thirty different languages in total, with the majority of the respondents being fluent in Somali, Arabic, English and Swahili. But what was surprising was the percentage of youths fluent in the Somali language: 90% of all the respondents are fluent in the Somali language; of these, 70% categorized themselves to be very fluent and the other 30% estimated their fluency to be in the intermediate level. Based on the above results, the Somali language should not pose a hindrance to the role Somali youths in the diaspora can play.
Finally the most important criterion of all: the willingness to return back to Somalia:
“I believe that the instability that created this mass Somali migration has also benefited the country in that so many Somalis in the diaspora were able to receive first world university educations. There is now a Somali professional in perhaps every field. The responsibility and golden opportunity we now have as Somali youths is to pour these skills back into the country that gave birth to us. This very unique and pivotal point in our nation's history can be likened to the state of the British colonies during the time of the founding fathers of the United States. We literally are building a country from scratch. Let's get to it!” – A respondent to the survey.
In this section of the research, the aim was to find the percentage of those willing to return to Somalia. To find this percentage, I divided the respondents into two categories; those who have degrees and those who are still in college. For those who possess a degree—whether an Associate’s, Bachelor’s or a Doctorate—54% said they were willing to go back any time, 46% said they are willing to go back when the security improves. In other words, all of the degree holders’ are planning to one day return to Somalia.
In the second category—those who are still in college—I surveyed their willingness to go back to Somalia after completing their education: 61% said they are willing to go back, 32% said they are willing when security improves, and 6% said they were not willing to return. In addition, in this section I also surveyed their willingness to temporarily return to work and volunteer in Somalia. I asked how willing were they to participate in a programme similar to the United States Peace Corps, whereby Somalis from the diaspora could volunteer and work in Somalia for either a month, a summer, a semester or a full year in a chosen field, depending on their schedule and availability—95% said they are willing to participate in such a programme. Furthermore, I surveyed their interest in running for public office and/or working for the Somali government; 61% responded as interested and 39% as not interested.
All of the above results point in one direction: Somali youths in the diaspora are educated, capable and more than willing to return and partake in the current rebuilding efforts for the future of the Somali nation. However, throughout the survey, the young people did show frustration at not being given a chance and not being taken seriously, even though most think they have something to offer. With the security of the country improving and the diaspora community returning, the new government and the international community need to start establishing direct channels and thereby include the diaspora youths in all facets of nation-building.
Moreover, with the majority of Somali diasporic youth being citizens of their respective countries, this demographic block could potentially act as a powerful lobby group on behalf of the Somali nation. It is now up to the Somali government and the international community to tap into this untapped asset, not only for reconstruction purposes but also in order to modernize the economic, political and social structures that are already in place.
Expose the ‘dark money’ bankrolling our politics
| <urn:uuid:a4711dc5-4ef2-485c-934d-1929fdf49d38> | https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/diasporic-youth-untapped-asset-in-rebuilding-somalia/ | en | 0.962642 | 0.050409 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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The Redbone Coonhound Shop
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Redbone Coonhound Breed Summary
Laidback, Energetic, Affectionate, Independent and Friendly
The Redbone Coonhound is an All American breed and is most probably a descendant of Foxhounds, Bloodhounds and even Irish Hounds. It's thought that they were probably developed by a man named George E.L. Birdson, who at the time was a well-known fox hunter and breeder who lived in Georgia. The breed was said to have a black saddle on their backs due to the coloring of their coats, this gave rise to the nickname of saddlebacks. However, as breeders started to favor the solid red color, this name started to disappear. They became a registered breed by the American Kennel Club in 2009 and are currently ranked 122nd amongst all of the breeds registered.
Kennel Club Group Hound
Lifespan 10 - 12 years
Height (at the withers) Males and Females 20in - 27in
Weight Males and Females 44lb - 79lb
Coat Short and glossy
Color Red
Eye color Brown
Common health issues Hip Dysplasia
Other Names Reds
The Redbone is discussed as being one of the most laidback out of all of the Coonhounds. They make fantastic pets as they really thrive within a home environment but additionally make excellent hunting dogs. Their intelligence also means that they are relatively easy to train (for a scent hound!) and are also fairly easy to handle. However, they will need lots of positive reinforcement with short, fun sessions as they become easily bored. They absolutely love 'hoomans' and get on very well with children as well as any other pets that may be in the house, including cats! Just watch out that you don't let them off the lead as if they catch an interesting scent, they'll be off! For the right family, they make great pets and have the ability to provide you with years of love!
The Redbone Coonhound is an American made breed that descends from Foxhounds and Bloodhounds. In the late 1700s, Red Foxhounds were imported into the United States with Scottish immigrants. Before the Civil War, Red Irish Foxhounds were also brought with the Irish settlers. By the late 18th century, coon hunters needed a faster, hotter nosed dog that could locate and tree raccoons quicker than the current breeds in the area. By crossing these immigrant breeds, this faster dog was born.
For several years, breeding concentrated on creating a nearly solid colored red dog, bred for its speed and agility in various terrains. Many early versions of the breed had black coloring over their backs resembling a saddle, and were called “Saddlebacks.” As the red color was favored, the black saddle was eventually bred out of the breed.
George Birdsong, a famous Georgian fox hunter and dog breeder, obtained a pack of this breed in 1840, and successfully refined it. Many believe the Redbone Coonhound owes its name to its striking red color, but more likely it is named for Peter Redbone, a Tennessee promoter of the breed. In 1902, the Redbone Coonhound was recognized by the United Kennel Club. Familiarity of the breed grew after the book, and subsequent movie, “Where the Red Fern Grows,” which featured two Redbone Coonhounds. Today, this dog is still a versatile hunter which cannot only tree raccoons, but also bears, cougars, and bobcats. | <urn:uuid:2e9f158a-65b6-4b48-8670-0d997bc93c8a> | https://www.yappy.com/us/redbonecoonhound | en | 0.973662 | 0.019216 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Get Fit With These Simple Fitness Tips
Everyone has a different goal or a dream when they're thinking about physical fitness. Unfortunately, only a small number of these people actually achieve these dreams. Physical fitness requires so much perseverance and motivation that a person can easily lose sight of the goal. The following article will help.
You can improve your chances of sticking to your fitness routine by pre-paying for a gym membership for several months in advance. If you don't use the membership, you are likely to feel guilty about wasting money. That may be enough to encourage you to attend more often. This is only recommendeded if you are having a hard time convincing yourself to go, and should be only used as a last resort.
Your abdominal muscles need more varied exercises than just crunches. It has been shown that for every 250,000 crunches, only 1 pound of fat is burned. Because of this, crunches alone are not sufficient for a total ab workout. You must exercise your abs in alternate ways too.
Wear clothes that are comfortable when you're working out. Do not give in to peer pressure and wear fancy clothes to the gym. Wear clothing that allows you to move freely without making you feel embarrassed. Wearing comfortable clothes keeps your mind focused on fitness.
Counting calories is always a solid approach to getting fit. When you're knowledgeable about the amount of calories you've been consuming, it'll be easier to make sure you're losing the weight you want. If your calorie consumption is at your maintenance level without exercise, and you lose calories by exercising, you are going to be lean and fit very quickly.
You should check the padding thickness on your workout bench by pressing down on the cushioning. If you are able to feel the wood through the padding, the machine is either cheaply made or worn out. Choose a more comfortable one. If you work out using a machine that has worn padding, you may end up with bruises upon your posterior. Aside from that, a poorly padded machine will not give you proper support.
An excellent workout is kickboxing. Everyone who tries kickboxing sweats. This exercise is great for quickly burning lots of calories and building up your strength.
As you have seen, you can achieve your fitness goals with the right knowledge. While it can be a little hard at first, it should become more easy with time. You need to work hard at fitness to succeed just like you do at anything else. Put the ideas presented in the preceding paragraphs to play in your life, and you are going to notice results.
Try exercising during TV shoes to keep yourself going. You could dance during the commercials, or even see how many jumping jacks you can get in before your show returns. You can also try light weight training as you sit on the couch. There are many little ways to incorporate exercise into tiny gaps in your day. | <urn:uuid:a9e4402a-c61d-40e5-9f44-7ccaa244a091> | http://www.aerobicsexerciseathome.com/fitness-and-exercise/get-fit-with-these-simple-fitness-tips | en | 0.957414 | 0.046541 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Why do phones have the * and # buttons? (And why do they call the # button “pound?”)
One hundred years ago, if you had a phone at all, you still had to call the operator first. Dial phones were introduced in some areas as early as 1916, but it wasn’t until 1951 that you could call outside of your city or town without calling the operator first.
Direct Distance Dialing, or long distance as most people called it, created a huge burden on the telephone systems. The old systems took a long time to dial 10 or 11 numbers (like 1-248-896-8587) and connection problems were starting to mount up.
Touch-tone service was first unveiled in 1963 and became available to New York and Los Angeles customers in 1964. The system was designed so that it wouldn’t accidentally dial a number because of music being played or people singing. By the standards of the day it was very complex, although it was incredibly simple to our computerized, jaded eyes.
A normal touch-tone phone could make a total of seven tones. The way it worked was, the user pushed a button and it made a combination of two sounds. A microphone hooked to a computer listened for the sounds and was able to decode the number. Two tones together were used because it made it harder for the computer to mistake the sound of someone singing or some background noise.
By using a grid, seven tones could make twelve different sounds.
1209 Hz 1336 Hz 1477 Hz
697 Hz 1 2 3
770 Hz 4 5 6
852 Hz 7 8 9
941 Hz * 0 #
However, originally there were no * or # buttons.
This is the first touch tone phone. Notice anything missing? No * or # buttons. They hadn’t been invented yet. They were added in 1968, but no one knew what to do with them. In fact, they were added mostly “because we can.” Since seven tones would make twelve sounds, AT&T figured they may as well put the extra buttons in, just in case someone figured out a use for them. Good thinking, AT&T.
By the 1980s, people figured out what to do with the extra buttons. AT&T introduces a series of “star codes” that let the caller do things like call back the person who had just called (*69) as well as other services. The # button became useful for a generation of voice-mail systems that proclaimed, “To finish, press pound.”
And by the way… why is it called the pound key?
In much of the world, the # symbol is called a “hash,” which will make sense to anyone who uses Twitter. Twitter, of course, makes extensive use of the # symbol for “hashtags.” In most of the world, ask for a pound symbol and you’ll see this: £ which is, of course, the symbol for the British pound.
While it’s not completely clear how # came to be known as “pound,” the most likely explanation comes in computer keyboards from the 1950s and 1960s upon which # and £ shared the same position above the number 3; international users flipped a switch to start using £ instead of #.
When people started referring to # on the touch-tone keypad, it didn’t make sense to call it the “number sign” as the keypad was made up of nothing but numbers! So, it’s pretty likely that programmers, used to seeing the “real” pound sign next to it, started calling that symbol “pound” as well.
About the Author
Stuart Sweet | <urn:uuid:4c06ef18-03a7-4561-8abd-cfb25ea6f95d> | https://blog.solidsignal.com/tutorials/phones-buttons-call-button-pound/ | en | 0.974644 | 0.970723 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Swift: Watching lazy initializers in action
Applications face intrinsic memory and processing costs. Every object creation and every calculation adds to these costs. Using lazy initializers enables you to optimize performance by delaying expensive operations until they’re absolutely needed.
An object may never get around to using some property during its lifetime. By deferring creation you entirely save that cost. Or, consider a case where initialization is expensive. If you you spread out that cost over time, you have a lower peak demand across the app.
Lazy initializers move operations away from object creation to some point in the future. In Swift, you mark items with the @lazy attribute. This says “don’t perform this initialization until the property is explicitly requested”.
With playgrounds, you can see this attribute in action. In the following example, the lazyProperty does not exist until accessing the description property forces its creation. Once created, the property remains for the object lifetime but it’s also entirely possible for the object to never instantiate that property.
Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 10.02.46 AM
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:ccd3be11-253e-4200-a4bd-05a9a6278eec> | https://ericasadun.com/2014/06/30/swift-watching-lazy-initializers-in-action/ | en | 0.84664 | 0.036579 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
5 travelers at this place:
• Day9
PeaceTrees Vietnam
October 2, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
After a hearty breakfast of very fresh eggs and rolls (and chocolate pancakes for Don), we left Phong Nha early, at 7, for our day visiting with PeaceTrees, the organization Hans and Augie visited last year and one that we support as a family. It was an incredible day. The PeaceTrees slogan is "Healing the land. Building community. Planting futures." The organization, a US non-profit, based in Seattle, was started by Jerilyn Cheney and her husband Danaan Perry. Jerilyn's brother, Daniel, was killed in Vietnam and Jerilyn vowed that when the time was right, she would figure out a way forward. Her way became PeaceTrees, now a thriving organization that does land mine removal and land mine education for children as well as provide support for families with someone who has been injured by a UED. The organization works in several provinces bordering the former DMZ. These provinces were heavily bombed during the war and much of the land is still unusable due to unexploded ordinance. Consequently, they are the poorest provinces in the country. PeaceTrees also partners with communities to build kindergartens, support families with healthy food and clean water, and build community centers.
We met the In-Country Director, Ha Phan, at a small coffee shop near Dong Ha. Our first stop was a kindergarten in a small village in the mountains near Laos. On the drive to the village, Ha told us that the money for the school was donated by a Vietnam vet in memory of his best friend, killed in the war. She also told us how she came to PeaceTrees. She started as an intern after university, and was tasked with interviewing survivors of land mine explosions. The first day on the job she spoke to an 18 year old young man, just married, who lost both hands due to an explosion. That interview transformed her and she had been with the organization for 18 years now.
The school was a bright open one room building, with colorful decorations in the walls. The children were eating lunch when we arrived. The focus of the school is teaching children Vietnamese, as the Viet language is used in school, business, industry, etc. A community has to ask for a school. This is not an organization that swoops in and takes over. If the community asks, PeaceTrees works with the community to design and develop the school, which is built by locals.
As a birthday present this year, Don had given Hans a portable mini-printer, which Hans brought along. We were all taking tons of photos, and Hans took photos of groups of kids. The children were amazed, watching this 5x7 inch device spit out an image. He'd hand them the photo and they'd smile and laugh. Don and Mary handed out stickers. The kids sang for us and we sang for them: the first verse, and the first verse only, of Mary Had A Little Lamb. After distributing gifts provided by Peace Trees, we said our goodbyes and headed to lunch and coffee. Here is a link to some of the singing:
The next stop in our day was the unexploded ordinance clearance site, where we met the team of 10 folks doing on the ground de-mining. Brave people. (PeaceTrees has 10 teams is the field.) They receive extensive training, but still, it is risky work with potentially fatal consequences. Wow. This work is funded by The Office of Weapons Abatement and Removal, a US Department of State office. Our tax dollars paid to drop them in the first place and are now paying to remove them. The team showed us a map of all the bombs dropped across the province, a map of dense red dots covering pretty much the entire province. The data was provided by the US Air Force. The area the team was working in was a rubber tree plantation. They started in February, and to date, had removed 92 unexploded ordance (UDX) so far, and expected to finish up at the end of the month. The area was the size of a football field. They walk every inch, using sensitive metal detectors, to ferrett out what lies below the surface. Not every find is a UDX, but it has to be treated as such.
The team had saved a cluster bomb for us to detonate. We could see it lying in the sandbagged hole they'd carefully excavated around it. It was a small black ball, the size of a tennis ball. You could see why it would be so appealing to a kid. A single bomb held hundreds of these small balls. When they exploded, they sent out small bullet - like projectiles that reached a radius of 300 feet. Anything in the area didn't have a chance. Mary and I were given the task of blowing it up, but before we did, we had to sign a waiver and provide our blood type. Just in case…. The team made sure the site was secure, then ran a wire from the bomb to the detonation site, 300 feet away. We practiced, Mary armed the device with one button and I hit the Fire button. After the technician, a young woman, wired it up, and the team leader counted down in Vietnamese, we pressed our buttons. It was deafening and terrifying. I could imagine the impact. Here is a link to the video:
Our day ended with a visit to the PeaceTrees office, on a former Marine base. We saw the tree Hans and Augie planted last year. It was an amazing day, and I urge you to check out the PeaceTrees website to learn more about what they do. There's a short video there about a day in the life of a young woman working on a de-mining team.
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• Day15
Highway of Horror
September 4, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
There was only one exit out of the local war battles and that was National Highway No. 1. On this day, the local militia fled the city and abandoned their posts. Thousands of innocent people who had also been abandoned found their escape in the same line as soldiers.
Unfortunately, the bridge Truong Phuoc in front of them had been blown up. And the bridge Ben Da behind them had also been knocked down by the VC. Finally, countless amount of shells and mortars exploded right on the civilians' heads.
A CNN reporter who was there 60 days after the bombs dropped named this area as "THE STREET OF HORROR" because of what he saw. I am not going to go into any detail as I do not feel that it is necessary.
Read more
You might also know this place by the following names:
Ðông Hà, Dong Ha, Đông Hà
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How to Be Popular
The following essay appears in MFA vs NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction, a new book from n+1 and Faber & Faber, edited by Chad Harbach. In stores February 25, 2014.
I am not ashamed to say that I have an abiding interest in popularity. Not my own so much — though I’m as eager to be liked as anyone — but popularity as a process and a phenomenon. Why are certain people, ideas, or stories popular at any given moment? Are there ways to make ideas or works of art that are currently unfashionable, fashionable?
Given this fixation, it is probably no accident that I came to work as a literary agent, in what is essentially the R&D wing of the publishing industry. My path, though it makes sense when viewed with hindsight, was not direct . For me, there was no advanced degree in publishing, no internships at esteemed small presses or literary agencies.
After college I beat a quick path back to academia. My English Ph.D. program proved to be a pleasant reversal of the undergraduate experience. I was paid — enough to live modestly but comfortably in Baltimore — to read books. I chose this program with the hope of becoming an expert on popularity: the popularity of books, mostly novels, though genre hardly mattered. I had the somewhat half-baked idea that I might uncover the secret of why certain books and certain formal concerns are in vogue at a particular moment, from anxieties about signification and point of view in early twentieth-century modernist fiction to vampires in early twenty-first-century popular novels.
I was relieved to learn that my ambition could be slotted into a fancy ism: New Historicism. At the time, New Historicism was the Fight Club of the humanities: no one would admit to being a member. This didn’t present much of a problem for me, though, because my program happened to house one of the founders (antifounders?) of the secret academic guild. I assumed I would spend a few years studying and writing about the concerns of my chosen corner of the library — early twentieth-century serial novels or contemporary American fiction; I wasn’t sure yet . I’d emerge on the green side of thirty, with a tenure-track job somewhere along the Northeast Corridor, and I would teach the next generation about popular books and what made them popular.
As it turned out, the turn of the century was an excellent moment to be a less than remarkable graduate student — provided you were willing to drop out . The academic job market in the humanities had vanished, like wine at the reception after a visiting professor’s presentation. Meanwhile the ascendance of the internet brought a surfeit of new companies, companies seemingly named after robots, companies that would hire almost anyone, including graduate students. I received a job offer from a company called Luminant . The signing bonus was the size of my graduate school stipend. My then boyfriend lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was an easy decision to pack up my novels, renounce my library privileges, and move to New York.
Luminant was the love child of the legendary advertising agency Young & Rubicam, where I worked the summer before grad school as a copywriter, and some McKinsey consultants from Texas. Job descriptions were vague and ever shifting. There was a lot of jargon. There were flowcharts and endless meetings about “The Methodology.” One of our big accounts was Enron. By the time Luminant was poised to become yet another casualty of the dot-com bubble, it had been immortalized in a notorious New Yorker piece titled “My Fake Job.” But while the rumors of layoffs and worthless stock options swirled around me, I wasn’t too concerned. I had been making the most of my hours, Aeron chair nestled close to my pod station, secretly working a second job.
I hadn’t given up on popularity. In fact I was taking a more direct approach, moonlighting as a freelance trend spotter. (The technical term, embarrassingly enough, was “coolhunter.”) I worked for a company profiled by Malcolm Gladwell in yet another New Yorker piece (“The Coolhunt”), which was later included in The Tipping Point, his first bestseller. Coolhunting was an exciting new gig for a certain type of young woman fresh from her hip liberal arts college or her cutting-edge grad program. I figured I still had “it,” that special female hubris for telling people what they should be wearing, or what their living room walls should be wearing, or what their Vietnamese chicken salad should be wearing.
In my year or so as a coolhunter I reliably filed reports on the habits and affectations and cultural trends that were just beginning to bubble up on the streets of Williamsburg: double-layered slash-ripped T-shirts; ironic graffiti; the color gray. I gave myself license to report on things that I thought should be trends. (Tretorns: Bring them back! Bubble wrap: Ideal interior design textile!) I attached the sleeve of a cardigan to its hem with a long strand of thick wool yarn and took a photo of my boyfriend wearing it . Trends, as Gladwell pointed out, were started by a certain type of person. Coolhunters were pretty much by definition this type of person: if you knew enough to recognize trends at their very onset, you could also initiate them. I can’t take all the credit, but I did notice that Tretorns were back on the streets within a few short seasons. Didn’t you?
But hunting the cool, like the cool itself, has an expiration date. I was nearing mine when my boyfriend sent word that a literary agent in the New York–based book division of ICM, the Hollywood talent agency, was hiring. His college friend was an assistant there — she would tell me what I needed to know. I used the last of my internet cash to buy a slim Katayone Adeli pantsuit from Bergdorf Goodman (fifth floor, but still) and headed to HR. I took a typing test . I met with the agent, a pretty young woman with a broad smile and an even broader laugh. She sent me home with two manuscripts and told me to write reader’s reports for each. Perhaps it would be a short trip from New Historicism to the next cool thing in American publishing? I reported for work the following week.
Over the next three years I would work for ICM and then another agent, who was in the process of merging her eponymous firm with a large boutique agency. Both of my bosses were quite discerning, both were well respected among editors for their taste, and both represented authors who wrote what I would quickly learn to call “literary fiction.” Literary fiction is a commercial designation, not an academic one. I’d never heard any of my professors use this term, not even in the intimate seminars that were held on the parlor floor of the old English department house, where my fellow grad students and I gathered for our initiation into the jargon of what was still known as lit-crit .
Before joining the publishing world, I’d divided the novels on my shelf that weren’t beach reads into three broad and overlapping categories: “classics” (Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Woolf); “modern classics” (James Baldwin, Mary McCarthy, Nabokov); and novels assigned by my professors because they explicitly dealt with the concerns of the course at hand. Given that it was the 1990s, these concerns invariably had to do with cultural identity (Maxine Hong Kingston, Chinua Achebe, Audre Lorde).
The defining characteristic of this last category — by far the best- represented on my bookshelves — was the drama of the struggle to find a comfortable and authentic home between the world of the past, usually defined as the world of the protagonist’s parents’ culture, and the freedom of self-fashioning permitted by the world of the present . The parents’ culture, whether European, African, Caribbean, Asian, or American, was rife with limited, limiting, and often patriarchal assumptions about what it meant to be an adult in good standing. But the culture of parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) was also a place of custom and comfort, often dramatized in tantalizing scenes involving familiar foods prepared by matriarchs. In these novels the modern city, and the modern workplace, were places of both intoxicating freedom and painful alienation.
Cultural identity was everywhere, and while post-1960s writers seemed the most explicit in their focus, my professors often took an expansive view. Books assigned in courses about cultural identity might include pillars of high modernism like Mrs. Dalloway; midcentury American fiction such as Invisible Man; stories of postcolonial despair (everything by Jean Rhys); novels by or about immigrants (Anzia Yezierska, Willa Cather, Sui Sin Far, Pietro di Donato, Bharati Mukherjee). Of course, many cultural identity novels also belonged to the category of “modern classics.” Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, then the most widely assigned novel on American campuses, is entrenched in the contemporary canon. Toni Morrison’s Beloved, named the best novel of the past twenty-five years by The New York Times, was assigned in more than one of my courses.
As an agent’s assistant, much of the fiction I read for work — mostly in the evening and on weekends — was written by graduates of MFA programs, and many of these short stories and novels, with their heightened attention to the details of cultural identity, would have been at home on my syllabi: the story of a recent college graduate trying to reconcile her differences with immigrant parents who run a corner restaurant; a sprawling saga set in an extended family in the legacy of Jim Crow; a postmodern pastiche featuring a middle-aged refugee who escaped genocide in his home country only to struggle amid America’s network of faceless institutions. Of course, there were plenty of white male protagonists in these manuscripts — but even many of those made pilgrimages to their ancestral homelands, where they searched for clues to their identity. There were also a lot of well-wrought passages about barns.
The query letters that accompanied these manuscripts were standard-issue. A carefully honed paragraph about the novel, more or less in the style you find on book jackets, followed by a paragraph that noted the writer’s MFA program, an established author or two with whom she had studied, and a list of awards won and journals published in. I had the sense that we had taken the same literature classes. Given that we were of the same generation, even microgeneration, we probably had. We were all protagonists searching for our authentic selves and our true homes. Regardless of my thoughts about any particular manuscript (they ranged in style from quiet and restrained to blazing Technicolor mash-up; most were competent and many were remarkably assured), it seemed clear that there was still an audience for stories about cultural identity. Many of these MFA novels were sold to publishers, some for well into the six figures.
I began to wonder if our professors, and our professors’ professors, had created something like an endlessly renewable audience. Or did the hunger for these novels of identity have less to do with humanities departments and more to do with the culture at large?
It was hard to say for sure, but it was also hard to believe that universities were not at least partly responsible. Many recent graduates cycle back into MFA and Ph.D. programs, and many of them teach undergraduates who, in turn, become the next generation of readers. It made sense that these novels would sell to editors who, if not graduates of MFA programs or Ph.D. programs themselves, were at least graduates of American universities. And these novels would, in turn, be read and reviewed by other college graduates with similar concerns.
Then there was fiction that didn’t come from MFA-land but shared its themes. The Kite Runner, as I was quick to point out when it came in on submission in those frazzled post–September 11 days, featured quite a lot of wrestling with identity. I thought I was particularly clever to notice that the story also bore the markings of a classic gothic novel (people are not who they seem to be, friends turn out to be brothers, et cetera . . . my reader’s report, no doubt, was insufferable). In the draft I read, the local bully, the son of a Pashtun father and a German mother, was hinted to have a certain affection for Hitler. The protagonist fails to prevent his kite-running friend from being raped by the bully. The friend becomes an adult and is killed by the Taliban. The bully grows up to be a Taliban official who then rapes the son of the friend. The protagonist returns to discover his old friend was actually his half brother and then adopts his son. I may not have completely shed my graduate-student sensibility at this point, but I was turning the pages. Rapidly. The audience for this novel would also be college-educated and identity-savvy, like that of the MFA novels, but it would be different, and bigger: book clubs. This novel was going to be popular in book clubs. I was not alone in my thinking. The manuscript was snapped up by another agency, purchased by a division of Penguin, and has sold 7 million copies in the United States alone.
After my apprenticeship had run its course and it was decided that I would be granted my own office and eventually my own assistant, I continued to wonder about popular books. This was, after all, my job. I found myself representing, on balance, more journalists, long-form essayists, and academics than novelists, and so I broadened my inquiry to nonfiction. Why is it nearly impossible to open a newspaper or popular magazine these days without seeing a review or an excerpt of a book on the neuroscience of gender, attraction, or success? What is so attractive about so-called “lens histories” of salt, trout, or whale oil? Why are we so keen to read books that “explain us to ourselves,” as one editor helpfully put it over lunch? And just who gets to write these books? I also wondered: What about a topic? Could I help make a topic or an argument popular? I rubbed my hands together in my mind.
In 2005 I kept reading the headlines, persistent but muted, about Americans’ negative savings rate. I remember walking through Madison Square Park, outside my office, worried for us all. How would we afford children? How would we afford to send them to college? How would we afford to be old? I went back to my desk and did an exploratory Google search. Had anyone written a good long-form piece on debt? Who owned this subject? After an hour or so of research, I put my quest on the back burner, pulled away by a contract or a manuscript already out on submission, or the publicity efforts for an impending book launch. One afternoon, not many weeks later, I received a query letter from a young filmmaker. He had a proposal for a story-driven book on debt: credit card debt, mortgage debt, the national debt . He had directed a documentary on the subject that would premiere at South by Southwest . The film and the proposed book, as described in the query letter, proceeded from a strong point of view. He’d entered the fast-food franchise business while still an undergraduate at Wharton and had personal experience with debt . I couldn’t find any writing credits, but if his proposal was as well executed as his query letter it probably wouldn’t matter. His “platform” — the industry term used to describe a writer’s combination of expertise and media reach — would be the documentary and his finance background.
I asked to read the proposal, which was everything I’d hoped for. In addition to its strong point of view, it contained a great cast of characters including a famous radio show host, a Vegas real estate agent, debt buyers, collection agents, and a Harvard law professor and bankruptcy expert named Elizabeth Warren. More amazingly, he was a talented reporter. The debt buyers and collection agents said vivid and outrageous things on the record. Elizabeth Warren offered a colorful and scathing inside account of a meeting she’d had with Citigroup.
I called the editors I thought would be most interested, sent out the proposal, and set up meetings with almost a dozen publishers. In nearly every meeting, someone from the publishing house shared his or her own story of secret credit card debt, mortgage confusion, or bankruptcy. It was like an old-fashioned revival circuit . One editor testified that he’d repoed cars in the Deep South. Publishers from the most esteemed literary house to the most commercial participated in what became a robust auction. The manuscript was delivered ahead of deadline and the editorial turnaround was quick. As publication day approached, the publicity department reached out to their media contacts and I to mine with enthusiasm.
Publishing may be an industry, but it is also a cultural ecosystem; it both reflects and shapes the interests of readers. Agents take the pulse of publishing houses, which in turn monitor the appetites of various constituencies: readers of thrillers and suspense, readers of business and think books, fiction readers (who are, mostly, college-educated women), young adults. Agents and publishing houses, via their publicity and marketing departments, also monitor the interests of radio and TV producers and print and web reviewers, critics, and bloggers. No non-Oprah person could be said to move the needle of culture, but a few choice decisions by an agent and editor, coupled with a few lucky breaks in the media, and suddenly we’re all reading about dopamine receptors, serotonin, and HeLa cells. Often this process is driven by what the industry thinks the public wants — namely, more of what it already has. But agents and publishers also take risks to promote books they love, and a book that promised to unmask the systemic evils of our economy and anticipate a reckoning seemed like a good risk and an honorable one.
In the case of this book, which was praised for the clarity and strength of its argument, and for its storytelling verve, the praise was not enough to cut though the fizz and champagne that characterized the late stages of an asset bubble. No one wanted to hear bad news — or at least they didn’t want to use their second mortgages to pay twenty-four dollars for it in hardcover. Had it been published a year and a half later, as the major banks were asking for bailouts and Iceland and Ireland were having a serious rethink about finance capitalism, the book would have been on the must-read list of every media outlet and drive-by radio listener in the country. Sometimes the books we desperately want to be popular aren’t . The needle of culture and popular opinion isn’t ready to move. It doesn’t want to move. It is invested in not moving.
Summer 2009. An editor at Harper’s put me in touch with a writer he had edited. This writer, an academic well known in certain circles, with whom I had been very keen to work, had been approached by an independent literary press to do a very short book — an extended essay, really — on the same subject: debt . Like most people in publishing, independent presses work hard to publish, and publish well, the books on their list . They play a key role in the intellectual and cultural development of writers, especially for projects that may have a specialized or niche audience. That goes almost double for independent booksellers who champion the books they stock, hand-selling them to readers. Independent publishers and booksellers are, in different ways than agents, also in the R&D wing of the publishing world. We wouldn’t have many of our most cherished writers without their undying passion. They can, in ways that complement the efforts of the agent, help make a certain type of writer popular.
And yet many of the writers I represent cannot afford to spend a year or three working on a book for almost no advance. This author was no exception. He famously does not have tenure, although he has won distinction for his scholarship and is widely considered one of the best and brightest in his field. Outside the field he is known for his activism. By the time this independent press approached him, every major publisher had already signed up its “financial crisis book.” Most of these books were acquired within a month or two of Lehman Brothers’ fall, and most were being written by well-known journalists at major newspapers — the people who had covered the crisis. Most were on a crash schedule. A few of these books went on to do very well. Many did not . This surprised exactly nobody in publishing.
In 2009 publishers found themselves in real trouble, in part because of the weakened economy and in part because of the near collapse of the two big chains, Borders and Barnes & Noble. We were told it would be a miracle if either survived the downturn. The costs to publishers of shifting their business strategy in an increasingly digital environment would be great . Expensive existing structures, such as warehouses and a national sales force, would take time to unwind and, I suppose, “right-size.” Consolidations at several of the major houses forced entire imprints and divisions to shutter. Jobs were lost . The editors who remained were much less eager to take chances. A short book on debt by an untenured anthropologist whose job stationed him a continent away would have seemed iffy at best in late 2008. By summer 2009 it was considered fringe. Very fringe.
We did the deal with the small literary publisher, and the book ballooned to over 100,000 words. The publisher was okay with this. It was a great book, which ranged over millennia and told a story of money and debt that had gone largely ignored. More radically, it raised the possibility of debt forgiveness. By the time it was published in summer 2011, Congress had decided to debate something called a debt ceiling. In the months that followed hardcover publication, the financial world, and then the rest of the world, started to take note of the ways debt was clogging the superhighways of commerce and growth. Various forms of debt had clouded the future of the euro. Talk of debt jubilees started to circulate through the Occupy movement, of which the author, now back in the States on sabbatical, was a planner and participant . Many forces were converging, and they were converging to make this author popular.
The book won awards, and the author was asked to talk to every sort of group imaginable: major European political institutions and think tanks, finance types, students, even libertarians. The book was a heavy hardcover and priced accordingly. It sold a lot of copies, including many at the independent bookstores that championed it . Reprints and special export editions were ordered. Foreign rights were sold. I scrambled to sell the proposal for the author’s next book. Though he still didn’t have tenure, he could breathe a bit easier financially for the first time.
Many of the ideas in the book and from the author’s activism have seeped into the popular imagination. We now all belong to something called the 99 percent . We no longer assume we’ll all someday be rich. Neoliberal policies and the financialization of the economy are no longer left unquestioned. The New Republic was observed being slightly bullish on anarchism. An old-fashioned debt jubilee made the front page of The New York Times website. Ideas, it turns out, can be made popular. And books remain one of the best vehicles for doing so.
I still don’t have a unified theory of popularity, though there are leading indicators. Once you cast aside timing, which, of course, no one can control, the most important factor is people. There are people with bullhorns and there are ecosystems of people with bullhorns. There are institutions and networks, formal and otherwise, in which we all live and dream, tell stories and finger our worry beads. The ecosystems in which books are developed, written, published, publicized, and enjoyed are no different .
And when you write your brilliant, book-club-friendly novel about cultural identity / finance / ??????, call me.
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What is a trading platform?
It is a combination of hardware and software that allows users (traders) to make trades and provides them with access to information about financial markets.
Do I need to download any software to my PC to trade?
No, all you have to do is open an account on the OLYMPTRADE site
How do I view my trading history?
You can check your trading history in your Dashboard in the section "Trades".
What time is displayed on the platform?
The time that is shown on the platform corresponds to the user time (according to your time zone).
Why doesn't a trade open immediately?
It normally takes a few seconds to receive the data from the server, that is why a trade does not open immediately. Usually this process takes up to 4 seconds.
What do I do if there is a system error while I'm loading the platform?
If there are technical errors, first of all it is recommended that you clean up the cache and cookies in your browser. You should also check that the latest version of the installed browser is being used. If these actions and reloading the page are of no help and the error persists, please contact the technical support department.
What time of day is considered to be the most active trading time?
Currency trading activity depends on the operating hours of the main trading floors and increases when major economic news comes out. The most active trading sessions are the European and American ones, so, for example, the European session lasts from 06:00 am to 03:00 pm UTC. The US session lasts from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm UTC.
Please note that trading in the currency pair USD / RUB takes place from 7:00 am to 05:00 pm UTC.
Is there a demo account?
We offer a demo account with 10,000 virtual units of your currency so that you can evaluate the benefits of our trading platform.
What is a time frame?
It is a time scale of prices on the trading platform. If you choose a time frame of 10 minutes on the line chart, you can see the part of the price chart for the last 10 minutes. If you choose a "5 minute" time frame on the Japanese candlestick chart, each candle will show how the price changed over that this period (if it increased, the candle will be green; if it decreased, it will be red).
The following time intervals are used on the platform: 15 seconds, 1, 5, and 15 minutes.
What is zoom?
Zoom is an is an additional chart feature that helps you use a greater amount of historical data within 24 hours. This feature allows a trader to scroll through the history of the chart for a certain time back, zoom in and out from certain chart segments. Zoom scrolling is necessary for technical analysis, the goal of which is to find patterns in a historical period of a chart. At OLYMP TRADE zoom is beneath the quotes chart.
We have a risk management system working on our platform. That means that automatic limits trigger with some trader actions. We fulfill our obligations to every trader, and also protect you from rash decisions with it. There are similar limits in banks, you could encounter them if you used any loans.
We can’t remove the limits manually, but you can change a bit your trading style so that the limits increase or are completely canceled. To do that, invest in one trade no more than 10% of your deposit and choose a trade time of 10 minutes.
How do I calculate my profit?
Your profit from a trade can be up to 100% of the invested amount. Your profit directly depends on the return percentage. The higher the return rate, the higher your profit.
The return rate depend on several factors:
1. The market environment (volatility, liquidity)
2. Balance within the company. The automatic risk algorithm determines the number of opened buy and sell trades for each asset. The number of sellers and buyers is usually balanced. If one side is overweighted, the company cuts the profitability for the out-of-balance asset to cover the costs. But in any case, the profit from successful trades is paid to clients in full.
What is the minimum deposit amount?
The minimum deposit amount is $10 / €10 &.
Is there a commission for servicing the account?
If, within 180 days, the client does not make any trading operations (transactions) on their real account and/or has no non-trading operations of replenishment/withdrawal of funds, a service commission (subscription fee) in the amount of $10 (ten dollars) or the equivalent of this amount in the account currency will be debited from their account monthly. The rule is set forth in clause 3.5 of the Non-trading Transaction Policy and the KYC/AML Policy.
If there is no amount in the client's balance enough to pay for the service, the commission amount becomes equal to the account balance, and the available bonus funds and risk-free trades are canceled. If the client has a zero balance, the commission will not be debited and the debt to the company will not arise.
If the trader has several accounts without activity for six months or more, the subscription fee will be charged only from one of them. The right to choose the account for debiting belongs to the company. The commission will be charged until the resumption of activity of the client, namely before the first trading or non-trading operation on a real account.
To avoid charging a subscription fee to the client, it is necessary to open at least one trading operation (transaction) on a real account or to make a non-trading operation (deposit/withdrawal) within 180 days.
The history of subscription fees for debiting is available in the Trades section of the personal account.
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Can I use my bank card to make deposits?
Yes, with OLYMPTRADE you can make a deposit using a bank card.
How can I withdraw funds?
In order to withdraw funds, you need to submit a request in your Dashboard. Go to the "Withdrawal" section, select the withdrawal method, fill in the amount and click "Submit request".
The maximum withdrawal period is 5 business days, but we always try to process your requests as fast as possible. Usually, 90% of requests are processed within 24 hours or on the next business day.
Withdrawal methods
You can withdraw funds only to the source from which you deposit. The list of available methods for depositing and withdrawing funds you'll find here: https://olymptrade.com/cabinet#tab=recharge
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Verification is available upon request. If you need to pass the verification, you will receive an e-mail indicated during registration and an sms message. As a rule, the following documents are requested to verify a client:
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After you receive a verification request, in the Profile section you will see a “Verification” window where you can upload the documents.
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Processing of the documents sent by the Client takes up to five business days but we are always trying to complete verification as soon as possible.
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Short answer questions are exactly that: brief answers to questions that demonstrate your knowledge. In some cases, a couple of sentences will suffice. It could be argued that writing answers to short questions is more of a challenge than a personal essay since you are usually limited to a certain number of words. This means you must express clarity and get straight to the point while at the same time making sure you have written just enough to demonstrate your knowledge. Avoid using cliches, sarcasm, or providing way too much or even irrelevant details. Sometimes less is more.
The Key to Writing Short Answers Correctly
• Make sure the question is clear.
• This might seem self-evident, but you would be surprised to realize how many students rush through the question, draw their own assumptions, and then writing something that does not even come close to answering the question.
• Be persuasive and emotional.
By using persuasive, emotional language you can demonstrate to the reader that your points are valid. While students often lose points for including nonsensical or factually false information, it is also common to be penalized for not stressing how important their points are, even when the points themselves are reasonable on the surface.
• Determine whether a point is truly worth mentioning before you include it.
The length of your answer is limited, which means every word counts. This is why you should be careful to only include the points that truly have an impact. Even if you think of an idea that seems interesting or unique, if it is not directly related to the topic, you will undoubtedly be penalized. Indeed, it will only distract from the strong points that you have made. Staying focused throughout the answer is key.
Short-Answer Versus Short Essay Questions
Contrary to popular belief, short-answer and short essay questions are not one in the same. While they might seem similar on a superficial level, the truth is they are different in so many significant ways.
Short Answer: A reader who has complete knowledge about the topic, especially the professor or instructor who designed the test.
Short Essay: Someone with either layman's knowledge or no previously knowledge about the topic at all. Adding some background information to familiarize the reader about the topic is a requirement.
Short Answer: A maximum of four sentences, if even that much. Conciseness is essential.
Short Essay: Usually around one to three pages.
Short Answer: Often confined to very specific, fact-based information that is found solely in the course material/readings.
Short Essay: Can also be based on a specific issue and include course material, but also contains additional sources that the student must research.
Short Answer: Consists of a couple of sentences or a paragraph at most. Choosing words carefully is important in order to create the strongest impact.
Short Essay: A minimum three paragraphs that follow the conventional 'intro, body, conclusion' structure. The introduction gives a reader an idea about what will be discussed. The body addresses the main points and is usually between one and three pages long. The conclusion restates the main arguments, discusses the broader implications, and can serve as a call to action.
Tips for answering open-ended questions
What exactly is an open-ended question? It is simple. An open-ended question allows students a chance to answer a question in detail beyond merely "yes" or "no".
• Open-ended questions require you to use some thought as you develop your own person response to the question at hand.
• These types of questions often follow multiple-choice questions on an exam.
• While the time to complete open-ended questions can very, you should allow yourself around ten to fifteen minutes.
Suggestions that can help you succeed on open-ended questions:
• Determine the main points and crucial details while reading the excerpt.
• In order to make sure the question is clear, it is best to read it a couple of times
• Use the 'Question, Answer, Support, Insights' approach
A Proper Strategy for Writing Open-Ended Answers to Questions:
After being given the prompt, state the question in the answer. This signals to your instructor that you understand the question and are familiar with the text.
• Do not skip over any part of the question.
• Based on the number of bullets to the question, each one should be answered in its own paragraph. (i.e., two bullets = two paragraphs)
• Should the bullet itself contain multiple parts, all of them need answers. Not answering completely is certain to lower your score.
• This is arguably the most important aspect
• The information should come directly from the source, whether it is in the form of quotations, paraphrasing, or summarization.
• An example of proper transition could be: In the second paragraph, the author argues...
• This final step consists of conclusions. How you do on this can make a huge difference on your score.
• Discuss the question in terms of the broader implications or even apply it to personal experiences or current events.
• You want to finish on the right note, so do not be afraid to use some creativity and leave a positive impression. | <urn:uuid:01ccf615-c26e-4f84-93ae-6d60c85ac6ac> | https://primethesis.com/how-to-write-answers-to-questions.html | en | 0.943048 | 0.16461 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Clear Aesthetic People Abstract Night sky
All the lights in the sky are stars
Filipe Madureira © 2018
A classmate from elementary school had married and divorced. Yamada was now raising two children on his own and going gray, which made her laugh. Kazumi, who had been living with a man, went home to her family. Yuusuke, who was trying to become a public servant, failed his test. Yamazaki, who was making erotic games, had all his dreams destroyed. "I'm testing my own talent. It doesn't have to be an erotic game, but I'll do. . . I'll do something!" When he proclaimed this, drunk from sake, his future already was set as a dairy farmer, chasing after cows. I no longer could see how he could escape it. At reunions and parties, everyone laughed and made a big fuss. Those events were fun, as was karaoke. Everyone had a good time and seemed sure that the future would be perfect: We could become anything! We could do anything! We could become happy! These things were true—but steadily, very steadily, at a speed so terribly slow we didn't even notice it, we were being run down. There was nothing we could do, even if we were in trouble, defeated, of crying. Every one of us eventually had some terrible experiences. The only difference was whether it would happen sooner or later; but in the end, we all would fall into some really unbearable situation. I was scared. I was scared of all sorts of things.
Tokyo at rainy sunset
To a hikikomori, winter is painful because everything feels cold, frozen over, and lonely. To a hikikomori, spring is also painful because everyone is in a good mood and therefore enviable. Summer, of course, is especially painful... | <urn:uuid:2f9c15bd-1dee-447c-91d7-90881aa84744> | https://sb-admin.fieel.space/index.php?cat=10 | en | 0.996231 | 0.077094 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Room On The Roof | Ruskin Bond | Book Review | Plot, Characters And Background
Vidisha Pandey
Sep 23, 2019 • 212 views
A seventeen year old boy, a teenager himself picks up a pen, weaves a story of another teenage boy-Rusty, who is an orphaned anglo-indian kid.
Yes, we are referring to the very famous British Indian writer- Ruskin Bond.
The Room on the roof is his first formal literary work and of course, one of his much-acclaimed works!
Ruskin Bond
Source: India Today
Protagonist and Plot:
Book Cover
Rusty, is the main character- who lives in Dehra, Uttarakhand. The book mainly tries to portray the plight of this kid who is fighting with his own conflicts in addition to the blind efforts that he is putting in for the fact that he has to be and act a certain way, all to just fit in the standards of society and more certainly, in those of his Guardian- Mr John Harrison.
This article is an overview of the book- The Room on the Roof, under the different heads that follow.
Personality traits
Since, Rusty is just a teenager, a lot of the traits reflected in his character are mainly situationist. He has been primarily under the influence of his guardian Mr. Harrison, until he meets Somi and Ranbir.
Side Characters
- around this semi-autobiographical account of Rusty include:
his friends- Somi and Ranbir, his neighbor- Kishen, Mrs Meena Kapoor- Kishen's mother, etc.
Mr John Harrison
This man, has always seemed to have a negative bias for India and its cultures, which of course got kindled from the fact that India got relieved from the rule of the british, pretty close in time, to when this story had come up.
He would constantly seek to groom Rusty as an Englishman with English values and ettiquettes, which is oxymoronic in itself, since they were, or rather John had been repelling the traditions and the sensibilities of a country that he was living in!
Rusty was evidently suffocated by the restrictions set up on any of his actions that could ever be in favour of India, which resulted in the least exposure he had to the land he was living on, the city of Dehra, as Ruskin Bond likes to call it.
Somi and Ranbir
It was only when one day Rusty followed his heart and went with his insticts, that he went on to explore the streets of Dehra and found a light of hope, a hope for a change when he met Somi and Ranbir, who were quick enough to form a friendly connection with Rusty.
Rusty had just started to take a breath of fresh air, when he got violently beaten by Harrison, after being caught masked in the colours of Holi from the celebration he had with his newly made friends.
This was obviously, very frustrating for Rusty.
He began to realize that his true happiness lied in the adventures that he did with his friends. This was when he decided break the shackles of abidance to Mr John Harrison.
This was the beginning of a new episode in Rusty's dull life. He started tutoring another kid in his neighbourhood, Kishen, for English. He was given a little Room on the Roof of Kishen's House by Kishen's Parents. This was hence a turning point for Rusty, as this was the first time he had life in his control and hence felt a sense of freedom!
Mrs Meena Kapoor
Kishen's father or Mr Kapoor, was an alcoholic. When Rusty began to live with this family, he felt himself being strangely drawn towards Mrs Kapoor, in a rather Romantic way. To his surprise, Mrs Kapoor seemed to have reflected similar feelings for Rusty.
This was Rusty's experience of First love!
Twists in the story
It is quite commendable how the 17 year old Ruskin Bond was able to understand the complicated scenarios that an Individual is prone to be dumped into!
A lot of Bond's works underline the essence of a memoir.
Ruskin was around 7 or 8 when his parents Edith Clarke and Aubrey Alexander bond-got seperated and 10 when his father passed away.
He thus seems to have a deep understanding of people and relationships.
This characteristic of Bond's works is also showcased in the twists exhibited through the storyline of "The Room on the Roof", when Mrs Meena Kapoor dies in a vehicle accident. This incident in the story reflects the thoughts of the author's when his own father passed away!
Another detail of the story that reflects on the life of Ruskin Bond, is when Kishen's alcoholic father re- marries soon after the death of his first wife. This incidence is partly analogous to the remarriage of the author's own mother, with a Hindu man, Hari!
Ruskin's interpretation of life, is intense and terrific, indeed. The portrayal of Kishen who transitioned into a thief as well as somebody who turned over psychologically, when he could not bear the demise of his mother, could only be done by a writer with a very deep understanding of life.
Period in which the story was set
The story is set in the time when India just became independent from the British. Ruskin spent a long time of his life in Dehradun and other places- mostly hill stations, which also find mention in - The Room on the Roof!
A picture of the top view of Mussouri, Dehradun
The various scenarios and imageries shown throughout the story hence, work their best to show the distinction between, the olden and the modern days. The story is predominantly built in the light of the days of yesterday, having little but strong contrast drawn, with respect to the modern times!
" If there's one name that is synonymous with Children's Literature in India, then it's Ruskin Bond.”
- Daily Mail
The Room on the Roof ranks 2nd in the 10 best short stories by Ruskin Bond, in an article written for-
The Times of India
" it has a lot of different emotions and I like the way Ruskin Bond has written it: a simple story made into such a touching and sad book. "
- Adya@Youngbookreporters
for The Guardian
Goodreads: 4.1/5
My Conclusion:
"As expressed in a lot of reviews and critical reception on- The Room on the Roof, it is indeed a very heart warming composition.
It just has the right amount of Maturity, Innocence, colour and contrast! "
Blog Banner Courtesy: Search of Life
Profile of Arvind Pandey
Arvind Pandey • 17w • Reply
Very well written review of the book, which was also a part of the curriculum in my high school. In a way it's more of a summary of the book rather than a review. For a more fictional novel, this would have killed the interest in reading the book. However, The Room on the Roof is from an altogether different genre and this review would and should generate greater interest in reading the book.
Profile of Vidisha Pandey
Vidisha Pandey • 17w • Reply
Thank you! I'll keep in mind to not give too many insides or spoilers from the book in further reviews, reader's enthusiasm is very important to be taken care of, indeed! It is a great story and rather apt, to be a part of a school's curriculum and I hope it reaches more and more people. This was the first ever Ruskin Bond story that I read, when I was around 8 or 9, hence it was a pleasure for me to write a review for this one...Thank you so much, again for reading and the humble feedback!😊 | <urn:uuid:76cc1034-31c1-4e33-9fed-c8c74d87bdd9> | https://wrytin.com/vidishapandey/the-room-on-the-roof-book-review-k0wa031n | en | 0.979282 | 0.044863 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Teradata GROUP BY or DISTINCT - stop guessing what's better | DWHPRO
Teradata GROUP BY or DISTINCT – stop guessing what’s better
I the past have seen many discussions about which statement is better from a performance point of view:
Many personal experiences are announced. Cause and effect are often confused. People tend to create just one test setup and based on this, general rules are concluded.
The guessing is over now. The truth is:
None of this statements is better in general. Data demographics decide for the winner.
To understand, in which situations you should use DISTINCT and when it should be the Teradata GROUP BY, you have to understand how Teradata executes each of this statements.
In principle one can say, DISTINCT means that data is distributed across the responsible AMPs immediately, rows will be sorted (to remove duplicates). In the case of GROUP BY, Teradata at first does an AMP local grouping and is distributing the remaining rows afterward.
After understanding basic principles, it is easy to conclude when to use which statement on a Teradata system:
If there are many distinct rows for the columns used for grouping, there is little value in doing the AMP local aggregation first, it is better that you use the DISTINCT statement.
If there are just a few rows for the columns used for grouping, the AMP local grouping step will cut a lot the number of rows moved to the AMPs in the second (last) aggregation step. This is the situation when you should use the GROUP BY statement.
Just one remark:
If of a high skew on the grouped columns it could happen, that you end up with an AMP local “out of spool space” situation (as many rows may be moved to a few or just one AMP). This is the one exception where you should use the GROUP BY statement although in principle the DISTINCT statement should be utilized.
I hope for many of you guessing is over There is no winner between DISTINCT and GROUP BY.
Roland Wenzlofsky
• Avatar liprais says:
For 14.0,14.10,15, these two are basically the same thing
• > | <urn:uuid:ce68fba2-3858-4532-bb42-9721b5dd36a1> | https://www.dwhpro.com/teradata-group-by/ | en | 0.922532 | 0.028639 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Each week, Daily News football writer Paul Domowitch will tell you the things he will be keeping his eyes on during that week's game. Here is how things panned out yesterday:
1. Red-zone success: An early-season problem had been rearing its ugly head again. The Eagles were just 2-for-7 in the red zone vs. Cleveland and 0-for-3 the week before vs. the Giants. Yesterday, there simply weren't many chances as the Eagles went 1-for-1 in red-zone efficiency and failed to score a touchdown.
2. Eagles' run defense: The Redskins rushed for 203 yards against the Eagles in their Week 5 win, but a lot has changed since then. Yesterday, the Eagles' defense did a good job against the run, holding Clinton Portis to 70 yards on 22 carries and allowing only 122 rushing yards on 32 carries overall, a 3.8 average.
3. Third-down 'D': The Redskins converted 11 of 19 third-down opportunities in the first Eagles game, which allowed them to gain a 10-minute time-of-possession advantage. But a lot has changed since then in this area as well. Yesterday, the Redskins were only 5-for-15 (33 percent) in third-down efficiency against Jim Johnson's unit.
4. The DeSean factor: It was hoped that DeSean Jackson, who had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Redskins in the first game, would have another productive special-teams game against the league's 27th-ranked punt-coverage unit. But, although the Redkins punted eight times, Jackson only got to return one (for seven yards). He fair-caught two others and the remainder were either downed (two), booted out of bounds (one) or resulted in touchbacks (two). Jackson also wasn't much of a pass-catching factor, finishing with two receptions for 14 yards.
5. Taking away the rock: Going into yesterday, the Redskins had just six giveaways in their 6-2 start, none in their win over the Eagles. But, prior to yesterday, they'd turned it over 11 times during their 1-5 slide, including seven giveaways in their last three games. Yesterday, the Redksins recovered their only fumble and threw no interceptions, a critical factor since they only won by a touchdown. | <urn:uuid:e2deaab1-f396-43cc-b5bc-1e9243877976> | https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/sports/20081222_What_We_Saw.html | en | 0.982248 | 0.054412 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
As a U.S. citizen who wishes to bring your foreign-born fiancé to the United States for the two of you to marry, you are going to need to take certain steps before moving forward. Typically, the first step you need to take is to attempt to secure a fiancé via, which is also known as a K-1 nonimmigrant visa.
Before you obtain a fiancé visa, you need to demonstrate that you are actually eligible for one, and this involves meeting certain strict eligibility requirements.
Assessing eligibility
How do you know if you are eligible to bring your fiancé into the United States on a fiancé visa? To meet eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S. citizen, and you must intend to marry your fiancé within 90 days of the date that he or she arrives in the United States.
Additionally, you must demonstrate that each of you is free to marry, meaning that you are not currently married to someone else. You must also show that you two met each other at least once within the two years preceding the filing of your petition. There are, however, several exceptions to this requirement.
Notable exceptions
You may be able to bypass the requirement that dictates that you and your fiancé must meet in person at least once within the two-year span preceding your petition if your situation meets one of two distinct circumstances. If your fiancé has long-established customs or beliefs that prevent such a meeting, you may be able to request a requirement waiver. Similarly, if you are able to demonstrate that the in-person meeting requirement would result in extreme hardship to you, the petitioner, you may also be able to request a waiver of this particular requirement.
If you obtain a fiancé visa, it is important that you recognize that it is going to expire within 90 days. If you do not marry and your fiancé does not depart the country within that timeframe, you would be in violation of immigration laws. | <urn:uuid:54751e42-27bd-44e8-81d2-c9d7638a9ccf> | https://www.jmleelaw.com/blog/2020/01/eligibility-requirements-for-obtaining-a-fiance-visa/ | en | 0.951289 | 0.043874 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Synthetic Images
Create images for testing
The checkerboard and phantom synthetic images consist of simple geometric shapes with sharp edges and uniform regions. Use these images to test your image processing algorithms. You can add synthetic noise to pristine images to test how an algorithm responds to various types of noise.
checkerboardCreate checkerboard image
phantomCreate head phantom image
imnoiseAdd noise to image
Noise Removal
Noise refers to random error in pixel values acquired during image acquisition or transmission. Removing noise can improve image quality.
Featured Examples | <urn:uuid:5204cf3d-1faa-4c98-bc47-606cecd69d46> | https://www.mathworks.com/help/images/synthetic-images.html?s_tid=CRUX_lftnav | en | 0.796967 | 0.086637 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Dying Detective: A Mystery
Image of The Dying Detective: A Mystery
Release Date:
May 22, 2017
Reviewed by:
Lars Martin Johansson, retired head of the Swedish National Criminal Police, stops at a well-known hotdog kiosk for a quick bite to eat before heading home. He passes the time of day with several Stockholm police officers waiting for their food orders, takes his sausage with sauerkraut and mustard back to his car, and promptly suffers a stroke that renders him unconscious, head on the steering wheel, food spilled down his lap.
The Dying Detective is Leif G. W. Persson’s sixth novel translated into English. It tells the story of a cold case brought to Johansson’s attention by his doctor as he recuperates in hospital, struggling to adjust to his “new life, his life as a patient.” A nine-year-old girl named Yasmine Ermegan was brutally raped and murdered 25 years ago, and although the case was investigated by Evert Bäckström, the protagonist of several other crime novels by Persson, it ended up going nowhere. Longing to retain something of his old life, Johansson agrees to look into the case.
Assembling a team consisting of Jarnebring, his best friend and former colleague, a surly brother-in-law, his heavily-tattooed and pierced caregiver, and a mysterious young Russian muscleman named Max, Johansson doggedly peels back the layers until he discovers the identity of the killer and is faced with a difficult decision forced on him by an oddity of Swedish law.
Persson’s previous crime novels include a trilogy revolving around the murder of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme, in which Johansson appears, and several novels featuring the thoroughly repulsive Bäckström, which are unreadable. In The Dying Detective, however, he has written a novel that deserves to be ranked with the best that Scandinavian crime fiction has produced.
The atmosphere is by turns melancholic, suspenseful, and amusing. Johansson is completely likeable, and his supporting cast of characters charm us as they take turns assisting “the boss,” who despite his infirmity has still managed to retain his ability to “see around corners.”
The story moves steadily along, the pages turning without effort, and the mystery and its investigation hold our interest throughout. Additionally, the translation from the original Swedish by Neil Smith is smooth and transparent.
Some readers in this part of the world may be familiar with Persson’s work due to the short-lived 2015 American television series Backstrom, starring Rainn Wilson (The Office), which attempted to capitalize on the annoying fad toward curmudgeon-based programming such as House and other regrettable sallies into Unpleasant Personality Disorder. Others may be aware that Persson is Sweden’s most renowned psychological profiler and a professor at the Swedish National Police Board.
For the most part, though, his crime fiction has been overshadowed in North America by that of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, Camilla Läckberg, and even Søren and Lotte Hammer. In large part, this is due to its middling quality; However, with the publication of The Dying Detective, we must reset our expectations of Leif G. W. Persson as a standard-bearer for Scandinavian crime fiction.
If you’re an aficionado of the genre, or even if you’re new to it and would like to try a representative sample, grab yourself a grilled sausage with sauerkraut and mustard, a glass of Swedish vodka, and read this book! | <urn:uuid:673d5c0f-6c19-4cc4-8422-06c10e0a574a> | https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/dying-detective | en | 0.967231 | 0.023529 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Winter Steelheading
Winter steelheading can be very challenging. Frigid winds, ice, slush and bone chilling waters will test even the hardiest steelheader. But it's the individual who is willing to subject themselves to those bitter elements are the ones that will find success. When the cold weather hits, the number of people on the rivers drop and the winter steelheader can find unfished waters with relative ease, even on the Rocky or the Chagrin.
The weather isn't for the faint of heart and the majority of anglers often wait for warmer weather. I relish the winter months and I remember past trips of driving out east in squalls that swallowed the truck in front of me. Walking in fresh snow through the woods. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my feet as I've been standing in the water for too long. I've seen people walking along the Rocky River stare at me with disbelief as I'm standing in a freezing cold river. They often ask what are you fishing for? Or aren't you worried of hypothermia? I tell them and some admire my passion and dedication. Others think I'm crazy.
fishing for winter steelhead
The biggest foe for the winter steelheader is slush and ice. Slush also known as anchor ice will generally form in rivers during periods of extreme cold. Due to the motion of the water, ice cover may not form consistently, and the water will quickly reach its freezing point due to mixing and contact with the air. Ice platelets generally form very quickly in the water column and on submerged objects once conditions are optimal. Once this happens fishing can be difficult if not impossible. If there is enough space between blobs of slush then a successful drift can be done albeit short. If the river is choked in it, you'll be lucky to drop a bowling ball through it. Over the years, I've learned if the temperatures overnight are in the teens or low twenties, I'll sleep in and wait until it warms up. Generally slush will burn off by afternoon. Many times, I've drove through the metro park in the morning and watched guys trying in vain to fish in it, only to give up after a few hours.
Fishing for winter steelhead
Side ice can also pose a problem as the best wintering holes can be covered over. Usually the fish will hide under the ice making it difficult to coax them out or drift right along the shelf. If the ice isn't thick, simply busting it up into sections and pushing it out will open up some water. For the angler looking to fish on side ice, they are playing a deadly game of chance. River ice is usually 15 percent weaker than pond or lake ice because underlying currents below can make it thinner then it appears. In the past, I did it a couple of times because I was desperate to catch fish, but I never felt comfortable doing it. Since then, I've stop doing because losing my life wasn't worth it. There is no such thing as 100% safe ice.
Clothing can make your day enjoyable or down right miserable. I like to dress light because I often walk a lot. Even though it can be cold, I can break out in a sweat. For me nothing beats fleece because of wicking ability and retaining heat. For a typical winter outing, I wear a Under Armour base 2.0 crew shirt and leggings, Polartec 200 fleece pants and jacket, and polypropylene and wool socks. All of these provide warmth while keeping me dry. The only I will not wear are gloves when I'm fishing. I find gloves cumbersome and they are usually relegated in the back of my jacket and I only use them when walking from spot to spot. The most important piece to will make day enjoyable or a living hell are waders. There's I now that swear by neoprene waders, because it keeps much warmer then goretex waders. Personally, I find neoprenes too cumbersome and heavy. My goretex waders do a good enough job keeping me dry.
fishing for winter steelhead
The size of your boots is also important. Boots too small constrict blood flow into your feet. What happens is your feet will become colder faster. When buying boots, you should go a couple sizes bigger to accommodate the layer of socks that you'll be using. But, all of that doesn't matter if your feet start getting wet due to leaks. Once your feet are wet, your screwed. After an hour the pain starts getting worse and after a while its intolerable. I've experienced a couple of times and it's not fun when the day has to be cut short because your feet are killing you.
Just like humans, fish react to the cold the same way, they don't like to move if they can help it. Since fish are cold blooded they prefer to seek out areas that don't have to expend a lot of energy. Prime spots include tailouts, large deep pools, and any structure such as bridge supports, dams, downed trees, and large rocks that deflect the current. But, I have seen steelhead leap out of the water when the water temperature was 34F and the air temperature was in the 20s. I had some fish fight like water logged boot and others rip off line. Winter steelheading can be either fantastic or a struggle. I've had times when I've hit fish in every spot and others times I couldn't buy a bite. You just never know what type of outing you'll have.
Winter steelheading can be fun if you dress warmly. The number of people out will often be low especially in the afternoon. It takes a lot of persistent as fish can be extremely difficult when it comes to taking your presentation. But the rewards can be great.
No comments: | <urn:uuid:63a2c7c7-fbae-4b07-a384-3de4adfe22d2> | https://www.travelingangler.com/2012/01/winter-steelheading.html | en | 0.967548 | 0.350082 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Rosa's story
Rosa, with short hair, looks at the camera and smilesAbout Rosa.
I am 54, originally from Valencia, Spain. I worked in Spain for 30 years for different Spanish companies. Due to the severe crisis in Spain I decided to come to London, look for a job and rebuild my life in this country. I have significant experience in administration and with computers and different softwares used in the construction industry. I am now training to be a Computer Digital Champion.
Why did you decide to volunteer?
I decided to volunteer because I received a lot from my community and I want to share what I know, while looking for a job, learning English and getting new qualifications.
Who do you help through volunteering?
I volunteer with Poplar Harca helping residents with computers and internet. I also volunteer with people over 50 singing, painting, reading, speaking, and helping with computers. This is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
In the last few months I have had the privilege to work as a volunteer with Southern Housing Group, helping people with computers and at the Tower of London helping people to know the Tower.
How has volunteering helped you?
It has helped me build new relationships with many different people and has given me the opportunity to learn from them. As a foreigner in a new community, it has helped me understand how to live here, and understand the world. So, I feel more confident when I speak English, use my skills and discover new interests.
What would you say to potential volunteers?
Volunteering is a great way to understand reality in your community. This gives a better ability to adapt to any event that happens in life. When you experience the satisfaction of doing something for a smile or a handshake, you start to fully appreciate even the smallest good things that happen in life.
Are you ready to get involved?
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Tributes have been paid to a well known taxi driver described as a “gentle giant” who died after a two-vehicle crash on the outskirts of Carmarthen .
Peter Morgan Salmon, died following the collision at 6.10am on Sunday between his silver Toyota Avensis and a grey Volvo.
It happened on the A484 between Carmarthen and the village of Cwmffrwd.
Mr Salmon, 64, sustained fatal injuries and died in hospital a short time later.
It is understood he had been travelling home to Kidwelly in his own car after finishing a night shift for Carmarthen-based firm Paul’s Taxis.
The crash caused the A484 to be closed in both directions for around 12 hours.
The driver of the Volvo, a 25-year-old Carmarthen man, was also taken to hospital with a minor injury.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash
Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed he was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, drink driving and drug driving.
He was taken into custody but has since been released while further enquiries are carried out.
Mr Salmon was a familiar face in Carmarthen and Kidwelly .
Jackie Wray at Paul’s Taxis said Mr Salmon’s death was a shock and that he was a popular driver, well known to people across town and beyond.
She added: “He was the nicest person you could ask to meet.
“He was a real gentle giant and so honest and willing to help anyone."
They could not have asked for a better employee, she added.
“I remember him once picking up a £1 coin off the floor from outside the Coracle pub in Carmarthen," she said.
“He handed it into us, everyone else would have just pocketed it.
“That’s the sort of person he was.”
“He was 64 and had worked for us for more than 20 years doing the night shift.”
Mr Salmon was not married and had no children. | <urn:uuid:8349fcd1-1077-4afb-9ad2-5c809797e2b2> | https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/gentle-giant-taxi-driver-named-15028176 | en | 0.991095 | 0.068819 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
As a developer you are involved in two-week sprints, pre-planning, planning, estimation, “the-sprint-itself”, daily stand-ups, show-and-tell, and retro-spectives. And repeat…..
**Every developer** has to be application, system, and infrastructure security aware.**
Awareness is the important word here. You can never be an expert in every arena; a combination of network, application, operating system, AWS security champion. There are not enough hours-in-the-day.
> > * * * > >
Far better to apply common-sense. Look at how you can identify, and mitigate “against” risk. Take the time to understand how a (newly identified) risk will impact a system.
Risks, which are identified, defined, with (potential) resolutions, are better than risks which “get-away” (in other words, “swept under the carpet”.
We are not talking about identifying every single risk, bug, problem, issue, undocumented-feature and putting it in the backlog.
We are instead looking at identifying issues with “software, systems, and infrastructure”, which (if not identified) could lead to something more prominent.
“Keep-em-peeled”, in other words - be aware of what you are coding, configuring, or changing.
If you add an extra end-point to your restful web-service, how are you changing the attack-surface?
Introducing a new data-flow. How will the “whole” system behavior change?
Identify the inconsistency, change in behaviour, or risk. Investigate, and Suggest how the risk may be mitigated.
This may sound like common-sense, but it is important to “not just” identify a situation, but also how to reduce the risk.
It may not be as clear-cut as writing “a few more” unit tests….. Creativity may be required. Think about viewing a “situation” from several angles, **but **keep your feet “firmly-on-the-ground”, because that “is what” the business will want (bottom line).
Break a situation down into smaller (digestible) parts, and keeping (risk mitigation) solutions simple, and concise is the way forward.
This all comes from understanding how “the old”, and “the new” system behave.
Avoid this……
**If you just want to cut code, please move along, there is nothing to see here. | <urn:uuid:8fb66b37-f02e-488c-aab0-43c1aefb1369> | http://chocksaway.com/devops/infosec/2016/01/28/application-security-cannot-just-be-the-speciality-of-the-information-security-team.html | en | 0.91265 | 0.37976 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Throttling MySQL Enterprise Backup with cgroups
Today I encountered a situation where MySQL Enterprise Backup caused to much load on the I/O subsystem of the server to cause the application to be so slow that it wasn't usable any longer. So I wanted to limit the mysqlbackup process so it wouldn't cause any more issues.
The mysqlbackup command has settings to for the number of read, write and process threads. The defaults are 1 read, 1 write and 6 process threads. So that isn't really useful for throttling as I was using the defaults.
Using the ionice utility wouldn't work as that requires the CFG I/O scheduler.
I found a solution in this blog post. It is to use cgroups on Linux. I had used cgroups before to test how a galera setup works when one of the three servers had a much slower CPU.
# mkdir /cgroup/blkio
# mount -t cgroup -o blkio non /cgroup/blkio
# cgcreate -g blkio:/mysqlbackup
# ls -lh /dev/mapper/vgdb01-lvdb01
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Sep 26 14:22 /dev/mapper/vgdb01-lvdb01 -> ../dm-2
# ls -lh /dev/dm-2
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 253, 2 Sep 26 14:22 /dev/dm-2
# cgset -r blkio.throttle.read_iops_device="253:2 20" mysqlbackup
# cgset -r blkio.throttle.write_iops_device="253:2 20" mysqlbackup
# echo $$ > /cgroup/blkio/mysqlbackup/tasks
# cat /proc/$$/cgroup
# mysqlbackup --user=root --password=xxxxxx --with-timestamp --backup-dir=/data/backup backup
This worked exactly as I had hoped and expected. Both read and write operations were limited to 20 iops.
It turned out to be a issue with the storage system, so I won't have to use this in production but I hope that this will be to value of someone. This can also be useful in other situations.
1 comment:
| <urn:uuid:65a93005-dd4d-4245-99d7-dc812847d276> | http://databaseblog.myname.nl/2014/11/throttling-mysql-enterprise-backup-with.html | en | 0.88754 | 0.042323 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Friday, August 28, 2009
PS3 Slim adverts
The latest American adverts for the new Playstation 3 Slim blipped up on my radar. Self-deprecating humour from the USA - say it ain't so ;-)
Anyway compare it to the one we get. Seriously Sony are you insane? Get rid of this gosh aren't we trendy/cool/fly piece of crap and just regionalise the American versions for us; this is the sort of stuff we've been enjoying for decades.
Some template changes
As you may have noticed I've changed the template slightly and added a third column. I've been unhappy with the placement of some of the elements particularly having to scroll down so far to get to the "Previous Rantings" and "Labels" while also wanting to keep the most current comments and links near the top.
Obviously it's a bit wider, but hopefully should still fit reasonably neatly into a standard resolution; seems to work under the major browsers (first time too which came as a surprise). Oh and of course because of the width change the top rounded background picture no linger fills the entire width, please bear with me.
Gilgal parallels
It's Summer Bank Holiday and we all know that means road and rail works. Now I've already agreed that in fact this really is the best time to do such work as plans tend to be more mutable, but a Liberal Democrat MP popped onto GMTV with something interesting to say (shock horror ;-) )
"It's just complacent, just easy, for Network Rail to shut a line; it suits them"
Gosh does that sound familiar folks? Of course Worces.... sorry Network Rail came back with how they examine every circumstance only do it when there's no other choice and a whole heap of other excuses most of us probably don't believe any more.
Because we know that the easiest course is the one they seem to take, we know that when utility companies talk about "minimising disruption" they mean minimising their disruption. Seriously what are we going to do about it, switch water supplies - can't; switch energy suppliers - not them who's in charge of the grid. They're only accountable to the council (except when it's an 'emergency' when they can do what they like) who in turn is accountable to us. If you don't like the way the councils are dealing with things just vote them out... in four years time.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Gilgal roadwork notices up
Someone's been a busy beaver we've got signs on the approach to the OGL Island from Worcester Road and Hartlebury Road, A sign on the approach to Gilgal from Vale Road and [scratching head] one halfway along Lion Hill which wouldn't be affected as they're not closing that section as far as we've been told so would only make a difference to those heading back through Gilgal who would see one of the other signs.
[Oh and additional they've placed it at the far side of the Boat Shed houses which means you can only see half of it until you're right on top of it - nicely done guys]
I'm sure there's also one from Minster Road to Gilgal, and possibly one from Worcester Street.
As you might expect it's a big fat chunk of text that you can't read in one pass unless you purposefully slow down. Essentially it's warning of delays... sorry delays? Don't you mean closure because that's what we've been told? Anyway delays on certain stretches of road including my favourite "THE GIL GAL" Gah!
No seriously when they start work I'm tempted to ask to see their permission to dig and point out that while they're allowed to dig up "The Gilgal" or even "The Gil Gal" they're not allowed to dig up "Gilgal" and are presumably digging up the wrong road. Hey that's the sort of nitpicking we have to put up with when signing forms in triplicate; time to pay them back.
[Update - I just re-read the notices in the paper and dammit it's a constant "A451 Gilgal" so I can't challenge the legally obliged notices and I'm betting that's what's on the forms too. Theoretically I could be petty enough to challenge the roadside notices for talking about "The Gil Gal" but I don't think that'll wash.]
Batman preorder prices
Well as mentioned I've been looking at the Collector's Edition version of "Batman: Arkham Asylum" for the PS3; do I go for the postcards, the comic, whatever. I'd put off getting it since the fun I've had with my hard-drive, but I'd thought I'd take another look.
Holy Crap the price has jumped from £59.99 to £99.99 on Amazon; Play have it for £199.99! Neither Game nor Gamestation have it listed any more which leaves me with HMV who are offering it at... £59.99.
And ordered, receipt printed, and email confirmation arrived.
Whoo that was a bit of a price-hike, if you're still interested head to HMV's Batman page now.
Parking in Stourport
A comment from Wyre Forest BNP that touched on parking restrictions in Stourport got me thinking about where you can park correctly in Stourport.
Green indicates Pay-and-Display (light for WFDC, dark for private), Red for free with restrictions (light for patrons, dark for other restriction), Yellow for on-street parking and Blue for the free car-park. Oh and for fun I added in on the far right the proposed Tesco car-park just to show how isolated it would be.
So five Green PnD car-parks which as you can see are all clustered along the riverside. Ten Red free car-parks. Eight patron only - two pubs, the council offices, four supermarkets and the library/surgery; two restricted - disabled only and the closed Swan Hotel.
The Yellow on-street parking which aren't seperated into bays so you can park at any point along their length, and for the High Street inset bays only an average car-width wide.
And finally the one and only Blue free car-park from which to get to town you have to cross a three-lane road and get over a canal.
Hopefully from this map you can see why I'm pushing for free half-hour (ish) parking at Raven Street that's the rightmost Light Green blob. Close to the town, off the street and balances out the Blue Vale Road car-park.
GCSE Results
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Another letter in the Shuttle
Just appeared; let's see the response.
Game design problems
Just a general musing on the shortcuts or other problems that seem to repeat in so many of the games I played in the vain hope that game designers will read this and think "Damn I'm just about to do that" and stop.
Psychic Warfare
Comes in two flavours, you're supposed to be psychic or your enemies are (or just as often both). Starting with your character you can tell if you're supposed to be psychic if you ever end up dead or with a fat chunk of your health removed and wondered "What the hell just happened?".
The important consideration of this trait is that there should be no way that you would expect what just happened to have happened. If you're running along in luminous tracksuit making as much noise as a steam train through enemy territory than a shot to the head is almost inevitable. If you're covered in mud indistinguishable from the surroundings cautiously edging through what should be a cleared area and a boulder falls on top of you, then you can be justified for thinking (or screaming) "what the...?"
This trait can often be referred to as "trial and error gaming" where you're presented with three otherwise identical choices two of which lead to instant death or severe maiming. With checkpoints and instant saves the reaction is "Well I won't do that again".
With other characters you get something like this: There's the enemy standing with his back to you oblivious to his imminent death. You sneak forward on silent feet, unheard, unseen until you reach the point where you can simply extend your arms and snap his neck. At which point he turns around and blows your head off with a shotgun.
The most obvious signs that you're encountering psychic enemies- Enemies with their backs to you (or at long distance) instantly pinpointing your location when you fire at them.
Enemies are totally aware of their surroundings and can easily navigate a route to reach or avoid you or other obstacles.
Enemies can track you through opaque cover to be ready to shoot you as soon as you pop your head out.
Sure we like a challenge, but preternatural powers shouldn't come into it.
Holes in your pockets
More a staple of the FPS genre this can be invoked whenever you stop and think "How the hell did that get there?". Who is it that leaves these medkits and scatters ammo around the place? Why is it that after picking up this unique experimental weapon scattered ammo crates will stock ammunition for it and merchants can sell upgrades for it?
Another facet of this tends to be that the stock of merchants increases in value as you progress; most notable in the Final Fantasy games where you're lucky if the starting city merchants stock a sharp stick, but the one in the middle of the desert, on a near inaccessible plateau can sell you a thermonuclear 'kill-em-all' bazooka along with plenty of ammo whenever you return.
But you have to stand there
This too comes in two varieties - cutscenes and event triggers. The former can be very annoying when combined with Psychic Warfare - you know exactly what's about to happen, you take appropriate precautions and then your character is dumped in just the wrong place by the cutscene because otherwise the framing would be wrong.
Event triggers too can be combined with Psychic Warfare; you can prance about in that room naked and nothing will happen until you flick that switch or step over that invisible threshold that signals the next event can occur.
Come with me if you want to live
Yes it's Escort Mission time. I don't think there's a single gamer out there who enjoys these and yet they continue to flourish. Normally those you are escorting are weaponless and have no sense of survival. Either they're constantly lagging behind because they can't run as fast as you, trying to join in to attack any enemies despite being useless, or haring off ahead off you before you've cleared the area of snipers and minefields.
Despite being almost universally loathed developers not only seem to make them an obligatory part of any story-line, but are trying to improve them by allowing you dog-like commands to control them - stay/heel. The result is a temptation to shout "stay" while you go ahead to clear out everything then "heel" to lead them through.
Unfortunately the sadists have spotted this propensity and rather than address the main concern (the Escort Mission itself) either present you with a game over/mission failure if you stray too far or combine it with event triggers that only activate for the escortee.
AI can be shoddy at the best of times, but if you really really want to highlight how bad it is then by all means include an escort mission.
Bouncing off the walls
There you stand on a city border the highway stretching before you almost eager for you to race along it. You start forward to see what possible adventures lie over the horizon and are pulled up short by an invisible barrier.
Okay so no limitless games at the moment you're going to hit the boundaries of the 'world' at some point; but there are better methods out there then simply stopping dead for no apparent reason. Put a mountain in the way, an impassible gorge, have some alien overseer complain about you leaving the area and shunt you back; heck even a sand storm to turn you around. Not just a barrier.
Not the foot high wall
A similar problem to the invisible walls, but rather than present a world ending barrier you have something that in theory you could easily move over or through which you can't. The most obvious appears in any game where you unable to jump - the foot high wall something a crawling infant would get past, but someone able to carry 14 weapons and can kill zombies just by looking at them is completely stumped by.
Other than barriers the other manifestation of this trait are gaps that you should obviously be able to fit through but can't; the most conspicuous being a pillared façade which doesn't allow you to fit between the pillar and the wall.
Can't I just blow it up?
Unlike an invisible barrier door which is simply a visible form, but no less irritating, this is a door you're supposed to go through but can't because you don't have a key, haven't performed the correct mission, or simply hit the right trigger. Sadly plonking down concrete and steel barriers doesn't always translate into some settings and so you end up in the stupid position of possessing enough of an arsenal to destabilise a small country yet be unable to get through a wooden shack door.
So Mr. Door we meet again
Continuing from the previous now you've finished swearing at not being able to just fire a missile strike at that wooden door you now find that whatever triggers it open is quite logically no-where near the door itself. Now occasionally that can work, but still smacks of 'extending gameplay'.Trouble arises because once you've triggered the door most of the time you're expected to make your way back through everywhere you've just been. Why trouble? Well if you've cleared the place out then it's a boring slog; if you've event triggered some alarm or the enemies respawn then it's an annoying slog.
Is that the door?
Interruptions are a part of life; not all gamers hermetically seal themselves away, take the phones of the hook, and disconnect the doorbell whenever they play. To that end we need to be able to pause the game at any point in time. If you make any part of the game pauseless than you can guarantee that an interruption will occur at that point.
Advert Complaints
It is a truth universally acknowledged that anything broadcast will offend at least one person somewhere; most of the time we won't hear about it unless they've got a blog or write for a newspaper.
Yep that's right Guardian writer Peter Jones is complaining that the Compare the Market/Meerkat advert is racist; except of course he's not really. He's complaining on behalf of his Ukrainian girlfriend who was offended. Oh noes they're making a joke out of how some people pronounce the word market, presumably intimating that they're stupid.
Now personally I don't like the advert the "Simples [noise]" just grates every time and hadn't even realised (or cared) about the point of pronunciation. But accusing it of racism?
I presume Peter also insists that Louis Armstrong's "Let's call the whole thing off" is never heard in his presence; that any impersonator is verboten in his home; and that Frankie Boyle is most definitely not on his Christmas Card list (unless it's not racist for Scottish people to slag off Scotland?).
As mentioned by one of DK's commentators
'Um Bongo, Um Bongo,
They drink it in the Congo...'
May I also add "Too orangey for Crows" and the classic "Me Ears are alight" oh but those are all old and 'before we knew any better'. Oo I know how about all the shampoo adverts that only feature women or the Maltesers, the Special K et al adverts that demonstrate that it's only women who are concerned with calories, dieting, chocolate etc.
How about the badly dubbed adverts or the ones that can't even be bothered to regionalise their adverts such as any car advert that shows them driving on the wrong side of the road or the Stabilo advert that tells us that it's "erasable" while the kid rubs out the word "effaçable".
Go on Peter defend us from this filth, on behalf of the nation I implore you to continuously complain to the ASA in the hopes that will prevent you from having time to write for the Guardian.
GoCompare advert
Another grin-inducing advert. Nothing particularly spectacular and rather cheesy as the opera-style singer sings GoCompare in a cafe and the other patrons join in; except it redeems itself in the last few seconds.
"I wonder how much they're paying him?"
"He's only a tenor"
Well done.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Listening to what is said
I'll start with a report from GMTV about the upcoming sales ban on incandescent light-bulbs, or at least that's what it sounded like; in a blink-and-you'd-miss-it the clarification was for 100W bulbs.
So to a hardware store we go and there the reporter tells us about banning frosted bulbs and being "encouraged" to use these energy saving ones. Okay see that word right there - encouraged? Now imagine I ran a retail store and had two main entrance/exits and I wanted to encourage people to leave via the one on the right. Well I could place the till closer to it, I could put up signs pointing to it; or I could do the equivalent of what's being done here and simply lock the left-hand door. Yeah that's not encouraging people to use the other door that's providing them with no choice.
So questions were raised to the Energy Minister about how said bulbs don't turn on immediately and take time to warm up, and the response was waffle about modern bulbs and how they "turn on instantly after a second or two". See what I mean about listening to what is being said. Heh no I won't be obtuse I know what was meant was that the bulbs turn on to instant brightness after a second or two without the lengthy warm-up. However one of the sofa bound (Richard?) pointed out that the bulbs were also dimmer and didn't give off the same quality of light. The response to that was also enlightening coming from a Labour (for the people) minister - "Those were obviously cheap bulbs".
Yep that's right folks we now have a new social measure, no longer will you need to check for flying ducks on the wall just check out the quality of their artificial lighting. Honestly, people aren't buying these bulbs because the equivalent priced versions aren't as good and then after banning the ones we want to buy a Minister has the cheek to say it's all our own fault for buying the cheap ones.
Oh and of course this isn't a Westminster initiative this comes from the EU and in a sparkling bit of coincidence our relational structure is laid bare again when I switched over to the BBC and found a brief snippet about selling films.
Turns out the 1984 law that allowed retailers to be fined if they were caught selling films or games to anyone under the age restriction placed on them is invalid because Parliament failed to inform the EU about it.
So here's how it goes - we're the 5 year old being told by a big brother/sister to stay away from the linen cabinet so much so that we now actively detour around it until our parents notice and proclaim "Well I never said to stay away from it".
Now I'll turn to the Daily (we're definitely not the Daily Mail) Express who seems to delight in contradictions not only from day to day but in one single issue.
A front page splash tells us why Anne Robinson might be the "antidote to ageism" yes that's right folks she had that plastic surgery to make her look older; just to hammer the point home turn over a couple more pages and we get a list of gadgets that could "roll back the years". So ageism is wrong, but there's nothing wrong with trying to look younger?
Wow next thing you know they'll be printing stories about how awfully thin some celebrity is looking next to an article about how much weight some other celebrity has gained.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Severn Trent Water departments
Kicked one of the tenants out last week and found they'd left us a mess. An attempt to tidy up led to the discovery of no water. Stop-taps were duly twiddled with no success so this led to a call to my second most favourite utility company Severn Trent.
Obviously no account number but hey with a business name, a postcode and a unit number how hard could it be?
I phoned the main number I had and after much on-hold they stated that they wouldn't disconnect unless asked to. Oh and then they finally found the property which was listed as "not a property" oh that helps.
So I tried a different number one I had from that fuss over the meter numbers when they threatened to disconnect a meter they couldn't find.
Oh will you look at that - this department finds the property, gives me the account number and helpfully tells me that yes indeedy they'd disconnected the water.
The account is going to be switched over and they'll contact us as to when it'll be reconnected - oddly although they disconnected it without gaining entrance to the property, they can't reconnect it without that access. Ah well at least they'll call first.
[Update - an hour later they called to say that someone had been over and reconnected it. So points for speed, though I think it helped that we knew they had someone in the area already]
Stourport stuff 2
Managed to have a wander around town on Friday noticing the number of empty shops that seems to be growing. On the plus side I poked my head into the new photography place opposite the old Job Centre - Essential(?) Enterprise Photography. He seems to be still setting up the retail side of things with stocks of goods that aid those who wish to continue a hobby of photography but can't for some reason; I'm guessing those with the shakes (heh like me at times) or those with physical impairments. Other stuff will be coming, but it seems at the moment to be a studio.
So if you're looking for that professional photo feel pop on by.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Veronica Mars on E4 take 2
As mentioned I switched to recording the 11am slot of Veronica Mars in the hope that a fixed start time would allow me to record the entire damn programme consistently. So how's that worked out?
Monday: Record 11:00-11:54. Programme starts 21 seconds in from record start and taken to end credits (mouse to WB logo switch) finishes with a time of 51:33.
Tuesday: Record 10:59-11:59. Programme already started misses "Previously on" runs to same point in end credits and finishes with a time of 52:52 though obviously programme should be longer.
Wednesday: Record 11:00-11:54. Programme starts 30 seconds later runs to end and misses end credits record ends with a programme time of 53:42 though again obviously should be longer
Thursday: record 11:00-11:59. Programme starts 1:30 minutes later runs to end credits and finishes 54:07.
So variable start times, variable end times and variable lengths. Gosh that sounds like the idle time to use some sort of start/stop signal doesn't it?
Kidderminster Drain Cleaning
Well someone wrote a letter to the Shuttle complaining about the state of the drains and it seems some arse has been kicked because they're cleaning out Ringway as I type.
Now you might expect as this is the main route in and out of Kidderminster some common sense would apply... yeah as if.
They've coned off the entire inner lane of the bus station island. Now of course that means that anyone coming to it in the right-hand lane from any of the entrances will find no-where to drive too; so they've coned off the incoming right-hand lanes of all the entrances. Except coming down from the Ringway where they've coned off the left-hand lane; oh and just for good measure they've coned off the left-hand lane going up the Ringway too.
Number of drain cleaning machines I saw operating along this entire stretch - one. There was one machine on the Ringway leading from the bus station island; once you got past it the cones still stopped you from accessing the left-hand lane for the entire length. Anyone using the island to get to Worcester Road or entering the island with no intent of using the Ringway found themselves penned in by cones protecting no workers and no machines.
As I'm coming to realise when our lords and masters talk about "minimising disruption" they're missing out on one key middle word - "our".
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Cracked competition
Yep that one made #8.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wrong calls
Huh seems we're getting a few wrong numbers with people after Phipps and Pritchard's estate agents. Seems people must be reading a digit wrong and transposing two others. Does go to show that pretty much no-one every listens to what the person actually answers the phone with.
"Good morning/afternoon [not Phipps and Pritchard]"
"I've got a house for sale/interested in that house"
"I think you're after Phipps and Prichard"
I feel such fondness for the human species ;-)
Which magazine - September
The September edition of Which? dropped through the door this morning with a few interesting articles.
I'll lightly deal with a few before getting to the meat.
A quick review on PAS (Point and Shoot) cameras highlighting the niceness that is Face Detection, dynamic range and wide-angle lenses. Interesting for me to note that not one of the 12 compact cameras listed had a viewfinder, all relied on the LCD screen on the back, which made it most curious that one of the cons for the third-place Canon Powershot SX200 was "No viewfinder".
A quick review over cordless home phones and although the size of the phonebook was mentioned whether it was shared or not wasn't .
Printers and I was most amused to read "Inkjet printers are more versatile than laser printers because they can print photographs" and laser printers can't because? It's just data and colour laser printers use the same CMYK profile as inkjets. Okay they may lack the Photo Black or Light Cyan/Magenta of inkjets, but that doesn't mean they're incapable. Heck they can even print on glossy paper now. As of this minute they might not be as good as an inkjet, but they can be a mite sight faster.
[Update 26/10. The latest issue Nov 09 features a query from Deke Roberts on this very subject. The response from Which? was that most lasers won't print on glossy paper therefore are unsuitable, which is a far cry from can/can't]
And train fares. Turns out [shock horror] we're not always being told about the best deals available when trying to ride the rails. Gosh I'm sure it's got nothing to do with the number of different francises each selling multiple different tickets each with different stipulations about how they can be used.
Okay meat time - Parking charges investigated. Yay Which? research into parking fines. Amazingly they found that "most private parking signs were confusingly written" well you could have knocked me down with a feather.
We get a true-life tale highlighting the ever-helpful advice from the authorities in which a young man rents a flat with parking space and received a ticket when his permit slipped from view. The advice from the
letting agents, the flats' management company, Citizens Advice Bureau and the police all advised him to pay the £90 that the parking company were demanding
Yep that's right don't kick up a fuss like the man in Southampton who paid for his spot but somehow picked up the previous persons ticket and who won his appeal.
Anyway good old Which? provides a nice little flowchart for contesting parking tickets... no sorry that's contesting public sector tickets. Those are the ones placed by police or local authorities, have the force of law behind them, and a legal appeals procedure. Not a private sector ticket that can be made out by anyone, doesn't have the force of law behind it and doesn't have a legal appeals procedure.
A neat little twist appears in their checklist
Parking companies often threaten the use of baliffs. But unless they have a court order bailiffs can't enter your home by force...
That's interesting because they can only enter by force under two conditions 1) Recovering money owed to HMRC or 2) Recovering unpaid magistrate's court fees. Don't believe ask me the government. Ah but those are County Court bailiffs what about private bailiffs? Exactly the same thing. Also worth pointing out that bailiffs only appear with a warrant which means the matter has gone to court which if you do some searching seems to be the last thing parking companies want to do.
Now of course they can threaten you with the use of debt collectors who have no legal powers whatsoever. Indeed if you're happy to go to court to settle the matter you can accuse the parking company and any debt collectors of harassment if they keep asking you to pay the notice.
Which? magazine's FOI requests also pop up the interesting fact that six councils have targets of expected PCNs to be issued, and we all know where that leads.
Another tit-bit from the FOI is a minor contradiction. When you get a proper PCN there's often an early-paying discount of 50%. Now if you appeal within that discount window the clock should stop, it then restarts if the appeal is rejected. That means if you have 14 days to pay the discounted fine and appeal on day 4, even if it takes 5 days to reject you should still have 10 days remaining to pay the discounted fine. Should...
"DfT guidance says that councils should maintain the discount on a penalty charge notice even if the driver appeals and is rejected. However over 37% of councils that responded [...] do this in every case"
Yep that's right if you appeal and they take their sweet-arse time over it you could be hit with the full fine. Better to just pay up eh?
Final interesting statistics 60% of public sector appeals* in England and Wales in 07/08 were successful. The asterisk is most illuminating in that this refers to appeals that were rejected by local councils and taken to adjudication. That means the council got in wrong 3 times out of every 5 for rejected appeals where the fined person took it further. I could make much of that, but without knowing the number who appealed and won, the number who appealed and didn't take it any further or even the impossible figure of those who just paid up despite not believing they should but didn't want the hassle; the figures aren't much use.
So all in all a mixed report with some interesting bits, some not so useful and some downright confusing. Sounds like our current legal system all right.
My cousin's bus service closure
As mentioned previously I was meeting my cousin The Artist and family in the afternoon. I got a congrats for being published in the paper twice, but it seems he's trumped me by getting his visog in his local paper (he's done it before but a different local paper, and had his name in my local paper too the bar-steward ;-) ), awful photo though.
Due to a medical condition he's unable to drive and thus catches the bus into work each morning. Now the bus company has decided that the leg of the journey that allows him to do this isn't viable so they're shutting it down.
Turns out that for some reason this particular trip (or possibly leg) isn't subsidised and has been running at a loss so the bus company, quite rightly from their point of view, are shutting it down.
To me this just sounds like Beeching again - "Just take a car (or taxi) to the local station" except of course what happened was that once people have taken that step they see no reason not to complete the whole journey that way.
Trouble is I can hear a load of libertarians whining about supporting my cousin - he should take a local job, he should move closer to his place of work etc.; except of course they're all arseholes.
He's trained to do a job and the only available place to perform this much needed and highly demanded (think specialist hospital) work is in the 'city'. Of course it would be better to move closer, but he needs a house to accommodate his growing family (one daughter with another on the way) and that means a suitable property within his price range which you can't find in the 'city'.
See this is also where they fall down - you want a high-paid job move to the city, except you can't afford to move to the city because you don't have a high-paid job. Oh you can take public transport - until they cut the service; you can take a car - until they price you off the road.
[Cough] I'll stop that little diversion and get back to the point.
So he's in the paper and the bus company have replied with basically a "This is what we're doing tough!" which I'm sure we all recognise from the forthcoming Gilgal Fiasco. He's contacted his Conservative MP and got a Dear [name] yours [MP] with pretty much the same quote from the bus company in between.
Heh and that was the only reason he didn't go into an anti-Thatcher tirade to the paper; so he could liase with the Conservative MP who seems to have just taken the bus company's position.
Anyway he's been told by the council that they had no obligation to replace the service although they are assessing the situation and looking at finding a new operator to take over the service. Essentially they're cutting off a 19 mile stretch which would result in a 9 mile trip for my cousin to get to the first stop. This may sound minor but the nature of his work can mean some very early or late shifts and in a wider picture cuts off a lot of smaller villages from the main city.
Playstation 3 Blue Screw
Yep I've managed to strip the head of the Blue Screw.
Vista scares the hell out of me.
Yet another update comes through on Friday, but not one that keeps demanding that the computer be restarted. Trouble is with Vista is that setting the power button to Shutdown when there's an update seems to mean Shutdown and restart which is annoying.
So I use the Start menu's shutdown option which just does half the update and finishes up when I next reboot it. This takes time.
So I switch it on this morning and go and sort out other things and I come back to see the equivalent of a DOS prompt with registry keys flashing past.
Oh s***!
I let it run and everything's fine, but damn not what I needed after the weekend I had.
Friday, August 14, 2009
British Troops are Dirty and Lazy, says US Chief
In a shocking outburst a US Marine commander denigrated our fine upstanding men and women for their lack of hygiene and the fact they're so lazy they're allowed to go home to visit their families after a six month tour. In a non-existent statement the commander stated "That's why we keep shooting them, we can't tell them apart from them dirty A-rabs" before playful making finger guns and shooting the aghast press corps with little Pow Pow noises.
In a rebuttal the head of the British Armed Forces didn't say "There is obviously some routine rivalry here that has made it into the public sector, but I assure you that... pooh can you smell that [holds nose and makes fanning motion] has someone let an US soldier in here? Careful now everyone if they don't like us then with their gazillion dollar millimetre accurate targeted missile system they might very well take out the building next door"
At which point an aide interjected with "Oo Burn!"
Open letter to Pelican Crossing users.
Dear Pelican Crossing users of Stourport,
As you may be aware Stourport can at times get a little overburdened with traffic and this can create queues.
Now what you may not be aware of is the protocol that exists when one of these queues intersects a pelican crossing - Rule 192 of the Highway Code states that the crossing should be kept clear.
Lack of knowledge of this rule appears to be leading some users to believe that because the vehicle has stopped the lights are on red and they are safe to cross. It also appears to lead some users to believe they can cross half of the road and stand in front of the queued car waiting for the other side to clear.
This would be wrong and covered by Rule 18. These rules and this clarification are for your own benefit as disregarding them could lead to your death.
Thank you for your time and cross safely.
Your friendly Mad Ranter.
Inspired recently by a man and his young daughter almost getting run over after blithely stepping out in front of lorry in the opposite lane presumably under the impression that the lights were on red because a car had stopped as part of queue.
Check before mass production
Just had one come through the door -
Multi - store Gift Ca
Now on sale in your loc
Post Office® branch
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Stencil Artist visits Kidderminster
Appearing on the District Council site is news that
Local artist Dom Dunlea will be demonstrating his unique stencil street style art in front of Kidderminster Town Hall on the 25th of August.
And just to demonstrate that once again not one person on the Council 'gets it' the 25th is of course a Tuesday but it is being held from 11.30am onwards so that's okay then.
To all county councillors please repeat this phonetic mantra whenever setting up public events - Werrrrrrrrk, Werrrrk, Werrrrrrk.
Hopefully this will have the dual effect of reminding you that normal people work, while simultaneously making you sound like a chicken.
Batman Arkham Asylum demo review for the PS3
The demo was made available last Thursday, but I've only just picked it up for reasons of it being 1460Mb in size. Started the download at 17:45 and it finished installing at 19:40.
So a couple of intro screens and then the Dark Knight brooding on the roof corner of a building. I flick through the extras and we've got a bio on Batman and Joker and a Trophy section with only Batman listed so presumably no trophies which makes sense.
New Game and we're looking up at heavy rain falling from the sky, heavy clouds and the bat-signal lights up; not bad. Then we pan down the side of a building and ah the Judderman makes an appearance as the building and a lamp-post nudge themselves across the screen. Now as a reminder I'm on a 50Hz SD television, so this may look fine at 60Hz or via HDMI, but here and now it's damn noticeable. Okay the Batmobile screeches past with a rumble in my controller followed by a cockpit view of Batman and Joker seems he's taking him in. Next we get an excellent atmospheric shot of Arkham Asylum as the Batmoble heads in.
Into Arkham and some narrative, no subtitles. Hmm I didn't recall seeing the option, but I may well have missed it. Anyway some back and forth between Batman and Jim Gordon and... my telephone rings. I hit start to pause the scene and nothing happens... great. I hit the PS button to bring up the console menu which should put a halt to any game process and... the scene continues. I press every button and finally get a "Press [Circle] to skip" well I don't want to skip I want to pause but... So I'm into the game and now I can hit start to pause it and answer the phone.
Blah blah.
Okay I quit the game and restart it so I can watch the intro piece (video still juddery) and now I notice that the voice sync is off especially noticeable on the close-up of the Joker. Message to developers - If you're putting exposition in as part of a non-interactive scene we need to be able to pause and skip it; no arguments, no whining. In real life people can get disturbed and if we miss out on a vital bit of narrative because we can't damn well pause the thing we're going to be cheesed off. Likewise getting killed and having to watch the same piece of footage again and again is very tiring without a skip.
Into the game and it's tutorial time and my supposition that this is designed for HD is supported when a "Press [Square] to strike" appears. Sony haven't made matters helpful with their colour scheme - Green is a Triangle; Blue is an X; but for the the two symbols that could most be mistaken for each other, that being the Square and the Circle, we'll use two slightly different shades of red [Slap].
So I'm happily pressing square and using the analogue stick to pick the direction to strike I'm told this with a little analogue stick picture with a letter above it, the letter could be an L or an R, but it's too small to tell. The strikes are quite meaty and flow nicely for a single button control though every so often a bad-guy seems to get an electric shock, or possibly I'm fighting an uncostumed Spiderman in that a little burst of lightening bolt type symbols appear around an enemy's head.
Damn they just don't want to stay down, ah I see when I knock one to the ground and get close enough another instruction pops-up on screen a bumper button and Triangle. See I can tell it's a Triangle because of the shape and the fact it's green, the bumper button could be any one of four because on my TV the text telling me which it is is about 4 pixels high. Turns out to be R2 which logically is also crouch.
Okay next round and I'm told to "Counter using [Triangle]" uh-huh when? Oh when their spider-sense tingles, yeah might not have wanted to have that working during the first round and might want to have explained that a bit further.
Thump, thump, hmm combat is nice and meaty.
All dead, oops sorry incapacitated I have a look around and spot a ventilation grill so I head over to it. Damn Bats moves slowly it's like he's got a pole up his arse. "X to open" easy I press X and Bats grabs the edge of the grill and then in the middle of the screen I get a flashing X. Okay I know that means hammer the X button, but for a newbie I can imagine them trying to sync with the flash, anyway Bats peels off the grill and I duck in and find a floating Green Question Mark. Then to break the 4th wall I get a message telling me that The Riddle bio has been opened for me to look at with the Select button. Still kudos for taking me directly to that page rather than making me navigate the menu to find it.
I exit the shaft and ponderously head to where I last saw the Joker. Gordon pops up on the suspended TVs for no apparent reason and his bio is opened. Same happens for Oracle, and the main bad-guys later on too.
Up some stairs and another tutorial moment. Press L1 to aim a batarang. Excellent what am I aiming at? Hmm reticule seems to be tracking something and changes colour when not on target, fine but what am I aiming at? I chuck a batarang and hit a wall, I keep going until it stops auto-tracking and head onwards. Oh a rat, I think; well that was worth the effort.
Wading through treacle I head down a corridor and a tannoy announces a break in section something or other 3 then in 2 then in 1 or some such while the overhead TVs show me the inmates streaming into corridors. Oh "Press and hold X to run" gee thanks I could have done with that two corridors ago.
Nice run animation with the cape streaming back. Onwards to a couple of guards confronting Zzsazz? Zssazz? Zsz... oh sod it the nutter who cuts himself a scar whenever he kills someone. Seems he's taken a guard hostage and managed to wire him up to the mains. Time to get stealthy.
Backing up I head to the next level and am told to use "Detective Mode" with L1. Woah I can see through walls and all those gargoyles look strange. What's that? Look up? Okee-dokee it's a gargoyle. Still want me to keep looking up? Ah triggers another prompt "Press R1 to swing up" Phump, swing and oo nice I'm perched on the gargoyle and have a nice overview of things. I swing to another gargoyle so I'm side on to Z and am told I can use a Glide Kick with the Square button. Hmm I think I'd prefer to get behind him first. Another swing and perch then a slow-motion glide-kick and Z is down.
Batman rumbles that he won't be down for long so I should incapacitate him and I get the R2+Triangle prompt; again I had this in the first stage tutorial shouldn't you have told me about it then? Anyway Z is now down and I'm whisked off to another uninteractive scene. Then back to control and Bats talks to Oracle over his headset in a move that would have Daniel Craig shouting "Get your finger out of your bloody ear" Oh and despite this being back in the game I can't do anything except walk around because Bats has his finger stuck in his ear.
Through another vent and at its exit a couple of guards get shot and the bad-guys loudly discuss how they were told to shoot anyone who tries to enter the hall. Fortunate that the vent is tucked into a corner allowing me to exit unseen.
Okay this bit is supposed to emphasise that Bats is just a man, walking out in front of the gun-men means getting shot and killed, you need to play it smart and that means Detective Mode to see through walls and those ever so handy gargoyles.
Up and over and down behind the three gun-men who never look around. Oo silent kill notice R2 to crouch, move forward, and then hit Triangle when prompted. Very silent takedown the other two don't notice a thing. Repeat twice, then head for another goon who's having a video conversation with the Joker - Silent takedown and sigh another vent to clamber through.
Now I'm in a big room with five armed goons wandering around. First things first zip up to a gargoyle and spy out the land. Hey one of them's broken off from the group and is trundling along beneath me. What's that Triangle? I can perform a silent takedown as I hang from the gargoyle wrap the guy in my cloak before hauling him back up tieing his feet and leave him dangling - yeah think I'll do that. Hmm he's making a bot of noise think I'd better move.
Yep the other guys are converging on their dangling colleague. Detective mode tells me their heart rate has increased. I swing from gargoyle to gargoyle and wait until again until one is separated and repeat the takedown. Cleverly you can only perform one such takedown from each gargoyle because obviously there's a guy dangling from it already. So I have to move about.
I take out another three and the remaining two are very jumpy now and shooting at shadows, another one down and only one to go and he's staying well away from the edge of the room. Glide kick and takedown; neat.
Control is snatched away again and I'm confronting the Joker who unleashes a 'mutant' and that's the end of the demo folks.
Okay building graphics are awesome, but the characters are a bit uncanny valley. Controls work and are nicely responsive. The faults I can pick are that this seems built solely with big-screen/HD in mind which makes interpreting instructions difficult; that you can't pause the cut-scenes; that Batman looks a right prat when talking to Oracle; and that finally I can see this getting repetitive unless something is changed in later levels - swing, takedown, swing, repeat.
Still it's Batman and probably the closest true representation of how he operates.
Veronica Mars on E4
I think I've worked out how producers schedule shows they look at a very short synopsis and use that. So for Veronica Mars which made it's terrestrial debut in the UK on E4 I'm guessing that the process went something like this:
Veronica Mars is a blonde rebellious High School student who as the daughter of a PI takes on 'cases' for her school friends.
"Sounds like Nancy Drew we'll broadcast it at around 7 in the morning and repeat it just before noon."
Now for a spoiler longer synopsis - Veronica Mars used to popular when she dated Duncan Kane and had his sister Lilly as a best friend, but when her father the Sheriff accuses the Kane family of murdering their daughter he's hounded out of office and becomes a PI and Veronica becomes a pariah at school. How will Veronica cope as she discovers her alcoholic mother had an affair with Duncan's father and that she left after being threatened with death threats against Veronica. Will she get over the split from Duncan and get together with Lilly's ex-boyfriend son of the abusive film star whose mother committed suicide and what will she think when she discovers that it was he who provided the drug used during her rape at a party?
Things came to a head when I discovered it recording an episode just before midnight last night with an announcer claiming that "Due to the content of this episode we are unable to show this episode in its normal morning slot"
So bleary-eyed viewers this morning will get a "previously on Veronica Mars" and be thinking "What the...? I haven't see that"
Guys here's a couple of tips (again)- if the series you're showing needs to be edited or an entire episode cannot be broadcast because the content is unsuitable for the time slot you want to use you're trying to show it at the wrong time.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Missed hospital appointments cost money.
Another report from BBC Breakfast about how much it is costing hospitals to deal with patients who don't turn up and fail to notify them. My first thought was "How is it costing them anything? The doctor's still going to be there regardless, it's not like a plumber losing time because they turned up and you weren't in"
The report clarified this by stating that when an NHS patient turns up they get money from the government if they don't then they don't, but they still have to pay the doctor. Ergo they're losing money.
Um so where do the Trusts get there money from in the first place? Wouldn't that be the government i.e. we the taxpayer? So as far as I can make out from this report the government pays the Trust to fund the hospital, the doctors and the staff, then when an NHS patient turns up the government pays them more money for seeing them?
So aren't we the taxpayers saving money by not turning up because we're not paying the Trust twice?
Now the only way I can see this being a problem is if the Trust aren't being given enough money to fund everything and are thus relying on the extra income from seeing NHS patients. In other words the Trust is given £500k, but needs £1m to run things and gets £500k extra as a result of seeing NHS patients.
So why don't they get the money up front, all this does is help create a conveyor-belt system whereby each Trust will try to maximise the number of NHS patients it sees to obtain the 'rebate' for each. Now if they're a private hospital and getting money for seeing an NHS patient then sure fine they're losing money, but in theory they should be able to get that money regardless of whether the patient turns up or not because they're a private firm that the government is contracting.
Anyway why am I fussing? Well when you start seeing headlines about how much money we're costing a service expect legislature to be passed to recoup that 'loss'. Also willing to bet that if we turn up, but the hospital is unable to see us we won't get any money for our loss of time because from the point of view of our lords and masters we're valueless.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Windows Mail search quirk misses emails.
Yes yes Windows Mail evil etc. I don't use it as my main email programme, but it's a handy built-in programme for one of the computers I use.
Anyone there it was and I needed to find all the emails from a certain person. I click on Find, type in the name, and there they all are. I open the one I want and continue.
Except somewhere in the back and forth I shut-down the Find window with its result list - damn there was another I needed now. Oh well no problem I open up Find again and repeat my search - 0 results. Say what?
I re-sort my main list and check yep they're still there and haven't been deleted. Now I've got them listed here, but still why couldn't Find um find them? I tried a few other ways of searching with no luck, Find was still happy to show me other people or items just not that list I had up before.
Then it clicked - I still had open the email I'd picked from the first search. I closed it down and re-searched. The list appeared.
Just to demonstrate this behaviour do a search, open one of the found items then without closing anything simply hit the Find Now button and see the 0 result replacing the list you saw a moment ago.
So it appears if you do a search in Windows Mail then open one of those items everything in the results list is hidden to subsequent searches until you close that item.
Now when you open an item from the search result the previous/next arrow buttons step you through that result list. So what happens if you search for something else and open an item from that result? Same thing happens as before. Each of the items retains its own result list to step through while at the same time both lists are excluded from any subsequent search while they remain open.
So just for fun I open a Find dialogue and do a search. Then without opening an item from that results list I open another Find dialogue and perform the same search - 0 results
The simplest thing I can think off is that each results list locks each item within it and prevents it from being searched; except why?
Imagine a hypothetical situation where you do a search for the Red list. Now open a new Find dialogue and do a Blue search. Now finally do a Red + Blue search - 0 results because all the Red and Blue items are 'hidden'.
The former has been stricken as now it appears to be doing something else - Do a search for, say, "Dan H" and I get a list of results, now open a new dialogue and do a search for say "Orphi" and I get 0 results. Now Dan in the comments below suggests it may be using the existing list to restrict the search - except if you repeat the search you don't return the same list you get 0 results.
Now just for fun I did a search on my Inbox and got a result then opened a new search for my Sent Items and... got a result back. So it appears that each search locks the 'folder' it's searching in. Now this kind of makes sense when you consider how Windows Mail stores things - each item is a file stored in a corresponding directory so it may well be locking out that directory.
Just to go one further if you run a search on the "Local Folders" that includes subdirectories then try to run another search all folders are 'locked' if you run a search without subdirectories they're all 'unlocked'.
However as mentioned in the struck out section opening an item from the results list also seems to maintain that lock possibly in order for the previous/next buttons to step you through the results list and to answer Dan's question opening an item directly from the folder doesn't exclude it from the results.
So opening an item from the folder doesn't make the folder unsearchable, but opening one from a search result (or simply running a search that looks at that folder) does.
Okay sure it's a small free mail programme, but only being able to perform one search at a time and best of all not preventing you from performing multiple borked searches or even telling you that's what it's doing; nice, very nice.
Oops one final point for information this is for Vista which as I'm sure we're all aware uses a strange new search method, however running this same search via the built-in index doesn't produce the same 0 results. So Windows Mail doesn't seem to run using the Vista Index, which makes sense seeing as it can also run on XP.
Gilgal Roadworks - 5
Yes yes I'm going on about it, but I had a thought and a quick five minute search reveals the answer. The thought was "What have our local parties to say about the forthcoming Gilgal fiasco?" I turned to what should be the main and most up-to-date source of each party - their official website and to tag along their proposed MP's site too.
Areley Kings Labour - nothing.
And the MP site - nothing.
Wyre Forest Conservatives - nothing. Oh no wait there is a story regarding pushing back roadworks and closures that'd be Bewdley though and a story about Lichfield Street (which I can't directly link to).
And the MP site - a static page about the Stourport Relief Road (nothing about how the plans have been scrapped).
Wyre Forest Liberal Democrats - nothing.
And the MP site - nothing.
Wyre Forest Liberals - nothing
No MP site.
Independant Community and Health Concern - Yes oh yes we have a hit headed Stourport Roadworks. Deserves quoting in full
ICHC councillors brokered a meeting in the town council chamber to enable the main contractor involved in the extensive, and highly disruptive, 'Gilgal' road-works - originally planned to take place in the middle of the summer-holiday peak-congestion period - at ICHCs request, to explain the situation.
This meeting was also attended by some of the town's business community.
Cllr. Holden chaired the meeting, stating it was at Jim Parrish's request that it was convened.
The town's trades-people were appeased by the start date being put back to the 18th Sept; however, no consideration was given to ingress and egress of school pupils, mainly to the High School and Tan Lane sites.
ICHC have referred this to Colin Weeden in the Education Dept. in the expectation that satisfactory arrangements can be made before the start of the autumn term.
The general public have yet to be consulted in this affair and ICHC have requested that the Worcs. County Council press office release the news to the public.
So far they have been preoccupied with broadcasting quotes from various (Tory) County Councillors to media outlets.
Stourport residents are unhappy at the whole situation and the total lack of direct communication by the W.C.C. to all those who will will have their lives disrupted by this very important period of
re-constructive work.
To recap the roadworks can't be moved to January because they want to take advantage of the lighter nights and are worried about leaving residents without utilities during these months... unless you live in Bewdley in which case roadworks scheduled for April can be pushed back until next January because "it was felt that would affect popular events attracting tourists to the town, such as the carnival and Discover Bewdley weekend". And when did they want to start the roadworks in Stourport - oh yes during the carnival.
So of the five political groups in this District one is concerning themselves with Stourport. Oh and before they start whinging about how they've no representatives in Stourport or it's a County decision so it's nothing to do with them you ain't going to make any friends by ignoring it
Gee ICHC help set up the Millfields Action Group and ICHC apparently help broker a meeting about Gilgal; which political group seems to be putting their money where their mouths are and who would you want to vote for? I've been trying to stay apolitical but dammn!
More on compensation
I caught a report and interview on BBC Breakfast this morning, I missed the very first part of the intro so all I caught was a possible back-down on making compensation retrospective. "Oh this again" I thought and as such tried to fit the report and interview into a preconcepted 'army space' which got confusing very quickly as this had nothing to do with the military.
Turns out someone went to Egypt with their girlfriend and were killed in a bomb attack. The father of the victim was on the sofa for an interview and to make this clear he is not asking for compensation for himself.
The interview itself was peppered with tit-bits such as "You expect the government to help you" that luckily they had credit cards so they could fly out there even though "we didn't know who would be paying".
Woah I'm sorry, I really am sorry that your son was killed along with all the others, but what are you expecting money for exactly? As British nationals were involved I would expect the Foreign Office to keep an eye on the investigation and liaise with victims and/or their families; I would also presume that the Foreign Office would pay to have any remains transported back to the UK out of sheer decency, but that's it.
Bill asked the father about "travel insurance" and got a laugh in return - who goes on a holiday expecting to be blown up who goes through the small print of the policy? Well if you didn't whose fault is that? That'd be yours.
If I went skiing and was killed in an avalanche why would I expect my family to be compensated by the government, heck if I was mugged and killed why would I expect compensation.
Seriously what is going on with this country where we seem to be expecting the government to bail us out of things that went wrong from the choices we made and that had little or nothing to do with them?
Gilgal Roadworks - 4
Another piece of the jigsaw comes from someone I won't name in case it can be traced to the source and repercussions await.
As we are no doubt aware multiple events will be occurring at the Gilgal Fiasco and one of these will be the replacement of the lamp-posts.
So now I get reliable information that the scheduling for the replacement of these lights has not yet been set. That is the firm contracted to perform the task have yet to be told when they'll be doing it.
Now we're being told that everything is being done for us, to minimise disruption etc. but it seems there's a lose hand on the tiller and when that happens past experience tells me that works tend to over-run. So five weeks without Gilgal minimum.
Also as I doubt it'll show up on a search of the Shuttle site I'll append here my comment to the tesco plans which may have relevance.
Slightly off-topic, but does anyone think that we'd be looking at a complete 5-week closure of Gilgal if a Tesco had already been built there or would WCC hear the howls of protest from their executives all the way in Worcester?
My guess shut-down Gilgal in those circumstances - as if.
Predicting people
Welcome to my new game of "What happened next?" I give you a situation and any necessary background and you guess What happened next.
Situation 1: WCC have resurfaced a road and packed up, but oh no they haven't painted any road markings because that's a different division. Now given that this is a well-used road and that the WCC have gone on record that they prefer to work at this time of year due to the lighter nights when do you think the repainting work started?
Situation 2: You're in a van heading around a corner and into a swan neck curve that has a staggered junction at its end past this is a long straight stretch of road. As you come out of the first swan neck curve you hear a noise that suggests one of your side doors isn't quite shut properly. Where do you stop to check?
Okay answers -
1: If you said they'd start the work later in the evening while it was still light and traffic was less heavy - wow you are an optimistic soul.
If you said they'd start during the morning rush-hour I like the cut of your jib, you're so close take 5 points.
If you said they'd start during the evening rush-hour well done take 10 points
2: If you said that you'd wait until you passed the next curve and were clear of the junctions and stopped on the long straight stretch of road then I'm sorry you get no points.
If you said you'd stop on the next curve directly between the two junctions and in clear sight of the long straight stretch of road congratulations you get 5 points.
As a bonus - If you guessed that this is also where the bus-stop has been set-up have an extra 5 points.
Nope still not getting people at times.
Monday, August 10, 2009
WFA is back
For those who've been used to its long absence and have stopped checking in Tav seems to have resurrected the Wyre Forest Agenda. As his blog seems to get a lot more politicos reading and commenting then my humble site this is indeed a welcome return.
I look forward to seeing what he gets his teeth into first and the responses it garners.
Identity Cards for under-25's
A comment by Dan regarding the under-25 policy on alcohol purchases seems to have spread to the purchase of knives. A quick search pulled up a document from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association regarding the scheme which seems to be called "Challenge 25".
There are three points of interest in this short article. The first is that we have both a Home Office spokesperson and a police officer lauding the Challenge 21 scheme neither of whom voices any concern over this creeping age-limit.
The second point is that this has apparently been requested by "frontline staff" who want the
freedom to challenge more widely to ensure young people are not breaking the law, either attempting to purchase alcohol for themselves or for others who are under 18
Excuse me they already have the freedom to challenge anyone they like if they think that the alcohol laws are being broken - they're private businesses. They're not legally obliged to sell anything to anyone they don't want to provided they're not discriminating on the grounds of sex, colour, or religion etc.. All the Challenge 21 and now Challenge 25 is give them store/management back-up for doing what they should have been in the first place.
Finally the third point
Challenge 25 will force all those over 18 but under 25 to carry photo ID if they wish to purchase alcohol.
That's "force" people to carry photo ID if they want to purchase alcohol, but in effect will force such to carry it if they want to purchase anything deemed hazardous such as knives. What this does is subtly indoctrinate the 18-25 age group (and the next generation) into accepting the need to carry photo ID around with them at all times. Then you slowly merge the driver's licence and passport into the National ID card on the grounds of 'cost' and 'lowering administration overhead'.
Think I'm paranoid? Just take a look at how our laws are ever so slowly removing our ability to do anything without our masters' permission while at the same time allowing our masters to do whatever they want without our permission.
Another point on Gilgal roadworks
One of the reasons stated for closing down Gilgal entirely is the conjunction of its width and the need for safety for the workers. Now I've little problem with that, except the roadworks that were going on over at Sandy Lane Industrial Estate last week reminded me of prior works, prior water works, that meant digging up the left hand lane (heading out) of Sandy Lane.
Now the road there is easily comparable to Gilgal in terms of width and is similar in terms of form if not gradient. Also as an industrial estate it has a relatively high volume of traffic of which a fair proportion are heavy vehicles. Yet throughout all the work they managed to keep a lane open and ran it with traffic lights.
So what's the difference? Easy - Sandy Lane is the only vehicular way onto or off the estate, to have shut it down completely would have shut down every single business on it. Gilgal, on the other hand, can be re-routed. A thirteen mile detour to be sure, but nonetheless an alternative route is possible.
So once again this isn't about safety, this is about time and hassle for them. They don't want the fuss and we don't count or even have a say in the matter.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Stourport goings on
Separate to the joys of Gilgal roadworks we get a few more stories about Stourport.
First up is the page 7 story on how the Basin project has reached the finals in the National Lottery Awards "Canal basins need your vote to scoop Lotto award". In a long overdue move they are also publicising this competition somewhere over than at the Basins themselves with a nice long banner directly opposite the approach to York Street from Lion Hill. Vote for them at the awards page directly here if you want to.
Tesco rears it's glass-clad head again on page 10 with "Town 'let down' by latest store plan" seriously is there some taboo about mentioning town names in headlines or is it just space considerations? Essentially members of Stourport Town Council have "slammed" the new plans, but as they seem to realise they have as much influence over the decision as I have they acknowledge that the plan's success is a "foregone conclusion".
Actually to tie this to the Gilgal story one of the town councillors states "I am disappointed by the response of Worcestershire County Council's highway [...] We are looking now in September at a terrible five-week period of disruption with the closure of the Gilgal. When this store is built it won't be a five-week disruption but a permanent one"
That's Conservative Councillor David Little criticising the Conservative controlled County Council folks - fight, fight, fight!
Finally though this is to do with Gilgal it's not about the roadworks, but the ever-present jams. As mentioned a letter with my name on it (boo!) got published twice (yay?) [checking through again this got published twice in the newspaper, but three times on the site. Each time under a different title] and a response came back about how it's down to people not driving correctly. Well it seems someone else has decided to respond to that with essentially the conclusion I make in Gilgal Logic. So, glad it's not just me who realises this.
Gilgal Roadworks - 3
Once again we make the third page in the Shuttle and once again our town's name doesn't feature in the headline "Traders' fears over months of roadworks" (no link as it's yet to appear on the site) applause for the correct use of an apostrophe by the way; but it's still a misleading headline 'Fears grow over months of Stourport roadworks' would have been just as accurate and alerted residents.
Anyway they make an error regarding Phase 1 which the Shuttle informs us where the road will be "closed between the Gilgal and Worcester Road" nope that'd be Worcester Street and yes I criticised the Council etc. for constantly referring to "The" Gilgal, at least here they didn't capitalise it.
Because I seem to be stamping on the "The" I thought I'd better confirm my actions, I knew that the roadsign is just "Gilgal" and I knew that old maps named it that way, but evidence is key and that's where the Worcestershire Hub takes a lead in provided historical Stourport maps I can't link directly but zoom in on the Gilgal area and turn off all the maps except "C18: Before the Canal" and look at what's next to "The Dickens" gosh is that "Gilgal" all on its lonesome? Check every map after that date and it still appears without a definite article.
A delightful quote from Worcestershire County Councillor David Prodger - "We have agreed that the best solution is to work together and in as short a timescale as possible" First off I'm curious as to who are "we" and secondly as I've already mentioned timescale is only a concern because you're closing down the road; if you weren't than hey I'll be generous take all the time you need.
Tying in with a comment on the previous link about the Relief Road, the existence of which would pretty much render this entire problem moot, we get an article on page 5 "Campaigners welcome relief road decision" which starts off -
The Campaign for Better Transport has welcomed the Government's decision to abandon the Stourport relief road scheme
Not just this scheme but 21 others too and why? Because they're "out-of-date" and would be "too expensive" Excellent. Now hey I've been saying there's problems with the original scheme for some time now and I'm all for revamping and updating, but "abandon"? Perhaps "replace" might be better, that is assuming that they are replacing it and not just tossing it onto the rubbish heap in which case grab your torches and pitchforks.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Gilgal Emergency Services
Now as I've pointed out the letter and leaflet regarding the shut-down of our town stated how emergency services will be able to get through. The letter with -
We have made special arrangements with the emergency services to make sure their needs are met
and the leaflet had an entire question answer dedicated to this about how access will be
available at all times
So what do we hear from Lemone?
With regard to the emergency services; it was said at the meeting that when one of them needs to get through they will ring the contractors
So there you have it folks if you're planning on having an emergency between the 21st September and the 25th October make sure you phone ahead. Because it's not as if the Fire Station and Ambulance points will take their time before they reach Gilgal and find it blocked.
Inadvertent consequence of Shuttle email facility
Checking through the Shuttle I read DaTa's entry on Fifth Columnists and thought to make a comment.
Now most systems allow you to access a feed of comments; or, when you add a comment, allow you to be emailed when someone else adds to it. The NewsQuest system uses a button you can press. Now I've always found this a tad annoying as you can type your comment then realise you want to see replies and then press the button. At which point the page reloads and your typing is removed.
As such I've got into the habit of pressing the button before typing. In this case after a re-read of my comment I decided not to post it and navigated away. So imagine my surprise when I get an email informing me that someone's added a comment to that entry.
It seems that the button press is independent of posting, so you can get email alerts on comments without having to add one yourself; that's actually not a bad feature.
Gilgal Fiasco
A letter just sent to the Shuttle:
From the hastily produced and distributed leaflet I'm sure all Stourport residents are aware of the plans to shut-down Gilgal for five weeks. The brochure repeatedly "hopes" that we "understand" the need for this. With that in mind I'd like to pose a question - Do you believe an authority that claims its goal is to minimise disruption to us when said authority originally scheduled works to coincide with our town's annual carnival?
Now the works have been pushed back, but still we're asked for our patience and understanding. I'm sorry but I not going to give them that without a lot more information than they've provided. We're assured that Gilgal will remain open for emergency access as well as to the residents, but are asked to take it on faith that this is "different to normal vehicle access". So I'll ask another question - Why can't one lane of Gilgal remain open with a vastly reduced speed limit and larger vehicles diverted through the already planned diversions?
Of course I won't be able to get a face-to-face answer until the first two weeks of September when the customer service mobile unit rolls into town, by which time it'll be deemed too late to alter the plans being imposed upon us.
FlipC, Stourport
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Gilgal Roadworks leaflet
After the 'concerns' over shutting down what is essentially the main route into Stourport for 5 weeks Severn Trent, in conjunction with the other contractors, have commissioned a nice glossy leaflet to inform us as to why bending over and dropping our trousers is in fact good for us in the long term.
By working together, our aim is to keep disruption to a minimum as all the parties complete the work within the same time period
Okay first off shouldn't that be the normal method of operations and secondly this isn't a "disruption" it's a major f***ing catastrophe. See I don't know about you but I wouldn't object to a longer "disruption" if it meant you weren't shutting down the major route into our town.
On behalf of all the parties I would like to say thank you for your understanding and patience
Well that's bloody assumptious of you I'm offering neither understanding or patience.
Onto the 10-page leaflet entitled "Investing and renewing your essential services" subtitled "Working in a busy place to get the job done" see they're doing it for us so we can't complain.
So why are they doing it? Obviously it's to
carry out necessary asset renewal work
Excuse me, could you repeat that in common English please. Ah good the next page gives details. STW are changing a pipe; WCC are replacing street lights (a feat they managed to do on Vale Road over two afternoons I might add); e-on will be adding a 11,000 volt cable up Mitton Street from Worcester Road (so no real 'disruptions' from them); and good old Balfour Beatty will be the ones digging everything up, then re-laying everything, then digging everything up again to fix the problems they left behind, then re-laying it again, then ignoring the remaining problems.
What we are doing to keep disruption to a minimum
Oo would that be not closing down the major access route into our town? I'm guessing not.
If you use the Gigal route [...]
So that would be if you live in Stourport or visit Stourport or work in Stourport, you know just to narrow the field down a bit.
[...] you are probably aware that the road is very limited and narrow, meaning that the only way to do the work is to close the road
Oh and look at the jump there, did you spot it? Road is narrow ergo road must be closed. So just out of curiosity how does that work on single lane carriageways?
We understand that the one-way section which runs along The Gigal and into Mitton Street is a busy route used by locals and commuters especially between Bewdley and Worcester
No I don't think you do otherwise you'd a) realise why it's so heavily used by locals; b) wouldn't be referring to it as "The" Gilgal, it's just Gilgal; and c) wouldn't be highlighting just one type of journey as worthy of reference.
Then we get the timetable running from 18 September until 22 November. Phase 1 is fine a weekend shutdown of the top of Vale Road, an event that will be even less disruptive than the weekend shutdowns of the bridge.
Phase 2 is the biggy the complete shutdown of Gilgal and past the Total petrol station up to Worcester Road for 5 weeks.
contractors will be taking advantage of the longer daylight hours and will be working weekends to complete the works in as short a time as possible
Again shouldn't that be standard working practice? Oh no of course not silly me this sort of concerted effort takes money.
Phase 3 open up Gilgal and shutdown one lane of Mitton Street which we've had done before so no biggy.
Oh and again they thank us for our "understanding".
Oo a nice section here of Q&As. And as our lead question we have the hot burning topic -
Why couldn't the work be done using traffic lights and keeping one lane open?
See a good question, how do they answer that?
We need to make sure that the work is carried out with everyone's safety in mind. The Gilgal is very limited and narrow and with the amount of work being done the safest and fastest way to do the work is to close the road completely.
Okay point knocked off again for "The" Gilgal, but how can you argue with safety well I'm looking at "the amount of work being done" now is that all together, because obviously the only reason for that is because you've scheduled it all at the same time. Now "safest" is solved by plonking a speed limit down as they do with everything else, as for "fastest" that's only a real concern because you're shutting down the entire road.
the next two questions are why the short notice and why do it now, quickly answered by wanting to get all the work done by all the different contractors and not wanting services disrupted later in the year. Fair enough. Next question however.
What is the main effect of the road closure?
Oo oo I know this is it "Seriously f***ing up Stourport?" Ah damn I'm wrong apparently it's
Traffic travelling towards Worcester will be most affected with the need for it to follow a fully signed diversion. Traffic from Worcester will not be affected as much as the existing route will still be available. Delays caused by the work may affect journey times and drivers are advised to allow more time for their journey.
Which goes to show that the county council don't know shit about traffic patterns around here. Point 1 is that Stourport is used as a Kidderminster by-pass because that's choked with traffic. Point 2 it's the main f***ing route into the town. So on both points stop talking about Worcester traffic damn they're egocentric. Pont 3 "may" sorry what was that again "may affect journey times" no shit Sherlock you think a 13 mile diversion "may affect journey times". That a 13 mile diversion during rush-hour through an already choked town "may affect journey times" I'm sorry I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
But what about the emergency services? Glad you asked.
We have spoken with the emergency services and West Mercia Police who have had a leading role in sorting this problem out. Because The Gilgal is a vital route for the emergency services we will make sure that an emergency access space is available at all times to allow an emergency vehicle to go through The Gilgal with police and our assistance. We hope you will understand that this is very different to normal vehicle access and does not reduce the need for a full road closure.
Snort sorry "emergency services and West Mercia Police" does that mean the police aren't emergency services? Hmm it seems "The" Gilgal is a vital route gee why would that be, would it be the 13 mile detour necessary to get around it? Note the pre-emptive "hope we understand" about how this is different to keeping a lane open, um no sorry can't see the difference between allowing access to emergency vehicles and "Access to properties along The Gilgal" and keeping a lane open with a reduced speed limit and possibly re-routing larger vehicles along the diversions you already want to set up.
The last two questions are the dumb "What about the bus routes?" hmm disruption you think? And the pointless "Will you get the work done within the time you are stating?" how long is a piece of string?
If you want to discuss this with their "customer service mobile unit" they've provided a useful timetable of when and where they'll be around. Drawing on my vast psychic potential I foresee that these will be held on weekdays during normal business hours ommmmm.
Meh not far off they starting on Wednesday the 2nd September and running until the next Wednesday with, surprise, the weekend off. Because you know Stourport's just dead on a weekend. Times are 10am until 4pm except on Friday when they break up early at 2pm. But I am truly surprised because on Thursday and Monday they start at 1pm and finish at 8pm... but, but that's two whole hours that working folk might be able to see you; got to be a typo.
Also worth noting that this 'discussion' you can have takes place only a week before the work starts so does anyone believe that anything about this will alter the works being carried out in any shape or form?
Finally we get the pat text from those looking to screw us up as
Our Commitment and message to customers, residents and road users.
Damn they must really mean that Commitment to capitialise it like that. It's the same crap about how this is necessary and asking for our patience and how they're trying to keep disruption to a minimum.
But hey what else would I expect from our benevolent County Council.
Percentage statistics one more time
So just after I finished banging my head against the wall I caught the tail-end of an item about electricity prices and we get a pretty graph. Prices increased by 9% held steady then decreased by 10%. However "the graph shows a large difference but remember it's only 1%"... gah!
Okay let's do this nice and slowly.
Imagine your bill is a nice even £100 and it increases by 9%. Now to recap that percentage means "per 100 of the total" so that's percentage number * (total/100) as our total is £100 that's £100/100 or 1 multiplied by 9 which is 9. So 9% of £100 is £9 as this is an increase it gets added to our total making £109. Everyone with me so far?
Okay so if it decreases by 10% we do exactly the same thing but with our new figures. So 10% of £109 is 10*(£109/100) or £10.90. Subtract that from our total (£109-£10.9) and we get £98.10. Still with me?
So what's the percentage difference between our starting total and our new total? In other words what percentage of our starting value of £100 would I have to remove to reach £98.10?
The difference between the two values is £1.90 so what percentage of £100 is £1.90? value/total*100 or £1.90/£100*100 which obviously neatly cancels out to 1.9%
So ignore the graph as it's only 1% difference? Nope more like 2% unless they were basing all their percentage values on the starting value which would be naughty.
Merseyside parking ticket revoked
A report on GMTV this morning had me banging my head against the wall in frustration. It should have been a simple story - a businesswoman stops on double-yellow lines to unload her car and is caught by a mobile camera, she appeals and her appeal is upheld as no signs warning about cameras were in place; then we get an interview with her and a council official.
Of course GMTV manage to make a right dog's dinner of it.
First off is the amusing sight of the mobile smart car stopped on a single-yellow line underneath the time restriction sign; of course we don't know when it was shot or the time restrictions in place, but it amused.
Secondly we switch to the woman's (Rachel Johnson) interview in her car outside her business... presumably on the double yellow lines.
During the interview she tells us that the council told her she had no right to appeal. Eep flashing warning lights - if they'd done that then the ticket is null and void. You always have the right to appeal, what probably happened was that she appealed and they did an internal review and found no cause to reverse the ticket.
She then took it to a tribunal who found that as no camera signs were in place the tickets were invalid.
We then switch to Ben on the sofa with the council representative. Now remember she states she was unloading which you're allowed to do, so why did Ben keep stating that she had "parked"?
This popped up from an email later and he stated that it was the council who had alleged she was parked not unloading; well yes but it doesn't help if you back them up does it?
Another delight came from Ben when he told the official that she had been found "Not Guilty". Um no a tribunal can't find anyone not guilty or even guilty as this is not a criminal offence, they can be found liable or not liable.
Then finally it gets recapped in the news section by Penny who tells us that the Merseyside women appealed as there were no warning signs in place. Well not according to the news report and the interview you've just done where she appealed because she claimed she wasn't parking she was unloading.
Is it any wonder that so few have a clue about what they can and can't do when presented with this miss-mash?
Monday, August 03, 2009
Analytics time
I haven't really been paying that much attention to the traffic, but this month saw a shock arrival at the top of the page heap. "Michael Jackson alive?" ended up with 351 unique page views for the month of July can't quite grasp why as I don't even appear on the first page of Google. However a quick search proves that I can't even say anything in jest:
Worryingly I'll bet if I did some searching I would've have been able to find actual quotes rather than aetheric ones.
Yes yes I could have. Anyway hits spiked between July 20th and 27th, go figure?
The second highest hit has also proved the longest lasting in my chart. It seems I'm not the only one bemused by that "Damn IE7 and inline-block" 728 unique visitors since I posted it with 199 this month alone.
Next is "Naughty Penny Smith" sadly nothing pervy on the keywords I'm guessing just people who also couldn't believe what they heard.
And finally it seems Virtual Dub is still causing consternation on how to rotate videos judging by the steady trickle that continues to keep it in the top four.
So that's a little satire, some 'gossip' and two computer geek pieces. Perhaps I should stuff the local stuff and give my audience what they want... hold on none of you are paying me for this; sod it I'll carry on how I want :-P | <urn:uuid:75ec139d-ae2d-4285-80b0-7768c2320203> | http://flipc.blogspot.com/2009/08/ | en | 0.971176 | 0.136228 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Template:Huber1915 figures
From Embryology
Historic Disclaimer - information about historic embryology pages
Mark Hill.jpg
Albino Rat Links: Fig 14. Right Oviduct | Fig 15. 8 and 11-cell stages | The Development of the Albino Rat 1915
Normal: Introduction | Materials and Methods | Ovulation, Maturation and Fertilization | Pronuclear Stage | Segmentation Stages | 2-ceIl stage | 4-ceIl stage | 12 to 16-ceIl stages | Summary of segmentation stages | Completion of segmentation and blastodermic vesicle formation | Blastodermic vesicle | Late stages blastodermic vesicle | Egg-cylinder formation | Late stages in egg-cylinder | Conclusions | Literature cited | Figures
Abnormal: Introduction | Half Embryos in Mammalia | Degeneration of ova at the end of segmentation | Incomplete or retarded segmentation | Abnormal segmentation cavity formation | Degeneration of ova as a result of pathologic mucosa | Imperfect development of ectodermal vesicle | Two egg-cylinders in one decidual crypt | Conclusions | Literature cited
Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2020, January 29) Embryology Huber1915 figures. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Template:Huber1915_figures
What Links Here? | <urn:uuid:f353fb33-585b-4db4-9322-b7e01b0d743d> | https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Template:Huber1915_figures | en | 0.785813 | 0.020703 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Why I Like Bitcoin Cash
Bitcoin Cash Social Media!
Bitcoin Cash has been growing more and more on me. Recently I have got into using Memo. A social media platform that uses Bitcoin Cash to operate. Memo has made me think positively about BCH. On Memo you can post just like regular social media. However, not like regular social media you can create tokens and send regular BCH. Memo is also unique because it stores everything you post on the blockchain. Making everything you post permanent. Using the blockchain also makes Memo censorship free.
The BCH community is awesome! Above all is how active the BCH community can be. Every time I post on Twitter or Memo about BCH I get multiple positive responses. I love posting content about it because of the support I get. Now a days I tell more people to start with $BCH rather than bitcoin. The reason being that its cheaper and faster to use. Plus I have never seen more new coiners in any other crypto community. Which is very interesting to me.
Recently I have also come across a website called TXSTREET. A website that shows BTC and BCH blocks being created. Look at this website and observe how much more bloated the regular bitcoin blockchain is becoming. Especially when compared to how efficient BCH is running. This neat website will show you that some regular bitcoin transactions have to wait in line twice. However, you will also see that the bitcoin cash transactions never have to wait in line twice. Making BCH the more efficient network to use for quick payments.
Bitcoin Cash Micro Payments!
I remember when normal bitcoin was used for micro payments. That time was back in 2013. Now the price of bitcoin is to high for micro payments. However, BCH is filling the gap. BCH is much less expensive per coin. That and because it is fast makes it the perfect coin for micro payments. Memo is another great example of BCH being used for micro payments.
There lots of BCH faucets that are live. They are easy to find just google them! Thats because BCH is good for micro payments. BCH has more faucets than any other altcoin. Which is saying something considering how many altcoins that exist.
Accept BCH for memberships or digital downloads. Micro payments have so many creative uses. Go out and invent something today! Get inspired to create using the BCH blockchain!
Merchant Adoption Is High!
BCH has a large amount of Merchant Adoption. The Official BCH website has a great list of all the services that accept BCH. If you want to accept BCH you can use either Bitpay or CoinPayments. Which are two large companies that are supporting BCH payments. Using the Bitpay card you can easily exchange BCH for USD. Making consumer adoption more of a reality for the blockchain. is a great website for finding vendors that accept BCH. There are vendors all over the world already accepting BCH. Why not join them? I always say more coins more money! Especially look at the map of vendors and see how much more adoption is going on in countries with less stable currency. Countries such as Venezuela, Austria and more.
Mining BCH Is Profitable!
According to’s mining calculator you make a profit mining BCH every day! The more hashing power you have the more profit you make. It’s literally turning electricity into cash. The lower your price of electricity and cooling the higher your profit. Mining BCH in your house is still possible. Just order some machines from Amazon or Bitmain. Although, its typically easier to order machines from a trusted vendor on Amazon. For those not in the USA order from the Bitmain website directly.
What makes mining BCH attractive is that you dont have to buy BCH from an exchange to acquire some. You skip the exchange every time because you are getting a block reward. Thus skipping any middle man in the process of obtaining BCH. Another benefit is that the BCH you mine is “clean coin”. Meaning that no one else has used it for another transaction. Some exchanges pay higher dollar amounts for “clean coin”.
My Conclusion!
Bitcoin Cash is my top pick cryptocurrency of 2019. Social media on the BCH blockchain is huge! Not to mention the rising level of adoption for BCH is huge. Plus Mining BCH is very profitable and has more advantages. Getting involved with BCH has never been easier or better! Join the BCH community today! Buy, mine, or use social media for some now! For those who are totally new to cryptocurrency check out my other article Join The Crypto Revolution! Its packed full of awesome info on how to get started with cryptocurrency.
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© 2020 Joey Trend | <urn:uuid:97beaa2c-bb9c-4a22-b7c0-4c8dd2c0ec68> | https://joeytrend.com/2019/10/02/why-i-like-bitcoin-cash/ | en | 0.954497 | 0.054707 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Methods For Selecting Leather Smart Phone Holster
Leather Holsters (2)
Many of our concealed carriers in the current era consist of citizens wanting to have personal protection not just for themselves but for their loved ones. Such people could be making the first firearm purchase rather than investing in a sporting or hunting device. At the same time, consumers could be investing in quality phone covers. A perfect smartphone holster comes in various materials. What cellphone and holster you end up with can be pretty subjective. Because the internet is filled with viable information on the same, you may find it overwhelming to choose quality leather smartphone holster. In this article, we shed light on whether you should go the leather way or not. To be precise, we highlight the key pros of using leather holsters as cellphone protective covers.
In the 60s, target shooting was a regular part of life. Leather holsters were primarily used for handguns. Because all other types of holsters had some restraining elements, this material was a perfect option for most hunters. A strap was used to foster the handgun on the shoulder. The rigs seemed practical since they protected the hardware, and of course, not likely to cause an accident during the hunting escapade.
A few prominent companies invested in quality leather holsters for guns, and it impressed commoners. Over the years, the leather upholstery industry developed into a revolutionary commercial sector. While almost everyone engages in shooting, a few business owners have invested their upholstery skills in the mobile phone sector. Today, leather is used to design smartphone holsters. Now that you have a brief backstory of the genesis of leather holsters let us focus the next two paragraphs on educating you on how to choose the best upholstery material.
Leather Holsters (1)
As with choosing any other material in the upholstery sector, it is crucial to focus on the rewards of a commodity before anything else. Being a device that most people use in evey day of their lives, a cellphone should fit perfectly into its holster, which should also have adequate retention.
The device must be secure during various activities, as shown in the photo below. Second, the leather holster has to be comfortable. The person wearing it should be able to do so without strain. Also, it needs to conceal your smartphone.
In fact, granted, the angle, as well as position on your body, should play a significant role in determining this. Less is better. Several types of leather holsters qualify. However, with time, they will wear off and lose their previous level of performance. When this occurs, the material loses its meaning. Thus, you may have to reinvest in the same line of the product but of better material.
Leather Holsters (3)
In Closing As you may have read from the previous chapters of our leather upholstery series, there are several types of leather material. They include pure leather, split suede, and full-grain. In selecting a type for your smartphone cover, consider the variety. Regardless of the existing models in the market, they all come in thickness.
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Please enter your name here | <urn:uuid:6f3d9da7-1428-4dfe-9df0-423c5117c703> | https://myyearwithoutwastingmoney.com/leather-smart-phone-holster-selecting/ | en | 0.955195 | 0.028255 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Air Plant Life Cycle
Air plants are beautiful plants that live natively in trees, but they aren’t like other plants. Most plants need dirt, and air plants simply…do not! They get their nutrients from the water they absorb, and any roots they grow are only to help anchor them to their tree.
So what is their life cycle like? Read more to learn!
The Beginning
Air Plant PupEach living thing has a beginning, and air plants are no different. However, there are 2 ways that an air plant can come into existence. One is by seed, which develop when air plant flowers are pollinated. The other way that air plants can begin is by pups, which is when a mother plant clones itself into baby plants! Being grown from seed is slow, but this is one way to get hybrid plants. Pups, on the other hand, can be very tiny and grow into good-sized plants within a few months. These pups can either be separated from the mother, or kept with the mother to form a clump.
Babies will grow and grow until they mature. It’s important to take proper care of air plants in this stage so they don’t rot and fall apart. You don’t want to miss the best part…
Blush and Bloom
When an air plant is mature and ready, it will sometimes blush, turning red or pink through its leaves. Not all air plants turn red, but Tillandsia ionantha types are likely to grow red when it’s about to flower. Eventually, you will see a flower spike, or inflorescence, emerge from the center. Different air plants have different inflorescences, with some being soft and round; others can be spiky and sharp. The flowers can also be different, with varying shapes and colors between species.
Tillandsia hybrid bloom
The bloom of a Tillandsia hybrid
Tillandsia aeranthos bloom
The bloom of a Tillandsia aeranthos
Growing Pups
After the air plant has finished blooming, it will stop growing. But not to worry, because it will be hard at work making pups! Depending on how healthy your plant is, you can have more than one pup. I recently found one of our air plants with 3 pups! Certain plants like Tillandsia aeranthos and Tillandsia funckiana make many pups, easily becoming clusters or clumps! Once any pup is about half the size of its mother, you can use a clean X-acto knife or scalpel to separate it. The pup will grow on to mature, bloom, and have its own pups in the future!
The End
Sadly, all plants will die someday. Sometimes the air plant can live a long life after blooming. Others will turn brown and dry out. Hopefully you will have gotten a few pups along the way to do the process all over again!
Don’t have an air plant? You can shop our air plants and our unique air plant holders!
Love all types of plants? Become a patron for as low as $1 a month for discounts or support us for $26 a month and receive a quarterly subscription box that includes unique pots and our favorite plants!
Add Your Comment | <urn:uuid:2a1d1999-2da1-491d-bf5a-2e124105e7ad> | https://printapot.com/the-air-plant-life-cycle/ | en | 0.941925 | 0.018163 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Duke's Mayonnaise
I love trying new ingredients. I'm always looking for new and odd things to try. Sometimes that means seeking out a new fruit or spice, and sometimes it means hunting down a new brand.
After seeing several cookbooks in a row that were emphatic about the need to use Duke's Mayonnaise, it seemed like a sign. I had to try it. But of course it's not sold where I live. That would be too easy.
I checked online and I was about to pull the trigger on buying a bunch or jars - it's the only way to buy it to make the shipping costs reasonable - and then I had an idea. Maybe they'd be interested in a review.
A mayonnaise review.
Not too long after that, I had my very own jar of Duke's, waiting for me to do something interesting with it. But first ... a taste test.
I sampled it plain and I sampled it along with some tomato - because what's better in summer than a tomato and mayo sandwich? And I compared it to the mayonnaise I usually buy.
So here's a midwesterner's view of a Southern staple: I like it.
That's the short version. It's got a nice smooth, creamy, and not-weird texture, which is a plus when trying to mix it with anything. And it's got a little more tang than my standard mayonnaise. That tang is much more noticeable when I was using it plain, like on a tomato-and-mayonnaise sandwich.
On the other hand, when I used Duke's in a recipe, like mayonnaise or deviled eggs, the difference was, well ... maybe not noticeable. That's because I cook everything to taste, and I tend to add my own tangy flavors to salads. So maybe I'd learn to do less adjusting with Duke's.
Maybe with some recipes, I could even get away with just Duke's if I wasn't getting fancy with lots of other flavors.
But I think where Duke's really shines is when it's used as a condiment on a sandwich where it's the only condiment. Like on that tomato and mayonnaise sandwich, or a ham sandwich or a turkey sandwich.
And, dang, now I want a sandwich.
Who's it for: Mayonnaise users.
Pros: A little more tang, good texture.
Cons: If it's not sold in your area, shipping is expensive; it can't be shipping in freezing weather.
Wishes: I wish this was sold at my grocery store. Really. That shipping is a big deterrent.
1. Nice to know what you think. I have also seen it touted as THE mayo in books, and from Southerners. They are a little emphatic about White Lily flour, too. But that's another test.
2. What sets Duke's mayo apart is that it doesn't contain any sugar. And it's proudly made in my hometown of Richmond, VA!
| <urn:uuid:89d7643d-4bab-4b2c-9cf5-ec2cb82cdd80> | https://reviews.cookistry.com/2015/06/dukes-mayonnaise.html | en | 0.97235 | 0.038015 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Asked in
Check Engine Light
If the check engine light is on but everything seems normal on a 2003 ford focus?
We need you to answer this question! | <urn:uuid:04582751-df47-4e88-9dba-88384e75d727> | https://www.answers.com/Q/If_the_check_engine_light_is_on_but_everything_seems_normal_on_a_2003_ford_focus | en | 0.936997 | 0.048118 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Accurate Instruments
Accurate Instruments had outgrown their existing premises and required a new building for their growing team & showroom including classrooms for industry training and education programmes. Also within the development are two further buildings allowing for future growth.
The building is designed to be light and airy allowing for a great work environment and showroom. | <urn:uuid:c271f76c-ce68-4fe1-b697-ac54481a2ac7> | https://www.aoarchitecture.co.nz/projects/accurate-instruments/ | en | 0.972501 | 0.225387 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Pronunciation: ep ti FYE ba tide
Brand: Integrilin
What is the most important information I should know about eptifibatide?
You should not receive eptifibatide if you are also being treated with similar medications such as abciximab (ReoPro) or tirofiban (Aggrastat).
You should not receive eptifibatide if: you have severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure; you are on dialysis due to kidney failure; you have a bleeding or blood-clotting disorder; you had a stroke or any type of bleeding within the past 30 days; or you had any type of surgery, injury, or medical emergency within the past 6 weeks.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment with eptifibatide and aspirin.
What is eptifibatide?
Eptifibatide is used to prevent blood clots or heart attack in people with severe chest pain or other conditions, and in those who are undergoing a procedure called angioplasty (to open blocked arteries).
Eptifibatide may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my health care provider before receiving eptifibatide?
You should not use eptifibatide if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
• kidney failure and you are on dialysis;
• severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure;
• a bleeding or blood-clotting disorder, such as hemophilia or thrombocytopenia;
• if you have had a stroke or any type of bleeding within the past 30 days;
• if you have had any type of surgery, injury, or medical emergency within the past 6 weeks; or
• if you have or will soon receive treatment with similar medications such as abciximab (ReoPro) or tirofiban (Aggrastat).
To make sure you can safely receive eptifibatide, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease.
Eptifibatide is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. However, aspirin is sometimes given with eptifibatide, and aspirin can cause bleeding when it is taken during the last 3 months of pregnancy. Aspirin can also cause side effects in a newborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether eptifibatide passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How is eptifibatide given?
Eptifibatide is injected into a vein through an IV. A healthcare provider will give you this medicine. Eptifibatide is sometimes given around the clock for up to 4 days in a row.
Eptifibatide is sometimes given together with aspirin. Follow your doctor's instructions about how much aspirin to take and for how long.
Because eptifibatide keeps your blood from coagulating (clotting), this medicine can also make it easier for you to bleed, even from a minor injury. Contact your doctor or seek emergency medical attention if you have any bleeding that will not stop.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Since eptifibatide is given by a healthcare professional, you are not likely to miss a dose.
What happens if I overdose?
What should I avoid while receiving eptifibatide?
Ask your doctor before taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for pain, arthritis, fever, or swelling. This includes aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and others. Using an NSAID with eptifibatide may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.
What are the possible side effects of eptifibatide?
Tell your caregivers right away if you have:
• any bleeding that will not stop;
• bleeding around your IV or catheter, or in any place where your skin has been punctured with a needle;
• red or pink urine; or
The risk of bleeding may be higher in older adults.
Common side effects may include:
• bleeding; or
• feeling lightheaded.
What other drugs will affect eptifibatide?
• any other medicines to treat or prevent blood clots --Plavix, Pradaxa, Xarelto, Ticlid, and others.
This list is not complete. Other drugs may interact with eptifibatide, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medication guide.
Where can I get more information?
Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about eptifibatide.
Copyright 1996-2018 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 3.01. Revision date: 8/26/2015.
| <urn:uuid:10009a33-c9db-48c6-b6a0-3f9ba1b0187f> | https://www.cigna.com/individuals-families/health-wellness/hw/medications/eptifibatide-d04316a1 | en | 0.894709 | 0.078939 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
I feel so fortunate that my three boys don’t know what happened to me. I was a victim of modern slavery here in London, but they didn’t see anything that I had to experience. I know that’s sadly not the case for other families.
Despite them not knowing, things have still been pretty tough. We’ve had to move around quite a lot, from temporary accommodation to temporary accommodation. Our current home is a B&B and we have to get a coach to school each day because it’s so far from everything. It only runs once a day which has meant my boys can’t go to afterschool clubs because we’d miss the coach back. They miss out, which makes me feel guilty.
It’s quite hard seeing all of the boys’ friends enjoying sports equipment and games consoles, knowing that I can’t even afford old equipment or consoles to make them happy. It makes me feel like I’m not as good as the other mums but I’m trying my best.
This summer started off tricky, but Hestia helped turn that around. The boys were so bored and unhappy here at home, and I couldn’t afford to take them anywhere or get them anything at all. Their friends were all on holiday or days out that I simply can’t afford – we can barely afford to live on the money we receive.
Hestia had managed to get some donations from local supporters and offered to take us to the zoo.
What would seem like a small gesture to others made such a huge difference to us as a family. The boys had the best day. I was truly so happy knowing they would be able to go back to school and tell their friends that they had done something too over the summer. It made my heart full.
They’re children after all. I know that they love sports, so I’d love for them to be able to do all the afterschool clubs and sports activities. Even just a new football or some football boots so I can watch them play in the park. Those are the kind of things that are all part of growing up - I don't want to miss seeing my boys have a proper childhood.
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Set up a regular payment Donate | <urn:uuid:efb20f37-4f00-492a-8b57-75828458fb2f> | https://www.hestia.org/Blog/i-dont-want-to-miss-seeing-my-boys-have-a-proper-childhood | en | 0.982337 | 0.023124 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Have you ever wondered how you can prevent a plumbing emergency. Well most clogged drains are preventable and many times your Apopka plumbing will give you warning signs of a potential emergency plumbing back up before there is a problem. Many Florida homeowners put off calling an Apopka plumber thinking that drain cleaners and time will fix their problems when the fact is that the plumbing problems will only get worse. Here are some major warning signs that you need to call a plumber for drain cleaning service:
• Shower/tub not draining or draining very slow: Many times your tub and/or shower are the lowest drain and if you have a back up it will start in the tubs and showers since they are the lowest plumbing fixture. If you have a shower not draining call a plumber as soon as possible.
• Bubbling or gurgling sounds coming from plumbing fixtures: Many times Apopka customers have said they heard bubbling or gurgling weeks before a back up. This is because you have a clog in your main drain and the line is filling up with sewage and as the line fills up, the air is escaping. That is why you hear the gurgling sounds and you should have an Apopka drain cleaning service performed before it is a plumbing emergency.
• Plunging a toilet and it pushes sewage into the tub: This is a major problem and means you need an Apopka drain cleaning plumber service your main drain line when it is clogged. Many people do not realize that all your plumbing is connected to a main drain and if you have a back up it effects your whole house including sinks and laundry. If you plunge your toilet and it goes to your bath do not run your sinks. They will drain because they are the highest plumbing fixture but it will all travel to your tub or toilet causing it to overflow. It is very important to not to ever turn on your laundry machines with a drain issue as we have seen many floods in homes because a customer did not realize the laundry was connected to the same drain and did a load of laundry with a plumbing back up.
Apopka drain cleaning should be done by a licenced plumbing contractor. If you have a drain giving you problems call us at 407-393-0717.
Apopka Drain Cleaning
Apopka Drain Cleaning
We are Apopka’s top plumbing company. We also serve Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood, Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, Deltona, Winter Park, Oviedo, Sanford, Winter Springs, and all of Central Florida | <urn:uuid:d3850ac4-3ed7-4501-8d66-425156311289> | https://www.orlando-plumber-services.com/blog/apopka-drain-cleaning/ | en | 0.939583 | 0.05119 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Raising Microbial
Link for Healthy Soil
Plants acquire sugars through photosynthesis, only 50 to 80 percent of those sugars support plant growth, reproduction and resistance from pests, the rest goes into the soil via the roots to feed the soil biology. Plants provide the inceptive energy to the soil food system through their roots. The compound secreted by roots is continuous and serves major roles as chemical inducement or repellency in the rhizosphere. These chemicals secreted refers to as root exudates. They enables the roots to control the microbial community, alter biochemical and physical soil properties, stimulates beneficial symbioses and hinder the growth of unwanted species. Exudates are the source of food for the microbes. The microbial community not only make nutrients available to the plants they also provide a protective layer against pests and diseases. It’s a win-win for the plants and the organisms living in the soil.
Soils consist of around 50 percent minerals, many are the nutrients plants need to grow, produce seeds or flowers, pollinate, photosynthesize and flower. As much as soil is a vast bank of minerals, most of these minerals are not in a form the plant can use.
Nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus and many trace elements rely on soil life to make them available to plants. Microbes changes their form from one that’s difficult to use to one that’s perfect for the plants uptake. Microbes act as a link between the soil minerals and the plant example of the role of the microbe links is turning unavailable minerals into plant nutrients is how plants take up nitrogen.
Plants are encompassed by atmospheric nitrogen, but only microbes are able to turn that nitrogen into a usable form. Microbes also provide nitrogen by decomposing soil organic nitrogen and making it mineral nitrogen in forms of ammonium and nitrate that plants can take up. Without microbial nitrogen fixation and microbial breakdown of organic nitrogen into mineral nitrogen.
Knowing how important the microbe links is to plant growth and health is a great incentive for building a profitable yields on our farm. There are different practices that amplify the strength of the microbe link, and all require feeding an abundance of soil biology all year-round. You need diversity because the plants determine the soil life, and different types of plants both feed and benefit from different types of soil life.
Soil bacteria consume fresh materials and have a 5:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in their bodies. They live and die quickly and are consumed by other soil organisms like nematodes and protozoa, which are closer to 10:1. The difference in the C: N ratio of the protozoa to that of bacteria means there is extra nitrogen the protozoa don’t need for their own metabolism that gets excreted back into the soil as plant food. By feeding our soil bacteria we are also enhancing nitrogen cycling and feeding our plants nitrogen.
Our soils have the ability to provide minerals, and the microbial link is key to making those minerals that are already in the soil available to plants. That’s how to get maximum yields on lighter soils. Being a biological farmer means diverting focus from chemistry to taking care of our soil biology. The emphasis is on the microbial links, rather than soluble fertilizers, to get nutrients to plants. When the soil, plants and microbes are in balance, and mineral fertilizer is applied, no need to buy all the plant technologies and chemistry that most farmers today depend on. Not only are those inputs expensive, but they don’t make our farms better in the future. Build a strong microbial links, focus on biology and soil health, and you will never complain of bad productivity.
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| <urn:uuid:bb483a11-ad22-4733-848d-74bf986bca26> | https://www.plant-grow.com/blog/raising-microbial-link-for-healthy-soil | en | 0.935251 | 0.069142 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The consumption of eggnog is as integral to the holidays as cold weather and retail overload. In some families, graduation from “virgin” to “spiked” nog is a rite of passage, and recipes are a closely guarded secret, passed down through the generations with ritual flourish.
Eggnog, or something like it, has been around since the earliest days of the American colonial experiment. Though the etymology is uncertain, the drink is likely descended from the posset, a medieval beverage of dubious medicinal quality that was made from warmed milk spiced and curdled with wine or ale. By the eighteenth century the term “eggnog” was in common use, and by the nineteenth century the drink was a part of the mixological canon.
As ubiquitous as eggnog may be, people rarely drink the homemade stuff anymore, which is unfortunate given the ease of making it from scratch. The carton of commercial eggnog may look nostalgic, but a peek at the ingredients reveals that it is a product of modern food science, with its flavorizers, stabilizers, and emulsifiers—a far cry from the simple beverage that warmed the hearts of our ancestors. Only cream, sugar, eggs, and nutmeg are needed. And the booze, of course. Though originally made with rum, brandy, or fortified wine, it would be remiss not to include a little bourbon if you’re in the South.
At Bohanan’s, no culinary matter is undertaken without serious consideration, and the eggnog is no exception. Bourbon and aged rum are seasoned with pimento dram (an allspice liqueur) and a dash of pumpkin bitters, which chef Heather Nañez makes in-house. Then cream and fresh eggs enter the picture, resulting in a thick, boozy concoction that will make you believe in the divine, regardless of your affiliation.
Bohanan’s Eggnog
Serves 1
3/4 ounce bourbon
3/4 ounce aged rum
3/4 ounce heavy cream
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/4 ounce Bitter Truth Pimento Dram or St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 egg
dash pumpkin bitters (optional)
freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Combine all ingredients except nutmeg in a mixing tin and dry-shake (shake without the ice, to start the emulsification). Add ice to the tin and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled punch cup and top with nutmeg.
Bohanan’s Eggnog
Serves 14–16
12 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 pints heavy cream
8 pints milk
2 pints bourbon
2 pints aged rum
3 ounces Bitter Truth Pimento Dram
freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks with 1 cup sugar until thick. In another bowl, beat egg whites with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until thick. In a third bowl, beat the cream until thick. Add the cream to the yolks, fold in the egg whites, and add the milk, bourbon, rum, and pimento dram. Chill in freezer and garnish with nutmeg before serving. | <urn:uuid:534b4fdc-df8a-4719-b404-fcacb4d7c0a5> | https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/eggnog/ | en | 0.923196 | 0.023311 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Mechanical Mods: Safety Information
Warning: Mechanical mods are not recommended to anyone new to vaping. Anyone wishing to enter the mechanical mod scene should at least read this article or do some research before making a purchase.
Vapemate can not be held responsible for irresponsible use of these devices.
What is a mechanical mod?
A typical mechanical mod is a metal tube to hold a battery, a top cap with a 510 connection, a bottom cap and a button to activate often referred to as a fire button, there are no wires, no circuit boards and no safety cut out!
Example of a mechanical mod
Mechanical mods come in all different shapes and sizes. The following link shows a selection of mechanical mods stocked by Vapemate.
Why choose a mechanical mod?
There are many reasons to have a mechanical mod.
• They are heavy-duty pieces of equipment
• Very durable with no easily breakable parts.
• The whole device can be stripped down for cleaning.
• A well looked after mechanical mod could last a lifetime
• The aesthetics; A mechanical mod with a rebuildable atomiser on top really looks the part!
Is a mechanical mod safe?
Nothing is 100% safe where lithium-ion batteries are concerned, however following the simple safety measures below will make it safe as possible.
Mechanical mod safety tips
Batteries and charger
These are the two main things that you must NOT overlook, don't be a cheapskate when it comes to batteries and chargers.
Choose the right type of battery. Be cautious using unprotected standard lithium-ion (ICR - lithium cobalt oxide) batteries without a kick (see below about kicks), as these have a greater risk of overheating which can cause venting.
Use IMR batteries (lithium manganese) as the chemistry is safer due to it being less volatile.
Never let lithium-ion batteries get too low on power this can permanently damage the battery and in extreme circumstances can overheat possibly leading to venting.
AW IMR batteries used with mechanical mods
As for chargers always buy a decent make with overcharge protection. Vapemate stock some of the safest vape chargers around and many vapers swear by them.
Even if you have the best charger in the world, never leave a battery charging unattended or overnight! remove batteries when fully charged.
Battery polarity
Ensure you insert the batteries the right way, positive + always points to the top towards the 510 connection.
Battery stacking
Do NOT stack batteries in a mechanical mod, this is a potential point of disaster and we advise against battery stacking. Use a single battery only.
A kick is a device which turns a mechanical mod into a variable wattage mod. you set the watts to what you want to vape at rather than the voltage. The "smarts" behind the kick reads the resistance of the device you are using (carto/atomiser/clearomiser) and then sets the voltage to give you the wattage you set it to
A Kick MUST be installed correctly. The bottom of the Kick must sit directly on the positive terminal of the battery (button end for button-top batteries). The top of the Kick (the end with the blue adjustment box) must be oriented towards the head of the device (never towards a device spring). The Kick is designed to be used in 18650 metal tube mods with an IMR 18490 or 18500 battery.
Remove the batteries
When not in use it's a good idea to remove the battery although not essential this helps protect against accidental firing and prolong the life of the mechanical mods spring.
Always store batteries in a suitable container.
Resistance testing
Always check your atomisers and clearomisers Ohms before use especially when new and regularly during use to ensure a short situation has not occurred or that resistance isn't too low. For safety reasons, we recommend using atomisers and clearomisers that have a resistance no less than 1.3 Ohms.
Really do your homework in this section, learn how to build coils for the type of atomiser you are using, making a bad coil without testing the Ohms can be disastrous there’s plenty of sources online to perfect your coiling skills.
To test the resistance of a clearomiser or atomiser, you’ll need an Ohms reader, some VV/VW devices have this ability but you're better off buying a dedicated reader.
The mechanical mod itself should also be tested for shorting. This is achieved by removing the end cap and battery, then using a multimeter touch the positive probe to the positive pin of the mod and the negative probe to the body. Any reading other than the default on the multimeter indicates a problem and the mod should not be used.
Vent holes
Any mechanical mod worth its salt should have vent holes to allow the escape of gases in an overheating/venting event. Without venting holes, a mechanical mod is basically a pipe-bomb in a battery venting situation.
Firing button lock
Most good quality mechanical mods will have a switch locking devices, which is usually engaged by spinning a small knurled wheel in an anti-clockwise direction or by rotating the switch if it’s side-firing.
Stay safe
An experienced vaper isn't one who can ignore these guidelines - if anything they pay special attention to them, knowing the potential consequences of faulty equipment.
It may all seem a bit daunting but once you know what you're doing, owning a mechanical mod can be a really satisfying experience and it all becomes second nature over time….have fun and stay safe!
~ Vapemate | <urn:uuid:e88230d1-4a6e-4626-bcb9-74bff0240f01> | https://www.vapemate.co.uk/blog/mechanical-mods-safety-advice/ | en | 0.91165 | 0.040063 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
6 Sep
Exclusive: USPTO releases revised examination guide following backlash
• USPTO releases heavily revised examination guide following recent backlash
• Concerns stemmed from requirement that applicants give proof of legal US residence
• Revised guide clarifies documents that may be required, and waiver of public domicile
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has released a heavily revised examination guide that clarifies the registry’s new rule wherein foreign trademark applicants and registrants require US counsel representation. The revision follows backlash due to examination instructions that required some applicants to submit proof of legal residence in the United States.
As we reported last week, the USPTO faced criticism following new rules – implemented on August 3 – that would require all applicants not domiciled in the United States to engage US licensed attorneys to file and prosecute trademark applications. It followed alleged fraud by some Chinese applicants, which we have widely covered. Instructions were subsequently issued with Examination Guide 4-19, explaining how examining attorneys would approach the new rules. One particular section caused some concern. In section 3, the guide stated: “Foreign citizens must comply with US visa immigration laws to claim the US as their permanent legal residence. When the applicant or registrant is a foreign citizen/entity with a US street address, it is necessary to determine whether the US street address is the applicant’s or registrant’s domicile.”
It was reported, originally by WGBH News, that the new instructions caused a “backlash” from some USPTO examining attorneys. For example, there were claims that some US immigrants would not be able to attain registered trademark protection. “Trademark examiners are now required to ask questions about the immigration status of applicants living in the US that have never been asked of applicants before,” one examiner reportedly said. “Any immigrant who does not have a green card will likely be unable to obtain a trademark registration, even if they hire an attorney in compliance with the new rule requiring US counsel.”
There were other concerns too. Talking to WTR, some IP experts claimed that the USPTO could be on “shaky legal ground” due to the “unintended consequences” the new guidelines may cause. Those unintended consequences include the guide’s tougher rules on private mailboxes, due to the requirement that applicants must include their permanent legal residence on a trademark application. “Many people in the US have PO boxes for entirely legitimate reasons,” John E Ottaviani, partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, told us. “Domestic violence victims often use PO boxes and do not disclose their home address for fear of being victimized again. Ultimately, there is no need for the USPTO to become involved in requiring disclosure of the physical addresses, and in some cases, such disclosure could cause harm.”
Revision released
It is just over a week since the backlash was reported on, and the USPTO has responded swiftly. The office has today released a heavily revised examination guide that it hopes will quell concerns. Talking exclusively to WTR, the USPTO’s commissioner for trademarks, Mary Boney Denison, said “the reason we're revising the guidance is because we've had multiple requests for additional clarification on the US licensed attorney rule”, adding: “We want people to understand that the key to determining whether you need a US lawyer or not is where you are domiciled.”
The revised examination guide 4-19 – which is available to view here – is vastly different to the previous guide. It is 27.6% longer, and has wholly removed and added entire sections. For example, the aforementioned section 3 text has been removed, and there is now no mention of the words ‘immigration’ and ‘visa’ in the entire guide.
Diving deeper, the new examination guide goes more in-depth to exactly what each section means and what documents may be required. In fact, the guide even includes a specific section to define what ‘domicile’ means (“the term ‘domicile’ means the ‘permanent legal place of residence’ of a natural person or the ‘principal place of business’ of a juristic entity”) to ensure that is not misunderstood. It then clarifies that if a US domicile is listed in a trademark application, the USPTO may require documentation for reasons including if an address appears to be incorrect. Documentation that can be used to prove that an individual has a US domicile includes a current signed lease or mortgage agreement, a current insurance policy, or a recent utility bill. For businesses, documents can include a recent annual report or a certificate of good standing from a federal or statement government agency.
The new examination guide also adds an entire section on how applicants can make their domicile private. “We are offering information on how to request a waiver on the requirement to make the domicile public” Denison tells us. “We are also clarifying that, in most cases, a post office box address is not a domicile because you can't live in a PO box."
The public domicile waiver allows applicants or registrants to enter a petition in the street address field of a trademark application, and then separately file a petition to make their domicile address private. The USPTO has not listed exactly what “extraordinary” situations will grant such a petition, but it is understood that it mostly includes safety situations, such as celebrities and domestic abuse victims.
It is clear, then, that the USPTO hopes this revised examination guide will put to bed concerns that examining attorneys and users have had. For Denison, it’s a particularly busy time – especially as it was confirmed last month that she is due to retire at the end of the year. “The next thing we have is a TPAC fee hearing on September 23, and that is a big deal for us,” she tells us. “We are also working feverishly to implement mandatory electronic filings as well as log-in.”
Tim Lince
Author | Senior reporter
[email protected]
Tim Lince | <urn:uuid:d8d87228-a7c4-4bc2-8747-d13cfdf173dc> | https://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/governmentpolicy/uspto-releases-revised-examination-guide-following-backlash | en | 0.950816 | 0.018394 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Smart Tips For Uncovering Fire
What to Look For In a Fire Camera Detecting System.
A portion of the basic natural components in this world are air, water and fire which can all be utilized to make energy that can be utilized in an assortment of enterprises and even at home. Wind and water can all be utilized to produce power which is utilized in pretty much every cutting edge industry or home while fire can be utilized to cook nourishment or change the form of different components. Fire has a lot of uses in the current world though every so often it can in like manner be the wellspring of colossal destruction to both property and life if it isn’t carefully watched while being used.
There are a lot of organizations and homes which have been totally wiped out by fire which was not identified in time and so as to avoid this, you require a fire detection system. Fire can easily spread from just a simple piece of paper and end up destroying a whole building therefore you ought to choose a fire detection system that can quickly detect a fire before it becomes uncontrollable. With the enhancement of technology, cameras that can detect fire have been made and they have ended up being astoundingly ground-breaking in perceiving fires before they get out of hand. There are different associations that offer these fire detecting camera systems along these lines picking one to buy from can be exceptionally trying.
Another critical factor that you should consider when you are picking such a system is their execution. You have to make sure that the fire camera detecting system you have chosen has been tested by all the relevant authorities and has been proven to work effectively. You should pick a system that can recognize any fire in a concise range to ensure that the damage done by the fire is to a great degree inconsequential. You have to furthermore consider the surveys of the fire camera detecting system you need to pick since it will enable you to know how efficient the system is. These reviews are normally submitted by clients who have used the system in their homes or companies and they will enable you to know if they work as they should.
Valuable Lessons I’ve Learned About Sprinklers
6 Facts About Services Everyone Thinks Are True | <urn:uuid:2658e577-9db0-4e17-ae3e-2fe50fdf3c59> | http://healthfitnessconnecticut.info/smart-tips-for-uncovering-fire-3.html | en | 0.966259 | 0.038824 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
There is no world
The world / the universe / life as we experience it as a human is a game.
Its nothing more than a story and you made it up in your mind.
Let me tell you how I got this idea as it is closely related to my joyous experiences with games.
I was 16 years old when my parents bought a television to watch some movies at christmas and after some lucky coincidences they bought a playstation as well.
From the moment I was able to run around in Lara Croft’s manor (Tomb Raider 3) I was mesmerized with the ability to easily travel to parallel universes and distant worlds. To be able to safely experience so many stories I dreamed about when I was little (and even now) felt like heaven.
Even though I knew it was only a game it felt real as well. There were occasions I was really afraid to play or even watch the screen. My neighbour loved to play horror games but had a hard time solving puzzles and riddles. That’s when I came in (we had no internet back then and yes, it’s that long ago : ) but as soon as the puzzles were solved I gave him back the controller because I couldn’t handle the tension.Silent-Hill-Origins-Spaetestens-Im-Krankenhaus-von-Silent-Hill-begreift-der-480x272-c2fbb3d7f453f1a2When I turned on the playstation and loaded a game, it almost felt like I became the game. I looked through the eyes of the hero, made a map in my mind of the surroundings while the sounds of the environment painted even more details around me. It fooled my senses. With some games I almost had the feeling I was really there and the story, the reason to move forward made the gameworld completely logic, even with all its shortcomings and unrealistic settings.
Soon I started to realize you can’t have a great story without great evil. With games like Metal Gear Solid I felt like a sponge sucking up every tiny bit of information like water. I had the feeling there was truth about succes in life to be found if I just paid undivided attention. There was this drama, this great misery about war and threats as big as nuclear weapons. Inside this insane story there was a sparkle of hope, a blooming love story and the feeling you could do something to make things right. I loved that. But it could not have been told without the giant evil setting.Metal_Gear_Gray_Fox_by_WestbrionageAt first I felt like I had an aversion for all the bad that happened in there but after a while I knew the bad was inseparably connected to the good. I started to see it in every story. Bad is just an necessary ingredient to tell a story. Without duality there is no story. This is what made me forgive every bad guy in videogames, movies and novels. I started to see they were not real. This seems stupid now that I tell it like this but there really were times I was mad at, or in love with a certain character in a fiction story. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Fiction-stories lost a bit of their magic. The drama didn’t affect me as much as it used to. At first I felt scared to lose my interest in certain things (and I did) but I’m glad because it feels bad to be consumed by the flames of a fiction. It’s only fun if it’s not serious.
As of 2016 we entered the age of virtual reality, project morpheus, oculus rift, … Games (or should I say stories?) always have the ambition to make you believe you are somebody you are not. With those headsets the senses get fooled even more but is that even possible when I fool myself every single moment with my senses?
I was getting very interested in spirituality. I did the course of miracles for about 3 years now and it made me realize even more that life is a story I create in my mind. I give meaning to anything I see around me. I search for reasons to project my judgements on and by this I blame others which makes me feel even more scared of the world I live in. It motivates me to defend my property. I believe the outside world, the others must be how I see myself, so they want what I have and there is never enough. So I attack to defend and I believe I am right. With this idea I make the illusion real. And the fun is gone. Shadow. Just like in a game. The hero in a game is not supposed to know it’s just a game (unless you’re deadpool) and you are not supposed to know your life is just a story. deadpool-43-cover-129584Untill you start to notice you always see wath you believe. Paying attention to your thoughts and not your surroundings is a vital step in seeing the game from within the game. There is one question you can ask yourself to see if you’re still asleep. And that question is: ‘Am I afraid?’ If you have just a tiny little bit of fear at the time, you’re just as lost in the illusion as when you have tons of fears. There is no middle way. It’s either all or nothing. If you have absolutely no fear left then you are free!
Images only look real in my mind when I fear. I literally scare myself and the reason for that lies in the fact that I don’t know who I am. Careful observation and little hints on my path led me to believe the universe is the mastergame. The ultimate game. The game in which you make things real when you fear it. In the end there is no difference between a game, a movie, a novel, a life story, a picture, an experience or the world. It is a story. Stories are not real. You play a role. Remember you are not the role you play. That role has changed a million times already but you are still who you are.
It’s never ‘game over’ as you should know by now cause you are still here despite all the crazy stories you believed in already.neverbegameoverNever be game over. You can’t, but you can truly believe you can. Anything that can be game over is not real and not worth of your worries because it’s not who you are. It’s just a story. You are not supposed to know it, but there is no world.
Forgive, have a good time, forget. You are forever. In that order ; )
Bless you brother.
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Thursday, July 8, 2010
I Love It When a Movie Comes Together!
The A-Team
Release: 06.11.10
Rated PG-13
1 hour, 57 minutes
Full Price
When a mission in Mexico goes south for Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (Bradley Cooper, The Hangover), Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson, (Taken) recruits the aid of disgraced Ranger B.A. Baracus (Midnight Meat Train) and pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley, District 9), to complete the job and pull Peck's ass out of the fire. Eight years and eighty successful missions later, the guys are unofficially recruited for a black ops mission; a mission that goes, to put it lightly, badly. The A-Team, now incarcerated in separate maximum-security installations, promptly escape in an effort to clear their names.
Given the formulaic nature of the A-Team television series, the camaraderie of the cast had to be on-point to attract audiences. And for nearly one hundred episodes, it was. The great thing about the feature length movie is Neeson, Cooper, Jackson and Copley strike that same harmonious chord. Mind-bending missions, thrilling chases, and daring escapes work so well because the foursome jibe and antagonize one another as if they were genuinely the best of friends.
A relationship that doesn't work onscreen is between Peck and Sosa (Jessica Biel, Stealth). There is a complete lack of chemistry. An exchange in a photo booth between the two was uber-creepy instead of romantically tense. Maybe the extreme close-ups during that sequence failed to capture any emotion, but I fear there wasn't any spark to film. Given that Sosa is external to the guys' plight, she can easily be written out of future installments.
Dirty Undies
With respect to the thrill factor, director Joe Carnahan (Smokin Aces) has a above average handle on crafting an action flick. That said, my one quibble, one that I often have with contemporary action movies, is once you set the bar for a certain level of over-the-top scenarios, don't exponentially surpass those constraints. Case in point? The finale, which strains even the most liberal reality.
The uneven quality of the special effects and choppy edits plagued many of the outlandish sequences. At times I was caught up in the riptide of hard-hitting action while other times, the shoddy look of the scene took me totally out of the moment. It didn't ruin my overall enjoyment of the A-Team; it's just something to be mindful of in future installments.
The Money Shot
Children and adults of the eighties know all too well that if you had a problem, if no one else could help, and if you could find them, maybe you could hire the crack commando unit known as the A-Team. Hollywood reached out to these boys and they have rescued the summer box office from being a complete wash.
Large Association of Movie Blogs
1. This film was as sad as I thought it would be. This director is two for two for turds and to think he is the guy that brought us Narc.
How the team met was idiotic. How a crazy person would be allowed back into the service is even more asinine. On what planet would that happen?
Their trial made no sense. Where was their advocate? Where was Black Forest? How do they explain the Major’s Humvee blowing up and the container with cash blowing up? Absolute garbage.
I’ll stick with The Rise of Cobra.
Face in the sauna doing reverse crunches was funny though.
2. very surprised to read this. I had no desire at all to watch and have read very little on it that has been positive. Glad to read this one.....may have to give it a second thought.
3. @Film-book: I'll tell you where that happens, Planet A-Team! Just accept the plot's broadstrokes, don't over think it. It's not like the show was ever rocket science.
Narc was a good movie, but I also dug the wackiness of Smokin Aces. Ia ssume you were calling that the turd, or did you mean Pride & Glory?
Rise of Cobra?! You're killin' me! I enjoyed the absurdity of GI Joe more than I expected to, but A-Team would win out in a head-to-head for me.
@Peter: Really? Seems like everyone I've talked to (film-book excluded) has liked it. A mindless, explosive popcorn flick.
4. Screw Planet A-Team.
The film was daffy. COBRA-LALALALA!!!
5. Shalrto Copley was awesome in it, but otherwise, eh.
6. @Film-Book: I pity the fool who thinks GI Joe was better than A-Team!
@Simon: eh?! Not you too! (Copley was the best of the bunch, tho)
7. It's fun, crazy, and wild, perfect movie just for a fun watch. Check out my review here: Nice Review!
8. Hello,
perfect blog i like it
Movies add chutzpah and glamour to our life. Without movies, our lives would be completely dull and drab. Movies simply combine moving images and sounds but they have become an essential ingredient of our lives. Movies showcase all the basic human emotions like pain, grief, happiness, joy and vengeance.
9. Great movie of A team.
Dialogues are the usual, the line 'I love it when a plan comes together' have been repeated sufficient times. Mostly I believe the action have been created on the computers but animation is realistic except barring some scenes in the end. The whole shipyard crumbling down was a bit too much.
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Whittles world
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13/05/2012 - I am still thinking about having Frank Whittle transfer from the RAF to the RAAF and start working with the CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation) in Australis to implement his jet engine project. Whittle would patent his design in 1930, put a proposal before interested parties in 1931/32. Be knocked back by the RAF but receive interest from the RAAF. The transfer to Australis takes place 1932/33, with work on the jet project starting in earnest 1933 with a first flight of CAC Whittle experimental jet taking place late in 1935 with proving flights extending through the first half of 1936. Having proved the concept a set of pre-production aircraft would have to be ordered, to either extend from the experimental aircraft or be built to a different design. This would take the work through to the end of 1938 early 1939 (from what I have read on other aircraft of the time 18 months to two years for this stage would be about right). The pre-production aircraft would then be evaluated and either accepted and larger amounts of production aircraft ordered. This would be late 1939 and right at the start of the World War. My next problem is what sort of aircraft should receive 'jet-ification'. My thoughts are that there should be 2 fighter types, 1 single and 1 twin engine type each. 1 medium bomber type, 1 long range bomber type, and lastly for the Navy 1 fighter type and 1 light bomber type. None of these types would have extreme aerodynamics as they would have been based on the known types of airframes then available (Hurricane. Spitfire, Whirlwind, Albermarle, Liberator, Battle). All of the types would need to be converted from rear wheel landing type to tricycle undercarriage types if required. As more powerful jet engines become available and speeds increase out beyond the 500mph mark only then will the aerodynamics such as swept wings would be required to be researched (this would be an ongoing project anyway).
As this is a naval based Alternate Universe, I am particuarly interested in what the jet aircraft would do to the development of the aircraft carrier. The high landing speed of jet aircraft is a major problem. One in that other world that did not need tackling till 1944 with the entry of the Gloster Meteor. Now in Australis the new aircraft would require a fresh look at aircraft carriers in 1939. The solution worked out in 1944 and started trials in late 1945, using lines drawn on a standard flight deck, was the system that became the 'angled flight deck'. With ships that are building you are going to have a fairly comprehensive redesign that if done early enough will not add anything to your building time. I figure at least 12-18 months rebuilding time for a simple conversion to an angle deck configuration for existing ships. I can think of three major things that need to be enhanced for jets. Being a mobile airport the aircraft need to land and take off. Landing on has two bits to it, the angle deck and stronger arrester wire setup, otherwise the jet landing speeds will pull existing arrester wires to pieces. The third item is how to launch them to a speed that allows them to get airborne. Higher load catapults would have to be produced. The only other area of concern is getting your aircraft from hangar to flight deck without seriously interfering with the aircraft operations. Elevators in the middle of the flight deck were common but would interfere with optimal operations with jet aircraft, the deck edge elevator pioneered by the US on the Essex class is what is required. Right, next is "is the technology available" for all these advances. From what I can see and read about and investigate on the internet and in my hard copy resources the answer is, Yes, Yes and Yes. The next problem is deciding which of your extremely useful and valuable aircraft carriers that exist now should be taken out of service for 12-18 months for a jet operating rebuild right at the time that war has broken out. Part of the problem is how big would the aircraft carrier need to be to operate jets? That other world did not convert anything much less than 700 feet (the majority of the UK light fleets were around 690+ feet). How much length of angled deck is required?, that is the question that determines the size of the ship that can be converted or built. The first jet aircraft for the Navy would not be available till late 1940, early 1941. Quite frankly while those aircraft would be jets and faster than their equivalents of the time. They would still not be fast enough (over 450mph+) to require an immediate change to angled deck technology. Speeds of aircraft will increase markedly from 1943 onwards when the aircraft will be able to breach the 500mph barrier with ease. At that stage some aircraft carriers with angled deck technology will need to be available and others will need to be in the process of becoming angled deck carriers. This gives the Navy 4 years from first evaluation of jets to the stage where the new technology required has to be available to cope. It is much faster to produce the aircraft than the ships.
As can be seen you cannot just say "we have jets 5 years early" because the ramifications of pulling this advance back to the mid 1930's are tough to quantify in the technology and when it needs to be invented. Having one step of the technology road early means that other steps need to be thought of and invented to make the other bits of technology useful. With Whittles engines, advances in power during the first 6-12 months meant that just the original prototype aircraft went from a first flight maximum of 360mph to 466mph on the same aircraft frame. Taking another popular airframe. the Spitfire, first flight was about 320mph in 1936 through to the Griffon powered types at 450mph in 1945-46. Raising the power of the jet engine is significantly easier than the piston engine.
Another thing to think of is your Allies. When do you make your advance in jet technology available to them?
Early Sea Jets: Early aircraft carried on the carriers
Shipbucket Comparisons: looking at angled decks using shipbucket drawings.
Modern Day Comparisons: using material sourced from the internet.
Whittles Carriers (1940-1945): My Commonwealth Nations aircraft carriers with changes for operating jets
Having had time to think about jets and their early impact on any world war it would be impossible to guess exactly what would happen. It is quite possible that the Germans would be defeated in 1940. Commonwealth jets would clear the skies and have air superiority wherever they appeared. German jets would not have appeared till late 1942 and it would be impossible for the German Army to hold on for that long. Italy would never have entered the war as France would never have fallen. New World Order with Commonwealth still at the top of the tree. US would be the poor cousins. The Commonwealth would have whipped the Japs by themselves and left the US with nothing to do and no influence where they gained it after WW2. USSR would have had no Great Patriotic War and the country would have had decades of Stalins internal pogroms to look forward to.
By changing one thing as fundamental as early jet aircraft, the whole face of the earth as we know it would have changed radically.
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Shoe Allergies
Think what it must be like to be rejected by your own shoes. For Terry Flangepoppet of Winchingchester, this unlikely scenario has been an everyday reality since he was six and he first realised that he was allergic to his own footwear.
Sensitivity to footwear - or cloggitis, to give it its made-up name - is a rare but debilitating condition that afflicts its sufferers in extraordinarily dramatic ways. Feet brought into contact with shoes, boots, slippers or moccasins immediately become inflamed, bloated and putrescent. In the most violent cases sufferers are physically propelled out of their own shoes, sometimes with quite spectacular force. In fact, during the Middle Ages the condition was commonly known as 'SneezyToe' because, when coupled with the accompanying 'whooshing' noise, it often appeared that victims had actually sneezed themselves out of their own boots.
Inevitably, many folk cures were suggested, including bathing the feet in warm milk or smearing pig manure between the toes, neither of which would make you a popular house guest. It was even thought that wearing a particularly heavy hat might help a sufferer remain in their footwear and some people even resorted to nailing people into their shoes. None of these cures worked and most managed to cause more physical damage and social awkwardness than simply succumbing to the shame of a barefoot existence.
In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s that the condition was properly identified as an allergic reaction; and 1968 in particular when shoe entrepreneur and verruca enthusiast Dr Schlock invented the first medicated shoe. But while it certainly did help to alleviate the suffering of millions, the medicated shoe did little to help these unfortunate people become accepted in their communities. Being roughly five feet in length, bright green and constantly puffing out thick clouds of menthol vapour, medicated shoes were unsightly, smelly and a source of endless irritation to other passengers on public transport.
Sadly, Dr Schlock's unsociable shoes have been the only choice for sufferers for many years, despite fleeting competition from moisturising sandals and anaesthetic boots that made your feet go to sleep. But a radical change in approach is now imminent with the advent of the Macrombie Shoe Pill. Currently going through the final stages of testing, the Macrombie Shoe Pill will provide a quick, easy and permanent cure for the agony of cloggitis. Experiments on laboratory grade donkeys have shown that just one short course of shoe pills, administered to your shoes with a glass of water after meals, will remedy the condition for good.
And for people like Terry Flangepoppet, that's just the help they need to get them back on their feet.
Books and Free Downloads
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Drum and Bass
Experimental discos...
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RAF Sticky Tape
RAF discontinues use of sticky tape for pilots.
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Petunia Mulch - Plant Psychologist
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Munchy Burger
Application Form Part B
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New Discovery Casts Light on Prophet's Death.
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Forward to the Future
The transport of the future.
Teaching Carrots to FlyTeaching Carrots to FlyStandard British NunsExtreme Dinosaurs
The Bleeding Obvious Prime Time Gameshow Generator
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Ensuring that your business has the right internet connection can mean the difference between just being connected and being productive.
The most important things to look for when considering a broadband service are:
1. Quality - How good is the speed and how stable is the connection?
2. Support - If something goes wrong, can I get assistance quickly and is it good, sound advice?
3. Cost - Is the cost appropriate for the service, ie if a service is too cheap then the quality will probably suffer. Additionally, if you can't get timely support, the consequences may far outweigh the small savings in the end.
Ensure that you select the right speed for your needs as well as a good amount of data included.
Don't forget that you are also able to bond up to 6 of any of our access services above to create a faster and more reliable service. More information about bonded broadband services can be found here. | <urn:uuid:aebaf16a-58b2-440d-9894-99d6a4653d60> | http://www.escapeonline.com.au/broadband.html | en | 0.957993 | 0.838347 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
To Count or Not To Count... A Dilemma
Discussion in 'Civil War' started by Kate, Feb 3, 2016.
1. Kate
Kate Active Member
Good morning, all! I'd like to hear your thoughts on something that's been a dilemma to me for a long time now. It's one of those pieces of sand that rubs in a shoe... always bothersome but you can't quite get it out.
I've talked (sometimes extensively.. sorry about that, it's my passion!) about the list I'm doing of the Gettysburg dead. It's hard work when you get right down to the nitty gritty. But there's one thing I've never been able to come to terms with.... so maybe someone can convince me one way or the other.
My goal is to give everyone who died at Gettysburg (either KIA or as a mortal wound) a voice... a name.... a story. Pretty cut and dried to that point. Most rosters, etc. do not count the soldiers who died in prison camps and the hospitals of disease as a battle casualty... I don't either... small pox, typhoid, etc.... all rampant in those prison camps and hospitals, so no question there.
BUT therein lies my dilemma... what if someone *was* wounded at Gettysburg and then captured... or even taken to a hospital for the wound but THEN died officially of small pox a month or more later? Official record says typhoid or chronic diarrhea was the cause of death, but if not for having been wounded, they wouldn't have BEEN there in the hospital.
:( To add to the dilemma, many of the rosters and records don't list what the wound *was* so some were obviously non-fatal, but there's no way to know that.
Anyhow... would you add them as a Gettysburg dead... or not? I'd be totally messing up the number of dead that is the official number... but I really hate the thought of missing anyone. This would also be a *huge* nightmare and basically going back more than 10,000 people and starting over to see who may have been missed in the records just because they were in a hospital from a wound and happened to contract small pox or whatever.
Oh my. :( As I typed that out, I kind of got the feeling that this would be an impossible endeavor. Agree? Or no?
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When you think about, I mean really think about, is it our eyes that we really see with? Is it our eyes that we look at things with? Is it our eyes that determines on how we see the world around us?
I used to think that…..
I often get asked when I take people out walking, do you ever get bored of seeing the same thing all the time? The answer is, and will always be, no day is ever the same.
Every time I walk out the door to enter the outdoors is a new experience, a new feeling, a new sense.
One of the most amazing moments I have had recently is during a walk I took on the foothills of Snowdon in the Cwm LLan valley, which is on the Southern slope of Snowdon. I started my walk in Beddgelert, came up
through Coed Craflwyn (Craflwyn woods) and dropped down into the valley. I stopped at the waterfall, that has made its way down, winding through the hills and growing stronger as it moves swiftly through the hillside, I stop as I have done many times before and I look.
I look and I see crystal clear water, crashing down over glistening wet rocks that twinkle in the sunlight. I see the water swirling as it drops down into plunge pools, I see birds swooping in and out of the water to drink and to bathe. But to really see this, I close my eyes and I sit. I sit and I listen. I sit and feel. I sit and relax as I breath in everything around me. The sensation that flows through me is how I imagine the river flows through the landscape. The feeling of the air that moves around me is how I imagine the air moves though the trees that line this very river. The sound of the babbling brook is what I imagine the birds hear when they move swiftly in and out of the water.
We take seeing for granted, what we really need to do is to just stop, close our eyes to really see what is happening around us.
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I’m Gonna Drive It Til the Wheels Fall Off
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Just before Christmas, I broke down and bought a new minivan. After enjoying a year and a half without a car note, I swore I would drive our old van until the wheels fell off. Well, I came close, but I realized driving it into the ground wasn’t practical or safe after putting nearly 160,000 miles on the car. With every passing mile, the van became increasingly more unreliable.
Does “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” apply to your business?
The same holds true with the computer systems in your business. Much like a car, computers not only require regular maintenance but can degrade in performance and reliability over time. The inside of your computer contains moving parts that spin at thousands of revolutions per minute and produce heat up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. So, it’s important to recognize and plan for the inevitable case that one day your computer will go belly up, usually at the time you need it the most.
How can you avoid the frustration of arriving to your desk with your Monday morning coffee to find your computer has croaked over the weekend? Here are some helpful tips:
1. Let your computer breath. Computers run best in cool, well ventilated areas. If you have a computer desk with computer compartment, leave the door open so that air can flow freely. Avoid placing heaters next to or piling papers and other objects on top of your computer. If you constantly hear the cooling fans in your computer roaring loudly, it’s probably overheating.
2. Avoid the dust bunnies. If your computer looks like its growing hair, it’s probably time to clean out the dust. Do not use a vacuum on the computer. A can of pressurized air will do the trick, or we would be glad to assist you.
3. Don’t fry the computer. Plugging your computer directly into an electrical socket is like slowly cooking it for years. Even if you don’t get struck by lightning, numerous power surges and other voltage fluctuations can shorten the life of a computer. Purchase a high quality surge suppressing power strip or a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). This will help protect the computer from harmful electrical events.
4. Change the oil. No, your computer doesn’t use oil but it must be maintained the same way you would maintain your car. Regularly check for and apply software updates and security patches. If you feel comfortable taking a deep dive, review startup items and disk fragmentation.
5. Have a technology plan. Put a plan in place for how long you will keep your systems running before they are replaced. Some companies cycle through their mission critical systems every 3 to 4 years. Others wait until longer, but the key is having a plan other than “wait until it dies.” Identify mission critical systems such as your servers or highly productive team members that your business relies on. Then, build a plan around ensuring that the systems that support your business are there when you need them the most.
Above all, don’t wait until the wheels fall off. We can help you develop a plan to avoid catastrophe, monitor the health of your existing systems and streamline the process of maintaining them. Give us a call today to find out how.
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Reassign a Server to a Different File Store
Topic Last Modified: 2012-01-24
The file store is used for transactional files as well as a shared location for servers to put data that needs to be accessed by other servers. When moving or removing the file store, you must carefully plan your process to ensure the continued operation of the deployment and to minimize downtime.
To reassign a server to different a file store
1. Log on to the computer where you want to create a new file share as a member of the computer local Administrators group or equivalent user rights and permissions to create a file share.
2. Create a new directory and share the directory.
The default user rights and permissions on the share and the file folder that you want to share must allow read/write permissions to the share and full permissions to the file directory for the user that is running Topology Builder. This is necessary for Topology Builder to provision the share and directory.
If you create the share and file directory as the local Administrator, the Administrator and the local Administrators group are assigned read/write permissions to the share by default, with the local Administrators group as the owner. Also, the Administrator and local Administrators group are assigned full permissions to the file directory by default.
5. When Topology Builder prompts you to select the source of the Lync Server 2010 topology documents, select Download Topology from existing deployment, and then click OK.
6. In Save Topology As, type a name for the topology document in File name, and then click Save.
7. Expand the server that you want to remove and for which you need to move the file store (for example, the Director pool).
8. Right-click the server, click Edit Properties, and then under Associations do one of the following:
• To create a new file store, click New. In Define New File Store, type the File Server FQDN and the File Share, and then click OK.
You are not creating the file share. You are defining it for use in Topology Builder. The file share must be created prior to publishing. When you publish the topology, the discretionary access control list is applied to the share by the publish workflow.
• To assign to an existing file store, click the store under File share.
9. Select the server that you want to assign to the new or existing file store, and then click OK.
10. Publish the topology, and check replication status.
11. Open Lync Server Deployment Wizard on the server that the file store is being re-assigned (for example, a new file store was created and the Front End servers were associated with the new file store location). Select Install or Update Lync Server System, select the Step 2: Setup or Remove Lync Server Components, and then click Run. Review the summary of changes, then click Finish.
You must repeat the Lync Server Deployment Wizard Step 2: Setup or Remove Lync Server Components on each server affected by the change of file store location. Server roles affected by the relocation of the file store location:
• Front End pool, Front End Servers
• Standard Edition server
• Director, Director pool
• Archiving Servers
Optionally, if you prefer to use the Lync Server Management Shell, run the following cmdlet on each affected server role: | <urn:uuid:b6f58b9f-bcb9-4dd4-811a-d20a46fdc235> | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/skype-server-2010/gg195633%28v%3Docs.14%29 | en | 0.880385 | 0.04032 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
• Gujarish
Hello everyone,,
I bet there’s a simple answer to this but I haven’t been able to find it... When I run some of the bundled examples on either my iphone or ipad the views have a title on the title bar of the view (Calculator in Calculator, & Color Mixer in ColorMixer for example). How is this title set? It doesn’t seem to be in either the py or pyui files. When I run my scripts the title bar is blank. Can anyone help???
posted in General Discussion read more
Internal error.
Oops! Looks like something went wrong! | <urn:uuid:e70d9e1d-a85f-46b9-a146-4dafe1a9ecf8> | https://forum.omz-software.com/user/gujarish | en | 0.882941 | 0.024478 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How to say no to a woman?
You want to say no to a woman you like, but you are afraid? To displease her, to offend her, to see her push you away. But it’s the opposite!
When you’re in front of a woman who likes you, it’s perfectly normal to want to please her by doing what she loves and cares about. Sometimes, you are even tempted to bend over backward for her, which can be a proof of interest, but be careful not to go too far! Being a nice boy, OK, but it is out of the question to completely crush you. So how to tell her not without annoying and spoil the seduction that you have given yourself the trouble to put in place?
Say no to a woman without rejecting her
As you know, wiping a rejection can be experienced as a pure humiliation. So, to avoid hurting her, always be sure to say no to a specific situation or request, and never to the person.
It is better to refer to a situation that does not please you, does not tempt you or does not make you feel comfortable. On the other hand, you risk being very badly taken if you question the personal tastes of this woman, her habits, or her whole character. Does she want to see a romantic comedy at the cinema? Do not tell her that this kind of movie is too cul-cul or absolutely nil, but that you would prefer something different! Same thing if she offers you an evening in a nightclub. Do not answer that this is a place for “easy girls,” but explain that a cocktail in an intimate bar would allow you to have such a good time together!
In any case, try to propose an alternative because it shows that you still appreciate it and that you are still interested in it. Moreover, it also proves that you have a sense of compromise, a primordial quality in any human relationship, but especially in a relationship.
Thus, your “no” passes like a letter to the post office, and the woman understands your limits without it damaging the complicity that may have settled between you upstream.
Saying no to a woman to please her more
say no to a women
To know how to assert yourself is essential and even incredibly sexy! This woman you are trying to seduce needs a man who knows what he wants, who is not easily influenced and who can make decisions when necessary (and this is as seductive as elsewhere).
Saying no to a woman is also a way to show her more about your personality and to invite her a little more in your intimacy.
Do not hesitate if you feel the need to say no; go ahead firmly without going through four paths. The more you turn around the bush, and not only will you be less understood, but also, the more you lose value in his eyes. Not to mention that, in this way, you risk creating tension between you.
You do not have to try to justify yourself as if you were doing something wrong. It is in your right to decline situations that do not suit you, and contrary to your fears, she will appreciate your frankness. On the other hand, it will be necessary to ask questions if you say no to everything: either you have a character of the pig, or this woman is not made for you! | <urn:uuid:c285d713-1107-4c7e-bfba-ff3e14d14264> | https://free-69.com/how-to-say-no-to-a-woman/ | en | 0.975322 | 0.02813 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
will undertake a colonoscopy using a long flexible tube (a colonoscope) and thread it up through the rectum and transmits an image to a viewing screen. The lining of the colon and rectum can be inspected for such things as inflamed tissue, abnormal growths, and ulcers. Colonoscopy is most often used to look for early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum, and for causes of unexplained changes in
habits. If an abnormal growth, such as a polyp (a stalk-shaped growth or lump), is found, a small piece may be taken for examination (biopsy) or it may be removed. Thorough cleansing of the bowel is necessary before a colonoscopy (also known as a pouchoscopy). You will be given pain medication and a moderate sedative to keep you comfortable during the procedure.
For other locations use the refine search location field below
Refine Search: | <urn:uuid:b9d78fbd-ab01-4cad-b485-777aa7cbb47a> | https://healthpages.co.nz/directory/categories/colonoscopy | en | 0.917803 | 0.080368 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
I checked 106,852 email addresses and 19.8% were compromised
Over the period of two years, I checked 106,852 email addresses that were contained in public tweets against known lists of compromised credentials. The results showed almost 20% were compromised.
It doesn’t matter how careful you are
It was around 2015 that I first stumbled over the Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) website, a free service that allows you to enter your email address to find out if you’ve been ‘pwned’. For the uninitiated, being pwned in this context means that a website you signed up to had a security breach and now your personal details, very likely login credentials, have been exposed.
Having used the same email address for a long time, despite the fact I was ‘fairly good’ at security, I found my email address was of course, pwned, and my credentials for half a dozen sites were floating around various forums, pastebins and no doubt being sold.
The takeaway from this is, it does not matter how careful you are. By registering for these sites, you are entrusting them with your data and you must accept it is almost certain that at least one of them is going to be hacked or have a data breach.
For instance, we’ve seen LinkedIn suffer a data breach that exposed 164 million email addresses and passwords, Equifax exposed 146.6 million customer’s data, and most recently of course, BA had 380,000 transactions affected by a data breach. They happen, and we have to accept they can happen.
Those who need it the most are at the back of the line
In 2015, I still wasn’t using a password manager and was still guilty of occasionally, using the same password on different sites. Through other precautions and some blind luck, I never actually had one of my accounts hacked. The HIBP website was the thing that gave me the final push to move to a password manager, using strong, unique passwords for every service and 2FA wherever I could.
That year, I did a short talk to a business networking group I was part of about password security and got their permission to run all their email addresses through HIBP prior to the talk. About half of the group had their credentials listed as ‘pwned’ – but more worryingly, when I asked how many people reused passwords, almost everyone’s hand went up. I refined the question to, “How many of you just use a single password for everything?”, about a quarter of the group put their hands up.
Unsurprisingly, nobody had heard of the HIBP website or any of the data breaches their credentials had been involved in.
Proactively alerting users to password breaches
Around this time, it seemed that many companies and websites seemed to be really bad at coming forward and notifying their users when a data breach had occurred. Even in 2016, we saw companies like Uber actively try and conceal data breaches from the public.
I decided to set up an experiment to try and make more of the public aware of the HIBP website and the importance of not reusing passwords. Ideally, I only wanted to contact people who were actively listed as ‘pwned’ on the HIBP website, which mean I needed email address – lots of them.
Fortunately, thousands of people publicly publish their email addresses every day on Twitter and after some playing around with a Python script, I built a method to continuously scan for tweets that contained e-mail addresses. I also needed to add some language logic to try and ascertain whether the tweeted email addresses belonged to the person that made the tweet. That’s a hard thing to do, but I managed to build a basic scoring system that looked for occurrances such as the word “me” just before the e-mail address. With this in place, I had a fairly reliable method to save tweet IDs* that contained email addresses that were likely to belong to the author.
*I chose to save tweet IDs to avoid just build a database containing email addresses.
The HIBP website provides an API which allows you to query an email address to see whether it has been pwned or not. I wrote another small Python script that very slowly worked its way through this list of email addresses and flagged whether they had been pwned or not.
A few tests later and confirming everything was working, I had a built a system that was slowly checking through published email addresses and checking if they were on the HIBP list. I just needed a way to contact people.
Making a Twitter bot
As these users were already on Twitter, it made sense that the most reliable way to get in contact with them, would of course, be Twitter. For this purpose, I made a Twitter bot to send notifications to users if they were flagged as pwned by HIBP.
The trickiest part was trying to build the profile of the Twitter bot and craft the notification tweets in such a way that didn’t make itself look like a scam. In the bio of the bot, I was clear it was an automated service that tried to alert users of compromised credentials and I provided a link to a web page that explained how it worked.
On this page, I provided in layman terms:
• My name and who I was
• A clear statement that I am not asking them for anything at all
• Why my bot had contacted them
• How it got their email address
• How they could verify this information for themselves
• What steps they could take to protect themselves
All the tweets that contained pwned email addresses were put into a queue and the Stay Safe Bot would slowly chug through them, sending tweets similar to this:
A staysafebot notification
I did run into a couple of issues with Twitter getting upset with repetitive tweets. To make the bot add a little more value, I also got it to tweet infosec news every few hours, by piping in the RSS feeds from several popular security blogs and news websites. I also wrote several variations of the notification tweets, assigning it to randomly pick one each time.
Once I was happy everything was working as intended, I needed to have the service running 24/7. I decided to use a spare Raspberry Pi, as the power usage was much lower than my PC and I wanted to have everything running locally. With this set up, I popped the Pi into my desk and just left it to do its thing…
The results
I was really surprised by the amount of positive feedback I got from the bot’s notifications. Apart from attracting the odd internet looney, the vast majority of replies seemed to indicate that the message was working, and users were taking the message on board. Checking the Google Analytics of the information page I had linked to, it did appear that a good percentage of those that had been notified, were following up and reading more.
To me, being able to scale this and get people even to think a bit more about password security was a big win.Nice tweets about staysafebot
21,180 of 106,862 emails were compromised (19.8%)
The true number is likely even higher. While I made a fair attempt to automatically cleanse data, we must consider that:
• There were quite a few spam/sockpuppet/porn disposable emails that were checked as part of this process.
• Despite a verification, dead/broken email addresses did creep in.
• There will be more lists with compromised credentials we don’t know about
Considering the above, the ‘real’ percentage of compromised accounts is likely even higher.
It probably shouldn’t have, but this number did kind of shock me. It means that if you pick a random email address that’s been tweeted, there is a 1 in 5 chance that it has been attached to some kind of data breach. As people don’t change email addresses very much but continue to sign up to more websites and have their data spread out further on the web, this number is only going up.
I considered that Troy Hunt, who runs HIBP would have the best data on what percentage of email addresses that runs through his system is compromised. However, even if API queries were isolated, there is likely to be a bias in his data in that the only people that are running email addresses through his system are already aware of HIBP, therefore have some kind of security knowledge.
Although finding that percentage was not the goal of my experiment, I think it’s an interesting and fairly valid figure.
Should you tweet emails that are compromised?
I had this discussion with a couple of people. What were the implications of ‘publicly’ notifying somebody that their credentials are compromised? I thought hard about this and concluded that the ‘pros’ of informing them far outweigh the ‘cons’.
Consider this: If a potential hacker does see the tweet from the bot (which is directly to the user, so this itself is fairly unlikely), the only information they have is that email may be compromised. They don’t know the password or any other information that is not already publicly available. Should they want to act on this information, they will need to get their hands on one of the breach lists, which itself will contain thousands, hundreds of thousands, or in some cases, millions of credentials. I find it highly unlikely that the kind of person that is going to hunt down one of these lists and act illegally on it, will be inspired to do so from a tweet. In my opinion, the far more likely scenario is that the kind of person that is motivated to do this will already have these lists and therefore already be in possession of the information the bot tweeted and a simple search could link the Twitter account and email address in the same way.
These lists are only worth anything while the affected users are still using the same passwords or are using that password for multiple services. The evidence I have from responses seems to show that lots of people were motivated to change their password after receiving a tweet from the bot, which is a good thing. If there are any infosec people out there that think I’ve really overlooked something big, do let me know 🙂
To try and cover any risk I have not thought about, I have deleted all of the tweets from @staysafebot before publishing this article.
Why is the service now stopped?
It was never meant to go on forever or be a proper ‘service’ per se, I just wanted to experiment, see if I could help some people out and/or get any interesting results. HIBP is far more well known now and they’ve got some great integrations with people like 1Password. I also feel that most companies are a lot better at proactively alerting users when they know they’ve had a breach now, rather than trying to sit on it.
Your security
If you haven’t already, go and check your address on HaveIBeenPwned, make sure you use a password manager and follow a few basics to keep your logins secure.
Be safe! (⌐■_■) | <urn:uuid:679d8b24-a684-4f56-a96e-85497b6cd4a0> | https://i83.uk/20-percent-credentials-compromised/ | en | 0.980351 | 0.029147 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Are you a San Francisco Hipster?
Take this short quiz to find out how much of an SF hipster you are.
1. Are you a hipster?
What is a hipster?
I don't do labels.
2. How do you get around?
3. When was your last PBR
I'm holding one right now!
I had one a few weeks ago.
Not since college
What the hell is a PBR?
4. Best place for a burrito?
La Taqueria.
Taco Bell.
5. How do you feel about mustaches?
I totally dig the ones on the cars!
I have a tattoo of one on my finger.
Why don’t you bask in the glory of my mustache and tell me how you feel about it?
6. Coffee time! Where are you headed?
Home to my Nespresso machine.
The Creamery in SOMA.
Starbucks... there are three in eyesight of wherever I am!
Four Barrel Coffee in the Mission.
7. Tell me about your favorite jean style.
Baggier the better.
Comfortable, tailored fit.
Skinny and form fitting.
It is unacceptable to have even one air molecule between my legs and my jeans.
8. Do you pretend to be poor?
I am poor!
I am not defined by my parents' bank account.
I keep my financial status to myself.
I have no problem flashing my cash.
9. Did you go to art school?
I went to school but I dropped out to focus more on my craft.
Who goes to art school?!
10. Best spot in town to catch some tunes?
Elbo Room.
Great American Music Hall.
DNA Lounge.
11. How would you describe your style?
Classically preppy.
I live in my designer hoodie.
Underweight lumberjack.
Lululemon addict.
12. Nice Mac! How do you carry it around?
Actually, I don't have a Mac.
Seat belt buckle, cross-shoulder Chrome bag.
Timbuk2 messenger bag.
13. How often do you wear flannel?
Flannel would be my uniform, if I believed in uniforms.
I have a few items I pull out occasionally.
I have some flannel pyjamas.
Not since the 90s!
14. The word 'deck' means:
An outdoor area, often made of wood, adjoining a house.
A presentation about your company often given to potential investors.
Cool, cutting edge or hip.
To knock someone out. | <urn:uuid:9dbf9823-5d0d-489b-a937-470b8f71aed0> | https://jenniferdewalt.com/hipster_quiz.html | en | 0.911913 | 0.500966 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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How to Mine Bitcoin
You might be wondering how to mine bitcoin. Mining bitcoin and bitcoin cash can be both easy and hard. It just depends on the type of mining you decide to go with. There two types of mining, cloud mining and hardware mining. However, cloud mining is a lot easier. With cloud mining you don’t need many computer skills. When compared to the high level requirements of mining on your own hardware. Even though mining with hardware can be hard it does have a greater reward. Mining on your own hardware gives you full control. Where as cloud mining you have little control and you are open to being scammed. Don’t let that last statement scare you away from cloud mining though. It can be a great passive income. That takes little to no work. You just have to sit back and watch the satoshi’s come in.
How to mine bitcoin from the cloud
Cloud mining is relatively easy! All you have to do is sign up for a cloud mining service. I recommend using Genesis Mining. In my opinion they are trustworthy. They have been around a long time. However, always do your own research. You don’t have to choose them. Just take them for an example of what to look for in a cloud mining service.
The sign up process on Genesis Mining is straight forward. Enter in your details and then choose a cloud hosting plan. These plans vary in price and in length of lease contract. Each contract directs a certain mining machine to your wallet of choice. Thus, giving you a little more cryptocurrency every month! Isn’t that sweet? To be able to sit back and watch the crypto roll in to your wallet. Therefore, you can say you are a bitcoin miner! Because, you technically are a bitcoin miner! If you sign up for Genesis Mining or some other cloud mining service.
How to Mine Using Hardware
Mining using your own hardware is going to be rough. For instance, some miners require you to setup a raspberry pie board with CGminer. Bitmain machines require you to look up raw IP addresses to login to root. However, USB miners are pretty simple. You can set them up really quick if you try hard enough. Most of the time you will just be following guides. Which a lot of the times are hard to find. So, I’m going to do you a favor and link all of the best current guides below.
Those three machines are my favorite to work with. They are decent to work with and Bitmain makes good products. However, this is a lot more work than cloud mining. Make sure to keep your machines cool. When your machines get over heated they start to get damaged. Making them mine less. Also, make sure that the room you stick them in dosent have any fire hazards. For safety reasons. These machines can get very hot at times. I would recommend you leasing out a space in a Data center. Just so these machines dont have to be in your house.
Mining Profitability
There is a lot of conflicting information on the subject of mining profitability. Lots of miners dont want new people to join in mining. This is because the more miners the higher the difficulty level to mine. Therefore making mining less profitable the more people who mine. However, that is unless the price of bitcoin rises to match the difficulty. The lower your power cost the higher your profit. People have developed all sorts of tricks when it comes to saving money on electricity. For example, I know of a guy who only turns his miners on during the winter. The machines produce a lot of heat so he turns he heat off in his house. Surprisingly he says the miners keep his house warm during the winter. No heating bill for him. Just a higher electricity bill. That comes with a bitcoin rebate.
Thats just one example of how people make their operations more profitable. You can get as creative as you want. Or you can go the traditional route and experiment yourself. Until you feel like you have the right setup. But, you will find yourself always wanting to go bigger. Never invest more than you can afford. Also, always do your research on the sellers of bitcoin mining equipment. People have found engine parts in their eBay boxes instead of miners. Here is a good calculator to help you ultimately find out how profitable your specific setup is.
My Conclusion
In conclusion, bitcoin mining is what you make of it. You can have an easy setup or a hard setup. The more advanced the more money you make. It’s that simple! At the higher levels of bitcoin mining can be very lucrative. You are turning electricity into bitcoin. Get mining today! What are you waiting for? Thank you all for reading. Make sure to check out more posts from my blog. Stay trending y’all!
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© 2020 Joey Trend | <urn:uuid:4b0f6ac6-a9d1-4977-8d6a-3b6303a624c6> | https://joeytrend.com/2020/01/04/how-to-mine-bitcoin/ | en | 0.954541 | 0.027131 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Predictive Recruitment: going further with the Professional Affinity
From now on, you can evaluate the professional affinity between two people through AssessFirst (for example, two internal collaborators, or a candidate and their future manager).
Why have we integrated this new functionality?
At AssessFirst, we know that the quality of relationships we have with other can make or break the success of a business. Take 30 seconds to think about interactions you have had each day with you colleagues or manager. There is a strong chance that things happen in an “obvious” way with certain people, whereas with others it is generally (much) more complicated!
What we wanted to do with Affinity was simply to allow you to have a little more visibility in this area.
Imagine a world in which it is possible to reliably anticipate whether or not it would be pleasant and, mostly, “easy” to work with others. Imagine a world in which you could predict whether or not the new recruit would work well with their future manager.
With the release of Affinity, this is exactly what you can do!
What exactly will this provide me?
Within the #Recruitment context: This functionality means you can anticipate the compatibility between candidate and future manager. Are they as demanding as each other? Will they communicate effectively together? Do they have similar expectations? What kind of atmosphere do they want?
Within the #Management context: If you use AssessFirst in the context of team management, you can anticipate which of your employees can work most effectively with each of their peers.
What information will I be able to access?
When you look at the details of the affinity between two people, you will have:
• A global percentage score (eg. 84%): This score corresponds to the probability that the working relationship between two people will be natural.
• An indicator of similarity/complementariness: This indicator tells you whether two people have similar or different profiles.
Please note that there is no direct link between what seems to be the case and the fact of getting along with someone. Indeed, we can have very different profiles and like each other, as it is possible to have difficulty working with someone who shares many common traits to us.
As well as these indicators, we also calculate
• The relationship of A towards B, and that of B towards A: This instantly shows if the relationship is balanced or rather asymmetrical. For example, A may be able to work with B without the reciprocal being true.
Finally, we have also added seven complementary indicators that help you understand how this affinity will manifest concretely on a daily basis:
• Objectives pursued: Is the ultimate objective pursued by these two people in their work context similar?
• Thinking style: How do they think? Are they pragmatic? Do they think in a theoretical way? Do they concentrate on details?
• Working style: Do these two people have the same approach to carry out their work? Are they conventional? Creative?
• Interaction style: How do they manage their relationships with others?
• Involvement: To what degree do they commit to their work? Are they as demanding as each other?
• Work environment: Are there shared points regarding the work environment they look for?
• Relationships: Do these two people have the same level of expectations regarding relationships? Do they need closeness? Or to have space in their relationship?
How do I find this function?
To consult your affinity with someone, simply connect to your AssessFirst account, go to the profile of your chosen person, then click “Predict affinity”.
From this person’s profile, you can consult their affinity with whomever is present in your database. To see this list, click on the link at the top of the page.
PS. When you use this model, remember that this function, for now, is in its beta phase. This means we are still working to make your results even more relevant. Above all, give us your feedback! It is how we continue to improve our/your solutions.
David Bernard
CEO AssessFirst
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%d bloggers like this: | <urn:uuid:8ebf7da0-e8b3-4598-a69c-312c79d91285> | https://media.assessfirst.com/predictive-recruitment-going-further-with-the-professional-affinity-2/ | en | 0.957756 | 0.437913 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Dukkah Parmesan crusted whole Salmon Fillet…
This is such an easy recipe! No fancy equipment, no massive amounts of dirty dishes afterwards, just a baking tray, some foil and you’re good to go. Ah, and there’s the Dukkah of course…
Let me tell you a little something about Dukkah. Don’t you love that word?
Dukkah is a middle eastern condiment. The word Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) actually means “to pound”. Herbs and nuts are pound together to form a crumbly substance that is neither a paste nor a powder. It’s mostly eaten as an appetizer. Flatbread is torn into pieces, dipped in olive oil and then dipped in Dukkah. I don’t pound my Dukkah but pulse it in the food processor until rough crumbs.
There are many variations of Dukkah and the composition varies from family to family in the middle east though there are common ingredients, such as sesame , coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. But you can add anything you like really like Nigella or za’atar. And instead of hazelnuts you can use any nut or seed, maybe pine nuts or pistachios. It depends what you’re paring it with so go with the flow. You are going to have some left over Dukkah, just store in an airtight container. It will keep for weeks. Why not try it as an appetizer with olive oil and bread?
Serves 4 – 6
Dukkah Ingredients;
1 cups Hazelnuts
1 cup Sesame Seed
2 tablespoons ground Coriander
2 tablespoons ground Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Himalayan Salt
2 tsp. Black Pepper, Ground
Toast the hazelnut over medium heat for about five minutes keeping a close watch on them because they burn very quickly. Keep tossing them around. Add the sesame seeds and toast for an other two minutes until you hear a popping sound. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Keep tossing a few times more to mix well. Let cool completely. Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until medium crumbs. Store in a mason jar.
Ingredients Salmon Fillet and baby potatoes;
2 lbs Salmon fillet, skin removed20161024_122440
3 tbsp. Dukkah
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
Baby potatoes;
1 lb. peeled and pre cooked baby potatoes
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika,
1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
salt and pepper
Cucumber – Pomegranate Salad;
1 Cucumber, organic preferably
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 C. Pomegranate seeds, fresh or frozen
1 – tbsp. Fresh Dill sprigs
Preheat the oven to 430° F
Get out a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Now get a piece of aluminum foil large enough for the whole fillet to sit on. Lay it out on the tray diagonally and cover with an other piece of parchment paper. Spray with some cooking oil and place the fillet on top with the dark side down (where the skin was).
Brush the Salmon fillet with the olive oil.
In a small bowl mix the Dukkah with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the entire surface of the fillet with the mixture and press it on with your fingers.
To prepare the baby potatoes, toss all the ingredients in a bowl and spread out along the sides of the salmon fillet.
Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with the cucumber salad.
To make the salad, peel the cucumber leaving on some of the green for color. Slice thin with a mandolin. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
Not quite what you were looking for? How about Home smoked Salmon
Thai Fish Parcels
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cooking spray (olive oil based)
2 C. steamed Jasmin rice or grain of choice
4 Fish Fillets such as Plaice, Sole, Flounder or Tilapia
Thai Roast Chili paste
Lemon Grass paste
1 Lime
a small piece of Ginger, you will need 8 thin slices
A handful of Coriander
1/4 C. Coconut cream
Fish Sauce
Crab stuffed Flounder
Serves 4
4 Flounder fillets, cut in half lengthwise
1 onion, peeled and chopped very fine
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
4 tbsp. butter
2 oz. grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp each, chopped Parsley and Chives
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese grated
2 tbsp. Breadcrumbs (use GF if necessary)
oil Spray
Pre heat the oven to 400° F
Myra Xo | <urn:uuid:f4cc1645-2417-4d23-a503-7bf62ce17ff4> | https://thecookingspoon.org/tag/fish-fillet/ | en | 0.834685 | 0.022153 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Understanding the Artwork of Fortune Telling
Have your fortune read currently? If that’s the case, you aren’t alone. There are million people world wide who arduously consider within the art of fortune telling for the reason that historic time. From the start of mankind, man has looked for salvation. We attempt to perceive the mystery of the universe. Attempt to make sense of its all. Fortune telling offers part of the reply, if not all.
Why is fortune telling so standard? Because, it helps us answer the unknown. Imagine it or not, mankind has been afraid of the unknown. Whether or not we want to admit or voyance gratuite not, the unknown make everybody feels uncomfortable. For example, if we lose a job, we need to know when we will get a new one. Perhaps, in case you are not married, you could want to know when you’ll discover your significant other. In case you are sick, wouldn’t you want to know tips on how to get better? It’s obvious that not all fortune tellers have all of the answer. Often enough, fortune tellers will provide you with a really vague or inaccurate reading. But, even if we don’t at all times get accurate fortune reading, the artwork of fortune telling nonetheless offers great comfort.
Actually, you shouldn’t be surprised, if your fortune telling tends to be vague. It is part of the art. Usually enough, fortune tellers state the apparent scientific details on purpose. As an illustration, for those who work hard, you may be successful. In case you are a great individual, one can find happiness. Fortune tellers can’t go fallacious with these words.
Fortune telling is an art that’s adopted worldwide and in numerous cultures. Different international locations on the earth have their own ancient or fashionable methodology of forecasting the future. From the early progress of civilization man has always tried to predict the occasions which are more likely to take place. Individuals have been considering predictions from times unknown. Nonetheless, the belief in such systems is way less at the moment than it was in earlier times. In early days, people would not do anything with out consulting their fortune teller.
There are totally different types of fortune telling on the earth today.
Astrology is a science that calculates the position of stars and planets within the natal chart of the particular person and then tries to forecast the events. The natal chart of an individual is drawn on the calculations based on date of delivery, fatherland and the precise time of birth.
Numerology is a science which relies on numbers calculated from the name and date of delivery of the person. There are a number of totally different kinds of numbers like destiny number, life number and luck number.
Tarot is an historical technique of foretelling using person’s instincts. The tarot reader based mostly concentrates on a person and draws out the cards. These cards indicate a sure set of predictions and each time they might be different. The reader interprets these signs for the person and predicts their future.
Psychic reading is another well-liked methodology practiced by gypsies actually. These folks meditate on the individual and see images about them of their mind. They interpret these images to foretell. | <urn:uuid:cd7e5b48-bb82-4715-8776-04178136c162> | https://vinestreetpartners.com/2019/06/understanding-the-artwork-of-fortune-telling/ | en | 0.935487 | 0.122521 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How Much Does Appliance Repair Cost?
Learn the typical price for hiring professional appliance repair from Achieve Appliance Repair:
The average kitchen is filled with electrical appliances. An electrical stove, dishwasher or refrigerator must have up-to-code wires. If any appliance is improperly installed, it creates a real risk of starting a fire in a home. To guarantee your electrical appliances are up to snuff, it’s important to hire a certified service for Arlington appliance repair.
DIY electrical troubleshooting for appliances is not a good plan of action. There are one or two small repairs where ”do-it-yourself” can be a consideration. In those times, just be sure to use the correct tools and to turn off the power.
Repairing or installing large appliances, however, is more difficult. You should not attempt ”do-it-yourself” repair. Your oven, for one example, will require either a 250- or 125-volt circuit whether it is entirely gas-powered or electrical, plus you will want to have at least two 20-amp, 125-volt circuits to power smaller household appliances. These types of circuits will power multiple electrical outlets, but don’t overload them — which will mean, a third outlet is necessary.
The likelihood of a short (which might cause serious injury or death) during any type of bigger project most of the time isn’t worth it. Just call a professional service in Arlington, Texas.
You will want to search for appliance repair companies in Arlington on on Google. Find companies with good reviews. Or ask for a recommendation from a coworker if you are having problems with a stove, freezer or refrigerator.
Hiring appliance repair companies starts with finding a contractor in Arlington that has experience performing repair of kitchen appliances. Some companies are appliance-specific, and won’t provide repair for all household appliances.
The primary reason a lot of local appliance repair services aren’t a good choice to repair a kitchen appliance is because of all of the electrical appliances in a kitchen that require water . Most refrigerators use water to make ice cubes and dishwashers always require water to run. Water is extremely dangerous during electrical repairs.
If electrical repairs aren’t done correctly and a waterline ruptures, just one example, there’s a very good chance of electrocution. Water and electricity do not go together.
That’s why you should hire a Arlington appliance repair company who can handle both elements.
Well trained appliance repair technicians often cost close to $45 to $65 per hour for their work, and independent contractors might cost somewhere around $75 and $115 per hour. This might seem like too much, that’s because it’s better to pay a higher price for quality work. If a repair company costs less than $25 per hour, be suspicious.
Be sure the contractor is in possession of a permit from Arlington for any type of electrical repairs. Some unqualified services will say that they won’t need a permit, but do not listen. Always confirm with Arlington officials.
Most local repairmen in Arlington can charge a small amount for their trip, from $45 to $60. You will have to pay the total price regardless of if the repair is done, so have a list available of appliances for them to troubleshoot.
The national average is $130 for refrigerator repairs – local companies in Arlington will often charge $75 to $140 per hour. Expect a $50 to $75 trip charge too for the technician to come and inspect the problem.
Troubleshooting or upgrading an electrical appliance is one of the most detailed repair jobs you can need in a kitchen.
One way to reduce these kinds of electrical issues is to listen very attentively to a repairman when he completes an estimate for service. Very specific types of wire need to be used depending on the type of kitchen appliance, and the wiring colors (for ground or neutral) may change when laws and requirements are renewed.
Also, most jurisdictions now require arc fault protection for kitchen electrical circuits and ground fault circuit interruption (GFCI) protection. If the contractor fails to mention this, or suggests that you do not “need” them, we recommend to hire a different repairman.
In addition, it’s important to follow a contractor attentively when he or she performs the first inspection of the refrigerator. If it is a brand new kitchen appliance the company is installing, ask if it can use the same circuit or if it might need an enhancement because there are obvious size and power usage differences in the latest models. The same recommendation can be applied to dishwashers and ovens.
A professional have to be willing to describe what it is they will do, why they need to do it and go over each part of the final cost, which likely includes materials, labor and sometimes miscellaneous. There are some appliance repair companies that will wave the trip fee if repair is completed.
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts | <urn:uuid:44451c8d-1670-4b64-a985-dd9eac477d19> | https://www.achieveappliancerepair.com/appliance-repair-cost/ | en | 0.920781 | 0.020055 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Jimmy Fallon's Dos and Don'ts
NBC's new late-night funnyman gets all opinionated on us.
DON'T assume you're funny. "Conan gave me a lot of advice. He told me, You'll come up with 10,000 ideas. You'll use five of them. One will be funny.'"
DO take your vitamins! "With this job, I can't get sick. I've already been to GNC. I have everything from A to Zinc. I have Just for Men, She-male."
DON'T drink when you're hosting late night. "So I'm probably going to lose five, 10 pounds immediately."
DO be weird. "When I was 12, I asked for a Radio Shack metal detector for my birthday. I still have a shoebox of all of the junk I found." And one tip for my celebrity guests: Please…
DON'T talk about how you were a dork in high school: "Everyone hated me. I couldn't get a date….' Well, you can now, so don't cry about it!"
DON'T pick on celebs when they're down. "If someone comes on my show after a breakup, we'll make them feel better. Maybe get some chicken soup, put a quilt on them. I'll be Dr. Phil."
DO let your guy make plans. "My wife is a producer. She bosses people around all day. So when she gets home, she doesn't want to make any more decisions. I get to make the plans. I'm like, All right! We're going to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2!'"
DO marry someone you love to be with. "When a game's on TV, I'll invite my wife to join me and my friends. I don't go, Hey, I need my man time….'"
DON'T ever date a guy who uses the term man time. | <urn:uuid:b41f3bf3-ac81-48b1-8f33-a20d62515b68> | https://www.glamour.com/story/jimmy-fallons-dos-and-donts | en | 0.981512 | 0.223137 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Grants For Women logo
5 Ways Women-Owned Companies Can Break the $1 Million Mark
What entrepreneur wouldn't want to reach that $1 million level in revenues! But only 2 percent of women who own their own businesses are able to reach it. On the other hand, companies owned by men are 3.5 times more likely to hit the $1 million mark. What's up with that??
How to break through the ceiling
Since women own 30 percent of all the businesses in the U.S., it is a hard pill to swallow when only 2 percent are the ones reaching the $1 million mark. So, one women has developed a program to help boost those numbers and has had good success; business owner participants in the program have experienced increases of 65 percent. The program is the creation of Lisa Schiffman, a director of brand marketing and communications at Ernst & Young. Her advice to women entrepreneurs?
1. Be a leader - to be successful and grow, you need to be a leader, not a worker. Hire good and capable people, and then lead the way by sharing your vision for the company with them. As Lisa explains, "you can’t grow if you can’t see where you’re going."
2. Don't underestimate your growth potential - this is a real weak link with many women-owned businesses. Women need to be confident about their ability to make their businesses grow.
3. Let others know who you are - make sure you are speaking about your company in public. This means attending industry and public events which pose an excellent opportunity for you to let others know about your business and you.
4. Seek advice - no ones knows it all, so seek the help and advice of others who may have more experience and are willing to serve as your advisory team.
5. Network with other entrepreneurs - you would be amazed at how much valuable information you can learn from other entrepreneurs. Form those connections and build long-lasting relationships that will benefit you, your company and other entrepreneurs.
For more information, visit | <urn:uuid:37c32e3d-3e92-401f-889d-dac5ecd840dc> | https://www.grantsforwomen.org/2015/04/5-ways-women-owned-companies-can-break-1-million-mark.html | en | 0.957184 | 0.035079 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
All You Need To Know About Gold Spot Prices
Gold has long been the cornerstone of wealth, and like all other commodities, gold has a face value that changes constantly. This is called the “spot price” and gold dealers around the world refer to the current spot price when buying and selling gold in all formats.
How is the spot gold price determined? In this article, we will explain this and also give you an overview of the gold market in general.
Live Gold Prices
When you visit an online gold bullion dealer to check the latest gold bullion price, look for a tab that says “live gold prices”, which will take you to a page that displays the current spot prices for the different forms of gold. The page is constantly updated and in real time, it displays the current prices at the moment you are viewing the page; remember, this can change in an instant.
Complex Set Of Variables
The spot price of gold is determined by a number of variables, mainly by the data received from major commodity exchanges around the world, such as in London, New York, Hong Kong, China and Zurich. The futures trading market plays a part in the spot price of gold, while other factors that play a part include the value of paper and digital currencies, plus, as you would expect, the current state of supply and demand.
The London Bullion Market Association
The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) sets the spot price for gold on a daily basis, at the start of the trading day, and as the day progresses, data from COMEX, the New York Exchange, is also taken into account. The spot price is not dependent on the actual physical exchange of gold, rather it is determined by electronic exchanges, with the futures trading market playing a major role in setting the spot price for gold.
Buying Or Selling Gold
If you wish to buy or sell gold at any given time, then the current spot price will determine the value, and you should only deal with a reputable gold bullion dealer when buying or selling gold. Of course, you are taking a chance that gold spot price might change at any time, and such is the complexity, it is almost impossible to know in advance how spot prices will fare on a day-to-day basis.
Gold Coins
Long-Term Investment
If you are looking to buy gold, it should be regarded as a long-term investment, as you are unlikely to see a return if you sell within a short time of buying. Many factors could cause gold’s spot price to rise or fall, and when currencies like the US dollar perform badly, usually this will mean a slight rise in gold prices, as investors sell their dollars and put their wealth into gold.
When looking to buy or sell gold in any format, you are advised to search online for an established gold bullion dealer and refer to their “live gold prices”, as this will tell you the current rates at which gold is being bought and sold.
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Reload Image | <urn:uuid:232bd47c-6321-4b09-8ae4-b3c3c5d55a2e> | https://www.happinesscreativity.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-gold-spot-prices/ | en | 0.952271 | 0.037516 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
USMLE Step 2 - Question 18
A 17 year old male with no significant past medical history pasess out while running. He states that he was feeling a little dizzy prior to the event, but no chest pains or palpitations. His blood pressure is 115/85, heart rate 80, respirations 12, and he is afebrile. His physical examination reveals normal lung sounds, a II/VI mid-sytolic creshendo-decreshndo murmur is heard at the right upper sternal border which increases in intensity with Valsalva, an S4 heart sound is also present. Laboratory studies are normal. What is his most likely diagnosis?
A. Congenital pulmonic valve stenosis
B. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
C. Congential aortic valve stenosis
D. Commotio cordis
E. Atrial setpal defect | <urn:uuid:8835f49c-b2be-4182-ad0e-bdb41a2f5a93> | https://www.healio.com/cardiology/learn-the-heart/quizzes/usmle/step-2/question-18 | en | 0.896501 | 0.623064 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How to Recognize & Treat a Concussion
Learn how to recognize and treat a concussion in this first aid video from Howcast with Nurse Mary.
So, when do you know when a head injury is a concussion? The truth is you don't really know until you've been checked out by a doctor. Any kind of head injury weather it being hit by a baseball bat, falling on the ice and hitting your head, tripping on the concrete and hitting your head, running into a wall, having someone open a door really quickly, falling off your bike with or without a helmet. You never know. You need to get it checked out. People have been hit in the head, gotten up, walked around, acted fine like nothing were wrong, seemed like they were fine and then it turned out to be something fatal. It's much better to be safe than sorry. Don't think that you can muscle through it. Always get checked out if you have a head injury. If you find someone whose unconscious, if you see evidence that they were hit in the head, their head is bleeding, they have a bruise on their head, no matter what, if they're unconscious call 911. But, also tell them that this is what you see. Always call for help. If you find someone unconscious and they're not responding to you, call for help. It is better to be safe than sorry. You never know when a little bump on the head can turn into something fatal.
Popular Categories | <urn:uuid:3d194590-dc4c-4d31-a247-d515b12f906b> | https://www.howcast.com/videos/504465-how-to-recognize-treat-a-concussion-first-aid-training | en | 0.982161 | 0.145361 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How authoritarian is your MP?
I had this guest post over on the Wardman Wire earlier in the week:
The liberal versus authoritarian spectrum is one that cuts across traditional party lines to a significant degree. For example, you’ll find principled and firm opponents of I.D. cards not just in the Liberal Democrats, but also in both the Labour and Conservative parties.
But because it cuts across party lines, the individual records of MPs in this respect often go largely unspoken at election time. Rather than it becoming an issue which attracts or puts off swing voters, it becomes an issue that gets sidelined as the focus is so strongly on party labels and differences.
In order to help combat that the Liberal Democrat Voice team launched Rank.LibDemVoice.org, a site which gives MPs a score out of 100 for their authoritarianism based on their voting record in Parliament.
The scoring system uses ten key votes over the last five years, including issues such as ID cards, control orders and freedom of speech. You simply pop in your postcode or the name of your MP and up comes their score, along with an explanation of the reasons for it.
The results page includes easy links for sharing an MP’s score via Twitter or Facebook, helping make the score not just an abstract academic exercise but one that helps set the opinion of MPs. There has been a promising level of sharing so far, but the real test will be how that builds up as general election polling day nears.
Any scoring system is also bound to generate some debate over which votes are included, but as the system is not set in stone for all time if you have a suggestion for a specific vote, go ahead and make your case…
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Harman Kardon and Microsoft's Invoke smart speaker is coming too late to endanger Amazon
Not letting Amazon whisk all the attention away with the Echo Show, Harman Kardon formally announced the Invoke. This is a Microsoft Cortana-integrated smart speaker that's not going to hit the market until Fall at the earliest. Being a HK product, the Invoke has a predictably pleasant look with a metal chassis, pretty much ready to fit any modern room. In the brand's good name, Harmon is aiming for high quality sound as well. But we all know the acoustic properties of such a speaker are too constrained to deliver the kind of hi-fi audio that melts your soul.
The star of the show is supposed to be Cortana. Microsoft's familiar AI assistant will let you control music playback and connected smart home devices with voice commands. It's also good for handling Skype calls or answering queries by looking up your questions in search engines.
So far, nothing the Amazon Echo Show, which ships next month and has a full-color touch screen can't do, and possibly do better. Amazon already has the lead with a product that looks decidedly more technologically advanced and benefits from plenty of time spent fine-tuning Alexa, the AI assistant, right there among the very people that use it.
We aren't sure if the Harman brand and Cortana's charms will be enough to make a compelling alternative out of the Invoke, especially given its late release. And alternatives are severely needed. Amazon already has most of the smart speaker market for itself, because its competitors allowed it to.
While Amazon was busy innovating, Google and Harman/Microsoft merely kept parity with the original Echo speaker. Now, the retail giant is the first to bring a smart speaker with a screen, and the absence of rumors and leaks suggests no one in the industry will be ready with a matching product in the coming weeks. That is, unless Apple really homed in on its purported Siri speaker that's being primed for a June announcement. Let's hope Cupertino doesn't show another fancy-looking speaker with a voice, but rather something to give Amazon a nudge in the ribs. Healthy competition is good, while monopoly causes problems.
1. meanestgenius
Posts: 22815; Member since: May 28, 2014
I've said this before, but Amazon really has no competition in this area. Competition is good, and it breeds choice, which is always good for the consumer. Here's to hoping that some company presents a challenge to Amazon in this field soon, but I personally don't see that happening for quite some time.
4. Dr.Phil
Posts: 2522; Member since: Feb 14, 2011
All it would take is a company like Microsoft or Google offering something for under $50. I bought an Echo Dot because it was like $40 during Black Friday. And it routinely goes on a sale like that every few months. Google Home was $130 when it was first introduced and is just now coming down to about $115. This Microsoft Invoke will probably cost around $200 or more when it is introduced. They need to offer a device for the less than $50 range if they want to get in on the home AI craze. Both companies make billions of dollars and Microsoft, interestingly enough, has a long history of taking a cut on revenue in order to boost market share growth. If Microsoft were to release that Invoke for $99 then it would be a game changer. They could take the loss for first couple of years, build up enough customers and developers alike and then start selling sequel versions for a more profitable price. Will they do that? No. Why? Because they seem to not want to take a risk like that.
9. meanestgenius
Posts: 22815; Member since: May 28, 2014
Personally, I don't see either company taking that risk, like you said. And I certainly don't see them taking away from Amazon's user base in the AI Speaker field too much, either. They will have to really come up with something extraordinary to outdo Amazon here.
10. sgodsell
Posts: 7618; Member since: Mar 16, 2013
Dr. Phil hasn't been looking very much. But there is a Raspberry PI with Google Assistant that came with everything inside a magazine. The magazine is around $14 (magpie). Sure this Google Assistant is wrapped in Cardboard and has a speaker, button and light with the raspberry pi zero (W). As a matter of fact you can buy a Raspberry PI zero with Bluetooth and WiFi for just $10. Then add your own speaker and mic for around $5, a micro SD card with noobs and Google Assistant installed. Then supply a micro USB power supply, and away you go! Start talking, and you have an inexpensive Google Assistant for less than $20, and that is buying all the parts yourself separately. I don't think you can get much cheaper than this.
11. sgodsell
Posts: 7618; Member since: Mar 16, 2013
12. sgodsell
Posts: 7618; Member since: Mar 16, 2013
Please if anyone can show me something cheaper than this. Then do not hesitate to post that information.
16. meanestgenius
Posts: 22815; Member since: May 28, 2014
People want simplicity, and something that works right out of the box. Amazon Alexa enabled devices provide that. And as the iPhone has shown, people are willing to pay for it. Now, Amazon Alexa enabled devices are far less inexpensive than Apple products, but the point is still the same. Why buy all of that stuff when you can get it all in one package? Only the geeks and nerds will go for that, and they do not make up the majority of the buying public.
2. Cat97
Posts: 2025; Member since: Mar 02, 2017
Wow, no Harman "Karmon" this time ? I'm amazed the editors figured it out finally :)
Posts: 2817; Member since: Oct 03, 2012
It is never too late, never underestimate your opponent!
5. robinakilt
Posts: 14; Member since: Mar 30, 2012
Remember when Microsoft was at the forefront of technology? Now they are constantly late to the party.
7. MrElectrifyer
Posts: 3960; Member since: Oct 21, 2014
Last time I checked, they're still at the forefront of Laptops and Desktops, and now Tablets even though they were "late"...only place they're lagging is Smartphones. As for these new standalone 24/7 spyware speakers, they're merely a subpart of a Windows 10 PC with Cortana always listening on the lockscreen ( https://goo.gl/fcqLIx ). Did I mention that PCs have screens?
Posts: 2817; Member since: Oct 03, 2012
Late with what? They are killing with the Surface products! Forget about crappy ipad's, mac pro's, macbook's etc etc, they are done!
6. Rampage_Taco
Posts: 1114; Member since: Jan 17, 2017
Next Up, HK Speaker with Bixby integration. Cortana AI would be much better suited for a virtual hologram Assistant
8. MrElectrifyer
Posts: 3960; Member since: Oct 21, 2014
What exactly does an Amazon Echo with a screen offer over Cortana listening 24/7 on your Windows 10 PC?
13. VZWuser76
Posts: 4974; Member since: Mar 04, 2010
I believe the thought is that people would want multiple speakers in various places around the home. Now I'd doubt that's the plan for these newer screened models, which I imagine would be only one unit in a high traffic area like a kitchen or family room. But for other rooms, a regular Echo or Dot would be used, and considering the prices for them vs a Windows 10 PC, then it makes more sense.
15. LovesCameras
Posts: 51; Member since: Dec 02, 2015
I'm not in a hurry to buy either. I dont't want to be a beta tester of half baked rushed products and still pay a premium for it.
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FCC OKs Cingular's purchase of AT&T Wireless | <urn:uuid:dd9464bc-0b40-42de-91b4-a9e63aac8633> | https://www.phonearena.com/news/Harman-Kardon-and-Microsofts-Invoke-smart-speaker-is-coming-too-late-to-endanger-Amazon_id93878 | en | 0.954596 | 0.02469 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Choosing a Good Personal Trainer: A Full Guide with Recommendations
07/09/2019 Migdalia 0 Comments
No doubt having a balanced diet in the combination with regular workouts is the key to having a fit body and an active lifestyle. Of course, to increase the effectiveness of the training sessions, people choose to hire personal trainers who can create an individual program, guide through the process and control the workouts. However, the question arises: how to find a professional? Check out these tips and you will have no problems choosing a good personal trainer:
Look at the Education
While choosing the personal trainer, the first thing you need to consider is education. Preferably, a trainer should have several certificates that prove his qualifications. Why is it important? You can find training programs and exercises online. However, you want your trainer to know the physiology of the body to make the workouts safe and effective. It is vital for people with traumas or diseases: a workout should be safe and a trainer should be able to create an individual program.
Mind the Experience
The next important factor is the experience. Like in any other field, experience is key to success. An experienced trainer should have many successful cases with great results. Moreover, the skills improve with years. For that reason, choose an experienced trainer who can prove his qualification with the examples of successful works with other clients.
Instructor Should Ask Many Questions
To create a strong training program, a professional instructor needs to have all the information about you. That is why good trainers always ask many questions while getting to know you. For example, they need to ask about your experience in sports, about your diseases is they exist. Moreover, a good trainer will always emphasize the importance of nutrition and will give diet recommendations.
Trainer Should Ask About Your Goals
The next thing that you need to notice is if a trainer asks about your goals. The programs for gaining muscles and losing weight will differ completely. That is why to create a working exercising system, they need to know your goals.
A Trainer Will Explain Everything and Announce a Plan
After getting to know you, to begin the work a professional trainer will create an exercising program with a schedule for your workout. He will explain how the process will go, with the details and time-tables. In addition to this, a good instructor needs to explain the exercises you are going to make, their goal and technique. They also usually show the exercises themselves and strictly control the technique afterward.
To sum everything up, choosing a personal trainer is a responsible task. Use these five recommendations and tips, and you will be able to identify a true professional who will help you reach your goals faster and in the safest way.
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How long does the whole home loan process take?
Every home loan is different, so there is no set timeline for what a specific home mortgage process will require. Factors that affect how long the process takes include the type and terms of the home loan, the documentation required to secure the loan, and the amount of time it takes to provide your lender with those documents.
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Act One
Leading actresses, including household names Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis and Gabrielle Union, declared #MeToo on Twitter, speaking out about the sexual harassment they had endured on their path to fame.
The movement spread like wildfire. Men from cinema, media and politics were forced to apologise, resign, and in some cases, face criminal charges.
But while patriarchs were falling, the patriarchy seemed stronger than ever, as Susan Faludi wrote in the New York Times. Hashtags might be cathartic. But could a social media movement fix the structural inequalities that allow powerful men to take advantage of women?
Act Two
Perhaps. Because those same Hollywood women have established Time’s Up, the biggest action-oriented response to the stream of sexual harassment allegations.
The movement came to the world’s attention on January 1, when 300 of Hollywood’s leading women published an open letter in the New York Times and La Opinión.
"The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end", stated the letter.
"Time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly."
The list of signatories read like a who’s who of the film industry, from Oscar-winning actresses such as Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep to directors like Shonda Rhimes. (The latter is a rarity; just a tiny percentage ‒ 7% this year ‒ of top films are directed by women.)
The movement is leaderless. It consists of loosely aligned working groups, each focused on different parts of the broader issue. Some of their actions have already made headlines, including the call for Golden Globe attendees to wear all black.
Other plans are less Instagrammable but have the potential for a much deeper impact.
For example, Time Up’s has set up a legal defence fund to help less privileged victims of sexual assault. It has already raised over $16 million. The fund will be administered by the National Women’s Law Center.
A movement for all women
If the movement has been described as revolutionary, it’s not just because of what they plan to do. It’s because of the people those actions will help.
While the #MeToo movement gave some victims a voice, many women were still struggling to be heard, especially poorer women, women of colour, and those working in less glamorous industries. Time’s Up is attempting to reach those people.
“We recognize our privilege and the fact we have access to enormous platforms to amplify our voices,” acknowledged the signatories to the open letter.
That might seem like a distant dream. For every perpetrator being held accountable for his past actions, many more remain in positions of power. But that’s not stopping these women from trying. As Rhimes explained to the New York Times: “if this group of women can’t fight for a model for other women who don’t have as much power and privilege, then who can?” | <urn:uuid:a3b2c97b-7fa2-4d7e-973a-67dc125a63b0> | https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/times-up-explainer-sexual-harassment-hollywood/ | en | 0.961023 | 0.047274 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Dog Accessories: When Does Fabric Play a Part Into It?
When you have a dog, there are always a myriad of questions that parade themselves through your mind on a fairly regular basis. We’re willing to bet that one of those things would be about fabrics. The discussion of fabrics actually plays a rather large part when it comes to the life of your pet dog.
Let us explain.
Fabrics regularly come into contact with your pet. After all, some of the necessary dog accessories are made from fabric. If you don’t quite believe us, let us list down the specific areas when fabric plays a part of your dog’s accessories:
bed dog - Dog Accessories: When Does Fabric Play a Part Into It?
Dog Beds
When you have a doggie bed for your four legged family member, you are actually introducing fabrics to them. They get to experience the texture and the feel of it. They get to determine softness and hardness. The temperature is also affected.
Fabric beds are generally cooler than the likes of leather. If the fabric happens to be made of something synthetic, like Nylon, not only do you—as the pet owner—get the benefit of giving your pet a comfy place to lay down but you also make it a lot easier for you to clean the thing. When you are a pet owner that doesn’t have a lot of free time, the speed in which you can clear your dog’s bed is an outright blessing.
Bath time is always a big part of being a dog owner. A lot of the time, the bathing sessions can either be one of the most trying or the most enjoyable parts of being a dog owner. The sort of towels that you choose to expose your pet to involves fabric.
dogtowel - Dog Accessories: When Does Fabric Play a Part Into It?
Depending on the type of dog that you have, the type of fabric plays a really big role in things. If you have a rather hairy dog, a thick cotton towel or one which is made from highly absorbent fabric is important. If you have a dog that doesn’t have much fur but has delicate skin, like a Shar-Pei, you will want fabric that is soft and will not damage the skin when used to dry them off.
Chew Toys
Now we come to the discussion that involves teeth. Dog owners should know how important it is for dogs to have a chew toy to sort out their excess energies and to help strengthen their teeth. A lot of the time there has been a lot of disturbing reports about certain chew toys doing more harm than good.
So a discerning pet owner will try to ensure that their dogs are given safe chew toys. This is where fabric comes in once again. There are chew toys that made primarily of woven fabric or spare fabric. They are braided with big knots in the end and can be used as a tug toy or a chew toy for young and older dogs.
So there you have it! We hope that today’s discussion with Besty Dog Collars helps to grow your understanding of how fabric comes into play when it comes to dog accessories! What are your thoughts about it? What experiences have you had with fabric when it came down to it? We would love to hear your ideas about it.
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January 9, 2018
Let's Talk About our Food System
Let's Talk About our Food System
Farm News
As summer turned to fall, our lettuce seed was tucked into soil in a plastic tray under a greenhouse. The tiny seeds germinated. For 35 days, they grew until their roots were confined by the limited soil in the transplant tray.
They graduated from the greenhouse and were tucked into a neatly prepared field where the little plants had room to grow. Water rained down on them from sprinklers, and as they grew, the colors of the red leaf, green leaf and Green Romaine lettuces covered the dark soil with a rainbow of color in the field.
As their day came to be harvested, consumers heard that E.coli was in the Romaine supply. The demand for my little gems of Green Romaine lettuce slumped, but not the other lettuce that shared the exact same life as the Green Romaine. Individuals with legitimate concerns called our customer service team to ask about the Romaine – and why wouldn’t you call to ask? That is the whole point of Farm Fresh To You − to give you a direct connection to the land that feeds you. And why would you knowingly add any risk to your family by eating something that may cause harm?
The reality is that something is going on, but pinning the blame broadly on Green Romaine is irresponsible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not identified what food likely caused this foodborne illness. No public agency has contacted any Romaine lettuce grower, shipper or processor and requested that they either stop shipping or recall product already in the marketplace. Yet Consumer Reports mass warns consumers to not eat any Romaine lettuce. This warning lacked a basic understanding that lettuce is a highly perishable product with limited shelf life, vast growing regions, and different growing, processing and handling practices. If I were Romaine lettuce, I would get a discrimination case set up…
Food safety is of paramount importance to our farm, and we have no reason to believe that any of our lettuce is anything but safe and healthy to eat. While I cannot tell you exactly what is going on, I can tell you that there is not a general problem with all Green Romaine lettuce – there is however a general problem with our food system, and food safety scares like this one emphasize the importance of our local food system and why it is so important to know where your food comes and who grew it so that you can trust that it is safe for you and your family.
I have three young children, ages 8, 5 and 2, and we will be eating the Green Romaine lettuce that our farm grew. You will notice that we have elected to not include Green Romaine lettuce in any of the main line boxes. It pains me a little to bend to the forces of national news, but the truth is that peace of mind is also something that we have an obligation to provide to our customers. Eventually, this Green Romaine scare will blow over, and we may learn that there was some Green Romaine that had a legitimate problem. We may learn it was actually the Caesar Salad dressing used on Green Romaine. We may find out it had nothing to do with Green Romaine at all. I can’t tell you the outcome, but I can tell you that all of our Green Romaine, as well as the Green Leaf and Red Leaf Lettuce, are safe and healthy to eat. I know this because I grew them and will be feeding them to my kids all winter. | <urn:uuid:6fea9cc6-43a4-4681-b7c7-67375cd9d720> | http://blog.farmfreshtoyou.com/2018/01/lets-talk-about-our-food-system.html | en | 0.969101 | 0.020248 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |