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Azalea Awards 2020
Since 2006, Takoma Foundation has sought out and recognized the community's biggest difference makers through its annual Azalea Awards. The "people's choice" nominations, for individuals and organizations across eleven categories, are collected at the beginning of each year with voting and results being announced in early Spring.
We're proud to present the nominees and winners for Takoma Park's 15th Annual Azalea Awards. Note that some categories may have multiple winners.
Social Activist: Genet Kassa (right) with Cindy Dyballa
City Employee: Winners Carolyn Pinkard (left) and Sandy Guarini (right) with Kate Stewart
Mentor: Winner Alex Rounds (right) with Denise Jones
Green Activist: Winner Mike Tidwell (left) with Annie Mozer
Educator: Winner Kathryn Medland (left) with Doris Duarte
Coach: Co-winners Doug Wannall (left) and Jason Fasteau
Business Leader: Winner Ava Villatoro (left) with Dave Lanar
Arts Leader: Winners Gabe Hutter and Wendy Jansen
Tak-Tivist: Winner Priscilla Labovitz (center) with Peter Cirincione (left) and Joe Cirincione (right)
Spirit: Winner Gabrielle Tayac with Nancy Illman
Ne<|fim_middle|>itists, and performed with his indigenous drumming group for last fall's protest against a youth incarceration facility in Takoma DC. Jansikwe, a Blair senior, has co-hosted "Block Period" on Takoma Radio since her sophomore year, made award-winning documentaries about the abuse of Native women, promoted interracial dialogue, led students in last fall's Youth Climate Strike, and garnered over half a million views of her impassioned speech on intersectionality and climate justice.
Tak-tivist
Commits to civic leadership, year in, year out
Bruce Baker
Bruce Baker, founder of Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER), began with a vision to pursue the ideal of equitable, healthy, thriving communities, then gathered the resources, built a network, and created a successful nonprofit organization. He engages people across the lines of race, ethnicity, income, age, and social standing. CHEER's work has included programs that serve youth in need of summer activities, adults suffering from diabetes and other ailments, and tenants dealing with their landlords. True to his ideals, Bruce's approach is compassionate and empathetic. He is able to connect with others despite any differences, and he is always willing to give credit to those he works with rather than taking credit for himself.
Priscilla Labovitz
Priscilla Labovitz is a gem living in our midst. Priscilla started mentoring and tutoring Piney Branch Elementary students in the 1980s while also raising her two children, practicing immigration law and staying active in the civil rights, tenants' rights, antiwar and prison reform movements. One of the students she mentored is today a DC police officer. Now retired, Priscilla is more active than ever. As a member of the City Recreation Committee and as the leader of Friends of the Takoma Park Recreation Center, a group she started, she is in the forefront of a campaign to rebuild the 58-year-old center on New Hampshire Avenue. The goal is a public-private partnership that results in an up-to-date recreation facility along with new housing on the upper floors. Priscilla volunteers with the Let's Chat program at Takoma Park Middle, serves on the What's My Bias board, participates with the Racial Equity Working Group and is president of Takoma Park Lunch and Learn. She is also the elf who can be seen over and over placing books in the Free Libraries around town, often in neighborhoods where a book at home is a treasure. Takoma Park is fortunate to have a resident such as Priscilla who continues to give back so very much.
Mary Jane Muchui
Mary Jane Muchui has been the backbone behind forming a Takoma Park group called Parents of Special Needs Adults (POSNA), which provides support for our adult children in the following areas: housing, jobs, safety and recreation. Mary Jane volunteered her home as a meeting place for POSNA and regularly welcomes everyone, even those she has never met. Mary Jane worked with the Village of Takoma Park to secure a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to enable adults with disabilities to enroll in SPIRIT Club therapeutic exercise classes, which help participants to develop physical coordination, practice weight control and other healthy lifestyle habits, and engage in social group interactions. Also, for more than 15 years, Mary Jane has been collecting food from the Old Takoma Farmers' Market and taking it to Shepherd's Table.
Azalea Awards Archive
Takoma Foundation
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Takoma Park, MD 20913-5704
© 2006–2021 Takoma Foundation. All rights reserved. Template developed by Webunderdog. | ighborhood Volunteer: Co-Winners Seth Grimes (left) and Steve Whitney (center) with Doris Duarte
Mentor: Winner Jennifer Manguera (left) with Denise Jones
Gallery photos courtesy of Annie Mozer.
2020 Nominees and Winners
Arts Leader
Someone who contributes to a dynamic arts community
Gabe Hutter
"Mr. Gabe" Hutter, the Pied Piper of Takoma Park, has delighted children and their caregivers for the past decade with tuneful, rhythmic classic songs and original compositions. Performing solo and with his band, the Circle Time All-Stars, Mr. Gabe has played to capacity crowds at the community center, the gazebo, and elsewhere, and donated his time to the Takoma Park Library and at fundraisers for two local preschools. Parents report that their children go home afterwards and pretend to be Mr. Gabe, singing and "playing" the guitar. He contributes to a dynamic arts community and is part of what makes our city special.
Wendy Jason
Wendy Jason, director of Justice Arts Coalition, believes in the power of art to transform the lives of people even when in prison. She brings the artwork of incarcerated individuals to the rest of us in touching exhibitions (e.g., "Iron Bars" at President Lincoln's Cottage) and through the recent feature of prisoner artwork in the Washington Post Magazine, plus regular ArtLinks where art critics and art lovers give feedback to the artists. For ten years JAC was a small grassroots group, but last year Wendy took steps to expand and formalize it as a nonprofit (although she still runs it out of her Takoma Park house with a few undaunted volunteers). Wendy also curates a gallery of prison art on JAC's website. Inside prisons she has organized mentoring and educational programs and reinforced the humanity of these artists by giving them a way to express that humanity to the outside world.
Charlie Pilzer
Charlie Pilzer is a mover and a shaker. The owner of Tonal Park studio with recording room and performance venue Allyworld, a Grammy award–winning recording and mastering engineer, and an accomplished pianist and bass player, he's comfortable on stage and off stage. Charlie has "great ears," able to critique music from jazz to folk, from Ethiopian to Swedish, to bluegrass and beyond. Musicians want his touch on their project, and he understands all levels of music recording and digital mastering. He's constantly expanding the limits, adding new gear, trying new methods. Charlie's generosity is legendary. He houses musicians, features them in concerts, and helps them maximize their creativity. In addition, he invited Takoma Radio WOWD-FM to set up their station in his studio. Charlie has lived in Takoma Park for more than 30 years with his wife Cecily, who also exudes the same warmth as Charlie.
Business Leader
Promotes progressive spirit through local commerce
Community Printing
Community Printing, for nearly a half century, has welded ink to paper, making the spoken word visible. Long before the internet had spun the web, a community was stitched together by Ye' Olde Town Crier, who wielded nail and hammer to tack printed declarations to trees and posts around Ye' Olde community. This printed page made up the heart and soul of the village. But even with today's electronic ether, there is still a need for "hard copy" flyers, tickets, and banners. Run by Michael Keller, Connie Keller, and Jason Jackson since 1973, Community Printing has transformed thoughts into printed word for many individuals and organizations in Takoma Park and has become that distinct thread that knits the progressive spirit of Takoma Park together.
Kenneth Flemmer
For 7 years Kenneth Flemmer has led the Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW), a nonprofit that lends a helping hand for the short term and provides valuable training for the long run. For immediate needs you receive aid from a food pantry and free thrift store and get guidance in weaving through government assistance programs. Hundreds of families are given Thanksgiving and Christmas packages every year. To improve your livelihood and sustain yourself, you can enroll in computer and other educational courses. When disaster strikes, such as the devastating Long Branch apartment fire in 2016, ACSGW is at hand. About 500 local youth are enrolled in summer programs run by ACSGW and its partners. ACSGW was recently recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the region's best small nonprofits and as Partner of the Year by the Capital Area Food Bank. ACSGW manages the pool at Piney Branch Elementary, where people of all ages learn to swim. You can find ACSGW's office at 501 Sligo Avenue by looking for the new rain garden installed last year.
Mike Houston
Mike Houston joined the TPSS Co-op as general manager in August 2018 and has already made an impact on multiple fronts. He has intensified the co-op's environmental and food-system work, successfully negotiated the co-op's first union contract, and centered on the co-op's interests in discussions around Takoma Junction revitalization. Mike has advanced Zero Waste practices including food-recovery donations, and has worked to educate cooperative grocers nationwide on composting and other steps to go green. Under Mike, the co-op won gold-level certification from Green America and was the first grocery store to be admitted to the Montgomery County Green Business Program. Mike, personally, is a member of the Montgomery County Food Council. Locally, he has strengthened the co-op's community engagement efforts with the help of manager Leandra Nichola and worked with the board to complete negotiations with Takoma Junction developer NDC, culminating in a cooperation agreement that will protect co-op operations. Mike is an exemplary progressive local business leader.
Deric Tomenko
Deric Tomenko Is landlord and part owner of BTT Management company, which oversees many properties in Takoma Park. Anyone who has lived in an apartment knows how frustrating it is to have urgent repairs go unattended to by landlords. Deric is always available for his tenants. He responds to maintenance requests the same day or the next morning. The employees he hires are all friendly and attentive to work. He is very open to renovation suggestions and appreciates tenant initiative. He has allowed them to create a garden in a common area yard from which they can harvest their own homegrown vegetables. His tenants agree that Deric is the "absolute best and fairest" landlord in Takoma Park.
Ada Villatoro
Ada Villatoro, owner and manager of El Golfo restaurant, is always willing to pitch in to help her Long Branch and Takoma Park community. El Golfo, a locally owned restaurant, provides a welcoming environment with its exceptionally friendly service and delicious food. Throughout the years, Ada has hosted numerously fundraisers for local school PTA associations, non-profit organizations, and other community groups. The large mural painted on its external wall highlights this bright spot in the neighborhood, as she builds community by holding monthly musical performances for young families, hosts jazz and Latino musicians, and offers dance lessons. Additionally, the restaurant supported victims of the Flower Branch apartment explosion, furloughed government employees, and more. Ada is a valuable business leader and resource in our community.
City Employee
Provides outstanding community service
Jorge Alfaro and Tina Willey
Two members of the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, EMS/Lieutenant Jorge Alfaro and Tina Willey, exemplify all the positives of a life-saving crew that we count on to arrive in minutes in every crisis. Jorge is a model of professionalism, on-incident proficiency, and dedication to help others. He has been TPVFD's top responder for the past 10 years riding the ambulance. Tina makes sure children learn about fire safety. She spends countless hours scheduling, planning, prepping, and hosting birthday parties at the station where that important message gets delivered.
City TV
City TV has the answer to the proverbial question: "When something happens to that tree in the woods and it is not captured by print, film, or electronic storage, does it really happen?" The City TV crew workdays, nights, and weekends to guarantee that the recorded events will be documented, preserved, and distributed not only to the residents of the City of Takoma Park but, through the internet, to the world. They provide coverage of City Council meetings and special events such as the Folk Festival, Street Festival, Independence Day events, Celebrate Takoma, City Elections, election forums, the Monster Bash, art exhibits…the list goes on and on. They have been led for the last 19 years by Alvaro Calabia, who immediately points out that it is truly a group effort.
Sandy Guarini and Carolyn Pinkard
Crossing guards Sandy Guarini and Carolyn Pinkard make safety at Takoma Junction feel like a warm, friendly hug. Literally! They know the kids' names and keep track of which high schoolers are in danger of missing the bus. They welcome back a child who's been out, notice if someone is feeling blue, and applaud big achievements. They have dog treats ready for the neighborhood pooches. They have created a little "garden" where a squirrel statue has become an ongoing crowd-sourced undertaking, decorating it appropriately for different holidays. Sandy and Carolyn make the start and end of each school day special—Takoma Park spirit of community special. So if you're ever in need of a "Hi, honey!" head over to Sandy and Carolyn's Takoma Junction for a warm greeting that will make your day.
Takoma Park landlords and tenants are lucky to have someone like Jean Kerr, who has helped them work through their problems for almost 30 years as a Housing Specialist in the Housing and Community Services office. In this fiscal year alone, through her monitoring of the rent stabilization law, Jean has been successful in getting thousands of dollars in illegal rents and fees refunded. Renters and landlords know they can get a fair and honest hearing when they have Jean looking out for their interests.
Javonte McDonald
Turning thought into action requires a hardworking, dedicated planner, and the City of Takoma Park is lucky to have Javonte McDonald as its Recreation Program Coordinator. Javonte has developed a "Think Tank" after-school homework club for 5th- through 12th-grade students at Hampshire Tower Apartments. This club provides one-on-one homework help to augment and enrich the learning process. In January, Javonte helped Hillwood Manor Apartments organize an ice cream social event for their community youth. He coordinated the Takoma Park Success Fair, a community event that brought together resource partners to support the development and success of Takoma Park residents. In coordination with the Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month activities, Javonte served on the planning committee, organizing and directing a variety of hands-on activities, including music, farm animal interaction, face painting, a glow walk, and a community resource area. He also coordinated a Hip Hop Yoga program at Takoma Park Middle School. It is talented and creative city employes like Javonte that make Takoma Park a truly special place for our youth to grow up in.
Catherine Plevy
Catherine Plevy, outstanding Police Department Public Information Officer, has been doing the essential work for 12 years of keeping the community informed. Is your street safe to walk down? Do you have to be concerned about your parked car at night? What do you do to keep safe during a Tornado Watch? What is happening with all the street construction? Using email, Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, and Instagram, she provides crime prevention tips, safe conduct reports, updates about pets that have been lost or found, safe routes for students to walk to school, advice on how to protect your bike, and many, many other important lessons. Cathy often works late during the week as well as on weekends and holidays to make sure that the residents of the City of Takoma Park are informed in real time about events and activities. When you check in with her, you can feel the smile through the phone or email.
Keeps sports vibrant and accessible
Jason Fasteau and Doug Wannall
As coaches and commissioners of the Takoma Park–Silver Spring girls softball league, Jason Fasteau and Doug Wannall are prevailing against two national trends. Girls typically stop playing sports at a higher rate than boys, and softball players more often choose prohibitively expensive invitation-only travel teams over recreational play. Not so locally, though. Doug and Jason (with three daughters between them) have redefined the focus of the 25-year-old league by welcoming all girls regardless of skill level and by removing financial obstacles. With fewer barriers, registration numbers have increased dramatically since 2017. Jason and Doug have mastered the ability to balance teaching softball, developing self-esteem, providing a venue for social development, and sharing their philosophy with fellow league coaches. They've also lengthened the program. What was only a spring sport now includes clinics and special programs in fall and winter for more than 200 girls. In addition, Jason established an after-school club at East Silver Spring ES, teaching a variety of sports to girls in a non-competitive environment, and is working with parks supervisors to improve fields. He and Doug are making sure girl players are not forgotten.
Marquelle Jones
Marquelle Jones is giving a group of 2nd and 3rd graders from Takoma Park Elementary and Piney Branch Elementary a chance to play flag football against teams from other nearby jurisdictions. Now in his third season as a coach, Marquelle stands out for his enthusiasm and energy. He also emphasizes sportsmanship and hard work over winning even though his team does win a fair share of the time. This fall his players, under the Royalty Institute banner, won the flagstar championship in their division. Marquelle is also known for his work with Kids Adventures (KA) at Takoma Park Elementary, where kids can't wait to see which activity he has planned for the day. One activity is soccer, and during a fair last spring that brings together all the KA programs in Montgomery County, his Takoma kids won the first-place trophy in a soccer round robin. Marquelle's mix of fun and passion is an inspiration to kids who might otherwise never think about playing sports.
Kerron Miller
Undaunted by rain or wind, Kerron Miller and Duane Scott have not missed a practice or game for the past nine seasons as the coach of their daughters' Takoma Soccer team. "Soccer has taken over our lives," says Kerron's wife, Holly. "Chores, vacations, weekend plans with friends, they all come second." Kerron and Duane start with a pre-season ritual of inflating all the balls in his bag, and their attention and enthusiasm carry over to remarkable patience on the soccer pitch. The players on their Girls-Three Yellow team are 3rd graders who may be super energetic, perhaps from a bit of a sugar high, or just the opposite, tentative and shy. As if by magic, Kerron and Duane bring out the girls' inner kicking-a-ball-is-fun selves. Even if they don't take naturally to soccer, they get the message that it's great to be outdoors in sunshine and fresh air—or even in rain and wind.
School staffer who makes a difference
Tavia Lewis
Tavia Lewis is the heart and soul of East Silver Spring Elementary School. She is known and loved by everyone in our school community. If we had to describe her in one word, it would be "positive." She has a smile for everyone. She has built genuinely meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff through her kindness, warmth, and bubbly personality. She knows how every single one of our over 500 students get home from school each day (and what their missing jacket looks like). Whether she is singing songs with our youngest learners or supporting and challenging our oldest students to reach their full potential, she shows how deeply she cares about our children. East Silver Spring Elementary School is proud to nominate Tavia Lewis as an outstanding educator.
Emma McClary
In her 9 years teaching kindergarten and 2nd grade at Takoma Park Elementary School, Emma McClary (previously Emma Dyroff) has been an expert and caring teacher who has made a difference in the lives of students and their families. In 2017, Mrs. McClary launched the Teacher's Equity Committee at TPES to help the school's community of diverse students and families thrive and bring meaningful opportunities to the various cultures that contribute to the success of the school community. Under her leadership, the Equity Committee started Young Scholars, an after-school activity that helps all students—particularly low-income students and/or students of color who may be affected by the achievement gap—receive the academic and social support they need to thrive. She has played a key role in expanding the project to Piney Branch Elementary School and helped PTAs at both schools identify ways to serve the schools' diverse populations. Mrs. McClary is truly an unsung hero in Takoma Park, providing direct service to families in her role as an excellent teacher as well as to the larger community in her roles as a change agent and leader.
Kathryn Medland
Kathryn Medland has touched the lives of thousands of kids in her 14 years at TPMS, She has taught 7th- and 8th-grade language arts as well as the writing elective, spending countless hours of her own time creating compelling lessons and carefully composing thoughtful, direct, and compassionate feedback for her students. She's also been a team leader and department head, and has sponsored the creative writing club and the Socially Liberal Activist Youth (SLAY) club. Ms. Medland is passionate about diversity of all kinds at TPMS and about setting high expectations. Her students really respond to the energy she brings every day to the classroom and the way she treats each one of them as an individual worthy of respect and capable of growth.
Green Activist
Turns environmental ideals into achievements
Gretchen Goldman
Gretchen Goldman's commitment and dedication to fighting for a greener, safer, and more inclusive community transcends local activism, but it certainly benefits us in Takoma Park. Over the past year, Gretchen consistently worked with our mayor and county officials from multiple jurisdictions on local transit equity solutions, culminating with WMATA finally installing desperately-needed bus shelters along New Hampshire Avenue. During this time, Gretchen spent her maternity leave testifying in front of the EPA with her newborn strapped to her chest about the importance of scientific facts and research (can't believe she had to state the obvious). Wherever she goes, Gretchen works tirelessly to ensure we have a better tomorrow. Her passion and expertise are accessible to all—you can read her articles in Science Magazine; learn about climate change while listening to her podcasts; see her at national climate marches with her family; admire her commitment to public transportation as she routinely commutes by bus, bicycle, and train; and visit her in her backyard as she teaches Takoma Park children about composting worms. Not all superheroes wear capes, but if Gretchen did, hers would be green.
Robert Patten
Robert Patten literally walks the walk, constantly picking up the litter he finds as he walks throughout town to dispose of it properly (recycling/compost/garbage). Furthermore, as a neighbor to Takoma Urban Park (aka Westmoreland Park and Kombe Park), Bob has taken over the role of unofficial caretaker, compensating for the Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission's limited maintenance and oversight, so that children and adults can fully enjoy the public space. He spends several hours every month clearing up trash, removing poison ivy, and maintaining a small trail for children in the back of the park. Bob makes a huge contribution to keeping Takoma Park green and clean.
Mike Tidwell
Mike Tidwell, a long-time resident of Takoma Park, is founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. An author and filmmaker, Mike is a renowned advocate for the environment. His most recent book, focusing on Katrina and global warming, is titled The Ravaging Tide. Mike has been featured in numerous national media outlets including NBC's Meet the Press, NPR, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, Politico, and The Washington Post. When not fighting the rising tide, he most likely can be found hiking the Appalachian Trail with his family. It is not a coincidence that he loves living in Takoma Park where, like a placid mountain lake, he reflects the green environmental spirit that is so much a part of our community.
Someone who inspires children to aim high
Pamela Lever
Pamela Lever's door at Takoma Park Middle School is always open as she offers her students a supportive retreat when the pressures of middle school life are wearing on them. As a school counselor, Pam provides organizing guidance for students' schedules and agenda books, and she also simply listens if they're having a tough day. Her receptive ear and guidance often helps these young adults cope with their ever shifting world, as the pressure of learning increasingly difficult material combines with the required psychological adaptation as they mature physically and emotionally into adults.
Jennifer Manguera
Jennifer Manguera, Girl Scout Troop 1273 leader, is a super mentor. She leads one local troop of young girls and another of Teen Scouts, with more than twenty of her girls over the years earning the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts' highest achievement and opens doors to college admissions, scholarships, and civic opportunities. Jenn's troops are active in community service, including at Progress Place, the DC Diaper Bank, Capital Area Food Bank, and Samaritan's Purse. They have cleaned up Sligo Creek, planted trees, and tended horses in a shelter for battered animals. They march in the Takoma Park July 4th Parade and volunteer at the DC Cherry Blossom Parade. They are a regular fixture at the Silver Spring Martin Luther King Jr. holiday event, helping children create meaningful crafts. And of course they sell cookies! Jenn is an example of our community at its finest, developing young women leaders.
Steve Ney
A few years ago, Steve Ney was faced with a familiar question: How could he use his spare hours to make a difference? In 2014 Steve started tutoring and mentoring in the After the Bell program at the Community Center. Subsequently, he became a teacher in the Lunch and Learn program, and for several years he's been a mentor/tutor in the ACE program at the Essex House Apartments, working with kids and families new to the U.S. Through the school year he is an extra teacher in the students' lives, helping those who are struggling with reading and math. He attends parent-teacher conferences and accompanies students to school and sports events. Steve has used his unique qualifications as a special education attorney and former public school teacher to successfully advocate for several students to receive the special education services they need. His goal is to see these children graduate from high school and go on to college.
Alex Rounds
Alex Rounds, a Takoma Park resident since 1985, mentors youth with kindness, grace, and humility, combining technical (carpentry and home renovation) skills with emotional support to serve local youth in local schools and grief camps and as a mentor and facilitator for over a decade in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP). Through AVP he has recently made inroads into the Baltimore Youth Detention Center, a high-school prison. He participates in the Boys to Men mentoring program, where he is creating a yard care program that employs Takoma Park youth. Of particular note are the week-long service projects via the Appalachia Service Project, where as a team leader he guided Takoma Park student volunteers in making homes "warmer, safer, and drier," imparting valuable carpentry skills while providing the teens with the emotional support and political perspective needed to process the systemic injustice and poverty they encountered. Alex also organized his own weekend service trips to West Virginia, where he supervised Takoma Park youth in carpentry restoration projects. Alex's generous spirit and diligent, altruistic work are reminders of why our community is so special.
Sacdiya Siyaad
When teachers can work with dedicated assistants like Sacdiya Siyaad, both teacher and students come out winners. For the last 6 years, Sacdiya has made sure each student that comes into the classroom of the Lunch and Learn summer program receives breakfast and lunch so they are nutritionally able to concentrate on the lessons. In the classroom she helps in every way possible to make a difference for the students. Due to her dedication, love, and hard work during the school year, it is not uncommon that children, the ultimate voters, actively seek to be assigned to her class.
Neighborhood Volunteer
"Walks the walk" to make a great neighborhood even better
Shana Fulcher
Creative, dynamic, neighborhood volunteer Shana Fulcher walks the walk regularly by volunteering in a variety of ways. A fabulous Scout Leader, Shana models positive behavior by leading the annual Girl Scout Tea and helping with the Daughter Dance. Shana has led the Cookie Decorating Activity at the Mid-Winter Play Day for years. At the 2019 September Play Day, Shana and the Scouts created an igloo for attendees to play in during the Play Day. Takoma Park is so fortunate to have Shana in our midst. Shana also participates in several PTAs. It's time we cheer for Shana!
Seth Grimes and Steve Whitney
Seth Grimes and Steve Whitney do amazing things for our community. The two volunteer for Small Things Matter's Kokua Foods, a program that feeds 150 families in Takoma Park, picking up and delivering thousands of pounds of food each month. Seth was instrumental in the formation of Kokua Foods and the determination of food distribution sites based on community need, while Steve spearheaded Kokua's composting efforts of unusable foods to reduce methane emissions. Both men wear many other hats as well. Seth co-founded Takoma Park Mobilization and is a climate change activist, an antisemitism activist, and a general font of knowledge on all things Takoma. Steve, also a climate activist, is developing a composting program at New Hampshire Estates ES as a model for schools and works with Share Literacy to bring books to children in need, and his work with the Alternative Gift Fair supports charitable organizations.
Lee Howard
Lee Howard just finished a two-year tenure as Cub Master of Cub Scout Pack 33 following a number of years in other leadership roles with the Pack, including Assistant Cub Master and Den Leader. He has now moved on in providing leadership to Boy Scout Troop 33, where both of his sons are active Scouts. He is inspired by his own journey to Eagle Scout and the example of others (like our very own Dave Lanar), and continues to inspire others on that journey to do their best. Lee did a fabulous job organizing the annual Pinewood Derby competition, complete with participation from Mayor Kate Stewart, and the Blue and Gold Dinner. When the Pack was celebrating its 80th anniversary, he arranged for Rep. Jamie Raskin to attend and present a Congressional certificate of recognition to the Pack, the boys, and their families. Lee is a terrific example of a Takoma Park neighbor who has planted seeds in our community and tended them so that they bear fruit in the lives of young men.
Kiki Oliver
Kiki Oliver, who has lived in the same Takoma Park house for almost 65 years, spends countless hours rescuing and fostering the City's homeless kittens and cats, nursing her charges to good health, and then finding them forever homes. Just this past month, Kiki, alongside D-20 Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, helped introduce legislation at the state level to ban the inhumane practice of cat declawing in Maryland. Neighbors know that any time you need cheering up, Kiki's front door is always open with a friendly kitten always waiting. Kiki hopes to one day open Kiki's Kitten and Cat Cafe in the Takoma Junction development where all can visit, play with, and—hopefully—adopt any one of her lucky rescues. Kiki also works tirelessly as a volunteer to ensure that the Takoma Park VFW always has a lively music scene and an open space to celebrate a wide variety of community events.
School Activist
A parent who brings the best to our schools
Genet Kassa
Genet Kassa, a 13-year resident of Essex House, was the first person to be recommended when the after-school program in her apartment building put out a call in 2017 for someone to address the need for more meaningful parent involvement in youth education and socio-emotional development. The consensus of staff and community members was that she was the perfect one to fill the role because she already was working with local families. As a parent of five children ages 7 through 18, Genet has been instrumental in mobilizing Essex House parents to join the PTAs at their schools and to participate in social and educational programs during the evenings in her building. One of her best known activities is organizing a dance troupe in collaboration with Piney Branch Elementary's ESOL department that is always an on-stage favorite at Celebrate Takoma. The young girl dancers wear dresses from the native countries of their parents, and their moms and dads clap and weave in accompaniment. Genet also conducts Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and is an annual volunteer at the MLK Day celebration, helping bridge the gaps between diverse communities in Takoma Park.
Tracee Matthias
Tracee Matthias is a parent, volunteer, grant writer, advocate, and grass roots organizer committed to the success of students attending Takoma Park Elementary School and Piney Branch Elementary School. She has focused on enhancing both classroom learning and supplemental learning through after-school programs. Through the TPES PTA, Tracee secured grants from the Maryland State Department of Education and the National Education Association Foundation to fund hands-on robotics instruction (especially significant given MCPS's recent cuts to STEM), and from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support the Bridges Book Club hosted on Saturdays. She also serves as the VP for New Programming on the PBES PTA Executive Board, where she is working to establish a robotics club and seeking out grant funds to support student programming. Last year, Tracee rallied the community and succeeded in getting MCPS to restore a portion of the special program funds cut from PBES in the 2019–2020 budget.
Kelly O'Keefe
Kelly O'Keefe has been a tireless advocate working on behalf of Montgomery County's students with dyslexia, a specific learning disability that unless confronted and conquered can be a locked door to success. Dyslexic students can learn to read, but only with appropriate identification and intervention--and for most students, this has been happening after years of falling behind in reading, if at all. Kelly helps organize regular meetings of a local Decoding Dyslexia advocacy group, encourages parents and students to testify to the County Board of Education, and manages a local Facebook page to keep parents informed and coordinate advocacy efforts. Kelly led local advocacy in a successful statewide push for the Ready to Read Act, currently awaiting the Governor's signature, which calls for universal screening of Maryland's kindergartners for reading difficulties.
Reflects local character with panache
Brandy Brooks
Brandy Brooks has a long history of activism on social issues ranging from housing to food insecurity. Both in Takoma Park and in Montgomery County, Brandy continues to fight for racial equity, housing rights, and food justice for all people. Her work with the M.O.R.E network on racial equity helped shape the recent racial equity bill passed by the Montgomery County Council. Whenever she encounters a political setback, she redoubles her efforts. No one works harder and with more passion for equity and equality at the local level than Brandy. She is a beacon and a voice to the voiceless. Her energy and drive make her an asset to her community.
Little Eastern Frydaddyz
For 13 years, The Original Little Eastern Frydaddyz (Randy Cohen, Jeff Hopkins, and Ray McGhee) have built community and camaraderie through battered and deep-fried foods, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This block (and artery-blocking) party brings together the residents of Little Eastern Avenue but also draws guests from blocks in all directions, including neighbors on the DC side. You don't need to bring a thing to be welcomed with open arms (and five deep-fried turkeys) by the guys in the red aprons, but you will earn street cred for creative contributions to the fryer. The warmth, inclusiveness, generosity, and humor of the Frydaddyz sets the tone for what a neighborhood can and should be.
Carlean Ponder
Carlean Ponder works as an attorney by day, but her work as an activist and advocate for criminal justice and policy accountability is unceasing. She volunteers with the Montgomery County chapter of the ACLU and has been instrumental in the establishment of the Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC). During her time with SSJC, she has testified before the Montgomery County Council and Maryland General Assembly, speaking out following the death of Robert White, a black man shot by a police officer. Carlean exemplifies the spirit of commitment, exactly what is needed to affect change. She is thoughtful, resourceful, and dedicated.
Shoppers Food Warehouse Staff
Recently the Takoma community bid farewell to the close-knit, dedicated, and long-serving staff at Shoppers Food Warehouse. Most staffers had worked there for 10-plus years, some for 20-plus. Customers were always greeted with a big smile by managers and clerks alike, making the large store feel like a friendly corner market. For loyal families it was a tradition to go to Shoppers for frosted cakes to celebrate the milestones of birthdays, graduations, and holidays. And there were, oh, so many fresh, giant doughnuts for any occasion or no occasion. The workers were the ones who made the store special—how they put just the right sprinkles on a doughnut at a child's request, set aside beef bones for a pet, shared a homemade soup recipe, brought out the freshest produce for ingredients, returned a found wallet with all contents intact, walked an elderly man to his car in the rain, and even visited customers in the hospital. They were like family.
The Tayac Family
The Tayac Family have been residents of Takoma Park since the 1960s. Following in the footsteps of Chief Turkey Tayac, 27th-generation Sagarmore of the Piscataway Nation and a leader and organizer on human rights issues in the 1920s, they carry on the family tradition, recently hosting indigenous youth leaders from Standing Rock and getting arrested with Jane Fonda for Fire Drill Fridays. Gabrielle Tayac, an organizer since her teens and the first member of her Piscataway tribe, the indigenous people of this area, to earn a Ph.D., has worked for Native American rights with Takoma Park-based organizations since 1982. She works to shine a light on the diversity and cultural richness of Native Americans (including 18 years at the National Museum of the American Indian, with much work on local indigenous history that is now used in our schools), supports unaccompanied and undocumented youth from Central America, and brings healing rituals to the waters of the Potomac, and has raised two phenomenal youth leaders, Sebi Medina-Tayac and Jansikwe Medina-Tayac. Since starting his activist career at the Electric Maid and Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sebi has launched guerilla media campaigns to have the Washington sports team renamed the RedHawks, founded the Uptown Art House to support artists/activ | 7,440 |
It is no surprise that B2B marketing on Facebook is very different that messaging done by B2C companies. Those who are key decision makers in B2B or business to business organisation are highly likely to use Facebook like everyone else – to connect and share with their friends and family.
What B2B marketers need to do is determine how the pitch and cadence of Facebook articulates their brand's core values and ethics. Many B2B companies use their Facebook to celebrate their corporate culture, foster recruitment, and share their stories of corporate social responsibility. They use it to showcase the faces on the name badges, rather than beat their chest about their brand.
Rule of Thumb for Facebook: Activities conducted on Facebook by a company should reinforce the brand values however the tone needs to be appropriate for the platform. Treat Facebook like the company picnic in the park. You'll be dressed in board shorts, let your hair down, play a few team sports and relate to clients and family as people. Save the suits, ties and whiteboard worthy content for LinkedIn.
Think more holistically about your content and messaging. Facebook is an important channel for corporate presence, but not the only one. When planning B2B marketing activities for Facebook, ensure that you're using the right message, in the right context to build rapport and trust to avoid a #Fail.
Stephenie Rodriguez founded Mighty Media Group, a leading data-driven digital, mobile and social marketing strategy and solutions firm, in 2004 and is currently the company's Chief Executive Officer. She is also the former publisher of Ocean Drive Magazine (Australia), a speaker and futurist on all aspects of social, emerging and disruptive technology, an evangelist of engagement and has advised companies including SSP – The Food Travel Experts, Club Med Asia Pacific, Austereo, JR/DutyFree, Radar Group of Companies, Transfield, Allied Mills, Income Solutions, and Bayer (Berocca), Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and the UN FAO. You're likely to find her Tweeting here @digitalgodess or present at events such as #SXSWi, #TFWA, #Tedx and #SocialBiz.
Visual Storytelling – A picture is worth a thousand words…to me actually, it is more like a million.
I was reading a brilliant book recently 'The Power of Visual Storytelling' by Ekaterina Walter which I received as a gift and was lucky enough to have signed to me by Ekaterina "Data + Visual + AWESOME". It got me thinking about how we as a culture have changed with regards to sharing our experiences and how visual storytelling is the way to get noticed! If you want a great read and some practical advice on how to do it right – I suggest you grab a copy. I found it inspirational.
As I said earlier, it got me thinking….. and reflecting…..
In the "olden days", before the invention of camera phones and social media sharing apps such as Instagram whenever I was out walking or just sitting admiring the view that's really all I was doing…walking or admiring the view. These days, however, armed with my trusty smart phone I am constantly on the lookout for photo opportunities. Once captured I can jazz up my picture with a few carefully selected filters, click, and share images with the world. The image is then showcased in my follower's Instagram streams or Facebook Page and invites them to engage with me by commenting, liking or sharing. The is the essence of visual storytelling. Jamie Oliver, a "celebrity chef", understands visual storeytelling and with over 1.7 million followers on Instagram has embraced the power of photos to market the Jamie Oliver brand.
Not surprisingly, the better the photo the more it drives engagement. At my Easter lunch over the weekend, I watched my partner take ordinary and average photos and give them that "zing" factor. On the left is the original of our easter bunny table place setting… on the right the "filtered" version. There are a plethora of free and paid apps that allow you to be a photo editor "guru", in real time, and on your smartphone.
We now live in the age of the "camera in everyone's pocket". With 5.2 billion mobile phones on the planet for a population of 4.3 billion users (yes, some people have multiple phones), 83% of all phones have cameras, we are all becoming visual storytellers whether we realise it or not!
Interesting fact: 90% of all people who take pictures have only ever done so on a camera phone.
WITH such an enormous number of camera phones in use we are entering a new dynamic era around image creation and content according to Bob Lisbon from Luminate. Bob explains that this can be broken into three phases as we enter the age of visual culture and language.
With photographic images becoming the "universal language" it is no surprise to anyone that the fastest growing social media networks are Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.
Pinterest is one of the first platforms that allows you to interact with static images and Luminate's image apps (which are used by more than 100 million consumers ) is also an example.
Well consider the following: If you have an online store, issue press releases or even just have a Facebook business "page", then here are 6 reasons to publish images and photos as part of your business marketing tactics.
So if you have an online store you need to include high definition images to drive higher engagement and sales. If your business issues press releases then include images with your article and finally, ensuring that you include high quality photographs as an important part of your social media marketing strategy, rather than just text and links, will improve engagement rates.
For more information on anything in relation to social, digital or mobile – or for some advice or assistance with your social media strategy, visual storytelling or how to measure, feel free to contact us at Mighty Media Group for a no obligation chat about how we can help you. Contact@mightymediagroup.com.au.
Posted in Blog, Social Media, Visual Storeytelling.
What do you think of when you hear the words "Sales Enablement"? It would be quite natural to think of the muscle and force that your good looking sales people dish out, quota numbers and number of leads in the pipeline.
Companies who truly appreciate the power of the internet, search engines and authority are best positioned to take advantage of the benefits of discovery and how the sales process has changed in the advent of smart phones, tablets and easier access to information.
Lean in, and I will explain how some smart insights from a study by McKinsey & Co support this, and give you three ways to<|fim_middle|> of key aspects of the solution that solve a particular pain point likely to queried on Google, encouraging live demos and selling actively during those calls.
Striking the right balance between contacting customers too much and too little requires understanding their stated and actual needs. There should be a clear strategy for reaching out to customers based on needs and profit potential, with nurture campaigns dictating how frequent is best.
When you think about building valuable relationships with your customers, your sales reps are critical players on the front lines. But are they getting the basics right? Your future customers want to be contacted just enough, not spammed to death.
Your team of sales representatives should know your products or services comprehensively and how your offering stacks up with those of their competitors.
Clients need information on exactly how a product or service will make them more successful. And while they may say price is one of their biggest concerns a satisfying sales experience is ultimately more important.
Can your prospect self educate, learning about your features and benefits at 3am in their sweatpants in seat 3B flying somewhere over Islamabad on Etihad on their IPad? Is your website mobile friendly? Does it deliver value 24 hours per day, 7 days per week? Consider that 50% of consumer time online is spent engaging with custom content. (Source:HubSpot). If you don't have answers on your website, your competitor will.
Be genuinely helpful by answering common pain point questions and organically become the most credible and trusted expert in your field earning the right to attention and relationship.
To increase sales, personalise your message.
Make your marketing memorable to the end user. Create online buyer personas, identify what each of your customer types need to move through your sales funnel and take the next step. Then develop scenarios or 'click paths' so that you can elegantly guide your customer towards the solutions they need. Treat your customers like individuals, and make your message sound like a lovers voice, not a douchebag.
For your potential customers your online sales activities should be as good or better than those they would experience in real life. The connected consumer expects you to be open and available to help them solve their problems 24/7 – 365 days a year. Consolidate your sales process by bridging the chasm between your on and offline sales to experience increased revenue and create nurture campaigns that make buying from you more pleasant.
Got a tip to increasing online sales? Share it with me in the comments!
Stephenie Rodriguez founded Mighty Media Group in 2004 and is currently the company's Chief Executive Officer. She is also the former publisher of Ocean Drive Magazine (Australia), a speaker and futurist on all aspects of social technology, an evangelist of engagement, and has advised companies including ClubMed Asia/Pacific, SSP – The Food Travel Experts, Austereo, JR/DutyFree, Radar Group of Companies, Transfield, Allied Mills, ClubMed, Income Solutions, and Bayer (Berocca), Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and the UN FAO. You're likely to find her Tweeting here @digitalgodess or present at events such as #SXSWi, #TFWA, #Tedx and #SocialBiz.
Posted in Blog, Sales Enablement, Social Media. | improve your sales funnel in the digital ecosystem.
No qualms about it…when you think about building valuable relationships with clients, your sales team are critical players on the front lines. But are the sales guys getting the basics right? Your customer want to be contacted just enough, not spammed to death. Your sales team should know your products or services comprehensively and how your business's offer measures up with those of their competitors.
Clients need information on exactly how a product or service will make them more successful. And while they may say price is one of their biggest concerns a satisfying sales experience is ultimately or greater importance.
In 2010 McKinsey & Co conducted a survey of more than twelve hundred purchasing decision makers in small, medium, and large companies throughout the USA and Europe who are responsible for buying high-tech products.
The insights were consistent across simple to complex products and apply readily to most B2B organisations which also have robust, layered sales processes involving both those who will use the product and purchasing managers.
McKinsey's report identifies that there is a big difference between what customers said was important and what actually drove their behaviour. The report also stated the following "Customers insisted price and product aspects were the dominant factors that influenced their opinion of a supplier's performance and, as a result, their purchasing decisions.
That makes the next finding most remarkable. Of the many habits that undermine the sales experience, two that are relatively easy to fix accounted for 55% of the behaviour customers described as "most destructive": Failing to have adequate product knowledge and contacting customers too frequently. Only 3% said they weren't contacted enough, suggesting customers are open to less frequent but more relevant communication.
Both destructive habits are not irreparable. B2B businesses can address a lack of product knowledge by centralising content development to guarantee a uniform message and creation of compelling value propositions for customers. To ensure deep understanding, those in your sales department can receive experiential training and on-the-job coaching, preferably side by side with those crafting the stories in your business. Finally, sales reps don't need to know everything.
When it comes to specifics, the McKinsey report found customers were more than happy to use self-serve or online tools and will in fact self educate on your offer.
Recently one of our clients received complaints on their Facebook page for nagging prospects and making too many sales calls for those in their funnel not yet ready to purchase.
When we reviewed their sales process and online presence, we revealed that this company gave little insight as to the benefit of the products or features on their very limited content website. Instead, it offered a "FREE 30 Day Trial" as a means to get those chasing free information into their CRM.
As the software helps customers organise their share portfolios once the prospect had use of the tool for 30 days and during that free trial, the prospect was contacted more than five times and spammed twice a week with email inviting them to attend webinars and pod casts.
What this client should have offered instead is holistic and detailed overviews | 620 |
THE SMITH and WESSON 327 TRR8
A 21ST CENTURY HI CAPACITY TACTICAL REVOLVER
FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION, HOME DEFENSE AND RUGGED OUTDOOR FIELD USE
Review by: NICK JACOBELLIS
The Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 with a 5 inch barrel is a fairly lightweight and very well
balanced 8 shot N frame revolver chambered in .38 Special/.357 Magnum calibers. The 327 TRR8 is
designated a "tactical revolver" because this particular wheel gun has excellent adjustable sights and
can be fitted with rails that accommodate a tactical light and or an optic. The fact that this revolver can
be quickly loaded using 8 round "full moon" metal clips, makes the S&W 327 TRR8 ideally suited for
use in a Close Quarters Battle situation, when you may be compelled to execute a reload as quickly as
possible. The Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 can also be operated (loaded and unloaded) without the use
of full moon metal clips.
It has often been said that the S&W 327 TRR8 was initially designed for use by the SWAT
operator, who carried a ballistic shield during different types of tactical operations. This request was
reportedly made, to address problems encountered when the slide on a SWAT cop's pistol impacted
their ballistic shield and caused a stoppage. The proposed solution was to carry a rugged well made
high capacity (eight shot) revolver chambered in .38 Special and .357 Magnum calibers. Regardless of
the motivation behind the development of the S&W 327 TRR8, the end result provided revolver
enthusiasts with a true 21st Century tactical revolver, that could be used for a variety of applications.
Surprisingly, for an 8 shot .357 Magnum revolver with a five inch barrel, that is built on the
famous Smith & Wesson N Frame, the S&W 327 TRR8 is incredibly well balanced and relatively
lightweight at 34.7 ounces unloaded. This is made possible because the TRR8 is manufactured using a
Scandium N frame with a stainless steel cylinder and a two piece stainless steel barrel. In contrast, an
unloaded all steel six shot S&W Model 10 .38 Special K frame revolver with a four inch barrel weights
34.4 and an unloaded six shot S&W Model 27 .38 Special/.357 Magnum N frame revolver with a four
inch barrel weights 42.1 ounces.
In addition to being equipped with an easy to adjust rear sight and a gold beaded front sight,
the TRR8 is also fitted with a set of over-sized rubber grips that provide excellent ergonomics. It's the
use of these rubber grips, in conjunction with the fact that this revolver is built on the large S&W N
frame, that makes it possible to comfortably fire Plus P .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition
from the TRR8. You can also tell that the 327 TRR8 is product of the famous S&W Performance Center,
by the excellent fit and finish of this revolver, as well as the way it operates. In addition to being fitted
with a crisp Single Action trigger and a super smooth DA or Double Action trigger, the 8 shot cylinder
on the TRR8 opens and closes like the doors on a super expensive Sports Utility Vehicle.
On a very sunny day that produced temperatures in the 70s, I ventured out into the desert
with my best friend and retired patrol sergeant Rick Batory, to start field testing the S&W 327 TRR8.
We began this T&E by firing full cylinder loads of 148 grain FMJ 38 Special ammo, 125 grain Speer
Gold Dot standard velocity .38 Special hollow-point ammo, 135 grain Plus P Speer Gold Dot hollow-
point ammo, standard velocity (brass cased) 125 grain Hornady .38 Special ammo and 125 grain (brass
cased) Horn<|fim_middle|> the line of duty while working undercover as a federal agent. To date, the author has published over 205 magazine articles and nine action-packed nonfiction, historical fiction, and fiction books: Controlled Delivery Books One and Two, The Frontline Fugitives Books I, II, III, and IV, Buck Banderas U.S. Marshal Books One and Two and A Special Kind of Hero. These books have received 5 Star reviews and are available on Amazon.com (US), and (UK). He was born and raised in Flatbush section of Brooklyn NY and has an BS Degree in Police Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. | ady XTP .357 Magnum hollow-point ammunition at various CQB distances out to 25
While all of the ammunition tested accurately delivered head and chest area shots on a TQ19 LE
Qualification Target, the absolute best results were produced when the S&W 327 TRR8 was used to
fire 125 grain Hornady .357 Magnum Hollow-Point ammo. In fact, the S&W TRR8 delivered surgical
level precision performance with the Hornady .357 Magnum ammo. The TRR8 also proved to be
comfortable to shoot while using .357 Magnum ammunition.
On the second day of testing I once again loaded the S&W 327 TRR8 with 125 grain
Hornady .357 Magnum ammo and engaged a metal plate the size of the scoring area on a TQ19 LE
Qualification Target at a CQB distance of 15 feet. While using a Double Action trigger pull I shot
the TRR8 as fast as I could fire a round and get back on target. Once again, the TRR8 proved to be
incredibly accurate, easy to operate and comfortable to shoot.
When loading the eight round metal clips that are supplied with the TRR8 I noticed that the
brass cased Hornady .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition was easier to load, as opposed to the
nickel cased Speer Gold Dot hollow-point ammo. I assume this is the case because brass is a bit softer
than nickel. In order to facilitate the loading of an 8 round full moon metal clip, you press the case
portion of each bullet into the curved cutout on the clip. I also highly recommend that you purchase a
Wilson Combat 69EX Full Moon Clip Case Extractor. This simple metal tool can be used to remove
empty cases from the full moon metal clips, that are used to aid in loading revolvers like the S&W
TRR8. At a cost of under $5.00, it pays to buy two or three of these tools and keep them in your
backpack, pocket, vehicle, or in your bailout/go bag.
While testing the S&W 327 TRR8 we also trained with various 9mm pistols, that will be
featured in future articles. Rick and I are used to training in this fashion, because during our law
enforcement careers it was quite common for law enforcement officers to train with and carry handguns
with different trigger systems while on and off duty. This included using a variety of pistols and
DA/SA revolvers. In fact, to this day I still qualify on an annual basis on a LE qualification course with
a .38 Special caliber S&W revolver and a 9mm pistol fitted with either a striker fired trigger, a HK
LEM trigger, or with a Classic DA/SA SIG pistol.
The 327 TRR8 is a full size 21st Century tactical revolver, that has been fine tuned for all kinds
of hardcore applications by the Smith & Wesson Performance Center. This includes using the S&W
327 TRR8 for personal protection, home defense and rugged outdoor field use. Whether I'm at home or
in the field, my S&W 327 TRR8 is loaded with eight rounds of Hornady 125 grain .357 Magnum
hollow-point ammunition. In order to insure my ability to quickly reload my TRR8, I maintain a supply
of loaded 8 round S&W brand full metal clips accessible at all times. In summation let me say, that
buying a Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 was one of the best firearm's purchases that I made in recent
About the author: Nick Jacobellis is a Medically Retired U.S. Customs Agent and a former NY police officer who was physically disabled in | 826 |
He wanted to watch<|fim_middle|>ahaha!
Oh! And bring me those Percy Jackson books please. I wanna read it!!! | a horror film to my dismay. In all honesty, lagi nyang pinu-push ang horror everytime we're at the cinema na sya naman kinakabadtrip ko! Tigas ng skull eh! Sabi ng I don't have the heart for horror films.
Anyway, I dragged him to Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters just because I wanna watch the film. I saw the first installment and actually liked it so I'm looking forward for the 2nd installment.
So how's the movie you say? It was fun. I love greek mythology so the mere mention of Zeus, Hermes, Odysseus, Hades and Poseidon is enough to catch my attention. Like the first film, the effects are great and the storyline is just as captivating. I love Logan Lerman. He's a sweetheart and his portrayal of Percy Jackson is just superb.
I love the action scenes and I think this movie is a great teaser for the next film. Now, I wanna know what happens now that Thalia, daughter of Zeus is alive. Nyah | 216 |
Happy Birthday To My Sweet Mother in Law!
Today my Mother in law turns 97 years old! Isn't she beautiful? This is a photo of her yesterday holding birthday flowers.
She's having several days of celebrating (a woman after my own heart!) with family and friends.
Jean has had a amazing life. She was a mischievous child, often getting into trouble, gave her heart to Christ and walked and served Him all the days since.
She worked for Youth for Christ in Canada (she's from Orangeville, Ontario for my Canadian friends) when Leighton Ford was still in high school, went to Bible School, and missionary training where she met Tim's dad. She was in her early 30's then. They married, and went to Senegal to work with people groups who didn't have written languages. She had 6 children, four boys, two girls. Two boys died in Senegal. She's Grammy to 15 and great Grammy to eight!
We are going to tea today, so I am sharing five photos from my phone.
1. Last week the sunlight on these clementines caught my attention.
2. Wes sent me this photo of he and Rachel last weekend. Aren't they cute?
3. Wednesday night Sarah hosted a campfire for friends. It was pretty cold and after they had roasted all the s'mores they could hold, they moved inside for Jungle Speed.
4. This was my tree line yesterday in the morning sunshine! So beautiful!
5. My sister in law brought me a tin of tea from Fortnum and Mason in London. Of course I had to brew a pot yesterday morning. It is delicious and gave me the opportunity to bring out my sheep tea cozy! I love this guy!
I hope you all have a delightful weekend. We are planning to go to a fall market and do some other shopping but we are supposed to get some rain. If its not too torrential or windy, we'll still go out!
Of twisting vines and sturdy shrubs, Scarlet and yellow, green and brown, Falling, or swinging on their stalks, Is Sorrow's crown.
The sparkling fields of dewy grass, Woodpaths and roadsides decked with flowers, Starred asters and the goldenrod, Date Autumn's hours.
The shining banks of snowy clouds, Steadfast in the aerial blue, The silent, shimmering, silver sea, To Joy are true.
My spirit in this happy<|fim_middle|> Mother's Day were brought inside.
5. I bought this at the store this week! I couldn't resist!
I stopped in at a great store in a small town near to our cottage. Gather Home Boutique and Furniture is a sweet place with lots of lovely painted signs and furniture, and other treasures for your home. An acquaintance friend, has a small section of this store for her business Found and Fresh.
My friend showed a great mirror on her instagram page for Found and Fresh that caught my eye, so I went over there yesterday to check it out.
I bought it, and a Christmas gift, but we won't talk about that yet!
Here is the mirror in terrible light.
This is a heavy wood frame, but I just love the way it looks, and I need to decide where to hang it. The issue with where is that Tim would like to keep the desk top in the living room, so we are looking for a cabinet for it. The likely place for that is my plate wall. Sigh.
I watched the girls on Monday and Tuesday. When they are here I'm trying to keep a schedule of sorts, since that seems to work well with them.
So first up, schoolwork for Kamryn (and Kyle) then lunch. After lunch we watch a moving during resting time. Klaire slept during resting time both days, but as long as she lays down, she doesn't have to sleep. She does, usually.
I told Kamryn that after resting time, we'd have tea, and she held me to it!
She picked out the tea cups, while I brewed the Chamomile tea. I put out a few cookies for them, and Kamryn put a few clementines on the plate, too.
I like to incorporate some poetry exposure during tea time so I read Robert Louis Stevenson's Autumn Fires to them and we worked on memorizing it. Klaire just ate cookies, but Kamryn is well on her way to knowing it!
In the other gardens and all up the vale From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail.
The temperatures have moderated and have been in the 50's, and though its been rainy still, I think that is going to change at least for one day this week!
Autumn brings the delight of wearing sweaters, dressing in layers; with a cute dress, leggings and boots. Its clove and wild orange oil in the diffuser, and turning on ambient lighting as evening comes.
I've been using little battery operated strings of lights in my jars and votive holders. It's so nice to have the light without having to deal with candles.
I love going outside and having the cool air hit my face, and enjoy the scent of wood smoke in the air. I love the burning bush turning red, and the viburnum leaves going yellow. I saw the first of my neighbors oak leaves in our driveway this morning, and while I know this means a million oak leaves are on their way, I really don't mind. His tree will give us weeks of beauty to enjoy.
When we bought our cottage, 17 years ago, we had many projects that had to be done right away. With a tight budget, and a fixer upper house, we didn't bother to change out things that were working just fine.
Now we are at a place in life, and in the life of this house, that we have a list of 'small' projects we want to get done.
Saturday Tim and I went to our local hardware store and brought home a new Delta low flow toilet. It has a nice profile and fits the space in this bathroom very well.
The only issue is that with the smaller profile, the tank doesn't fit the exact space that the other tank did, and you can see the colors that our bathroom has been!
Thankfully we had paint left over from this room and Tim quickly painted a coat over this space and then attached the tank and we were in business!
Its the little things in life that are so satisfying, isn't it? | air Can thus embrace the dying year, And with it wrap me in a shroud As bright and clear!
Mom and I had a road trip to BWI yesterday to pick up my sister in law, Paula who is visiting from California. She came in to beautiful weather, with blue autumn skies and sunshine!
We had dinner out last night in Oxford, Pennsylvania at the Sawmill Grill. It was delicious and we enjoyed hearing about Paula's trip to Kenya this summer with Robert (my brother) and other people from their church.
Today, she and my mom and I are headed to Lititz to shop at Pebbles and Lace and the Wilbur Chocolates store. I may be able to talk them into a quick trip up to the Clay bookstore as well! And while we are so close maybe we'll drive through Middle Creek Wildlife Management area and see the trees. Sounds like a plan.
I'm not going to get deep with this post, but I just wanted to share what's on my mind.
Many days, I am blessed to speak, or text with all of our kids. I think that its from the family culture we built. Spending so much time together due to home education, and helping our kids build friendships with each other has contributed to this, but mainly we were intentional in our building relationship in the family.
Don't think that our kids are tied to my apron strings, though I do have some cute aprons! No, Tim and I wanted to raise adults who would go out into the world and bring friendship and hope to those God brought into their lives.
I learned to not hold on to them too tightly as they grew and began to spread their wings. I stayed interested in their lives, and encouraged them (mostly) on their way. I learned to stop parenting them and to be their friend, a listener and encourager, not a teacher as they became young adults and then adults.
I hope you had a good weekend. We did. Tim and Kyle worked on splitting firewood and delivering a load to my parents, while I worked on my closet and made Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner.
Here are a few videos of my work in my room/closet.
The white desk had been in my closet where the smaller table and mirror is now. I didn't touch any of Tim's things (yet) and I didn't sort through the bins, but I have some things to give away, and a bag of things for the trash. Why do we hold on to things that are stained, don't fit any more, or we just don't wear?
My chicken tortilla soup recipe is basically the one Ree Drummond makes. I just tweaked it a little. Also I put sour cream and cheese in mine, so it looks creamy. I also add some tortilla chips (broken up) to it. So delicious.
Sarah is headed to the Adirondacks today to visit Rachel for the weekend, and they're both happy about this! She'll get to stay in her dorm room, too, so that'll be fun as well.
1. Late afternoon in the living room. It still looks bright outside but evening was coming on.
2. Tim surprised me with these flowers this week. Its a lovely autumn bouquet!
3. A few weeks ago I brought this ivy inside from being on the table in my cottage garden. It has grown in this spot, it must have been too rainy in the garden!
4. We had a heavy frost advisory overnight so my aloe, my ficus and the begonia/coleus planting that Nate and Kay gave me for | 731 |
In this day and age, competition is everything. My generation is a generation of hustlers and competitors. It can be a battle for success and a battle for life. In fine art, it has always been a battle to try and get to the top, but, with the terrors of war, crime and poverty around every corner, up and coming fine artists are battling for more than just their success in the fine art world. Grief- and poverty-stricken artists are doing whatever it takes to stay alive and in practice. With the thousands of expectations weighing heavily on their shoulders with every breath, the daily struggle to be an artist is monumental, now. This is not our parents' journey to find art. This journey is treacherous and many give up trying to succeed at all and sell out for a corporate cubicle and dead end job. But the few who stay on the path have a more difficult journey ahead of them.
This is where "I DON"T WANT TO GO TO PRISON," a group exhibition in Long Beach comes into play.
Visiting a city like Long Beach, you rarely expect to find high-brow contemporary art, let alone a haven for workaholic, restless and creative geniuses. Long Beach is a city of forgotten souls and shattered dreams for the mariners of Southern California, perched in the shadows of high end So Cal life. But nestled in this dirty, smelly and magnetic place there is a handful of astonishing artists that may not be household names yet, but given a couple of years, they will fight their way to the top of the art-food-chain. You can see their hunger, ambition, and talent in every brush stroke.
I stumbled upon the Artists Co-Op Gallery on an off chance. Tucked away behind the coolest of punk bars in all of California, Alex's Bar, this sterile cement structure pulses with life and energy, though you wouldn't know it upon approaching the space. This space serves as a collective studio for 11 artists, and it also has a front exhibition space that is minimal and expansive. The front gallery space was the room I got attached to, with the new exhibition by Shay Bredimus, Hely Gonzalez and Preston Daniels, I was mesmerized.
"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO PRISON" is an exhibition that centers itself around the abstract mental space of young artists today, as they fight for their lives and freedom as individuals, and as artists. With crushing responsibilities like student loans, rent, studio fees, art materials, cars, bikes, time and space, it is an uphill climb for most—without an end in sight. This struggle can be a catalyst for friendship and support, but, it is a huge driving force in these artists' lives and art practice.
As I walked through the glass doors of the exhibition space, my eyes locked onto the exquisite work of Shay Bredimus, at the end of the corridor. Two dark and ominous framed portrayals of what look like mythological beings or ancient spiritual entities engage<|fim_middle|>s for weeks. The juxtaposition in the imagery lightly caresses the abstract theme inferred by the exhibition title, but leaves the interpretation open-ended, only strengthening the haunting qualities of the work.
To the left of Bredimus' work hangs a more passive representation of that mental space of strife and struggle; an abstract minimalist painting by Hely Gonzalez entitled Slave Ship. Predominantly black, with one major obtuse block of warm color toward the top of the composition, it seems to be hovering directly above an area of subtle faded color and emotion, barely seen and soft on all edges. That strange block of color seems as if an unattainable window or trap door, in a bottomless pit of darkness and doubt. Casting a very small amount of light into the space below the open and unreachable window, the space suddenly feels whole. The composition evokes a sense of space in the emptiness.
Though Gonzalez's painting is seemingly simple and abstract, the power of the colors and energy of the composition naturally reference the master painter, Rothko and his intense and spiritual paintings. It is interesting to witness an object so simple creating such a full body of emotion; it's almost as if the absence of lines or images forces your imagination to fill in the conceptual motives more easily.
The third piece in the exhibition is by Preston Daniels, across from the Hely Gonzalez painting. It is a magnetic and sharp invocation of light and space and darkness. Looking like it belongs in the Matrix, visually referencing Robert Irwin and Alberto Giacometti at the same time. It's title is Campfire Barricade. Daniel's work often resembles a melted version of reality, picking and choosing which parts of the real world as worth saving for his own. Playing god in a way, Daniels found a light to guide him through the darkness. His sculpture hangs on the wall, looking as though it could pounce on an unsuspecting visitor at any time. Where Gonzalez brought curiosity, and Bredimus brought passion, Daniels' work brings fear and honesty.
I felt as though I was peering into the soul of this object and that it would devour me whole at any moment. The sculpture has such sharp edges that seemed as if they reached for me, such thick black goo dripping down the wall. The texture, alone, gave the feeling of movement; the sense that this was what the world was like after an apocalyptic incident. The shining bright light shoved into place on this monster of worry and darkness.
"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO PRISON: A Group Exhibition" is up thru September 30. Appointment only. Artists Co-Op Gallery, 1330 Gladys Ave. Long Beach, 90802. | all my senses. With a shared dark tympanum, the two framed compositions touch each other in a delicate graze from their respective corners. The piece as a whole emits an energy of mysticism. This piece is a mere portion of a larger series of Bredimus' Seni Horoscope pieces that will be exhibited in an upcoming exhibition.
The work feels as though it is leaving a painful scar on the wall that it gently hangs on. It bleeds sweet, black blood and stains the wall as it trickles down to the floor of the exhibition space, beckoning for attention and interaction. Both images housed in this dark relic shrine look like ghosts, with extreme contrasts and intense emotion emanating from the female gaze inside each of the compositions.
On the right, a human-serpent creature lightly shines through the opaque foggy material, as if three-dimensional inside this tiny flat surface. On the left, an angry looking woman's face peers through the seemingly deep haze with two solid daggers in the foreground. Both images have a clear reference to classical figurative rendering, while parts of the compositions seem to touch on ancient religious symbols and traditional tattoo design. Bredimus' work is often on an opaque plastic and intricately painted with fine lines, shading and exquisite detail in painted inks. The overall feeling of much of his work is haunting—this piece lingered in my daydream | 280 |
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2013 Baby Shower List Publication
Gospel of Life Podcast Discussion Guide
What is the "Gospel of Life"?
When Freedom and Truth Collide
The Consistency of Church Teaching on Abortion
The Family as the Sanctuary of Life
Transforming the Culture of Life
Understanding Suffering and Death
The "Unique and Decisive" Role of Women in Building a Culture of Life
Healing the Wounds of Abortion
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Segment Eight. Healing the Wounds of Abortion
Overview: In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II offers the hope of healing to women who have had abortions. He assures them, that in the mercy of God, "nothing is definitively lost" and that they will be able to seek forgiveness from their child "who is living in the Lord" (99). Project Rachel is the post-abortion ministry of the Church which offers women and men the healing love of Christ through sacramental Reconciliation, counseling and retreats.
Until John Paul's Gospel of Life encyclical, no Pope had ever written directly to women who have had abortions. John Paul was acutely aware of the many factors influencing women's decisions to have abortions. His priestly ministry in Poland included a special outreach to women facing crisis pregnancies. In Communist Poland where he served as a priest and bishop, abortion was legal. Strict government regulations on housing and family life that made it enormously difficult for women faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
For some, John Paul's words of hope that unborn children who had been aborted were "living in the Lord" were a surprise. The idea that a mother or father could ask forgiveness from their aborted child was something they had never considered. John Paul's remarkable pastoral heart and keen theological mind inspired him to bring the hope of God's limitless mercy to all involved in abortions. This is truly "Divine Mercy."
Here in the Archdiocese of Boston, as in most every diocese in the United States, the Project Rachel post-abortion ministry helps women and men find the healing love and mercy of Christ. Project Rachel is named after the Old Testament matriarch Rachel. In the Book of Jeremiah (31:15-17) Rachel "mourns her children; she refused to be consoled because her children are no more". The Lord calls out to her<|fim_middle|> not believe forgiveness is possible because of what they have done.
Project Rachel offers a confidential helpline with referrals to specially trained priests for sacramental Reconciliation. One-day and weekend retreats are also available which many women have found to be life changing experiences.
One of every three women of child-bearing years in the United States has had an abortion. Many men have pressured women into having abortions. Doctors and other medical personnel are directly involved in performing more than one million abortions a year. The grief and pain and shame can be overwhelming – until they encounter the merciful love of God.
One participant at a recent retreat wrote about her Project Rachel experience this way, "I am certainly not the same person who was so afraid to walk through those doors and I don't ever want to see her again. I was finally able to begin to feel whole. The sacrament of Reconciliation was such a freeing moment for me. Just as much as I remember almost every detail of that horrible day fourteen years ago, I remember those forgiving words that I was absolved of all my sins. I keep replaying that phrase in my mind and it almost brings me to tears. But they're finally cleansing, healing tears instead of tears of extreme sorrow. I am able to see God in my life, and it makes me smile. I feel worthy to be among God's people and to be the best mother to my three children…"
We all know and love women who have had abortions. For more information about how Project Rachel might help them find healing, call (508) 651-3100 or e-mail help@projectrachelboston.com
Gospel of Life (99)
www.hopeafterabortion.com
Website of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, Inc.
www.projectrachelboston.com
Catechism of the Catholic Church (1257) on the necessity of Baptism
Why do so many women and men find it difficult to seek out sacramental Reconciliation after abortion?
How can you explain the connection between the Church's strong stand against abortion, its teaching on the importance of Baptism, and the words of John Paul II to women who have had abortions?
What are some practical suggestions for increasing awareness of the work of Project Rachel at the parish level? | and says "Cease from your cries of mourning. Wipe the tears from your eyes. There is hope for your future."
In the work of Project Rachel there are many tears, but there is also great hope – and new life. Many women carry the pain of their abortion for a lifetime. Like Rachel, they refuse to be consoled because they think they are not worthy to be forgiven, or worse yet, they do | 87 |
Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, 1990
Welcome to week four of the 2019 Horror Movie Extravaganza on Saturday Night Movie<|fim_middle|>, 1990
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991
Welcome back to another exciting episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week Dion Baia and J. Blake are exploring one of their favorite franchises -talking all things Star Trek– and taking a deep-dive into the 1991 film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country !
Blake and Dion jump right in, unpacking this huge topic- from the original series, to the feature films, and all the other elements that led to this movie, Star Trek VI , as well as utilize the fantastic novelization. They also lay out all the social and geopolitical events that were unfolding around the world at the time that played into this film (which the boys consider one of the best of the series). So watch your Romulan Ale intake, and monitor any enormous neutron radiation fields, because the lads are dissecting one of their absolute favorites in this all new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
(During the episode Dion and Blake excitedly referred to the great character actor Ward Bond as Wade Bond and his fabulous show Wagon Train as Wagon Trail – yes they can get overzealous at times.)
(Brock Peters was not the voice of the Kingpin on the 1994 Spiderman animated series, but instead it was Roscoe Lee Browne.)
Check out the original trailer for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country!
Here's a great featurette from 1991 on the making of Star Trek VI!
Have a look at this great interview with composer Cliff Eidelman about the film.
Take a listen to the amazing spine-tingling episode of Suspense, entitled The Flesh Peddler, starring the great DeForest Kelley.
As referenced in the podcast, here's a young Dion HERE and HERE blissfully playing with his CHiPs tricycle, before the now notorious 'incident'.
http://media.blubrry.com/saturday_night_movie/p/www.saturdaysleepovers.podwits.com/podcasts/SNMS_Star_Trek_VI.mp3
Category: Action, Adventure, Books, Classic, Drama, Fantasy, Film, Sci Fi, Serial, Television, Thriller | LEAVE A COMMENT | Sleepovers! Dion Baia and J. Blake decided to continue down the same route and do another anthology that has been related to the others they've profiled this past month, covering the cult classic Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, from 1990!
The boys unpack the iconic 1980's series Tales From The Darkside, and set the stage for how the 1990 feature film came about. Blake discusses his interviews with composer and (this film's) director John Harrison– about the backstory involving George A. Romero and Stephen King, and getting this film made, and how Creepshow and even Creepshow 2 were the catalyst. So make sure you don't scare easily, because Dion and Blake are back to tell you some more spooky tales on this all new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
David Nelson is the name of the musician that played with David Johansen that Dion couldn't remember, who is now a financial adviser (no relation to Ozzie & Harriet Nelson), who was with the singer post New York Dolls, in his solo years prior to Buster Poindexter.
Check out the original theatrical trailer!
http://media.blubrry.com/saturday_night_movie/p/www.saturdaysleepovers.podwits.com/podcasts/SNM_Tales_From_The_Darkside.mp3
Category: Classic, Horror, Television, Thriller | 1 Comment on Tales From The Darkside: The Movie | 305 |
Home ECONOMY Environment can go hand in hand with development: President
Environment can go hand in hand with development: President
New Delhi, June 9 :
Environment conservation can go hand in hand with development, and a transparent system will be put in place to ensure timely clearances to projects, President Pranab Mukherjee said Monday.
The government will also work with global communities to fight climate change.
"While putting the country on a high growth path, my government will keep sustainability at the core of our planning process. My government strongly believes that environmental conservation can go hand in hand with development," Mukherjee said while addressing the joint session of both houses of parliament Monday.
He said a time-bound and transparent system for environment clearances will be set up for this.
"To achieve this, environment and forest<|fim_middle|> rich cultural heritage, a symbol of faith and the lifeline for millions. However, Ganga continues to remain polluted with many stretches of the river becoming dry in lean season. My government will take all necessary steps to ensure a perennial, clean and pristine Ganga," Mukherjee said.
The president added that conservation of the Himalayas is also a priority area.
"Conservation of Himalayan ecology will be a priority area for my government. A National Mission on Himalayas will be launched," he said.
Transparent policies on allocation of natural resources will also be a government priority.
"In the recent past, serious concerns have been expressed regarding use of discretionary powers in allocation of our precious natural resources. The government will formulate clear and transparent policies on allocation of critical natural resources such as coal, minerals and spectrum," he said.
Previous articleNaveen demands more budgetary allocation for Odisha's railway projects
Next articleNABARD cuts interest rate by 0.20 percent | clearance systems will be made more predictable, transparent and time-bound. Simultaneously, an effective system will be developed for sound appraisal processes and strict compliance of clearance conditions, especially those relating to rehabilitation of displaced communities and regeneration of forests," he said.
The president said cleaner fuels will be promoted to bring down pollution levels in cities.
"The government will earnestly take up mitigation works to meet the challenges posed by climate change and will closely work with the global community in this regard," he said.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been focusing on cleaning the Ganga river, Mukherjee said the government will ensure a clean, pristine Ganga with perennial flow in the river.
"River Ganga is a part of our | 150 |
Vic Mensa Releases "Free Love" Featuring Le1f, Halsey, Lil B and Malik Yusef, In Honor of Pride Month
By Mady Thuyein | June 27, 2016 | 1:42pm
Photo by Rebecca Smeyne/Getty Music News Vic Mensa
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa shared his seven-track EP, There's Alot Going On, earlier this month, and now, he has released "Free Love" in honor of Pride Month. The track was produced by Papi Beatz and is loaded with features, including LGBT artists Le1f and Halsey, as well as underground rapper Lil B and spoken word artist Malik Yusef.
"What ever happened to free love?" Mensa asks in the song's hook. The heartfelt track addresses a number of topical moments, including Halsey's mention of the "Free the Nipple" movement and the Based God's shout out to Boston for being the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
Mensa dropped the track on Soundcloud with a note that he posted on his Twitter, letting his listeners know exactly why LGBT rights are so important to him.
pic.twitter.com/oU232fqDMu
— still alive (@VicMensa) June 26, 2016
Listen to the full track below.
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Silent Hill fans have convinced themselves a new game is going to be announced
By Jody Macgregor published 21 June 21
Hope springs eternal.
(Image credit: Konami)
In April, a trailer for a game called Abandoned by Blue Box Studios was posted to the PlayStation channel. (The studio later suggested it will be coming to PC as well as PS5, tweeting that, "The PC community shall rejoice.") It's a vague trailer, suggesting a first-person shooter set in a spooky rural area. There are woods, and a sign for "God's town", and a voiceover ranting about a community led by "a religious nutjob".
The Silent Hill community, desperate as ever to hear about a new game in the series, quickly convinced themselves that Abandoned was a revival of Silent Hills, the cancelled Hideo Kojima project. The theory has an entire subreddit of its own, The Blue Box Conspiracy. Among their evidence is the fact that Blue Box Studios tweeted "Abandoned = (First letter S, Last letter L)" and that the studio director, Hasan Kahraman, has a surname that's Hideo translated into Turkish. That might seem like a stretch, but to be fair when Metal Gear Solid 5 was being teased it was announced as a project by "Moby Dick Studios" led by Joakim Mogren, with Joakim being an anagram of Kojima.
Blue Box Studios has since tried to explain that Abandoned is not Silent Hill. It announced that, "We have no relations with Konami. Silent Hill is owned by Konami. We do not have any relations with Hideo Kojima. It was never our intention to tease the name as Silent Hill. We sincerely apologize for this." Kahraman had already been interviewed by IGN, and tried to defuse the rumor there, saying, "It did bother me a bit as we as a team are so excited to tease a bit of our game and then this conspiracy comes."
Neither statement did much to slow down speculation, as fans had one more shred of evidence to cling to. The Official Konami Shop merch store tweeted that "New merch is rolling into our shop, from a cursed place. #SHLSS" and followed it with an image of Pyramid Head and the words "Coming soon…"
Today, the Konami merch store revealed that what it's been teasing is actually just some new Konami merch. A skateboard with a booby nurse from Silent Hill 2 on it. The #SHLSS hashtag stands for "Silent Hill Limited Series Skateboard".
As OldGhostBlood wrote on the Blue Box Conspiracy subreddit, "I expect nothing from Konami and I'm still disappointed every time."
Jody Macgregor
Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel<|fim_middle|> War: Warhammer 3 as the series' weirdest, most ambitious faction
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Razer Seiren V2 Pro microphone review | , and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was published in 2015, he edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and actually did play every Warhammer videogame.
Playing Total | 67 |
Thankfully, we can't have a third series of The Hollow Crown, but what about adaptations of the Roman plays?
If there's one thing my (currently stuttering) Pony Tail Shakespeare read-through project has given me so far, it's a greater love for the History Plays. Once the project is (eventually) finished, I'm looking forward to reading them again merely for pleasure.
We can give those long dead words tone, inflection, pace … and meaning.
THIS is what we do, students.
We are archaeologists of the written word. Remember that.
Then – armed with contextual knowledge that keeps us somewhere on the Continuum of Plausibility™ – we 'perform' (and that is precisely the word, so enjoy the performative aspect of<|fim_middle|> A Level English Literature, section 1, question A … your Shakespeare extract task. | the work) forensic autopsies on those long-dead words: we dissect, analyse and record our findings.
Occasionally, what we're looking at might seem as alien as some of the stuff Scully chops up in the X-Files, but we persevere, we find points of reference, and with care we perform a kind of necromancy: we can practically bring the sample in front of us to life.
The subject's about 400 years-old.
THIS … … … is OCR H472/01 (Drama and Poetry pre-1900), | 122 |
Engineers' Facebook Page
An Engine Called Isabel
With all of the big toys on the railway, sometimes the smaller ones get overlooked. In 2010, whilst still closed to passenger services, the EOR acquired its first Steam engine for the preservation era; an 0-6-0ST Hawthorne Leslie called "Isabel."
Isabel – during one of her steamings – at Ongar.
Following arrival on the line on March 27 2012, she needed a fair bit of attention to get her working again. Unfortunately, in August that same year, she had to be withdrawn from service, having several faults and in need of a re-tube. Despite having roughly 3 years left of her boiler ticket, it was decided to fully overhaul her and bring her back with a full 10-year certificate. The overhaul was commenced during the Spring of 2014.
The cab and saddle tank were removed and rubbed down, before attention turned to the rest of the loco, which resides at the back of North Weald shed. The boiler was lifted that May, and cleaned in preparation for an inspection to asses the work required.
The boiler is lifted from the frames, allowing work to progress on Isabel's overhaul.
The axle boxes were stripped down; a lot of side play was found, far in excess of what is the norm, together with the hornguides, which they sit inside. These are also worn, and will be removed from the frames to receive a little machining, which will make them square and true again. This will be done in-house, using the machinery fitted in the Machine Shop.
During the summer of 2014, the brake rigging crossbeams were straight<|fim_middle|> some attention.
The cab receives its first base coat of blue.
The returned wheelsets, with thick, new tyres fitted and machined.
The boiler has now been sent away to Norfolk for some of the work required, which will speed up the overhaul.
Overhauling a small loco such as 'Isabel' is a great way to learn the workings of a steam engine – and is particularly suited to younger volunteers, and those who would like to progress through the ranks of an engineman. There's still much work needing to be completed before we will see our little industrial back in action on light services and brake van rides – if you'd like to get involved, you'd be more than welcome. You don't have to have any skills; just be prepared to ask questions, learn as you go and, most importantly, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!
Work Reports by: Tony Goulding
Work Party Leader | ened, using a new 50 ton press. New buckles were also fitted to the extension arms that run from each crossbeam, to rectify years of wear which have resulted in oval holes. The saddle tank and cab were further rubbed down, and given a primer coat of paint by the mid-week volunteers.
The boiler was then inspected by the EOR Boiler Inspector, and was been given the ok – subject to the following repairs:
new lower front tubeplate rivets
building up of the lower area on the front tubeplate
new crownstay nuts in the firebox
building up of the firebox plate under the fire hole door
the fusible plug area on the firebox crown sheet.
The backhead radius (shoulders) were to be checked for cracking by Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) ultrasonic testing. This was to be carried out by a specialist contractor; if there was anything found that could be a problem, additional repairs would be needed.
A new set of tyres were sourced and purchased, with the axles being sent off to Riley and Sons for them to be fitted. They were then machined to the correct profile, and returned in July 2015.
The driving axles are sent away for fresh tyres to be fitted.
While the wheelsets were away, the boiler received all-new crown stay nuts, which were machined up in-house. Wastage washers were fitted to the crown of the firebox. All the old studs that hold all the boiler fittings – from injectors clacks to the firebox door assembly and ashpan – have now been removed from the boiler and replaced with fresh ones.
The boiler is laid to rest on its side, allowing access to the firebox.
The late Richard Goulding removes the safety valve studs.
New crownstay nuts and washers into the firebox crown.
The cab, following a coating of red oxide.
All manner of other work, including inspections of the pistons and descaling of the frames, has also taken place. The boiler has since been sent away to Norfolk for the new tubes to fitted (amongst other jobs), whilst the on-site volunteers continue to work on the frames. It is hoped the boiler will be completed for October, after which a few finishing touches to it can be made, before testing begins.
The boiler cladding, tanks, cabs and frames have now mostly received an initial coat of blue paint. As the engine is slowly reassembled, this will be finished off and lined out, though what scheme exactly is yet to be decided.
The frames also receive | 527 |
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Hannah and James and their team recently helped us by providing deep cleaning services when we took over The Iron Horse. The challenge was intense to say the least not helped by the extremely tight time frames involved.
We gained access at 11am and opened the doors for business at 7pm, Hannah and her team did us proud, an endless supply of cleaners all enthusiastic and helpful, not to mention hardworking and they cleaned the building from top to bottom. James cleaned some very old and tired carpets that we never thought would survive, and after a few hours of hard work the results were amazing!
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← A conspiracy theory
But, her emails… →
Gut Instincts
In my last post I mentioned my reliance on my gut instinct in formulating what is, admittedly, a conspiracy theory. Interestingly enough, Trump has stated many times he trusts his gut when making decisions too. Somehow though I suspect there's a yuge difference between his process and mine, so I'll explain a bit about how I make my gut decisions identifying the Clinton/Dem/mainstream media spin operations in the media and how I analyze any news pertaining to the actions or public comments and appearances of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Studying propaganda and military information warfare operations has been an interest of mine starting in 1980, when I became interested in studying the Cold War, while in the Army. Another hobby, of sorts, has been watching people, because people fascinate me. I also developed a habit of reading a lot of government reports, starting with a hand-me-down copy of The Warren Commission report my oldest sister had sitting around the house. I read many reports after big political controversies and calamities, but I also find military after-action reports fascinating. Add these interests to my news junkie habit that developed when I was probably around 11 or 12, and these habits help guide my "gut instinct", which fails badly sometimes, but sometimes it's way ahead of the media reporting.
I also look for patterns of behavior (how people operate/what their personal signature of actions looks like and work on trying to put together a timeline of events or political activities connected to the situation.
Trump, from what I can glean, bases his gut instinct based on his complete faith in his superior dealmaking skills.
Back in the early 9<|fim_middle|> Iraq (which, we've managed [supposedly] to get out of) rather than Afghanistan (where, looks like, we ain't for the foreseeable future) which I meant to consolidate and fortify the utility of "going with your gut."
Looks quite apparent to me now that my having gone with mine perfectly illustrates the downside of having done so.
Sorry about that LB.
Well, JK, This slide you posted made me seasick even glancing at me and gets the point across completely. It reminded me of another convoluted mess of a plan, when the charts and diagrams of Hillary's healthcare plan in the 90s rolled out, lol. | 0s, I became very interested in the Clinton "war room" and their spin operations. It was something very different than normal political messaging in American presidential politics. Bill Clinton's ability to mask his true meaning behind deceptive language fascinated me, to the point, I would often listen closely to what he said in a speech and then look at quotes from the speech that were reported in the news and marvel at how clever he was at saying one thing and meaning exactly the opposite. Bill and Hillary Clinton both are extremely mendacious people and so is Donald J. Trump but the differences between the Clinton spin operations and comparing that to Trump's spin sideshow is like comparing fencing to a WWE wrestling match.
Often in combat, guerilla disruption operations prove very successful. In this endless scorched earth spin information war, Trump disrupts and often hijacks the carefully constructed Dem talking points messaging, that relies on a large network of political operatives, sympathetic news media conduits and Hollywood celebs. Trump is a one-man show spin guerilla fighter, who routinely, with just a single tweet or public statement, completely disrupts a carefully constructed Dem spin attack. It's a large ponderous network vs. an unpredictable, lone spin guerilla, who attacks at random and without any warning.
Along with following the news, I've read many of the books that came out on the Clintons (friendly and unfriendly viewpoints), I read books by Democrat political operatives too, like Carville, Dick Morris, John Podesta, etc. I recently saw David Axelrod's book, Believer, which I found in my local Dollar Tree store for a $1, so I bought it. I intend to read Ken Starr's book, Contempt, too, but I have a long list of books I want to get through before I buy that. I even have a couple books on Trump too. Another habit of mine is to read bios online of people and political events, to try to understand where they came from. This brings me back to trusting "gut instinct" – some people's quick decisions might be more reliable than others, based on how they go about analyzing situations.
The caveat to trusting "gut instinct" is no human system based on making fast judgments is ever going to be 100% accurate and it's best to keep paying attention to new information that develops and be open to admitting some of your "gut instinct" assessments were incorrect and try to improve.
In 2005, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book, Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking, where he describes this process:
"Thin-slicing" refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink (p. 37). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
Two situations described in this book interested me. Retired Marine Corps general, Paul Van Riper is without a doubt one of the most brilliant military strategists in America. Gladwell explains Van Riper was selected to lead the Red Team, playing a rogue military leader in the Persian Gulf, heading a terrorist group in Millenium Challenge 'o2, a very expensive U.S. military wargaming exercise. In the exercise Blue Team was meant to test the U.S. military's new operational system, relying on high-tech systems that provided all the super-duper complex computer assessments and analysis, which would provide vast amounts of information quickly. The Red Team rogue leader, Van Riper played, didn't have all those high-tech systems:
"Millennium Challenge, in other words, was not just a battle between two armies. It was a battle between two perfectly opposed military philosophies. Blue Team had their databases and matrixes and methodologies for systematically understanding the intentions and capabilities of the enemy. Red Team was commanded by a man who looked at a long-haired, unkempt, seat-of-the pants commodities trader yelling and pushing and making a thousand instant decisions an hour and saw in him a soul mate.
On the opening day of the war game, Blue Team poured tens of thousands of troops into the Persian Gulf. They parked an aircraft carrier battle group just offshore of Red Team's home country. There, with the full weight of its military power in evidence, Blue Team issued an eight-point ultimatum to Van Riper, the eighth point being the demand to surrender. They acted with utter confidence, because their Operational Net Assessment matrixes told them where Red Team's vulnerabilities were, what Red Team's next move was likely to be, and what Red Team's range of options was. But Paul Van Riper did not behave as the computers predicted.
Blue Team knocked out his microwave towers and cut his fiber-optics lines on the assumption that Red Team would now have to use satellite communications and cell phones and they could monitor his communications.
"They said that Red Team would be surprised by that," Van Riper remembers. "Surprised? Any moderately informed person would know enough not to count on those technologies. That's a Blue Team mind-set. Who would use cell phones and satellites after what happened to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan? We communicated with couriers on motorcycles, and messages hidden inside prayers. They said, 'How did you get your airplanes off the airfield without the normal chatter between pilots and the tower?' I said, 'Does anyone remember World War Two? We'll use lighting systems.'"
Suddenly the enemy that Blue Team thought could be read like an open book was a bit more mysterious. What was Red Team doing? Van Riper was supposed to be cowed and overwhelmed in the face of a larger foe. But he was too much of a gunslinger for that. On the second day of the war, he put a fleet of small boats in the Persian Gulf to track the ships of the invading Blue Team navy. Then, without warning, he bombarded them in an hour-long assault with a fusillade of cruise missiles. When Red Team's surprise attack was over, sixteen American ships lay at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Had Millennium Challenge been a real war instead of just an exercise, twenty thousand American servicemen and women would have been killed before their own army had even fired a shot. "
As the Red force commander, I'm sitting there and I realize that Blue Team had said that they were going to adopt a strategy of preemption," Van Riper says. "So I struck first. We'd done all the calculations on how many cruise missiles their ships could handle, so we simply launched more than that, from many different directions, from offshore and onshore, from air, from sea. We probably got half of their ships. We picked the ones we wanted. The aircraft carrier. The biggest cruisers. There were six amphibious ships. We knocked out five of them.""
Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink (pp. 185-189). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
While it's a gross insult to General Van Riper's strategic brilliance to compare him to Donald J. Trump in any way, I think a very general "complicated system vs. a very simple, unpredictable system" analogy holds up. General Van Riper was playing a rogue military leader of terrorists with few military assets pitted against the most high-tech military in the world. Scorched earth spin information warfare, on the other hand is sleazy mass media propaganda games and smear campaigns, so it was the Clinton/Dem/mainstream media manipulative word games/smear campaigns vs. Trump, the crass, loudmouth reality TV star blazing insults across the airwaves and mean tweets on his personal Twitter account. I just don't think it takes 'brilliant" strategists to ruthlessly manipulate people, spread outrageous lies and wage vicious smear campaigns. It takes total amorality of thousands of slithering snakes in the grass vs. a giant hissing orange-skinned snake.
Gladwell gives numerous examples of how sometimes thin-slices of information can give you enough information to make those, almost "thinking without thinking" determinations based on a pattern, you detect very quickly. I read a book a long while ago, dealing with some of this "in a glance" concept, which Von Clausewitz, a brilliant military strategist, referred to this ability as Napoleon's Glance, and used the term coup d'oeil. William Duggan in his book, Napoleon's Glance writes:
"Coup d'oeil was the secret of Napoleon's success. He made no innovations himself: Instead, he studied in detail the winning campaigns of the great generals who came before him, all the way back to Alexander the Great more than two thousand years before. Napoleon imitated their tactics but always in a new combination that fit the present situation. He put his army in motion with no particular destination, until he saw in a glance a coup d'oeil a chance to win a battle. The place and time were completely unpredictable, and he passed up more battles than he fought."
Napoleon's Glance, written by William Duggan, page 4
Gladwell also touched on coup d'oeil in his book, Blink, and described a WWII situation pertaining to British women recruited to listen to German radio broadcasts:
"In the Second World War, the British assembled thousands of so-called interceptors— mostly women— whose job it was to tune in every day and night to the radio broadcasts of the various divisions of the German military. The Germans were, of course, broadcasting in code, so— at least in the early part of the war— the British couldn't understand what was being said. But that didn't necessarily matter, because before long, just by listening to the cadence of the transmission, the interceptors began to pick up on the individual fists of the German operators, and by doing so, they knew something nearly as important, which was who was doing the sending. "If you listened to the same call signs over a certain period, you would begin to recognize that there were, say, three or four different operators in that unit, working on a shift system, each with his own characteristics," says Nigel West, a British military historian. "And invariably, quite apart from the text, there would be the preambles, and the illicit exchanges. How are you today? How's the girlfriend? What's the weather like in Munich? So you fill out a little card, on which you write down all that kind of information, and pretty soon you have a kind of relationship with that person."
The interceptors came up with descriptions of the fists and styles of the operators they were following. They assigned them names and assembled elaborate profiles of their personalities. After they identified the person who was sending the message, the interceptors would then locate their signal. So now they knew something more. They knew who was where. West goes on: "The interceptors had such a good handle on the transmitting characteristics of the German radio operators that they could literally follow them around Europe— wherever they were. That was extraordinarily valuable in constructing an order of battle, which is a diagram of what the individual military units in the field are doing and what their location is. If a particular radio operator was with a particular unit and transmitting from Florence, and then three weeks later you recognized that same operator, only this time he was in Linz, then you could assume that that particular unit had moved from northern Italy to the eastern front. Or you would know that a particular operator was with a tank repair unit and he always came up on the air every day at twelve o'clock. But now, after a big battle, he's coming up at twelve, four in the afternoon, and seven in the evening, so you can assume that unit has a lot of work going on. And in a moment of crisis, when someone very high up asks, 'Can you really be absolutely certain that this particular Luftwaffe Fliegerkorps [German air force squadron] is outside of Tobruk and not in Italy?' you can answer, 'Yes, that was Oscar, we are absolutely sure.'""
Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink (pp. 45-47). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
I don't know if my "gut instinct" when it comes to identifying the Clinton/Dem spin attacks and smear campaigns launching in the media and their endless corrupt political power plays has more to do with Gladwell's "thinking without thinking" concept, coup d'oeil or is more akin to Gavin DeBecker's, The Gift of Fear, after surviving the Clinton's ruthlessness during impeachment in 1998…
Filed under General Interest, Information War, Military, Uncategorized
4 responses to "Gut Instincts"
"I think a very general "complicated system vs. a very simple, unpredictable system" analogy holds up."
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/apr/29/mcchrystal-afghanistan-powerpoint-slide
And that we're still in Afghanistan with no improved prospects would seem to buttress your contention.
Is this the McChrystal surge strategy?
That brings back memories – I rather strongly criticized that strategy (among other military policy pieces Peters wrote) on Ralph Peters op-ed columns at the New York Post… then all the comments sections on Peters columns there were removed. My email and facebook accounts appeared to be hacked at the same time, as I was communicating with my attorney, whom I had given my passwords to both my facebook and email accounts and I was writing comments in draft messages to my attorney – explaining to my attorney what all happened in '98 and my ongoing attempts to expose what happened to me…
It's been a Sisyphean challenge to get anyone to even listen to me about any of this – I get automatically dismissed as a nobody homemaker. Only peeps with fancy titles, connected friends (or a blue checkmark on Twitter) are considered worth listening to in America..
Unintended.
I did have in mind a Powerpoint slide meaning for it to illustrate General Van Riper's using simple stuff like using wands [lights, like you see carrier plane directors doing at night] to direct plane movements rather than radio thus undercutting the tactical side of Blue Team's "strategy" – in an effort to support the "complicated v. simple/unpredictable" analogy you'd drawn.
However the particular slide my memory provided search terms for applied to | 2,961 |
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I was reading scans of an esoteric magazine from the 1920s and '30s called The Great Work in America, and was bemused by the editor's call for reader submissions. Bemused because here I am ready to make the same call across the chasm. Most of our submissions come from a literal handful of contributors, and your original essays, poems, and photographs are welcome. You can also send suggestions for favorite works by other authors and we'll see if we can get permission to reprint them. Finally, there are a couple of other ways to help.
If aren't subscribed to the Forum, please click the link at the top of this page. You will receive notices of each new Forum, a couple of TAT Foundation event notices each year, and your subscription will help motivate us to keep publishing. Since we don't make any nickels from this work, the knowledge that we are reaching our audience is what keeps us typing.
It also helps to hear directly from the audience. Go to that other link at the top of the page, the one that says "Contact," and send us comments, suggestions, and questions. Perhaps there is a topic you wish we would cover, an article left you inspired or bewildered, or you wish to contact an author.
Good, the Bad, and the Innocent: we'll look as these terms as they apply to finding better possibility to go within. Then we'll look at three steps to upping this bit of possibility, to become more 'accident prone'(increasing the probablity of realization). These are steps I've seen with hindsight that happened in my life that are a way to explain how we can better find the listening attention, and also, once we have found it, to apply it long enough to get results.
Define and explain 'doorway' and 'gateway' --The listening attention looks both ways, out at the universal projection or world, and at the individual's mind and memory, along with visualization, etc., and also can look within to the unmanifest realm, and is capable of receiving insight therefrom. The listening attention can look at this inner self as well as the manifest side or outer self. The ego or dualistic mind only sees the memory or visualized projected image of its own making, after the fact.
This talk is about the possibility of change, of becoming something more capable of having an accident(realization). Change can been seen through two ways: knowledge -- realizing you want to know more and there is more to know; and being -- seeing our state, knowing it can and should be changed, and wanting to change it.
Defining<|fim_middle|> the Self, as an entity in a projected world of entities.
"When I see a familiar thing without associations it looks strange. I see it in a new way. The point is that when momentarily the veil of associations is stripped away, something happens. What happens? Everything becomes alive. If you can by sufficient practice relax from the Personality, which is where the network of associations lies, and from, let me add, the wrong feeling of 'I', you find yourself in a different world. Actually the world is the same, but your reception of the impressions from it is different and so it's meaning is different. When you are relaxed from Personality and Imaginary 'I' things are close to you. They speak to you. You are then truly taking in impressions. Impressions are falling on Essence. Now when you are blessed - that is, when you are relaxed from the Personality - you feel the intimacy of everything around you, as if things realized they could go on playing and you would not be angry. If you get angry you cannot relax from the Personality. Or it is as if you and everything around you felt quite suddenly at ease and something could creep out from each object and show itself alive to you. ~ And then suddenly life slams the Personality back into its place and everything is dead."
Men & Melons are hard to know.
I just wanted to say that the December 2007 Forum was exceptional. I loved Bob Harwood's poem, "You Can't Hide From Me", Paul Constant's piece, "Soap Bubbles" and the excerpt from Douglas Harding's book "Face to No-Face". I found your piece, "The Business of Seeking", to be particularly poignant. | 'good' and 'bad' and 'innocence'.
The Inner Child or self or the listening attention is not good or bad, but innocent, meaning it does not operate from a book of rules subject to time, society and politics. It's innocent because it sees everything as new every moment, not only from experience and the idea of making itself look good or be bad. It can use the mind, it's not cut off from this intelligence, but is not beholden to the mind or emotion to uphold a sense of self.
The listening attention 'sees', or is aware; it does not relate to or think from the mind, though it sees the mind as well. The listening attention is non-dual, it doesn't split things into pairs of opposites, good/bad.
'Intelligent spontaneity' is another definition of innocence.
Good/bad as the manifestations of the mind. The mind being dual, everything is split into pairs of opposites. By trying to be good, we leave the bad side of us in the unconscious, and refuse to acknowledge it. If we are a rebel, we don't want to admit our good side, and leave it unused.
Story of the drunk in rehab who was singing and asking "do you want to be bad? I like to be bad." This is an example of the line of good/bad, as the drunk was reacting to his parents wanting him to be good, by being bad.
Story of when my mind first began to split the world into pairs of opposites. Outside the Corner Cash Grocery in elementary school when I realized I was putting things into the categories of good/bad, of opposite pairs, such as: Ford or Chevrolet? Hershey bar or Milky Way? Something was changing, and something was being lost, but it was a long time before this became clear.
The examples of how the body and hormones can be tricked, like the one about the astronauts and hitting them on the bottom of their feet for the re-orientation of the body to 'up and down', which is lost in weightlessness, and the one for SAD(seasonal affective disorder), which is shining a light on the backs of your knees in order to trick you into thinking it's summer. The body and the mind are easily tricked and since the ego is from the body or the mind and relates to it, it is easily tricked too. We get so far away from the child and intelligent spontaneity that we're lost in experience and in routine and we don't believe that we can change or even begin to observe the routine.
Let's look at some ways that can be the tap on the feet or the light on the backs of the knees to return us to a more direct way of seeing.
But I can hear it not in the house.
A Friend, OH What a Friend!
When is it ever? Forever now?
How does 1 become 0?
who is left to know?
Does 1 + 1 make 2? Or does it make infinity?
that was there all along beyond infinity?
it's too much to work out these mathematical numbers.
We often see the truth before accepting the implications. Acceptance is another way of describing surrender. To accept the truth, we have to surrender a contrary belief.
If we observe children at play, we see that kids surrender a favorite toy when they become tired of it or when they see another one that looks more enticing. Our pet beliefs are like the toys of childhood that we don't want to let go of. Eventually we may tire of them or trade them for more appealing ones.
The final belief that prevents us from accepting the truth of what we are is the conviction that we are a separate something, an aware entity. If we look at or feel directly what we're looking out from, we intuit that it is the ground of awareness. In other words, what we are at the core of our being is awareness. But accepting that fundamental truth involves surrender of the core belief of separate I-amness. Getting to this final surrender is a struggle, a fight to the death. The trauma accompanying this ego-death varies in intensity depending on age and other factors, but describing the final self-realization or recognition as a death experience is a common denominator across centuries and cultures.
It may be possible to bypass a prolonged struggle and go directly to the final opposition of truth and belief, but it's more likely that there are secondary beliefs or self-identifications that will have to be seen through and accepted first. The secondary misidentifications take forms along the lines of: I am this body ... I am the thinker, the feeler, the experiencer ... I am the doer, the decider, the judge, and so on.
I met a student recently who was graduating from a top-flight engineering school and had been accepted in a Ph.D. program in computing and neuroscience on the west coast. During an earlier period in his undergraduate studies, he had realized that the self is merely a construct of the mind -- and that threw him for a loop for several months. Since then he's kept extremely busy -- a technique we use to avoid accepting implications -- and has determined on a life-direction of being able to bring scientific proof of his realization to the academic community.
His realization is a valid one, but a conclusion that the self doesn't exist is a faulty deduction. Buddha's comments on anatman, Bernadette Roberts's calling her awakening an experience of no-self, and the various descriptions of ego-death from self-realized individuals need to be understood as attempts to point to the truth by negating a universally held belief. When we discover or admit what we really are, we surrender our belief in individuality as our essence. The individual self exists as all things exist, in the sense of the Latin roots of the word, by standing outside of the Self. The individual exists as a projection of | 1,205 |
What next for the FTSE 100?
Thursday 3 January 2019 8:11 am
From Brexit to tariffs, brace yourself for an uncertain 2019
Linda Yueh Yueh
Get ready for a 2019 full of uncertainty.
On the political scene, headline events range from Brexit to the US-China trade tensions to EU reforms – all coming at a vulnerable stage in the business cycle,<|fim_middle|> other business deals.
So, the stakes are high. Can these two global powers negotiate a trade agreement in just three months?
In one sense, a deal can be done fairly quickly if China opens up its market, particularly for services.
That should increase American exports, since the US is the world's largest exporter of services, and help the Chinese economy as well, as China had been contemplating introducing more foreign players into its services sector to increase competition.
However, intellectual property is likely to be a sticking point, since that requires a better legal system which can't be improved quickly.
As with all such negotiations, it's possible for the US and China to strike a deal to reduce America's trade deficit with assurances that they will work on IP and other issues, but that remains pretty uncertain.
And there is uncertainty in the EU too. While Italy seems to have softened its stance around its budget deficit, France looks to be running afoul of EU budget rules after granting concessions to defuse the "yellow vest" protests at the end of last year.
In addition, President Emmanuel Macron's proposed EU reforms to create a central fiscal authority have stalled. The May elections for the European parliament may send a signal about the future direction of the EU, our biggest trading partner, but until then it's hard to make any firm predictions.
All of this uncertainty comes against a backdrop of a business cycle that looks to have passed its peak. That's definitely the consensus for the US, where economic growth likely peaked in the middle of 2018, and the UK tends to fall within the same business cycle.
So, if all the geopolitical events mentioned above affect the economy, it may worsen the cyclical slow-down. Therefore, brace for uncertainty in 2019. It's likely to be a volatile start to the year.
City A.M.'s opinion pages are a place for thought-provoking views and debate. These views are not necessarily shared by City A.M.
Tags: Brexit Chinese economy Donald Trump People Theresa May | with half of US chief financial officers expecting a recession in 2019, and over 80 per cent by 2020.
Starting at home, there is considerable uncertainty about whether parliament will pass the Prime Minister's Brexit withdrawal agreement, now scheduled for a vote this month.
Having withdrawn the vote once already due to an anticipated defeat in the Commons, there is a chance that Theresa May won't be able to extract sufficient reassurances from the European Union to garner enough votes to pass her deal.
At that point, the options look very limited. There won't be much time to renegotiate (even if the EU agrees to it) before Brexit day on 29 March. The EU has indicated that it would be open to extending the departure date by three months, but even with an extension, there wouldn't be much time.
And thus other options are being discussed, including a version of the Norway model, a second referendum, and a managed "no deal".
These options come with their own uncertainty.
Parliament is against a no-deal outcome, and if a second referendum is held, there is no guarantee that it would resolve the Brexit question. The cabinet has been stepping up no-deal preparations to ensure that the UK can trade on WTO terms at the end of the first quarter of 2019, but many of the issues remain unresolved.
Should May's withdrawal agreement pass, the 18-month countdown would begin to December 2020, which marks the end of the transition period.
That would mean less uncertainty later on this year, but there would still be questions over the nature of the future EU trade deal and agreeing on a yet-to-be found solution to prevent a hard Irish border.
As if that wasn't enough uncertainty, the first quarter of the year will see either efforts towards a US-China trade deal, or 25 per cent tariffs on all Chinese imports into the US, matched by likely retaliation from China.
The issue isn't just tariffs being imposed by the world's biggest economies that will raise global prices and affect the rest of us. Supply chains could be distorted as businesses seek to avoid political fall-out and make less efficient decisions.
Worryingly, business deals are among the less-discussed casualties of the US-China trade war.
Global M&A deals require anti-trust approval by China, the US and the EU. Last July, China scuppered a $44bn deal between US tech company Qualcomm and Dutch chipmaker NXP – a decision which, it is suspected, may have been linked to the ongoing tensions between the Chinese government and President Donald Trump.
President Xi Jinping offered to look again at the deal as part of his rapprochement with Trump, but Qualcomm said the deal was dead and had already paid a $2bn break-up fee. This incident may well give pause to | 579 |
Brené on<|fim_middle|>ou
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Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. Brené is also a visiting professor in management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.
She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her latest book, Dare to Lead.
Brené hosts the Unlocking Us Podcast and the Dare to Lead Podcast. Her TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 50 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix. The Call to Courage special debuted on the streaming service in April 2019.
Brené lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie.
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Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
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"You are only free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great."
– Dr. Maya Angel | 363 |
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History professor examines American foreign policy in Scowcroft biography
David Schmitz, Robert Allen Skotheim chair of history, has spent the last two years studying history through another man's eyes.
"(Scowcroft) was very much what I expected him to be ... thoughtful and moderate. The records offer a fairly accurate reflection of him."
— David Schmitz
Robert Allen Skotheim chair of history
It is Brent Scowcroft, two-time national security adviser, who has been the center of Schmitz's research since 2008. After both tracing Scowcroft's written legacy in archives around the country and speaking with him in person,<|fim_middle|>1-1965" and "The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 1965-1989") led the reporter to him. Schmitz was asked for his thoughts on the history of U.S. support for authoritarian regimes, any lessons we can draw and how the current events in Egypt compare with earlier examples. Also, Justin Elliot of Salon.com magazine contacted Schmitz to comment on Reagan's support of the apartheid government in South Africa. | Schmitz has produced a 256-page volume, titled "Brent Scowcroft: Internationalism and Post-Vietnam War American Foreign Policy." The book will be published this spring by Rowman & Littlefield Inc.
Schmitz was drawn to study Scowcroft because of his unique involvement with American foreign policy-making over the last half-century. Scowcroft is the only person to have served as national security adviser under two presidents: Gerald Ford, from 1975 to 1977, and George H.W. Bush, from 1989 to 1993.
"This deeply researched book ... offers much more than biography," writes Mark Lawrence, assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. "Through the lens of Brent Scowcroft's long career, Schmitz deftly analyzes the development of U.S. foreign policy since the Vietnam War."
Scowcroft served his country during "two critical junctures, the Vietnam War and the end of the Cold War," Schmitz said. It is these periods that Schmitz views as "the two pivotal moments" in American foreign policy since World War II. For Schmitz, who is fascinated by "continuity and long sweeps," the consistency of Scowcroft's dedication to internationalism is particularly appealing.
"The Vietnam War shattered foreign policy consensus around containment," Schmitz said. "Scowcroft tried to hold together that internationalist understanding in the face of the challenges that emerged after the Vietnam War — challenges from Jimmy Carter about human rights, and later, from neo-conservatives' policies of preemptive war and regime change."
For Scowcroft, internationalism meant "protecting the nation from aggression, providing international stability, controlling arms and shaping an international environment that was conducive to America's goals and needs," Schmitz wrote.
Schmitz has been aided in his research by a Perry Summer Research Award that allowed a student assistant, Destiny Cowdin-Lynch '10, to work with the professor at two presidential libraries in the summers of 2008 and 2009, as well as former ambassador Ryan Crocker '71, who helped Schmitz set up an interview with Scowcroft.
The interview "gave me a sense of Scowcroft personally," said Schmitz. "He was very much what I expected him to be ... thoughtful and moderate. The records offer a fairly accurate reflection of him."
Schmitz's work also is informed by a personal interview with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a protégé of Scowcroft, and also by several presentations that Schmitz gave throughout his research process. Schmitz has spoken to both Whitman faculty and outside professional groups, including a talk at Rutgers University in 2009, and a March 2010 presentation in New York to Whitman Garrett and Sherwood scholars and alumni.
Although the book looks to the past, Schmitz argues that an understanding of Scowcroft can inform our perception of contemporary events.
"I hope that people look to Scowcroft as an important voice for understanding how American foreign policy should be made in the face of the challenges of terrorism," said Schmitz, who emphasizes Scowcroft's "moderate approach to the first Gulf War and decision not to invade Iraq at that time.
"We can see in Scowcroft's thinking ideas about how to best deal with the challenges presented by al-Qaida, 9-11 and terrorism," Schmitz said.
— Eleanor Ellis '13
David Schmitz has taught history at Whitman since 1985. He is the author of numerous books, most recently "The Triumph of Internationalism: Franklin D. Roosevelt and a World in Crisis, 1933-1941." His new book is available at the Whitman Bookstore at (509) 527-5274 or online.
Professor Schmitz found himself in demand by the media in February for comments about disparate topics — Egypt and former President Ronald Reagan. Scott Shane of The New York Times interviewed Schmitz about the events in Egypt for a story in the Feb. 5, 2011, "Week in Review" section. Schmitz's books on the United States and right-wing dictatorships ("Thank God They're on Our Side: The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 192 | 924 |
Lionsgate Home Entertainment // R // September 17, 2002
Review by Phillip Duncan | posted September 9, 2002 | E-mail the Author
The new Bill Paxton directed film Frailty is one<|fim_middle|> Kirschner and cinematographer Bill Butler offer up more behind the scenes details and facts than anyone can hope to remember. Livelier because of the number of people involved, it's still not as interesting as Paxton's commentary.
The last commentary track comes from first-time screenwriter Brent Hanley. Another interesting commentary, he offers up an outside and new perspective to the filmmaking process. Since Paxton had Hanley on set for most of the filming he also offers up his take on the whole process as well.
Last up are three deleted scenes. All three have commentary with Paxton and he explains where each was in the original cut and why they were cut. He subscribes to the school of thought that every shot should move the story and that's why a few of these scenes were cut. None are terribly bad in a way that some scenes are and could have easily worked in the film, but would have likely slowed it down. Also included are storyboard and photo galleries that show many of the images used in making the film.
Overall: Paxton has produced a fine film and Lions Gate has given it the treatment it deserves. Packed with features and produced with care, it adds up to a great DVD that should be included in every collection. A throwback to classic horror and suspense, Frailty offers a taut look at a serial killer and his motives that may or may not be altruistic.
DVD Talk Collector Series | of the most engaging horror and suspense films I've seen in quite some time. Paxton had said the reason he decided to direct the film himself is for fear of someone tampering with the plot and it's easy to see why. This film asks difficult questions and pulls no punches. I believe it's a stronger film because of this, but it will likely divide audiences down the middle.
Religion is always a hot topic and one that is rarely dealt with in a straight fashion. Some of the best horror films have been based on religion and beliefs. The Exorcist, Omen, The Wicker Man, and Rosemary's Baby are just a few of the popular ones. With the exception of Omen, all of these deal with generic demons or religions that pass over the Christian God and Devil (as antagonists) and ruffle fewer feathers because of this. Even The Exorcist, which is as much a film about faith, strays by relying on a demon called Pazuzu. This is not the case in Frailty. It dares to go where few mainstream films have by dealing with God directly and the things a person will do for their faith.
The film starts with a man (Matthew McConaughey) claiming knowledge about a string of serial killings that have been referred to as the 'God's Hand' murders. His story relates back to 1979 and his childhood in a small Texas town. The main part of the film is told in flashback and follows Fenton and Adam Meiks as children. They live alone with their father. Their mother died during childbirth and they seem to be normal in everyway. They look after one another and generally seem to be a normal family.
All that changes when their Dad (Paxton) wakes them in the middle of the night telling them that God has sent him an Angel and a vision. He's been instructed that God has chosen them to be a family of demon-slayers and they will receive three special weapons. The younger boy, Adam, believes his father's words and Fenton, the older brother, doesn't. The next morning they are wondering if it was all a dream until their father reminds them not to tell anyone.
As time passes, their Dad continues to receive his visions. They lead him to the magical weapons (an axe, pipe and a pair of gloves) and send him the first seven demons that he must kill. In order to do this, he must capture the person, bring them to his house and lay his hands upon them. When he does this they will be able to see their sins and the demon will be revealed.
More time passes and they think less and less about it until their dad doesn't come home one night. He arrives much later carrying what looks to be a body. As Fenton goes to investigate, his Dad invites him and Adam out to the shed to watch what he is about to do. It's at this point the film becomes truly terrifying. The audience is forced to watch their father's actions a through their eyes. They don't know who or what to believe.
The older boy Fenton believes that their dad is crazy, but Adam says he can see what his father does and seems to understand everything. As they boys continue to question their father's actions, they are divided. Fenton believes it's wrong, but Adam believes his father. The bigger question is revealed as the boys watch and episode of the religious cartoon Davey and Goliath. Davey wants to know why if God controls everything why did he let him have an accident. To this question, Davey's Dad replies that God only shows us and then we make the choices.
Giving the rest away would spoil the incredible tension and development in the film. The rest of the movie explores the relations between a father and his sons, issues of faith and belief in religion. Does faith justify actions, no matter what they are? Are these demons really people? Will the son forsake the father or save him? As the film nears it's conclusion, a few obvious twists and turns appear. They work well in the story, but could be seen coming.
Despite that, the ending doesn't pull any punches and leaves the film with most of its power and likely controversy. A revelation that seems to explain some things actually poses more questions on religion and responsibility than previously thought. An attempt to explain certain aspects intensifies the ambiguity of the situation. How you view this will likely depend on your own personal faith and that's an amazing quality in a film today. Rather than a processed monster or reaction they dare to let you create your own demon and ending. The film is as powerful as you let it be. It's what you personally want it to be.
On DVD the film plays as well as it did in the theater. Upon a second viewing, small details make themselves more obvious and subtle nuances in the performances show through. The motif of hands is prominent throughout the film, a fact that only made itself apparent during the second viewing. The film is every bit as powerful and creepy as it was in the theater and is a perfect addition to any collection.
The Video: The 16 x 9 transfer is well done. The subtle light and darks in the film are conveyed perfectly to the home setting. The washed colors of the flashbacks and other scenes are flawless, with no image degradation or pixelation. The blacks are dark and full and contrast is balanced perfectly. There isn't a noticeable flaw in the transfer.
The Audio: The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound makes use of the rear speakers a few times and the score by Brian Tyler fills the speakers perfectly. The vocals are easily audible and overall sound quality is as good as you could want.
Extras: This single disc edition is packed with great features and all of them are worth viewing. Included on the disc is an episode of the Sundance Channel's Anatomy of a Scene. For those unfamiliar, the show takes one scene from the film-in this case the drive from the FBI office with McConaughey and Boothe-and deconstructs it from script to screen. Every phase of the production is covered, from the score, set design, editing and more. Lots of details are revealed and you'll learn that the headlights behind the car are really to flashlights taped to a stick. The second documentary is one filmed on and around the set that presents a more general look behind the scenes. It offers a few interesting facts and delves into the methods that Paxton used when directing the film and his influences.
There are three commentary tracks packed onto this single-disc edition and all are excellent, with Paxton's standing out as the strongest. He offers up tons of information regarding the little details in every scene, as well as revealing all the details about the production. He readily admits to his strengths and weaknesses and rarely pauses during the commentary.
The second commentary is from part of the production staff and key players. The film's main producer David | 1,419 |
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Permissionless Innovation: For an End to the Presumption of Regulation in Telecommunications
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Research Paper inviting the CRTC to proactively rescind the telecom exception and thereby reintegrate the sector under the general competition regime
The question of the price of cellphone packages in Canada recently resurfaced again, this time during the election campaign. In the context of this debate, we too often forget that Canada has top quality telecommunications infrastructure, despite a regulatory framework that is very restrictive for companies in this sector.
The CRTC needs to get out of the way (National Post, October 31, 2019)
Innovation delivers widespread benefits throughout society. While this disrupts markets and topples established models, the socially efficient rule is clear: Innovation should be permitted by default. Regulations, if not well designed and narrowly tailored, tend to impede innovation. The telecommunications industry in Canada is subject to regulations above and beyond the general competition regime. This Research Paper invites the CRTC to proactively rescind the telecom exception and thereby reintegrate the sector under the general competition regime.
Chapter 1 – Innovation, Growth, and Regulation
The main source of growth in an economy is figuring out new approaches for being more productive with the same resources: in a word, innovation.
By making it more expensive to run a business, or invest in a new technology, regulation delays projects, or diminishes the chances that projects will be undertaken.
When it opened up the local telephone market in 1997, the CRTC imposed "mandatory wholesale access" on the former telephone monopolies, a policy used around the world to ease the transition from<|fim_middle|> 9th Avenue SW, Suite 2010
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© 2023 IEDM/MEI. All rights reserved. Website by: Wikijeff.Co | a monopolistic environment to a competitive one.
Policies subsequently used to introduce additional, artificial competition in new services like high-speed internet have not benefited Canadian consumers in a sustainable way, instead sheltering competitors from market forces.
In the wireless sector, measures to introduce artificial competition in recent years, such as spectrum set-asides or caps, as well as mandatory roaming and tower sharing rules, have also undermined efficient competition.
There was a clear recommendation from the Telecommunications Act as early as 1993 to forbear from regulating as long as the industry keeps progressing toward long-term public policy goals.
The emergence of cable operators as serious contenders in the provision of telecommunications services accomplished in a few years what regulation had been unable to do: bring about dynamic, facilities-based competition.
The CRTC's recent decision to further reduce the wholesale rate large internet providers can charge their smaller competitors, which those large providers have appealed, would further reduce their incentives to invest.
Chapter 2 – Regulation by Default: A Misconstrued Approach to Markets and Competition
Consumers commonly substitute across markets, as when cellular phones—originally considered separate and distinct—came to offer a compelling alternative to fixed line telephone monopolies, eliminating the market power of legacy network providers.
Even if infrastructure-based markets could not sustain too many suppliers, it would not justify a technocratic body picking market winners instead of letting firms compete, with no legal barriers to entry, and trusting consumers to decide which ones deserve their business.
When mobile operators compete for the bottom of the pyramid in emerging markets, their competitors are not only the other mobile operators, but also the providers of other goods that compete for the same disposable income.
Customers of fixed line providers in an industrialized country aren't captive at all, since alternative services (such as satellite, mobile, and cable operators) are already available and improving fast, but also because of the emergence of "third places" such as coffee shops offering good Wi-Fi speed.
A good illustration of how indomitable customers can be is the saga of the Blackberry, produced by Research in Motion (RIM), whose market valuation reached US$42 billion in 2007, but which lost 75% of its stock value within the following five years.
The number of mobile and fixed operators has not changed much over the past few years, but the number of their suppliers has decreased drastically, with a few equipment manufacturers becoming giant players, and their bargaining power increasing significantly.
Equipment manufacturers, terminal manufacturers, internet service providers (whether wireless, wireline, or cable companies) and content providers all belong to the same ecosystem, and must adapt their strategies to each other's progress, always driven by what the general public is willing to pay for.
Chapter 3 – Reintegration of the Telecommunications Industry under the General Competition Regime
Rescinding the specific regulation of the telecommunications industry will create immediate economic value, as some financial and human resources currently devoted to compliance matters will be freed up and made available for productive use.
As mandatory sharing policy is rolled back, incumbent wireline and cable operators, who were reluctant to make further investments that would have also benefited their competitors, will be encouraged to put more money to work.
Commercial offers which were banned by the regulator even after having already found their customers, such as the zero-rating practices banned by the CRTC in 2017, will likely be reinstated if possible.
One interesting scenario would be for facilities-based operators to finally manage to extract money from the OTT (Over-the-Top) firms which benefit greatly from their infrastructure without having to pay for it.
As the share of online spending made by Canadians with their smartphones keeps growing, the stakes for online retail platforms to ensure access quality and reliability are getting higher.
It is easier for most people to comprehend the expected results of a regulation than to imagine the future benefits derived from the freedom to innovate, for the very reason that these benefits don't exist yet and still need to be invented, which gives us a cognitive bias in favour of regulation.
As both theoretical arguments and public policy experiments show, the CRTC must rescind its special regulatory policies and let the sector fall under the general competition regime in order to enjoy the proceeds of unhampered competition.
Experiments creating new technologies, services, and businesses are producing stunning advances in the modern economy. They constitute a discovery process delivering widespread benefits throughout society, while disrupting markets and toppling established models. This inevitably sparks controversy. But the socially efficient rule is clear: Economic innovation should be permitted by default.
This notion of "permissionless innovation" puts the onus on the would-be regulator: "Unless a compelling case can be made that a new invention or business model will bring serious harm to individuals, innovation should be allowed to continue unabated and problems, if they develop at all, can be addressed later."(1)
Regulations, if not well designed and narrowly tailored, tend to impede innovation. In fact, it is often the very purpose of regulation to render market access more difficult. Reducing both the scope within which initiative can take place and the number of firms authorized and able to compete necessarily limits the possibilities and the incentives to innovate. This in itself can (and will) discourage entrepreneurs from investing in the risky market experiments that lead to discovery and progress.
The telecommunications industry in Canada is an example of a sector of the economy that is subject to regulations above and beyond the general competition regime. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is currently struggling to complete its migration from a "presumption of regulation" to a "presumption of competition." The former typically uses expedients to encourage a certain pattern of market conditions and behaviours, whereas the latter relies on spontaneous dynamic forces to generate benefits for the general public.
Existing regulatory rules have been influenced by the view that infrastructure businesses—because of their size, economic importance, and cost structure—are de facto natural monopolies which ought to be heavily regulated. However, as seen in myriad fields, competitive entry has often challenged or destroyed monopolistic arrangements. This compulsion to regulate first has moreover sometimes ended up wasting vast resources and hindered economic growth.
Regulators can improve the situation by updating their view of the market and their unduly low expectations for rivalry—whereby operators are from the outset suspected of abuse and customers are deemed to be powerless—and by embracing a more receptive approach to market dynamics.
Indeed, once markets are understood as an organic system centred on consumers and their ever-evolving needs—which entrepreneurs and capitalists incessantly seek to discover and serve, realizing profits for successful anticipation and adaptation—it becomes clear that competitive advantages are temporary, not permanent. In this context, regulatory actions are seen to involve fundamental trade-offs and risk gumming up the process by which the long-run dynamics of the market naturally work to counter fleeting positions of dominance.
It is the presumption of competition—and an underlying freedom to innovate without asking for permission—that should be the guiding principle of the regulator. Under such an entrepreneurial paradigm, the future of the industry is continually being rewritten, as technologies emerge, networks evolve, devices are invented, and software applications are created. The consumer experience is transformed in competing forays, as rival carriers attempt to earn the loyalty of customers by serving them better and at lower cost.
This Research Paper discusses the case for "permissionless innovation" and applies it to the Canadian telecommunications industry. It invites the CRTC to proactively rescind the telecom exception with regard to regulation and thereby reintegrate the sector under the general competition regime. Such a rollback would provide new incentives to innovate and unleash untapped creative potential for the benefit of the entire economy. Consumers should at last be empowered by a system in which the regulator stands back, intervening only upon a breach of the general competition regime.
Read the Research Paper in PDF Format
Adam D. Thierer, "Embracing a Culture of Permissionless Innovation," Cato Online Forum, November 17, 2014.
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Sarah Buck is a Director of Client Relationships at Root Inc. She is responsible for turning first impressions into lasting relationships with Root clients by partnering to identify their strategy execution challenges and positioning solutions that allow them to successfully overcome those challenges. She has worked with a variety of organizations and industries, including True Value, McDonald's, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Zurich North America.
Working with executives in all functions, she is able to feed her passion for creating sustainable change in organizations.
She began her career in healthcare and enjoys navigating the evolving healthcare marketplace, while expanding her insights to other marketplaces such as finance and insurance. Sarah graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys cooking, traveling, and outdoor activities. She is a self-proclaimed "foodie" that is always willing to try new dishes and restaurants.
I always thought I was good with change – I adapt easily and I've thrived in a job where every day looks different. Turns out, I'm terrible at change.
5 key elements for culture success that help you build a culture that attract customers, engage employees, and create<|fim_middle|> deploy your new strategy in an effective and sustainable way.
Change is hard and sometimes you have to help employees change. Use these three tips to help make the next big change in the workplace a success. | purposeful and connected organization.
Creating an engaging, positive experience that leaves room for failure instead of focusing on a goal creates meaningful change that lasts.
By engaging all employees in a discovery-based interactive experience, you can | 42 |
Griffins post road win over Warriors
Matt Kamp, Sports Editor
In this file photo, Father McGivney's Charlize Luehmann attempts<|fim_middle|> the field, including 15.8 percent from 3-point range.
Kaylyn Wylie finished with a game-high 11 points for the Warriors, who shot 26.8 percent from the field with 19 turnovers.
Francis Howell 7, Edwardsville 2 – Francis Howell scored five of the game's first six goals and led from start to finish in a 7-2 win over Edwardsville on Thursday in Mid-States action inside the East Alton Ice Arena.
The Tigers dropped to 0-8 on the season, including 0-7 in the Municipal Conference. They have been outscored 46-8.
Francis Howell improved to 2-3-2.
On Thursday, Alek Nelson, Ethan DeGroat and Wyatt Sirimaturos each had two goals and an assist for Francis Howell, while Hayden Schreck added a goal and an assist.
For EHS, Fred Bramstedt scored two goals. Joey Viox had an assist.
Kai Vetter finished with 31 saves on 38 shots for Edwardsville.
The Tigers return to action when they host Parkway South at 8:45 p.m. Thursday in East Alton.
Matt Kamp is the sports editor for The Edwardsville Intelligencer. A graduate of Edwardsville High School and the University of Illinois, Matt has been writing for the paper since he was a junior in high school in 2001 and on a full-time basis since 2010. | a jumper against Greenville in the fifth-place game of the Columbia Invitational.
Matt Kamp
GRANITE CITY – Father McGivney continued its hot run with its fourth straight win over Granite City on Thursday in non-conference action.
The Griffins led after each quarter, including 18-12 at halftime, on the way to a 36-34 victory over the Warriors in Granite City.
Father McGivney improved to 4-1, while Granite City dropped to 0-3.
The Griffins led 7-6 after the first quarter, 18-12 at halftime and 31-21 after the third quarter. They were outscored 13-5 in the fourth.
Charlize Luehmann led the way with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Mary Harkins had seven points and Alexis Bond added six points and four rebounds.
FMCHS shot just 26.4 percent from | 201 |
NoiseFit Active launched in India at Rs. 3499/-
Noise has announced the launch of NoiseFit Active smartwatch in<|fim_middle|> users to have unlimited customisable cloud-based watch faces that allow them to choose a display as per their mood with 50+ classic watch faces to choose from.
itel extends warranty on its phones by 2 months for its customers
Infinix offers 60-days extended warranty to its customers amid the pandemic situation | India. Priced at INR 3499/-, NoiseFit Active is exclusively launched on Flipkart and will also be available on Noise's website.
Equipped with sleep tracking, SpO2 monitoring as well as a 24-hour heart rate monitoring feature, the watch comes in 4 classic colour variants. It allows users to measure blood oxygen and heart rate, keeping them in the know of their health.
Besides its all-round health-tracking features, the smartwatch is also equipped with 14 powerful sports modes and 5 ATM water resistance, making its users truly unstoppable. NoiseFit Active has an elegant round dial with a sharp 1.28" display and a 240×240 pixel resolution. The smartwatch is compatible with NoiseFit app which enables | 163 |
We have seen some incredible architectural innovations in Taiwan lately. From the tallest green skyscraper in the world to a 100 percent solar powered stadium, the country is certainly ahead of the game when it comes to sustainable design. STL Architects have come up with yet another eye-catcher: an amazing circular tower for Taichung City. The massive structure will serve as a cultural hub for leisure activities, concerts, and shopping while continuing to raise the bar in green architecture.
The giant circular tower will soar 1,049 feet high over a grassy plain and various walkways. Meant to promote clean air and the circulation of oxygen, the building's lobby will consist of an informational museum and vertical green habitats that encourage visitors to travel upward into the crystal blue sky.
With a lightweight and airy design in mind, STL created the structure of glass and metal, with an absolute minimal use of material. Special attention was paid to eliminating most of the horizontal structural beams that would otherwise disrupt the view from the panoramic glass encasements. The entire structure is covered in pixilated glazed openings varying from 20 percent to 60 percent to<|fim_middle|> walkways. Meant to promote clean air and the circulation of oxygen, the building's lobby will consist of an informational museum and vertical green habitats that encourage visitors to travel upward into the crystal blue sky.
With a lightweight and airy design in mind, STL created the structure of glass and metal, with an absolute minimal use of material. Special attention was paid to eliminating most of the horizontal structural beams that would otherwise disrupt the view from the panoramic glass encasements.
The entire structure is covered in pixilated glazed openings varying from 20 percent to 60 percent to lighten the building and distribute stress equally throughout.
The main areas on both the inner and outer cusp of the circle are double skinned to allow natural ventilation and fresh air throughout the many climbing levels. The centermost areas are clad in additional permeable materials for natural light to tend to the vertical gardens within.
The circular tower is a visual surprise, as many would think a delicate, ring-shaped building would fall over. This particular design is rooted with nearly a dozen stories below ground, giving the structure a solid base. The stiffness and thickness of the ring's bottom levels also give it a low center of gravity, making it easier to withstand heavy winds. | lighten the building and distribute stress equally throughout. The main occupiable areas on both the inner and outer cusp of the circle are double skinned to allow natural ventilation and fresh air throughout the many climbing levels. The centermost areas are clad in additional permeable materials for natural light to tend to the vertical gardens within.
The circular tower is a visual surprise, as many would think a delicate, ring-shaped building would fall over. This particular design is rooted with nearly a dozen stories below ground, giving the structure a solid base. The stiffness and thickness of the ring's bottom levels also give it a low center of gravity, making it easier to withstand heavy winds.
The ring does not stand straight up however. Upon a profile view, one can see that the circular tower leans back at the top to balance itself. While this was initially a logistics decision, the leaning top proved to be a great opportunity for an observation deck high above the city. The deck also collects rainwater and maintains a diverse garden for visitors to enjoy.
While the design is still in its beginning stages, it is already poised to be a must see attraction to add to the list in Taiwan.
The giant circular tower will soar 1,049 feet high over a grassy plain and various | 254 |
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little_chef_eva09 October 20, 2009, 5:13pm #1
Finally, my parents let me get a YouTube, and I just finished uploading my first WALL•E music video to Britt Nicole's Like a Star from her newest album, "The Lost Get Found."
Last night I finally got it finished and looking exactly the way I wanted it, and when I went to render it and save it, I noticed that I could output it in 1080i, so I'm like "SWEET!"
This was about 2:00 this morning. It craaawwwled through the encoding, lasting about 50 minutes from start to finish, and all the while I kept myself up so I could finish up and turn off my computer. When I went to watch the final product, I found that the audio was a piece of crap. So yeah, I waited all that time and went to bed around 3:30 because it didn't work out. So this time, I just rendered it normally and it turned out fine.
Anyhow, enough of my rambling! Enjoy my first MV, Like a Star - a WALL•E Music Video.
I do have plans for two more songs that I really want to do. We'll see how much you guys like my video editing first.
little chef
JustSoWall-eCrazy October 21, 2009, 12:54am #2
That…was…BEAUTIFUL!!! <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/love2.gif" alt=":loves:" title="In
Love" />
You have left me speechless; I was hooked the entire time. The lyrics match the song so well.
Overall, it gets not even 10/10, but 15/10.
Looking forward to more videos from<|fim_middle|>I was thinking of my WALL-E MV this morning… and it's so odd that you just happened to mention it yesterday! Thank you - it's my first MV but I still love it a lot.
little_chef_eva09 October 8, 2011, 5:56pm #18
Whoa look at all the dust on this thread.
Yeah I haven't updated in a while because I really haven't had anything else for you guys to watch for… oh wow, it's been over 2 years now? D':
When I got my iMac, I immediately started re-assembling one of the WALL-E MVs I started way back when. I had one started, but my old computer was too slow to handle it. Then, I made a new one from scratch on my mom's computer, which crashed. THEN, I re-created it once again on her laptop, only to abandon it for over a year. I got the iMac, and started from scratch working on it all over again.
I also put off working on it for another year. Just yesterday, I got re-inspired to finish it, and now I only have :52 seconds left of the song to add clips to.
I'm sure no one even remembers the first video I made (link is on the first page), but I promise that this video is going to be so much better than that one. I'm trying to tell the story of Psyche OS X with it, as best as I can; or at least enough that you'll sense the story's undertones with the song and the arrangement of the film clips.
Not sure when I'll be done this, exactly, but I hope it'll be soon. Stay tuned.
EDIT: It's finished!
What I've Done - a WALL-E MV
JustSoWall-eCrazy October 10, 2011, 4:38pm #19
Saw it! It was wonderful!
little_chef_eva09 October 10, 2011, 4:41pm #20
I noticed your comment on YouTube, and I'm so happy you liked it! I feel bad it took me this long to finally put it out.
© 2006-2022 Pixar Planet Network. All rights reserved. (AA batteries not included.)
Associated properties: ©Disney•Pixar. We are not affiliated with the studio in any way. Legal Information & Financial Disclosure | you!
mo1 October 21, 2009, 1:41am #3
Okay, I have to ask this. Is this your first video? Cuz that was really good! I left my comment on youtube, but I mean, like, Wow! Great MV! That song goes perfectly with Wall-E, it's almost scary. I can't wait for more from you!
What are the songs your thinking of doing? Or are they secret?
little_chef_eva09 October 21, 2009, 2:03am #4
Thanks guys! I really had fun doing this project, and I think it paid off.
As for the songs I'm planning on doing, I'd probably rather keep them secret on here in case someone gets inspired and takes my idea or something before I get a chance to make it. But if you really, REALLY wanna know, I guess you can PM me on it. I'm really excited to get started on them. I'm just not sure what kind of time I'll have.
Again, thank you! I appreciate all the wonderful comments! <3
bright_dot-dasher October 21, 2009, 2:11am #5
little_chef_eva09: That was very impressive, excellent work! You did really well on your first vid! Not only is the song a marvelous choice, but you pulled off fitting it together with the movie splendidly. It's awesome to know you've pulled through and overcame your technical difficulties and such in order to bring out this beautiful finished product. Congrats!
thedriveintheatre October 21, 2009, 2:27am #6
Yahoo, little_chef is live on Youtube!
And your video… wow, I'm duly impressed. claps hands I take it this is your first effort at an FMV (Fan Music Video), cos if it is, it's very good for a beginner! Most fan video editors don't bother making an effort to match their footage to the lyrics and/or beats, much less output it in a decent video quality. Some of them use flashy transitions (I especially dislike the 'rainbow' flashes you see in Windows Movie Maker-made ones). I prefer a more judicious and precise use of simple editing techniques, like fade-ins, wash-outs, or at most, strobe flashes (with staggered editing, like the end chorus I used in the 'Wall-E You Know My Name' MV). In your case, I liked your subtle approach, and of course, the lyrics and beats matching.
I've left you a video comment, but one thing I didn't have space to add was the good song choice. Again, most fan video artists just choose whatever happens to be the flavour of the month and attempt to match their footage to that, but it comes off forced and weird. You made a good decision with Britt Nicole's number, cos' the lyrics tie in thematically with the film, so the video came off looking natural. The euphoric electrosynth-rhythms matched Wall-E's futuristic theme, and it's quite catchy. Of course, if you're daring enough, you can try to mash two disparate genres for interesting results (again, the "You Know My Name" MV was my attempt to the be the exception), but only if you believe you are able to match the lyrics and footage sufficiently to get your 'message' across. That's the most fun bit of editing a music video, cutting all the different bits of the movie and lining them up with the song to tell a 'story'.
Well, I don't have much criticisms, other than congratulate you on your first MV. It's not a particularly exciting, 'mind-exploding' MV like Neravaira or Iselin (two great examples to emulate) to be honest, but there's a certain understated charm to its pleasantness and sweetness that I think matches your style. Which I mean to say, it's good. Keep up the great work, it's good that you've diversified into fan video editing as an addition to your repertoire of talents.
P.S. I find it interesting the album name was "The Lost Get Found", Would make a great promotional tagline…
P.P.S. Thanks for the sub and fave! Much appreciated!
The_Star_Swordsman October 21, 2009, 5:40am #7
This was ajaw dropper. It was really good. Nice clip selections and an excellent music choice. Your hard work on this just showed how dedicated you were to making this the best you can. The first minute really impacted inside of me. Really nice work. I love your videos and I hope you continue to make more
omg, overwhelming love for my first MV! <3
BDD: Thank you so, sooo much! Yes, I did experience a few technical difficulties prior to finishing it, but I guess I found a good way to work around them and get back into the flow. The song was probably one of the most fitting songs I could have ever chosen for a WALL•E x EVE MV, and the fact that the video itself was inspired by the song made it even better, I think. Again, I've said this like a million times already, but thanks so much for the wonderful, heartfelt comments!
TDIT: YAAAY the King of Fanvids has commented on my first work!! 8'D cries happy tears Actually, I had started work on another MV before this one a while back, but when our Vista crashed I lost the file I was working in, as well as the footage I was using. So I decided to leave that one be for a while, and got inspired by this song within like, 3 hours of purchasing it. Then like, by the same evening, I had the DVD ripped, in my computer, and ready for editing, and my sister and I were up until midnight that night getting the first part of it done.
I have an idea for a "storytelling" MV that I plan on doing next, and coincidentally, I'm basically trying to tell some of Psyche with it; after all, the song I've chosen is practically the "theme song" of that story. So I think that Psyche readers will appreciate it a bit more than regular watchers (not that they won't enjoy it at all, I'm just saying…).
Oh, and you're welcome! It's a pleasure to subscribe to such a wonderful fan video editor's channel!
TSS: Oh my goodness, your comment just left me feeling so flattered! Thank you! Seeing as how you've been working on fan videos yourself for quite some time now, your comments really mean a lot to me! I'm glad it could impact you; I really wanted this video to leave a good impression on people, as well as depict my absolute adoration for this film and those two characters, in particular. Again, thank you so much! I sincerely appreciate it.
JustSoWall-eCrazy December 6, 2009, 10:39pm #9
I've got a question: Do you take any video requests or suggestions?
little_chef_eva09 December 7, 2009, 1:09am #10
Suggestions, maybe. Requests, umm, no; not as of now. Since I already have a few MV ideas lined up, but not yet started, I'm thinking about holding off taking requests for a good while until I'm more comfortable working in this medium.
However if anyone has suggestions, feel free to give me a holler about it - I may not do every single thing suggested to me, but I most certainly will consider ideas others may have.
JustSoWall-eCrazy December 7, 2009, 1:39am #11
Well, I do have a little suggestion. I heard that you'd like to do a few projects tying in with Psyche, and I've already told you this via PM, but I've heard this song called "The Situation" by Krystal Meyers, and it's about the consequences of the problem Eve and Alex were involved in. Even the lyrics seem so reminiscient of Eve's sadness and Alex's conflicting feelings in that chapter.
I don't know if you'd like to do a Psyche-releted video with this, however. I'd like to know what you think about the idea.
I think it's a great idea… unfortunately there aren't enough clips in the movie that would match the song and its lyrics; moreover, I don't think I could animate a MV by hand with drawings yet. Plus, even if I did do it with clips of AUTO and EVE instead, it wouldn't be as effective since the story is [spoil]dealing with them as humans and the struggles and issues they encounter[/spoil].
Thanks for the suggestion, though! I really appreciate hearing what you guys think and when you tell me what you'd like to see.
little_chef_eva09:
I don't think I could animate a MV by hand with drawings yet.
I've heard of an animation program called Anime Studio, which lets you create your own cartoons and animations. It even lets you import your own Photoshop art (I'm serious) to use in your animation.
Oh, and I'm glad you like the idea.
little_chef_eva09 December 15, 2009, 4:03pm #14
There's also a way you can animate directly in Photoshop, but apparently according to a PS "mentor" of mine, I have to have a certain program installed in order to do that… and I checked to see if I had it, and I don't think I do. Even if I did, I can't even begin to imagine what kind of work and time it would take to draw that many frames to a 3 minute long song…
Anyhow, I appreciate the suggestions! Thanks for throwing your ideas out there!
If I can pull myself together, I can start work on my next fanvid… I think I found a copy of the old file here on my mom's laptop, which I didn't even think existed, so I'm going to see how much I saved on it. It might save me a ton of work on the timing at the beginning if there's actually a decent amount saved on it! I really wanna get this show on the road, but I've been so consumed with trying to get better at drawing and attempting to break writer's block (again, grrrr!!! ). My YouTube channel looks pretty hopeless right now with only one uploaded vid…
JustSoWall-eCrazy December 16, 2009, 1:20am #15
Can't wait to see that new video.
skunklover March 22, 2011, 8:17pm #16
Hey, I found your WALL-E music video to Like a Star while listening to Britt Nicole music on youtube, it's amazing!
little_chef_eva09 March 23, 2011, 8:17pm #17
| 2,343 |
Supporters say AHRQ's broader look at healthcare research complements the focus on specific diseases by the National Institutes of Health.
Supporters defend threatened health research agency
By Jocelyn Kaiser Jul. 13, 2015 , 2:15 PM
Health advocacy groups are scrambling to save a U.S. research agency on the chopping block in Congress. Last month a House of Representatives panel approved a spending bill that would give the National Institutes of Health<|fim_middle|>impson acknowledges that the titles of some NIH projects sound similar to those supported by AHRQ and PCORI. But the agencies work hard to avoid duplication, she says. In addition, NIH-funded research tends to focus on specific diseases, whereas AHRQ looks at broader questions. "How do you organize primary care practices for more effective care? How about access, or out-of-pocket costs for patients? These are not related to a specific disease but are critically important," she says.
In addition, AHRQ funds annual reports on the quality of U.S. health care, supports training of health services researchers, and works to disseminate research findings on best treatments. Those activities make it stand out from the pack, says Ann Bonham, chief scientific officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., a member of Friends of AHRQ. "NIH doesn't get up every morning thinking about improving practice and patient safety at the practitioner level. PCORI doesn't, either," Bonham says.
AHRQ has attracted critics in the past because its work can threaten the financial interests of some groups. In the 1990s, Republicans tried to shut down the agency after spine surgeons objected to a report that found rest and pain medications worked as well as surgery for back pain, notes one commentator. Simpson says it's important to have a U.S. agency that keeps a close eye on health care quality, noting a 2011 Institute of Medicine report that found 30% of the $2.5 trillion the United States spends annually on health care is wasted on unnecessary services and other needless costs. "With that amount of waste, it's shocking that people talk about duplication of AHRQ research," she says.
The same House committee proposed 3 years ago to abolish AHRQ, but the corresponding Senate panel did not concur. Given the initial support for cuts in the Senate, a bigger hurdle this time around may be the budget process itself. Congress seems headed toward maintaining the status quo into the 2016 fiscal year, which starts in October, while Republicans and the Obama administration argue over whether to lift spending caps for the entire government. So it will probably be several months before AHRQ knows whether it will remain in business.
doi:10.1126/science.aac8840
Jocelyn Kaiser
Jocelyn is a staff writer for Science magazine.
Email Jocelyn
Doomsday Clock is reset to 100 seconds until midnight, closest ever
NIH extends reporting mandate to more clinical trials, but obscures their policing
FDA and NIH let clinical trial sponsors keep results secret and break the law | (NIH) a $1.1 billion raise next year, with some of the new money coming from zeroing out funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which funds studies to improve health care delivery. A proposal from the corresponding Senate committee, approved 25 June, would be only slightly less kind, slashing AHRQ's $364 million budget by 35%.
Those who want to trim or eliminate AHRQ argue that its work overlaps with NIH research. To make his point, Representative Andy Harris (R–MD) points to the $1.37 billion that NIH spends each year on health services research and $1 billion for studies of patient safety (both listed here). Others say AHRQ overlaps with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a nonprofit supported by a trust fund that was created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. PCORI now spends about $500 million a year on studies looking at which of two treatments works better, an area known as comparative effectiveness research.
But supporters say these three agencies focus on different pieces of the health care puzzle. Whereas NIH focuses on efficacy—does a treatment work in a clinical trial?—AHRQ was created in 1989 to study effectiveness, explains pediatrician Lisa Simpson, a former AHRQ deputy director and president and CEO of AcademyHealth in Washington, D.C., which runs a coalition called Friends of AHRQ. "Not, 'can it work in a highly selected group of patients,' but 'will it work on patients in the community?'" Simpson says.
PCORI differs from AHRQ, Simpson adds, because its mission is specifically to compare treatments, such as two different doses of aspirin to prevent heart attacks. AHRQ had funded comparative effectiveness research before PCORI came along, she says, but it no longer does.
S | 396 |
We<|fim_middle|> great night of fun, games, food, music and laughing! | held our annual Back to School Luau last week and had a historic turn-out! Students and their families had a tower-climbing, hula-hooping, face-painting, balloon-twisting, relay-racing good time! Not to mention the games, food, crafts, and entertainment!
We love our East Elementary community and had such a great time with you! Thank you for coming out and enjoying the beautiful weather and good times with us.
Senora Bryant (pictured below) and fellow dancers of Herencia Hispana entertained us with amazing moves, twirling dresses, dazzling smiles and even a grito or two!
A night like this is not an easy undertaking. We are so very grateful to our tireless activity chair Lydia Howard for all her work. She is amazingly organized. Volunteers from Cedar High School's girls volleyball team, the Canyon View High School Talons, the National Guard, Herencia Hispana, members of our PTA, parents and community members came together to provide all the hands we needed to put on a great party.
And of course, we must mention our donors, whose generosity made this event even possible!
Awesome pictures! It was a really | 238 |
Travis Halseth, John W. McChesney, Mark DeBeliso, Ross Vaughn, Jeff Lien. (2004) The Effects of Kinesio™ Taping on Proprioception at the Ankle. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (03), 1 - 7.
An experiment was designed to determine if Kinesio™ taping the anterior and lateral portion of the ankle would enhance ankle proprioception compared to the untaped ankle. 30 subjects, 15 men,<|fim_middle|> in healthy individuals as determined by our measures of RJPS at the ankle in the motions of plantar flexion and 20° of plantar flexion with inversion. | 15 women, ages 18-30 participated in this study. Exclusion criteria: Ankle injury < 6 months prior to testing, significant ligament laxity as determined through clinical evaluation by an ATC, or any severe foot abnormality. Experiment utilized a single group, pretest and posttest. Plantar flexion and inversion with 20° of plantar flexion reproduction of joint position sense (RJPS) was determined using an ankle RJPS apparatus. Subjects were barefooted, blindfolded, and equipped with headphones playing white noise to eliminate auditory cues. Subjects had five trials in both plantar flexion and inversion with 20° plantar flexion before and after application of the Kinesio™ tape to the anterior/lateral portion of the ankle. Constant error and absolute error were determined from the difference between the target angle and the trial angle produced by the subject. The treatment group (Kinesio™ taped subjects) showed no change in constant and absolute error for ankle RJPS in plantar flexion and 20° of plantar flexion with inversion when compared to the untaped results using the same motions. The application of Kinesio™ tape does not appear to enhance proprioception (in terms of RJPS) | 262 |
Valmet Supplies New Baling Line and Flash Drying Rebuild to MM FollaCell Pulp Mill in Norway
paperasia August 11, 2022
Valmet will deliver a new baling line and a flash drying rebuild to Mayr-Melnhof Group's FollaCell pulp mill in Norway. It is the first phase in a larger rebuild project at the mill that aims to sustain the production capacity and to reduce the need for maintenance. The start-up is scheduled for the fourth quarter 2023. The value of this kind of rebuild and scope of supply is typically around EUR8–10 million.
"MM FollaCell AS chose Valmet as supplier after a thorough evaluation of several<|fim_middle|> hardwood. The location in the North of Europe is an advantage not only because of the raw material growing near the mill. Its access to the Trondheimfjord also offers ideal infrastructure.
With its own ice-free harbour, the mill can deliver and receive reliably per ship all year round. MM FollaCell AS uses only materials from sustainable forestry. The required energy is primarily sourced from an environmentally friendly hydroelectric power station within close proximity.
#balingline#flashdryingrebuild#paper#paperindustry#valmet
Kemira Appoints Antti Salminen as President of Pulp & Paper Segment
Mondi to Acquire Duino mill | alternatives. The main reason why the choice fell on Valmet was the well-known and well-proven technology with good references," said Odd Morten, Managing Director, MM FollaCell.
"We are happy that FollaCell has chosen to partner with us in this project. Valmet Slab Press is a proven bale forming machine that will ensure high availability and increase the reliability of the whole line," saidPer Jangdal, Sales Manager, Valmet.
Valmet's delivery includes replacing an existing baling line with a new one. The new Slab press will increase the availability of the line and reduce the need for maintenance. The flash drying system will be rebuilt with a new cooling stage to prepare for the second phase of the project.
About Folla Cell
The Norwegian MM FollaCell AS Pulp Mill produces high-quality mechanical pulp – BCTMP and CTMP – from round wood and sawmill chips. Depending on the type, the mill uses 100% softwood or a mixture of softwood and | 208 |
Social media engagement is<|fim_middle|>. To do this, you need to stop obsessing about your follower count. Engagement is everything!
Do you know who your ideal client is? Because you are far more likely to create engaging content when you really know who you are trying to engage. | about the relationship between you and your followers. "Engagement" covers everything from a like to a click to a response. Getting measurable, meaningful engagement isn't easy. It requires considerable thought and effort.
Obviously, you need an audience. If your brand has no followers, you have no one to engage with. But follower count only matters if those followers are potential customers. Obsessing about your follower count is more about vanity than business.
In high school, many of us associated "popularity" with the number of friends we had, not with the value of those friendships.
This way of thinking can be fatal when using social media as a marketing tool. The number of people following you doesn't matter if none of them are genuinely interesting in your brand.
The size of your audience on social media is meaningless if they are not engaged.
To get real business value from social media, you need to stop obsessing about follower count. Instead, focus your time and attention on what truly matters – engagement.
Let's say your company has 5,000 followers on Twitter. You built your follower base organically. It took time. Now, you have a follower base that includes influencers, micro-influencers, clients, local businesses, friends, and colleagues.
You post about an upcoming event where you will be a featured speaker. 50 people share your post. 15 people leave comments asking for more information. 10 of the commenters end up registering to attend the event.
Congratulations! You had real social media engagement and got real results.
Let's say your company has 20,000 followers on Twitter. You purchased over half of them, because you wanted your brand to look popular. So what happens when you make that post about your upcoming event?
In all likelihood, NOTHING happens. Nada. No one shares, or comments, or registers to attend. This is because you have no real connection with the majority of your followers. At best, they are disinterested. At worst, they are just bots.
NEVER buy followers. It is a major social media faux pas!
Mom was also on-target when she said, "quality is more important than quantity." I hate to keep pushing mom-isms. But moms are often very wise!
The quality of your followers and the quality of your content are paramount.
Social media engagement hinges on creating and curating high quality content. In general, it is better to share a high-quality post once a day than 5 meaningless posts every day. That said, you do need to be aware of the "personality" of each social media site and post accordingly.
On LinkedIn, posting two or three high quality pieces of content each week is fine. In fact, you don't want to post too often. It can be a turn off for the business crowd that favour LinkedIn.
But on Twitter, there is an endless demand for more posts. It's not uncommon for Twitter masters to post every hour!
Don't panic! You can meet the higher content demands by sharing both original content and curated content.
The keyword is "quality". Whether it's original or curated, every post must be chosen carefully and strategically. NEVER post curated content without reading it first!
The goal is to enhance your brand and make followers care about you. At the end of the day, that is the only way to succeed at social media. That is the end game.
"Engagement" encompasses all sorts of measurable actions. These include clicks, likes, shares, comments, replies, etc. To be effective, you need to understand the type of engagement you are going after, and why. In general, engagement can be sorted into 4 categories: acknowledgement, association, amplification, and action.
All forms of engagement are good -and show that you are doing something right. But not all forms of engagement are created equal.
Focus most on the type of engagement that best aligns with your digital marketing objectives. If your objectives change over time (which is likely), adjust your social media strategy. These adjustments may shift your focus to a different type of engagement. That's fine.
What type of engagement do I want?
What content will drive that type of engagement?
How will I measure success (ROI)?
Acknowledgement engagement is when someone "likes" your content. Like most things that require little effort, just being "liked" has minimal value.
This type of engagement does little to promote a public connection to the content or to your brand. That said, the value of a "like" should not be diminished.
You cannot succeed at social media if no one likes your posts! Acknowledgement engagement tells you that people are looking at your content. And they are making a positive connection with what you are putting out there, at least for a moment.
Association engagement is when someone interacts with your content. It includes things like replies, comments, mentions, and follows.
This is a big step up from simple acknowledgement. Association requires a greater level of effort and more commitment on the part of the follower.
It serves as proof that you are posting quality content. Something you posted inspired people to do more than just "like" you. It excited them enough to make them "talk" to you and/or become a follower.
Association engagement represents a real, authentic connection with your brand. To succeed at social media you need those connections.
Amplification engagement is when someone spreads your content to their audience (e.g. retweets, shares, re-blogs). This is something you definitely want!
Amplification exponentially increases the reach of your content. It exposes your brand to a larger audience. Best of all, that larger audience is already "warm". They didn't just find you through some random search! You were introduced by someone they already know – your follower.
Amplification engagement has the power to create brand ambassadors – social media users who endorse you when they share your content with their followers. This is a great compliment and has tremendous value!
The more people who share your content, the faster you will succeed at social media marketing.
Action engagement is when someone clicks through to your website. This is the ultimate goal!
When your content spurs people to action and moves them beyond social media, you have a real opportunity to inspire them to do something of higher value to your brand.
How do I get them to take that action?
What Type of Social Media Engagement Should I Measure?
Your social media strategy should include ways to identify what is working best. That means coming up with ways to measure each type of engagement. Depending on your objectives, you may focus more attention on one type of engagement over another, but they are all important.
For example, if your strategy focuses on increasing brand recognition, amplification engagement is very valuable to you.
If one of your primary objectives is to grow your email list, action engagement is paramount. This is what gets people to your website. (Hopefully, you have kickass Calls-to-Action on your site).
Pay attention to the kind of content that is driving each type of engagement. This is important. Ultimately, you want to create and curate quality content that aligns with your social media strategy objectives.
It is better to have a small audience of real, relevant people than a giant audience of disinterested followers and bots.
You want to develop a community of people who are both interesting to you, and interested in you | 1,500 |
https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Ubly-Homecoming-to-bring-folks-back-home-13968173.php
Ubly Homecoming to bring folks back home
Events to include live music, an ice cream social and 5K run
Andrew Mullin Tribune Staff Writer
Updated 8:37 am EDT, Tuesday, July 9, 2019
This is a rock climbing wall featured during last year's Ubly Homecoming. (Tribune File Photo)
UBLY — An upcoming festival In Ubly will be full of things to do and act as a reunion for friends and family to come back to the Thumb.
The Ubly Homecoming will start on July 11 and go through July 14. The president of the Homecoming Committee, Steve Irvine, said the event, in its current form, has been going on for 30 years, and it is meant to bring a lot of people back home for a summer reunion of sorts.
He said there will be a plethora of activities available to participate in at the festival. Some of the things people will be able to do during the event will include:
• An ice cream social
• A town-wide garage sale
• Entertainment and beer tents
• A tractor pull
• Mud volleyball
<|fim_middle|> tractor pull and the entertainment tent. He hopes around 2,000 people will attend the event. | • A talent show
• A 5K run that is put on by the local cross-country club
Irvine said the event was organized by local non-profits like the Thumb Veterans Organization and the Lions Club of Ubly. Funds raised will go back to the organizations that put them on, he said.
He said the only fees for the festival are for participating in the 5K run, mud volleyball, | 84 |
Erica Abt is<|fim_middle|> and business that was growing 130% year over year. As an individual contributor, Erica served and renewed contracts with CHROs at midsized companies and consistently delivered 110%+ of her $1.7m annual revenue goals. She sold additional products and services to her customers during this time, increasing wallet share by 10%+ each year.
Erica's consulting experience spans a variety of focus areas, including go-to-market strategy, client retention practices, and CRM business process design. Most recently, Erica managed the deployment of a global sales training program to over 500 sales professionals in over 20 countries, focused on strategic Business and Account planning skills. With a successful track record as a quota bearer, sales manager, and project manager, Erica brings strong practical experience to help Symmetrics Group's customers achieve their sales goals.
Read what Erica has to say here. | an experienced sales and account management professional who grows her client relationships through high-touch service and prescriptive selling techniques. She has worked with hundreds of C-Level executives from midsized companies in North America and sold best practice solutions, with application across a variety of industries.
Erica oversaw a 15-person account management team with retention and upsell targets, carrying a $10.8m annual revenue goal | 83 |
There is a process behind every photograph that we take. Sometimes<|fim_middle|>ig's definition of Quality to break down the creative photographic process into elements that people can recognize and nurture in order to help generate more of those special moments and images. | , it is in the forefront of our mind. More often than not, it is a subtle hand guiding us a step this way or that, helping us to find the best angle, or telling us to wait just a moment longer for exactly the right light. We know our best pictures when we see them, and we likely knew we were on to something special at the time. How do we differentiate those special moments from the mundane ones? What do they feel like? What can we do to enhance the potential for those experiences again?. Chris will discuss the concept behind the creative process as inspired by the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. In the book, Pirsig is on an arduous journey to define "Quality," and is often frustrated by its elusive nature. Pirsig challenges the reader to question people's tendency to accept empty style and to uncover the components of inspiration and preparation for a Quality experience. This presentation will focus on using Pirs | 199 |
River North Brewery plans to open in the old Flying Dog tap room in early 2012
| Beer Man |
Jonathan Shikes | November 9, 2011 | 2:26pm
While 2011 may have been the year of the small brewery in metro Denver -- which has so far toasted the arrival of six new ones -- 2012 may be even bigger.
Black Shirt Brewing, 3719 Walnut Street, and Prost Brewing, 2540 19th Street, have both announced plans to open their doors in the first quarter of the year, and now the owner of River North Brewery is also laying the groundwork for a new tap room in late January or early February. Located in a portion of the old building once occupied by Flying Dog Brewing, which left Denver for Maryland in 2008, River North, 2401 Blake Street, will focus on Belgian-style beers, something that owner Matthew Hess is familiar with.
"I have had good luck and a good time brewing those styles of beers," says Hess, who's originally from Kansas but moved to Denver three years ago with his wife. An engineer, Hess quit his job nearly a year ago to follow his dream of opening a brewery.
And he believes that there's plenty of room in Denver for more breweries despite the recent -- and continued -- influx of them; River North will be located just blocks from Great Divide, Wynkoop Brewing and the Denver Beer Company, not to mention Blue Moon Brewing @ the Sandlot inside Coors Field, and one of Breckenridge's pubs.
"First of all, it's a very friendly industry, and we are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the big breweries," Hess says.
River North will include a brand-new fifteen-barrel brewhouse when it opens and four to six beers in the taproom. Hess also plans to distribute kegs and bomber bottles.
To keep up with the progress, follow the<|fim_middle|>word's Beer Man on Twitter at @ColoBeerMan
and on Facebook at Colo BeerMan.
Beer Man | River North Brewery blog on its Facebook page.
Follow West | 11 |
'Supermom' who gave birth in SUV, drove herself to the hospital is back home
Nicole Garcia's Reports
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - People across the country are hailing a Phoenix woman for being a supermom. Not only did she deliver her own baby in her car, she kept driving right after.
Shannon Geise was almost at the hospital, but<|fim_middle|> I gave birth in it. It's going to be bad.'"
The shock, for Geise, still hasn't worn off yet.
"I kept telling them when I was at the hospital, 'I feel like I'm gonna wake up and still be pregnant,'" said Geise. "This is all just a crazy dream."
There are so many things that could go wrong during childbirth, and Geise is grateful there were no complications, and that Sebastian's life story, so far, is an extraordinary one.
"Everybody's just laughing about it, like, you're so crazy," said Geise. "Well, it was not my intention to do that!"
Nearly 2.6 million pounds of canned meat, poultry products recalled due to packaging defect | Sebastian just couldn't wait. Geise then pulled over, gave birth, called 911, and then realized it would be faster to drive the rest of the way, than wait for an ambulance.
Ever since FOX 10 Phoenix brought you Geise's story, not only are people in the Valley still talking about it, news outlets from across the country have been contacting her. Geise was able to find a mobile detailer to take on the task of cleaning Sebastian's birthplace.
That happened to be the driver's seat.
"My first question was, 'are you available immediately?'" said Geise. "My second one was 'I should warn you, | 137 |
Q: Faster function than exif_imagetype() Can anyone suggest me faster function than exif_imagetype() or any code that can check if the remote image exists or not.<|fim_middle|> depending on the server and url, you could get any of the Http Status Codes. It's up to you to decide which ones count as success (eg if you get a 503 "temporarily unavailable", do you make a list and try later or just give up?)
That way you won't download the file just read the headers.
If it does exist you should be able to examine headers for the one containing Content-Type to get the image format
| The checking is done in loop.
Thanks
A: You are just checking for the existence , so why not use implement a file_get_contents with a timeout ?
$contextStream = stream_context_create(array('http'=>
array(
'timeout' => 3,//That would be 3 secs
)
));
echo file_get_contents('http://someurl.com/remoteimage.jpg', false, $contextStream);
A: Try something like this...
$Headers = get_headers($url);
if(strpos($Header[0], '200')) {
//Exists
} else {
//Doesn't Exist
}
The first row of the response should be the http response message eg HTTP/1.1 200 Ok. Note that | 155 |
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz is a record producer who has produced a Grammy-winning album for Foo Fighters, a #1 rock album for Alice In Chains, a #1 rock album for Rush, a #1 Billboard album for Evanescence, a #1 UK album for Stone Sour, and many more.
Click here for a full bio
PRODUCER/ENGINEER/MIXER Credits:
Skid Row 'The Gang's All Here'
Nick produced this album which reached the Top 20 in 9 countries, giving the band their first chart entries in 27 years.
#1 Hard Rock Album (Sweden)
#2 Album in UK
#4 Hard Music Album (US)
#5 Album in Switzerland
#10 Album in Spain
#12 Top Album Sales (Canada)
#15 Album in Germany
#17 Album in Scotland
#18 Album in Finland
Halestorm 'Back From The Dead'
This is the third full-length album that Nick has produced for the band.
#1 Mainstream Rock song ("The Steeple")
#1 Top Song on iTunes ("Back From The Dead")
5/5 Kerrang album review
Evanescence 'The Bitter Truth'
Nick produced and mixed this album, including the #1 singles "Wasted On You," and "The Game Is Over." He also co-w<|fim_middle|> (P)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock Album"
___#1 Alternative Album, Top Rock, Hard Rock, and Tastemaker Album
___#2 Indepdendent Album
___#2 Top Album Sales in US
___#3 Digital Album
___#3 Vinyl Album
___#8 Album in GER
___#11 Album in CAN
Halestorm - Vicious (Atlantic) (P)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock Performance" ("Uncomfortable")
___#1 Active Rock Song ("Uncomfortable")
___#2 Tastemaker Album
___#2 Top Album Sales
___#8 UK Album debut
Mastodon - 3 tracks from the EP 'Cold Dark Place' (Reprise) (P)
___#4 Top Hard Rock Album
10 Years - (how to live) As Ghosts (Mascot) (P)
___#5 Active Rock Song ("Novacaine" - the band's first Top 10 on Active Rock chart)
___#10 Top Alternative Album
___#14 Top Rock Album
Rise Against - Wolves (Virgin) (P)
___#3 debut in Canada
___#2 Active Rock Song (The Violence)
Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire (Nuclear Blast) (P)
___#8 Album of the Year (Classic Rock 2017)
___Best British Album (Planet Rock - The Rocks 2017)
___#1 UK Independent Album
Halestorm - Reanimate 3.0: The Covers EP (Atlantic) (P)
___#1 iTunes Album
Rush - "Overture" and "Tears" from 2112 [40th Anniversary] (Mercury) (E-M-Perf)
Korn - The Serenity Of Suffering (Roadrunner) (P)
___#1 Top Rock, Hard Rock, and Alternative Album
___#4 Top 200, Digital, and Tastemaker Album
___#4 GER Album
___#5 ARIA Album
___#7 CAN Album
___#9 UK Album (the band's only album to chart in UK)
__including "Rotting In Vain":
___Grammy Nominee "Best Metal Performance" ("Rotting in Vain")
___#4 US Mainstream Rock Song
__and "Take Me":
Damon Johnson - 'Echo' EP (P-M)
Dream The Electric Sleep - Beneath The Dark Wide Sky (Mutiny) (P-M)
Goatsnake - Black Age Blues (Southern Lord) (P-M)
Three Days Grace - Human (RCA) M)
___#1 US Hard Rock Album
___#2 Canadian Album
___#3 US Alternative Album
___#10 US Top Album Sales
Apocalyptica - Shadowmaker (Better Noise) (P)
The Lees of Memory - Sisyphus Says (SideOneDummy) (P-E-M)
Sleeping With Sirens - bonus tracks from 'Madness' (Epitaph) (P-M)
Black Star Riders - The Killer Instinct (Nuclear Blast) (P)
___"Brilliantly produced by Nick Raskulinecz... 9/10" (Classic Rock)
Big Wreck - Ghosts (Rounder/Zoe) (Exec P)
Bush - Man on the Run (Zuma Rock Records) (P)
Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun (Warner Bros) (P)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Metal Performance" ("High Road")
___#1 US Top Rock Album
___#1 UK Rock/Metal Album
___#6 Billboard Top 200
___#7 Australian Album
Adelitas Way - Stuck (Virgin) (P)
The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams (Razor&Tie) (P)
Alice In Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (Capitol) (P)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Engineered Album"
___#2 debut on Billboard 200 and Canadian Album charts
___#4 Best Rock Album of the Decade (Loudwire)
Red Line Chemistry - Tug Of War (Bulldog) (P)
Ghost B.C. - Infestissumam (Republic) (P-M)
___Swedish Grammis Winner "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album"
___#1 Album in Sweden
___#1 iTunes Rock Album
___#44 Best Metal Album of the Decade (Loudwire)
Deftones - Koi No Yokan (Reprise) (P)
Fighting With Wire - Colonel Blood (Xtra Mile Recordings) (P-M)
Rush - Clockwork Angels (Anthem/Roadrunner) (P-M)
___#2 debut on The Billboard 200
___#1 Rock Album
___Top 5 debut in Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Mexico
___Certified Gold in Canada
___"Rush's best release in 30 years" – Classic Rock Magazine
___"Rock Album of the Year" – Juno Award Winner (2013)
Big Wreck - Albatross (Anthem) (Exec P)
___#1 Canadian Rock Single for 6 consecutive weeks ("Albatross")
Evanescence - Evanescence (Wind Up) (P)
___#1 UK Rock Album
___#5 debut in AUS
___#9 US Top Hard Rock Album of 2011 - Billboard
___"Best Int'l Band" - Kerrang! Awards nominee
___Gold in US, UK, CA, AU
Red Line Chemistry - "Ultragigantor" from Dying For a Living (Bulldog) (M)
The Damned Things - Ironiclast (Mercury) (M)
Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy (Roadrunner) (P)
___#3 German Album
Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Reprise) (P-M)
___#1 Album on iTunes
___#2 Top Rock Album & Top Modern Rock Album
___Rock Album of the Year (iTunes Store)
___Album of the Year (Kerrang)
Year Long Disaster - Black Magic: All Mysteries Revealed (Volcom) (P-M)
Neil Peart - "The Hockey Theme" for NHL on TSN (E-M, 5.1 Mix)
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin) (P-E)
___#4 DE Album
___#7 CA Album
___#1 Most Anticpated Album of 2009 - KRock NY
___Certified Gold in US, CA
__including "Check My Brain":
___#1 on Billboard's Rock, Alternative Rock & Mainstream Rock Charts
___Grammy Nominee "Best Hard Rock Performance"
__and "A Looking In View":
Paramore - "I Caught Myself" & "Decode (Acoustic)"
___for Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Atlantic) (P)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Compilation Soundtrack"
Foo Fighters - Live At Wembley Stadium [DVD] (RCA) (Stereo & 5.1 Mix)
Trivium - Shogun (Roadrunner) (P-E)
Thornley - Tiny Pictures (604 Records) (P-E-M)
Death Angel - Killing Season (Nuclear Blast) (P-E-M)
Danko Jones - Never Too Loud (Aquarius) (P-E-M)
Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow (Columbia) (P)
___#6 Billbaord Top 200 debut
___#2 Modern Rock/Alt Album
___Rock Sound UK's "#1 Album of 2007"
___Rock Sound UK's "#1 International Act of 2007"
Rush - Snakes & Arrows (SRO Anthem/Atlantic) (P-E)
___#3 debut in US and Canada
___selling over 100,000 copies in the first week
___#1 on Billboard's Top Rock, Tastemaker & Top Internet Albums Charts
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock instrumental Performance"
__including "Far Cry":
___#1 Most Added at Rock
___2x Platinum (Long-Form Video)
Shadows Fall - Threads of Life (Atlantic) (P-E)
Stone Sour - Come What (Ever) May (Roadrunner) (P-E)
___Platinum in US
___Gold in UK, CAN
___#4 debut on Billboard Top 200
__including "Through Glass"
___#1 Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock
___#2 Billboard Hot Modern Rock
__and "Sillyworld"
___#3 at Rock
___#6 at Active Rock
Casino (Spider Simpson) - debut album (Polydor UK) (P-E)
Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones (Roswell/RCA) (CP-E-M)
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (RCA) (P-E-M)
___Grammy Nominee "Best Surround Sound Album"
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock Song" ("Best Of You")
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock Performance" ("Best Of You")
___Grammy Nominee "Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals" ("Virginia Moon")
___#1 AU Album
___#2 UK Album
___2x Platinum in UK
___3x Platinum in AU, CA
Foo Fighters - One by One (Roswell/RCA) (P)
___Grammy Winner "Best Rock Album"
___Grammy Winner "Best Hard Rock Song" ("All My Life")
___Grammy Nominee "Best Rock Performance" ("Times Like These")
___Platinum in US, UK, CA
Velvet Revolver - "Set Me Free" for Contraband (RCA) (P-E)
Velvet Revolver - "Come On, Come In" (Interscope) (CP-E)
___for the Fantastic Four Soundtrack
Velvet Revolver - "Money" for the Italian Job Soundtrack (Interscope) (P-E-M)
The Exies - Head For The Door (Virgin) (P-E)
Rye Coalition - Curses (Gem Blandsten) (E-M)
Ash - Meltdown (Infectious) (P-E)
Soil - 2 songs from Redefine (J Records) (P-E)
Rufio - 1985 (Nitro) (P)
Danzig - Danzig 7 (Spitfire) (E-M)
The Reunion Show - Kill Your Television (Victory) (P-E-M)
Fireball Ministry - Their Rock Is Not Our Rock (Liquor&Poker) (P-E-M)
Fireball Ministry - The Second Great Awakening (Nuclear Blast) (P-E-M)
Fireball Ministry - FMEP (Small Stone) (P-E-M)
Marilyn Manson - "Suicide is Painless" for the Blair Witch 2 Soundtrack (Priority) (M)
Superdrag - In the Valley of Dying Stars (Arena Rock) (P-E-M)
Superdrag - Stereo 360 Sound (SSL) (P-E-M)
Superdrag - Fabulous 8-Track Sound of Superdrag (Darla) (P-E-M)
My Ruin - Prayer Under Pressure (Snapper) (P-E-M)
Goatsnake - Flower of Disease (MansRuin) (P-E-M)
Goatsnake - Dog Days EP (MansRuin) (E-M)
Dogwood - More Than Conquerors (Tooth & Nail) (P-E-M)
Benjamin's - Art of Disappointment (MCA/Drive Thru) (P-E-M)
Son Of Sam - Songs from the Earth (Nitro) (M)
Duff McKagen - Loaded Episode 1999: Live (Pimp) (P-E-M)
Mondo Generator - Dead Planet (Nze) (E)
Killing Joke - Death and Resurrection Show (Cooking Vinyl) (E)
Rancid - Indestructible (Warner Bros.) (E)
Fu Manchu - California Crossing (Hollywood/Mammoth) (E)
Marilyn Manson - Holy Wood (Nothing/Interscope) (AE)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (Interscope) (AE)
Foo Fighters - "A320" for the Godzilla Soundtrack (Capitol) (E)
___#2 on The Billboard 200
Verbeena - Into the Pink (Capitol) (E)
Downset - Check Your People (Epitaph) (E)
Frank Black - Frank Black & The Catholics (Play It Again Sam) (AE)
We usually write the bios for our clients, but Neil Peart from Rush did the job for us. On his website (www.neilpeart.net), he writes:
"Nick was best known for his highly successful work with the Foo Fighters, but before that he had a long history as a musician, engineer and producer. He had started out in Knoxville, Tennessee, and more-or-less worked his way west, studio by studio. When we met Nick, we all liked his youthful, unbridled enthusiasm, but at 36, he was also experienced enough to have a strong background in music and recording."
Of the recording sessions with Nick, he writes: "I have never enjoyed the recording process so much, nor been so satisfied with the results."
Geddy Lee from Rush also writes praise about working with Nick, saying "There's no point in hiring a producer who's not going to speak his mind, but it's a tall order to find someone who can hear Neil's playing, amazing as it is, and still say, 'Maybe you should try going in this direction...' It was a pleasure to be challenged [by Nick]. That's really what a band like us needs." Read the entire article here: http://www.rushisaband.com/display.php?id=830
And in keeping with the idea of letting others speak on behalf of Nick, we must include this quote by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters as he accepted a Grammy on behalf of the band for "One by One:"
"Most of all, I'd really like to thank the person that saved this album and made it happen. His name is Nick Raskulinecz, he produced our album. He's the greatest rock producer around and Nick made it happen. If it wasn't for you, we'd be screwed man. Thank you very much."
Read what other artists have to say about working with Nick here.
In 2013, Nick set up his own studio outside of Nashville. Take a tour here.
What more could we possibly add? | rote the song "Better Without You."
#1 Hard Rock Digital Song Sales
#1 iTunes Rock Song in 7 countries
#1 Rock Digital Song Sales
#2 Hot Hard Rock Song
Code Orange 'Underneath'
Nick produced this album, which was named one of "The 50 Best Albums of 2020" by Rolling Stone, NPR and Stereogum.
"Best Metal Performance" Grammy nominee
#1 UK Rock & Metal Album
Korn 'The Nothing'
Nick produced this album, and co-wrote 7 songs including the singles "Cold" and "You'll Never Find Me."
#1 Hard Rock Album
#2 Top Rock Album
#3 Internet Album
#8 Billboard Top 200 debut
"One of the 50 best metal albums of 2019" - Loudwire
'(how to live) As Ghosts'
Nick produced this album, including the single "Novacaine" which is the band's first Top 10 on the Active Rock chart.
#5 Active Rock Song ("Novacaine")
#5 Top Hard Rock Album
#8 Independent Album
#10 Top Alternative Album
#14 Top Rock Album
'Rainier Fog'
This is the third album that Nick has produced for the band.
"Best Rock Album"
Grammy nominee
#1 Alternative Album
#1 Tastemaker Album
#8 Album in GER
#11 Album in CAN
#12 Billboard Top 200
Halestorm 'Vicious'
Nick produced this album which the band describes as the "heaviest stuff they've ever done."
"Best Rock Performance"
#1 Active Rock Song ("Uncomfortable")
#2 Top Album Sales
#3 Digital Album
#8 UK Album debut
Rise Against 'Wolves'
Nick produced this album, including the single "The Violence" (the band's highest-charting Mainstream Rock Song to date).
#3 debut in Canada
#2 Active Rock Song (The Violence)
Rush '2112 40th'
For this 40th anniversary collection, Nick produced and mixed "Tears" with Alice In Chains. He also recorded and mixed "Overture," which featured Dave Grohl on guitar, Taylor Hawkins on drums, and Nick himself on bass.
'Reanimate 3.0: The Covers EP'
This EP was produced by Nick.
#1 iTunes Album
'The Serenity of Suffering'
Nick produced this Grammy-nominated album, named "One of the most anticipated albums of 2016" by Rolling Stone.
#4 Top 200, Digital, Tastemaker Album
#5 ARIA Album
#7 CAN Album
#9 UK Album
'Human'
Nick mixed 10 tracks for this album.
#1 US Hard Rock Album
#2 Canadian Album
#3 US Alternative Album
#10 US Top Album Sales
'Once More Round The Sun'
Nick produced this album in his Tennessee studio, Rock Falcon.
#1 US Top Rock Album
#1 UK Rock/Metal Album
#6 Billboard Top 200
#7 Australian Album
'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'
Nick produced two albums for Alice In Chains. 'The Devil...' was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Engineered Album." It also reached the Top Ten on the album charts in Australia, Finland and Norway.
#4 Best Rock Album of the Decade (Loudwire)
#2 Canadian Album debut
Deftones 'Koi No Yokan'
After producing their successful album, 'Diamond Eyes,' Nick returned to produce the band's follow-up album. 'Koi No Yokan' was named "Album of the Year" both by Total Guitar, and by Revolver at their Golden Gods Award Show.
#16 Best Rock Album of the Decade (Loudwire)
Rush 'Clockwork Angels'
Nick produced and mixed this album, which includes the singles "Caravan" and "BU2B." It won "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2013 Juno Awards, and was hailed as "Rush's best release in 30 years" by Classic Rock Magazine. Aside from its success stateside, it debuted in the Top 5 in Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Sweden.
#2 debut in US
#1 Rock Album
Foo Fighters 'In Your Honor'
Nick produced this album which was nominated for 5 Grammys, including "Rock Album of the Year." It reached #2 on the Billboard Top 200, and was certified Platinum in the US within its first month of release. The album is Double-Platinum in the UK, and Triple-Platinum in AUS and CAN. In addition to producing, Nick mixed half the album, and lent his musician skills by playing bass and double bass.
Stone Sour 'Audio Secrecy'
Nick produced and recorded this album in Nashville, TN.
#1 UK Rock Album
#3 German Album
The Hold Steady 'Teeth Dreams'
Nick produced 'Teeth Dreams' from his studio in Tennessee. Magnet Magazine called them "One of the smartest American bands of the past decade" with this rewardingly energetic sixth album.
Ghost B.C. 'Infestissumam'
Produced and mixed by Nick, this album won the 2014 Grammis Award (Swedish Grammy) for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album of the Year."
#1 Album in Sweden
#1 iTunes Rock Album
#44 Best Metal Album of the Decade (Loudwire)
Foo Fighters 'One By One'
This album was produced and recorded by Nick at Dave Grohl's home studio in Virginia. It won a Grammy for "Best Rock Album," and includes the single "All My Life," which also won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Song."
Platinum in US, UK, CAN
Nick produced the songs "I Caught Myself" and "Decode" (acoustic version) for the Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Both the soundtrack and the lead single, "Decode," were nominated for Grammy Awards. The single has sold over 1 million copies, while the album has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
Big Wreck 'Ghosts'
Nick executive produced this album with Ian Thornley and Eric Ratz. The album debuted at #4 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, their highest position on that chart yet.
Evanescence 'Evanescence'
Nick produced this album in Nashville, Tennessee.
#5 debut in AUS
Billboard's #9 US Top Hard Rock Album of 2011
Gold in US, UK, CA, AU
'Live at Wembley Stadium'
This live DVD was filmed during the Foo's two sold out shows at Wembley Stadium in 2008. Nick mixed this in 5.1, which won a TEC Outstanding Creative Achievement Award for Surround Sound Production.
'No World For Tomorrow'
Nick produced this album, which Rock Sound UK voted as the #1 Album and #1 International Act of 2007.
#2 Modern Rock/Alt Album
'Black Gives Way to Blue'
Nick produced and recorded this album, which is the first to feature new vocalist William Duvall. Selling over 1 million copies worldwide, the album spurred two chart-topping singles with "A Looking In View" and "Check My Brain." Both were Grammy nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance."
Deftones 'Diamond Eyes'
Nick produced and mixed this album which topped many of the year-end charts in 2010. The iTunes Store ranked it as the "Rock Album of the Year." Kerrang named it their "Album of the Year" as well. And Sputnik Music named it "Deftones' best album to date.
#1 album on iTunes
#6 debut on Billboard Top 200
Foo Fighters 'Skin & Bones'
This live acoustic album was co-produced, recorded and mixed by Nick. Recorded over 3 nights at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, the band line-up was expanded to include Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers keyboardist), Pat Smear (former Foos/Nirvana guitarist), Petra Haden (violinist), and Drew Hester (percussionist).
Rush 'Snakes & Arrows'
Nick produced and engineered this album, which was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance." Classic Rock named it "One of 10 essential progressive rock albums of the decade."
#3 debut in US and CAN
#1 Top Internet Album
'Come What(ever) May'
Nick produced and engineered this album. It's received two Grammy nominations for "Best Metal Performance."
Platinum in US
Gold in UK, CAN
Velvet Revolver 'Contraband'
Nick produced and recorded the band's debut single, "Set Me Free." It was the lead single from this album, and also appeared in the 2003 Marvel Comics movie Hulk.
Selected PRODUCTION / MIX credits:
Skid Row - The Gang's All Here (P)
___the band's first chart entries in 27 years:
___#1 Hard Rock Album (Sweden)
___#2 Album in UK
___#4 Hard Music Album (US)
___#5 Album in Switzerland
___#10 Album in Spain
___#12 Top Album Sales (Canada)
___#13 Tastemaker Album
___#14 Top Album Sales (US)
___#15 Album in Germany
___#17 Album in Scotland
___#18 Album in Finland
Demun Jones - "Dirt Reynolds" from 'Family First' (P-CW)
Halestorm - Back From The Dead (Atlantic) (P-M)
___#1 Mainstream Rock Song ("The Steeple")
___#1 Top Song on iTunes ("Back From The Dead")
___5/5 Kerrang album review
Evanescence - "Across The Universe" (BMG) (M)
Crown Lands - "Right Way Back" and "Context: Fearless Pt 1" (P-M)
Evanescence - The Bitter Truth (BMG) (P-M)
___Nick produced and mixed this album, and co-wrote the song "Better Without You"
___#1 on the Rock, Alternative, and Hard Music Albums charts
___#3 Billboard Top Album
___#11 Billboard Top 200
___including the single "Wasted on You"
___#1 Hard Rock Digital Song Sales
___and the single "The Game Is Over"
___#1 Top 40 US Rock Song on iTunes
___#1 iTunes Rock Song in 7 countries
___#1 on both Rock and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts
___#2 Hot Hard Rock Song
Damon Johnson & The Get Ready - forthcoming EP (P-M)
True Villains - new singles "The Villain" and "Blood In the Water" (P)
'68 - 'Love Is Ain't Dead' EP (Chariot Music) (P-M)
Halestorm - Reimagined (Atlantic) (P-M)
___#16 debut Rock Digital Song Sales
The Lees of Memory (ex-Superdrag) - Moon Shot (P-E-M)
Code Orange - Underneath (Roadrunner) (CP)
___Heavy Music Award 2x Nominee "Best Production" & "Best Album"
___Grammy Nominee "Best Metal Performance" ("Underneath")
___#1 debut on UK's Rock & Metal Albums chart
___Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2020"
___NPR's "50 Best Albums of 2020"
___Stereogum's "50 Best Albums of 2020"
Evanescence - "The Chain" from 'Gears of War 5' (BMG) (E-M)
___#1 Rock Digital Song Sales
Korn - The Nothing (Roadrunner) (P-CW)
___#1 Hard Rock Album
___#2 Top Rock Album
___#3 Internet Album
___#8 Billboard Top 200 debut
___"One of the 50 best metal albums of 2019" - Loudwire
Beartooth - Disease (Red Bull Records) (Exec P-CW)
___#2 Alternative Album
___#3 Independent Album
Damon Johnson - Memoirs of an Uprising (P-M)
Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog (BMG) | 2,614 |
United States Project
Iowa students create independent newspaper following controversy
By Deron Lee, CJR
Photo via GoFundMe
The stories in the student paper that started all the trouble at Muscatine Community College, near the banks of the Mississippi in eastern Iowa, seemed innocuous enough. A report on "confusion" and a potential conflict of interest in student of the month selections. The publication of a faculty member's photo, without his permission, to accompany an article about grants obtained by the college.
But from those mild beginnings, a controversy was born. After the student-of-the-month story ran, an equal employment opportunity complaint was lodged against the paper's faculty adviser. After the paper reported on the complaints about the photo, the adviser was removed and the position made part-time. Soon, the student journalists were filing a federal lawsuit alleging violations of the First Amendment.
And now, something else is being born: The Spotlight, an independent newspaper founded by Muscatine students and recent graduates, will debut Friday with a mission to "cover the school and community." The publication's launch comes amid a show of support from journalists around the country for young reporters at a small Iowa school. And it signals one notable side effect of the controversy—it has galvanized a sense of journalistic identity among the Muscatine students.
"It was a real newspaper, meeting opposition, trying to get interviews and getting turned down," says Mary Mason, former editor-in-chief of The Calumet, the student paper, who has taken on the same role at The Spotlight. The more pushback Calumet staffers received from the college, she says, the more they began to think and act as professional reporters. "We started off the school year with three people declaring journalism as their major and ended the year with 11." The first edition of The Spotlight will include a feature story on what student-press advocates see as a troubling trend: the removal of faculty advisers in the wake of unfavorable coverage.
That dynamic doesn't surprise Michael Koretzky, a board member of the Society of Professional Journalists who has helped to rally support for The Spotlight. "I happen to be in favor of college censorship," he jokes, "because it's the best educational tool. For the tuition they racked up, those students got a hell of an education."
Whether the school's actions in fact amount to free-speech violations is now a question for the courts, where the student plaintiffs are seeking to have The Calumet's faculty adviser position restored to full-time status. The college, which has denied wrongdoing and has said it disagrees with many of the claims in the lawsuit, declined to comment for this story.
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But whatever happens in the courts, the episode has produced an unlikely origin story for a new publication—and, maybe, some journalistic careers.
The tension between The Calumet staff and school administrators played out over the fall and winter. Jim Compton, the faculty adviser and an English instructor at the school, was notified in February that he was being replaced in his role with the paper.
But The Calumet had continued to publish, and as the spring semester wound down, Mason says, she and her colleagues had more story ideas than they could fit in the few remaining editions before the end of the school year. Compton suggested they could start their own paper—though no one took the idea seriously at first.
Meanwhile, Koretzky, who is based in Florida, had read about the lawsuit and took an interest in Compton's story because he himself had once been fired as a faculty adviser to a student paper. Koretzky contacted Compton, who told him<|fim_middle|> Mason and her colleagues are already showing the best way for journalists to respond in the face of adversity: "Just put out a newspaper."
Deron Lee is CJR's correspondent for Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. A writer and copy editor who has spent nine years with the National Journal Group, he has also contributed to The Hotline and the Lawrence Journal-World. He lives in the Kansas City area. Follow him on Twitter at @deron_lee. | about the students' interest in starting their own publication.
"I said, hey, maybe we can jump on a conference call and help with that," Koretzky says. "I told them if they would create a GoFundMe account, I would give them matching funds"—up to $500.
With SPJ promoting the effort, the fundraising drive succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. "We said we could raise $500 if we hit up our grandmas and everything," Mason says. "I think it's like $5,000 the last time I looked, and that's since July 1."
The money, she says, will fund The Spotlight for about six months. The plan is for a print edition that will come out monthly, and a website that is regularly updated. The paper will also look to sell ads, but the seed money takes some pressure off the sales rep. There is currently a five-member board and four other contributors—with all nine working on a volunteer basis—and Compton has signed on as an adviser to his former students at The Spotlight, even as he continues teaching English at MCC.
"It feels worthwhile because they seem to have a drive to do something good—as Mary says, to speak truth to power—and I'd like them to be able to," Compton says.
For her part, Mason, who's wrapping up her classes at MCC this summer, says she hopes to continue her studies elsewhere and get a bachelor's in journalism—and perhaps, to make The Spotlight her full-time occupation. She has also been invited by Mark Witherspoon of Iowa State to contribute presidential campaign coverage for a new statewide program being launched by the Iowa College Media Association and the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism; Witherspoon, the faculty adviser at ISU, is a Spotlight donor.
The Spotlight's mission is not to replace The Calumet or to compete directly with the local Muscatine Journal, but to do something different. The Journal, Mason says, is "a great community paper, but we don't feel they do enough in-depth or investigative features." Planned Spotlight stories include features on a dress code at local high schools that may be discriminatory toward girls, the treatment of patients at a local nursing home, and the state's first medical-marijuana nurse.
Koretzky says SPJ will continue to assist The Spotlight, beginning with an investigative-reporting workshop with the Student Press Law Center. He takes pride in the unity of purpose that his organization, the SPLC, and other groups such as the Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association have demonstrated in supporting Mason and her associates.
Mason and Compton say they hope to continue to shine The Spotlight on free-press concerns at student publications, not only writing about it but also networking with college journalists across the country and posting student-press-freedom coverage on the paper's website—providing a kind of "wire service for college media," Mason says.
Koretzky is skeptical about this aspect of the venture. "I think it's worthy; I doubt it's realistic," he says. "I imagine they're going to have their hands full just putting out a paper on a shoestring budget."
Besides, he says, | 656 |
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Voinovich Undergrad<|fim_middle|> & Associates was awarded the contract, Cox helped Brown organize an event where she briefed potential industry vendors who could supply products to her company and support orders placed by the Air Force. With help from Cox, Baker & Associates personnel also met with potential vendors for 20-minute one-on-one meetings.
"We're very happy to see Baker & Associates win this award since it's so difficult to get," Cox said. "This is not just a win for LeAnne and her wonderful team at Baker & Associates but also for companies in Ohio, who will now get experience for past performance and a chance to be a vendor, supplier, distributor and subcontractor for Baker & Associates, and thus for the Air Force."
As an economically disadvantaged women-owned small business itself, Baker & Associates will work with other small businesses to procure supplies and build relationships with customers.
"We have lived in Ohio all our lives," Brown said. "After winning this contract, our first thought was to partner with as many Ohio companies as possible to support Ohio to its full capacities. This contract will not only help build our company but also help us build Ohio, as a whole."
Jeffrey A. Finkle Ohio University Economic Development Intern to continue work with IEDC after graduation
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OHIO Procurement Technical Assistance Center client Baker & Associates wins $950 million U.S. Air Force contract
Hardika Singh | November 10, 2019
Baker & Associates, an Ohio University Procurement Technical Assistance Center (OHIO PTAC) Dayton-area client, became one of 11 vendors who won a prestigious Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Air Force worth more than $950 million.
Baker & Associates will supply various equipment to the U.S. Air Force via a contract issued by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with a performance period ending on Aug. 8, 2029. The equipment list includes small and everyday items such as uniforms, helmets, boots and gloves to complex items such as tactical carries, ancillary services and testing, load bearing equipment, and more.
The IDIQ contract is used when the supply chain cannot provide items already stocked to meet a unit's needs. To save the federal government bidding time, this contract was established to supply needed items not currently stocked in the supply chain.
LeAnne Brown, CEO of Baker & Associates, said her company was able to win the IDIQ contract with instrumental help in proposal writing from Bill Cox, procurement specialist for the OHIO-PTAC, part of Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
"An awful lot of time and effort is spent in preparation for proposal, even before you pick up the pen and put it to paper," Cox said. "If anything, this award reflects an incredible amount of work on Baker & Associates part."
As soon as Cox saw the Source Sought Notice from the U.S. Air Force for the IDIQ contract, he knew Baker & Associates would be perfect for the opportunity. Cox drew on his experiences as a defense contractor, director of operations and business development manager for 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, to guide Brown through the acquisition process.
"Bill has a wealth of information from a contracting perspective. He knows the ins-and-out," Brown said. "He would do anything to help us partner with other small businesses in Ohio, and it's great to have that connection with him and with other procurement specialists at PTAC."
Baker & Associates is just one of the many companies that has benefitted from OHIO PTAC's guidance. In fiscal year 2018, OHIO PTAC connected small and mid-sized business owners with federal, state and local government contracts worth more than $896 million. OHIO PTAC consulted 507 clients in 2018, helping them earn 110,218 awards, a significant increase from 7,807 contracts in 2017.
After Baker | 627 |
Home / Blog / Entertainment / Rihanna declared a 'national hero' as Barbados celebrates becoming a republic | World News
Rihanna declared a 'national hero' as Barbados celebrates becoming a republic | World News
Barbadian singer and businesswoman Rihanna has been declared a national hero by the country's prime minister.
The 33-year-old was awarded the honour by Mia Mottley during an event to celebrate the island nation becoming a republic.
"On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you the designee for national hero for Barbados, ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty," the PM said to a jubilant crowd in the capital, Bridgetown.
The singer was awarded the honour as the Caribbean island celebrated becoming a republic
"May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honour to your nation by your works, by your actions."
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, before moving to the United States after she was discovered by New York-based music producer Evan Rogers.
She has since gone on to become one of the biggest artists in the world, as well as starring in movies including Battleship and Ocean's 8, and launching her own fashion brand, Fenty, in 2018.
Since 2018, Rihanna has had the honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados.
In 2008, former prime minister David Thompson declared 22 February "Rihanna Day" – and although it is not a bank holiday, Barbadians celebrate it every year.
Prince Charles was invited to speak at the transition ceremony
The latest honour was awarded to the star from her homeland as it celebrated becoming a republic – 55 years after gaining independence from the UK.
In a message to the<|fim_middle|>, peace and prosperity in the future" and emphasised the importance of the "continuation of the friendship" with the UK as she ceased to be their monarch.
Rihanna joined the ceremony in Bridgetown
Prince Charles was invited to speak at the transition ceremony formalising the move.
Speaking in front of a crowd in National Heroes Square in Bridgetown, once known as Trafalgar Square, he said: "From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our histories, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.
There was singing and dancing during the celebrations
"Emancipation, self-government and independence were your way-points. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides."
Dame Sandra Mason was sworn in as the island's first-ever president. | people of the Caribbean island, the Queen sent her "good wishes for your happiness | 16 |
Superman in Walthamstow, or when heroes were really heroes, all stage Chinese were like Cato, and musical comedies were really musical comedies
There's an awful lot of serious (or would be serious) musical theatre about these days. So it's an absolute joy to be reminded that sometimes musical comedy can be just that. Musical and genuinely, indeed hilariously, funny.
The ever-enterprising All Star Productions now bring, to their performance space above the Olde Rose and Crown pub in Walthamstow, the UK premiere of It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Superman (surely deserving of an award for one of the wackier titles in musical theatre history). The programme note reveals that the original Broadway production in 1966 featured a cast of some 40 people. All Star Productions scale this down to 14 – but with the strongest ensemble I've seen them field I never felt the show needed more people on stage.
The show tells, in a comic book style also reminiscent of the classic 1960s tv version of Batman, of the trials of the strongest man in the world who nevertheless is unable to sort out his love life (and, indeed, turns out to have some other psychological problems). But the plot isn't really the important thing about this show. Rather it's the glorious homage to the whole idea of the comic book hero and to Superman's many other incarnations.
Designers Kate McPhee and Randy Smartnick (who also choreograph and direct respectively) make a brilliant virtue of the limitations of space and budget. Thus by emphasising the comic book character of the piece it makes perfect sense to make all the props out of cardboard – it doesn't feel cheap but rather visually in tune with the material. There's a similarly brilliant device of freezing people (especially Superman himself) in particular poses – as if caught in the individual picture box of the comic book at key moments. Add to this Craig Berry (Superman) and others spot on line in the raised eyebrow, or the shocked face and it's just hilarious. Although there is only one more performance I won't spoil it for any readers by explaining how the production gets round the flying problem, but once again it's simple and very funny. Mention should also be made of the film of Superman's past life – which is far more effective than many very expensive instances of the introduction of technology into live performance.
McPhee's choreography also fits perfectly the character of the show – again there are aspects of it that reminded me of those various 60s and early 70s tv shows like Batman or The Persuaders where our heroes are discovered in nightclubs trying to look as if they are with it. This is not to say that it isn't sharp and impressive but really that again there's a kind of clever tongue in cheek character to it. The finest moment choreographically comes with the brilliant Act One finale: It's Super Nice.
McPhee and her supporting dancers also<|fim_middle|> breaking the heart. This is one such show that succeeds triumphantly. One performance remains tonight, but is deservedly sold out. If you can find a legal and safe way to get in do so. Otherwise this is an off-West End musical really deserving of further life. I hope it might get it.
Posted by Finn Pollard at 11:05
Labels: Finn, Musical Theatre Reviews
aline waites said...
Wonderful - Sadly I was not able to see it but it sounds perfect. I agree that musical comedy needs to come back - I am tired of grit, pessimism and solemnity. Bring back the fun. We truly need to laugh, to smile and be happy again.
Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Royal, or, A Triumph...
The 2014/15 SCO Season
The 2014/15 RSNO Season
Superman in Walthamstow, or when heroes were reall...
EIF 2014 - The Opera and Theatre Programme, or, Jo...
The 2014 Edinburgh International Festival Programme
La Fille du Regiment at the Royal, or Take One Fan...
Matilda the Musical, or, I loved it, almost withou... | do an impressive job of the Ling Dance – the place where it's most difficult to get over the limitations of space and budget. If I were being hyper critical a little judicious musical cut here might have been advisable. The Lings, Chinese stereotypes similar to Bert Kwouk's Cato, the Chinese gamblers in Anything Goes or Mrs Meer's henchmen in Thoroughly Modern Millie, clearly do present a problem in today's context and are perhaps a reason why the show doesn't get done more often. Done straight and, I presume, unaltered here is I think the right decision – and in fact the little playful hint towards superior Chinese national power just before their final demise has a clever contemporary resonance.
The cast, as already mentioned, are uniformally spot on. Craig Berry in the title role does an excellent job of standing out even when he's being Clark Kent – square shouldered, square jawed, solemn, just a little bit too good – making his passing disintergration in Act Two even funnier. Matthew Ibbotson as super villian Sedgwick is superbly insane – what might fall into overdoing it in other contexts fits perfectly in this comic book world. The manic cackle, the staring eyes, and the manner in which he finds himself pulled into a dance routine in Act Two's You've Got What I Need all deserve high praise. Michelle LaFortune's Lois does the damsel in distress nicely but is just the tiniest bit outplayed by Sarah Kennedy's Sydney striving to get the upper hand over newspaper columnist and louse boyfriend Max. Kennedy benefits from the fact that in this score the comic romantic numbers are better than the ballads, but also has a line in facial expressions which just lift her performance to another level. Hidden away behind the set Aaron Clingham and his band bring the score to life with verve – I never felt the absence of a bigger band.
But the best thing about this show is the sheer infectious fun of it (not disimilar to Matilda). This is a genuine musical comedy – it's not trying to present a message, it's not trying to be serious, but rather its an affectionate, very funny tribute to the American comic book. Wonderful comic shows are fewer on the ground than they should be – critical opinion doesn't always value them enough, and indeed doesn't always recognise that making something really funny is as hard as | 493 |
Each day new companies register at our main page. Profiles of importers and new buy leads are displayed in our special members section and profiles of manufacturers and exporters are now processed. We have thousands of them and we will release them on a<|fim_middle|> new registration data by email.
With this powerful cd you can offer sourcing services to local companies but you can also use it to source new suppliers of products you like to import. Also if you are looking for partners in your type of business it will help you find new partners. Going to an international fair to meet new people will cost you more !! | special sourcing cd-rom.
So the cd is full of company profiles of companies who like to export their products. If you like to deal directly with the manufacturers and sources of products this cd will be of great help to you.
This cd-rom will cost only $99 (including international airmail costs) and after 6 months you will get a free upgrade of | 76 |
Your drinking water supply can become<|fim_middle|> the center of the water dispenser cold water tank. Waterlogic have designed the water tank and use UVC UV lamps to provide the highest purification. Each lamp is placed in a quartz sleeve to maintain maximum operating temperature and avoid the possibility of touching the water. It's safe and it's effective.
Unlike regular UV protection, Firewall™ is the only water purification technology recognized by The Water Health Organization to deliver 99.9999% protection against waterborne microorganisms before the water lands into your glass.
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With over 25 years of experience providing water solutions across the globe, our friendly experts can help you with any questions. | contaminated with organic and inorganic substances. UV technology can help protect against this problem. Ultraviolet water purification is one of the most effective and environmental friendly form of water treatment as it destroys the DNA of bacteria before reaching your glass.
Water that sits in the tank receives powerful doses of ultraviolet, breaking down bacteria and leaving behind pure water. A UV sensor is placed on selected models which triggers an alarm if the lamp fails, guaranteeing purity at all times.
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To sterilize drinking water and remove harmful chemicals from your UV water treatment systems, a lamp is placed at | 198 |
During ICRA 2016 there will be 4 challenges.
The challenges will run during Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday the 18th. Winners will be announced during the awards lunch on Thursday the 19th.
With backlog of almost 7000 aircraft, Airbus is looking to improve our manufacturing processes through integrating emerging robotic technologies and deploying successful solutions to our shop floors. Thus, we will organize an Airbus Shop Floor Challenge at ICRA2016, inviting the global robotic community to meet the specific, complex challenges of aircraft assembly. Competing teams will be challenged to develop a lightweight, agile robotic system able to target accurate point-based assembly process operations such as drilling,<|fim_middle|>s) phase at ICRA'16. It should be noted that the teams do not need to purchase or build a robot instrumented with sensors or any of the accompanying software. Every team can participate remotely in each of the phases.
We propose the first challenge on formal methods for robotics. Formal methods refers broadly to techniques for the verification and automatic synthesis of transition systems that satisfy desirable properties exactly or within some statistical tolerance. Though historically developed for concurrent software, recent work has brought these methods to bear on motion planning in robotics. Challenges specific to robotics, such as uncertainty and real-time constraints, have motivated extensions to existing methods and entirely novel treatments. However, compared to other areas within robotics research, demonstrations of formal methods have been surprisingly small-scale. The proposed robotics challenge seeks to motivate advancement of the state of the art toward practical realization. The challenge is organized into three problem domains: arbitrary dimensional chains of integrators, roads with Dubins cars, and factory cart clearing. | tightening and measurement.
Our goal is to provoke and facilitate open cooperation between a broad network of partners. We want to encourage the industry, labs, and academia to tackle technologic challenges which span across any single organisations' expertise.
Selected contestants will be invited to visit Airbus' manufacturing and research sites. The winning team will receive a cash prize, and the opportunity to further develop their idea for commercial application within Airbus.
Autonomous Mobility & Accuracy Challenge: Microrobots must track predefined micro-scale trajectories multiple times. The trajectories represent the outlines of geometric shapes fabricated or superimposed on the substrate. The team with the fastest and most accurate traversal of all the trajectories is the winner.
According to the UN Mine Action Service, landmines kill 15,000–20,000 people every year (mostly children) and maim countless more across 78 countries. Demining efforts cost US$ 300–1000 per mine, and, for every 5000 mines cleared, one person is killed and two are injured. Thus, clearing post-combat regions of landmines has proven to be a difficult, risky, dangerous and expensive task with enormous social implications for civilians. Motivated by these considerations, the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society – Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology (RAS–SIGHT) is inviting the academic and non-academic community to participate in the second Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge (HRATC) at the 2016 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'16) to be held in Stockholm, Sweden in May.
Following on the footsteps of the success of the HRATC Challenge that was held at ICRA'14 in Hong Kong and ICRA'15 in Seattle, this third HRATC edition will continue to focus on promoting the development of new strategies for autonomous landmine detection using a mobile (ground) robot. The Challenge will take place in three phases: 1) Simulation Phase, 2) Testing Phase, and 3) Challenge Phase. The strategies developed by the participating teams will be objectively and quantitatively evaluated according to the following criteria: exploration time and environmental coverage; detection and classification quality; and landmine avoidance. Teams will be progressively eliminated after each phase and the remaining teams would move on to the next phase culminating in the Challenge (Final | 488 |
Our onsite restaurant will be closed to the public on 29th November 2019 due to a private event. However, you will still be able to enjoy a fantastic meal and drinks in our Open Lobby from our special menu for the day!
Stay at the modern Holiday Inn Milton Keynes central hotel in the hub district of Milton Keynes close to businesses and shopping.
A tree lined road leads to the marble clad Holiday Inn Milton Keynes central where you check into your chic guest room with a balcony facing the central atrium. The hotel is 5 minutes from Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway and flights land at Luton Airport 26 miles away. Milton Keynes Train Station is a 10 minute walk.
Holiday Inn Milton Keynes central is surrounded by businesses like Argos head office next door Santander Pricewaterhousecoopers UK and KPMG. Our 10 meeting rooms are manned<|fim_middle|> and a business centre. Keep in touch with high speed internet in your guest room.
The British F1 Grand Prix takes place at Silverstone Circuit 15 miles away and you can carve up snow on the slopes at Xscape under 1 mile away.
Unwind with a dip in our 16 metre swimming pool at the Spirit health club and air conditioned gym. A breakfast of eggs pastries and fruit is served in the Chic Junction restaurant and you can order drinks in the atrium bar. Evening meals of steak and curries are on offer and under twelve eat free. | by dedicated hosts and have buffet lunch menus wireless Internet | 10 |
La organización de la información constituye actualmente un factor de éxito en las empresas. La introducción del ordenador en el mundo empresarial revolucionó por completo el sector. Se desarrollaron más tarde bases de datos y aplicaciones dedicadas a optimizar la gestión de información, debido a la relevancia de este aspecto en el mundo empresarial.
Años más tarde fue Internet quien revolucionó el sector empresarial, se pasó a controlar mucha más información que debía ser organizada. Una buena organización garantiza disponer de la información precisa al instante, haciéndola visible sólo a aquellos usuarios con los permisos suficientes<|fim_middle|>
Informática | . Además, una buena organización permite una gran coordinación y comunicación entre los miembros. Otros beneficios de la organización de la información son la reducción de costes y esfuerzo en proyectos, al tener disponible de una manera más eficaz la documentación de otros proyectos.
Enlaces externos
Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Evaluación de buscadores web en la Recuperación y organización de la información
Sistemas question answering en la Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Recuperación y organización de la información
Metadatos xml rdf
Recuperación y Organización de la Información no Supervisada | 181 |
Ma Shouzhen (; c. 1548–1604), also known by her courtesy name Ma Xianglan (, meaning "Orchid of the Xiang River") and pen name Yuejiao ("Lunar Beauty"), was a Chinese courtesan and artist born in Nanjing during the late Ming dynasty (1550–1644). She was a renowned painter, poet, and composer. She received the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.
Biography
Ma was born in Nanjing, and she lived in the entertainment district along the Qinhuai River. As a matriarch in courtesan society, she encouraged the education and training of courtesans in the arts. In order to maintain her reputation as an elite courtesan, she only allowed educated men or young student lords within her residence.
During the late Ming dynasty, elite courtesans challenged the gender stereotypes of Confucian values. In contrast to the women of the gentry, who were often discouraged from cultivating talent lest it undermine their virtue as wives and mothers, courtesans were educated in painting, poetry, and music. In addition, they owned property and participated in the public scene.
At the age of 15, Ma Shouzhen formally assumed the position of courtesan. Before this, she may have received education from a proprietor who owned her during her childhood. As courtesan matriarch, she befriended many poets and intellects such as Peng Nian (1505–1566), Zhou Tianqiu (1514–1595), Xu Wei (1521–1593), Xue Mingyi (late 16th century), and Wang<|fim_middle|>. Not long after this, Ma fell ill and died peacefully in her residence in Nanjing. Wang wrote several eulogies of Ma after her death.
Paintings and Poetry
As a painter, Ma Shouzhen is well known for landscapes, orchids, and bamboo imagery combined with calligraphy. Her brush work is delicate, and the images have either colors lightly applied or monochromatic ink. Her preferred painting formats include fan, hand-scrolls, and hanging scrolls.
Along with painting, Ma was skilled in writing poetry and composing dramas, however, some of her dramas have been lost over time. The only paintings by Ma Shouzhen that survive today are her ink landscapes, orchids, and bamboo. Since she was a social person, many of her paintings may have been given away at parties.
List of Works
Orchid and Bamboo, (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection
Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock, (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection
Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock, (hand-scroll) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection
Orchid and Rock, (hanging scroll) ink on paper, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Online Collection
Gallery
References
Further reading
External links
Palace Museum Collection
Art Net
Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection
1540s births
1644 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Chinese women painters
Ming dynasty painters
16th-century Chinese women
16th-century Chinese people
16th-century Chinese women artists
17th-century Chinese people
16th-century Chinese painters
16th-century Chinese poets
Chinese composers
Eight Beauties of Qinhuai
16th-century Chinese women singers
Women theatre managers and producers | Zhideng (1535–1612). The poets would write poems inspired by her or for her, describing Ma as beautiful with a warm and welcoming personality. During their visits, Ma Shouzhen joined them in making paintings, poems, and plays. She also hosted parties on her multi-leveled house-boat with the literati as her guests.
Romance with Wang Zhideng
Ma Shouzhen and Wang Zhideng shared a loving relationship with one another, and there are instances in which the two openly expressed their affection for each other. They wrote letters to each other, collaborated in several paintings and poem. One of their famous collaborations was Narcissus and Rock, which consists of two images and a poem. When Ma published her poems in 1591, Wang included a preface for them. On one occasion, Ma took her house-boat to see Wang in Suzhou and celebrated his 70th birthday with a party of musicians | 203 |
Deviled eggs are delicious, as is pork belly. And together they create a flavor burst like nothing else. Today we're making pork belly<|fim_middle|> 2″ square and place one piece on each chip.
3. Place about 1 tablespoon of the Deviled Egg Salad on top of each, then top with another chip to create a mini sandwich. Serve immediately.
Cut the meat into 1/4 inch slices. Add one piece of pork to a chip. Then add a teaspoon of egg salad on top. Top your sandwich with a second chip and pop it into your mouth!
How do you vary your pork sliders? Do you have any amazing recipes? Share with us below! | sliders with jalapeño cheddar deviled egg salad. We worked with LAY'S® Wavy and their esteemed chef Jody Denton who came up with a delightful twist to the classic slider. Rather than buns, we're using LAY'S® Wavy Hickory BBQ Flavored Potato Chips to sandwich our ingredients together. Move over, bread — chips are the new bun.
Here's what you're going to need to construct your sandos.
First we need to make the deviled egg salad. This can be done a day ahead if you want to spread out the recipes.
1. In a bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork and mix in the mayo, relish, mustard, salt, pepper, jalapeño and cheese.
2. Roughly chop the egg whites and mix into the yolk mixture.
Remove the yolks from your hard boiled eggs and smash them in a bowl using a fork. Then add all of the other ingredients and mix well to combine.
Roughly chop the egg whites and then add them to the mixture.
This is going to take over four hours to cook, so we recommend you get an early start. Set your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
1. Mix the rub ingredients together and thoroughly coat the pork belly with a healthy layer of rub.
2. Pour 1 cup of water into a baking dish and lay the belly fatty side up in the dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in a 300 degree oven until tender, about 4 hours.
3. Remove the foil, drain the liquid and brush the mop liberally on all sides. Put them back into the oven uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the mop reaches a glaze consistency.
4. Repeat the mopping process two more times.
5. Remove the belly from the oven and wrap it in aluminum foil. Keep it in a warm place until ready to slice and serve. It can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for later use, but for best results serve warm within an hour of leaving the oven.
Add all of the rub ingredients to a bowl.
And give it a whirl, smashing any clumps.
Add a generous layer of rub to the pork. Then add a cup of water to the bottom of your baking dish. Place the pork in the dish, fatty side up. Cover the baking dish with foil and cook it for 4 hours.
In the meantime, make your BBQ mop (see recipe below). Once the meat is tender, coat it with the mop. Put it back into the oven for 10-15 minutes and then glaze it again. Repeat this process two more times.
If you're going to make a slider, you need a good sauce. Memphis-style mops are thin and delicious with a vinegar flavor.
1. In a heavy-bottom sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until they reach a golden brown color.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches a thin BBQ sauce consistency.
Add butter to a heavy sauce pan. Let it melt and then add the onions. Cook them for 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
Add the remaining ingredients and then bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will stay thin unlike other BBQ sauce that gets thick.
Time to make these babies.
1. Arrange 24 LAY'S® Wavy Hickory BBQ Flavored Potato Chips on a platter.
2. Slice the pork belly into pieces about 1/4″ thick and 2″ x | 777 |
Here's why Vulture was the Hero of Spider-Man: Homecoming
Last night I saw the latest Avengers franchise film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is a new and improved reboot of one of Marvel?s most beloved heroes. That hero, of course, is Spider-Man. That may seem obvious, but I feel it necessary to remind myself that this was a Spider-Man movie because after making it to the end of the film, I realized that Michael Keaton?s character, Adrian Toomes (aka Vulture), was the actual protagonist.
(WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, STOP READING! SPOILERS ARE COMING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)
Alright, so why was I rooting for the ?bad guy? of the story? First and foremost, we?re not dealing with some deranged maniac with delusions of grandeur here. Adrian Toomes isn?t some anarchist bringing about chaos for the heck of it. He?s a humble, blue collar worker who makes his living doing construction for New York City after The Avengers destroyed everything with their reckless vigilantism.
In the beginning of the film, we see Toomes acting as the foreman to a bunch of workers who he has contracted to help get the cleanup and rebuilding job done. It?s a big job, but that also means work for him and his crew, which means a paycheck will be coming in and food will be on their tables at night.
Then, a government cleanup crew comes in and let?s Toomes and his crew know that they will be taking over. All expenses that Toomes may have put into equipment are his problem, not theirs. To add insult to injury, Toomes and his crew find out that the government cleanup crew is affiliated with none other than Tony Stark, aka Ironman. You know, the billionaire Avenger with the bomb suit that can blow up stuff with the push of a button. Toomes says it himself, the same guys who caused the damage are now getting paid to clean it up. Sounds like a scam to me.
Fast forward 8 years. Toomes and his crew have changed their business model a bit. Using some of the alien technology they salvaged from the construction site, they have now created a weapons manufacturing and distribution operation. This is the first glimpse we get of Adrian Toomes as Vulture, a badass small business owner who started from the bottom and worked his way up to having his own awesome Iron Man suit, but with wings. I?ll be honest, when I first saw the new Vulture suit I was like, ?Really? He?s just another Iron Man.? But you know what, maybe that?s the American Dream of the Marvel Universe. Instead of a white picket fence and a yard, maybe the dream is to get your own Iron Man suit. It might sound crazy but it?s far from the weirdest idea related to a movie about a boy spider.
Vulture is supposed to be the villain of the story, but why? Because he?s not Spider-Man, that?s why. The Joker was clearly the villain of The Dark Knight, not only because he wasn?t the titular ?Dark Knight? but also because he was a psychopathic killer. He loaded up a boat full of civilians with explosives to play some weird mind game with Batman, just to prove a point. What?! Vulture doesn?t even come close to touching on that level of villainy. In fact, the only person he kills in the movie is the original dudebro who called himself ?The Shocker?. That guy was a reckless douchebag who was all too eager to pull a weapon on a nice young man who?s just trying to buy a gun under a bridge. Also, it?s worth noting that Toomes didn?t mean to kill Shocker v1, he thought he was using a non-lethal anti-gravity gun or something. Oh well, no big loss. That guy was a jerk. Shocker v2 seems like a cool guy I could have a beer with after work. Sometimes being manager means making hard decisions like who to hire and who to vaporize.
Okay, so here?s the thing about Vulture. He?s a weapons dealer and his products are out there hurting people, but what drove him to this life? He was happy doing construction and cleaning up his city until some billionaire womanizer strolled in and took his job from him. And not just any billionaire womanizer, but Tony Stark, a billionaire womanizer who loves himself so much that he never shies away from a camera. So now Vulture?s gotta see this guy?s face on TV every day, being rich and groping chicks. I?m sure this rubs Toomes the wrong way since 1) He?s a working class guy and 2) He has a wife and daughter to think about. In fact, his whole motivation for becoming Vulture was to provide for his wife and daughter, not some crazed desire for vengeance. He?s trying to win by playing by the rules that society has already accepted as being okay. Tony Stark?s weaponized Iron Man suit is way more powerful than Vulture?s is. Need proof? Vulture?s suit is basically a glorified kite, whereas Iron Man?s suit leaves so much destruction in its wake that it actually creates jobs. Also, hey, let?s not forget that there are plenty of weapons manufacturers out there already, selling guns every day. Forget guns, cigarette companies do more damage around the world than Vulture?s weapons could ever do. He is providing a product and a service in exchange for being able to provide security to his family. He has given his wife a beautiful house and his daughter the ability to attend a very good high school that will set her on a path of success for the rest of her life. That?s the American Dream, right behind owning your own Iron Man suit. But with wings.
Alright, so now let?s get into Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, a whiny little brat who thinks he deserves the world on a silver platter. Oh I?m smart so I get to just sleep in class, blah blah blah, I stole Captain America?s shield so I get to be an Avenger, whine whine whine. It?s a never ending symphony of ?me me me? with that kid, and you know what the worst part is? He ends up getting exactly what he wants! Are you serious?! His arrogance leads him to unknowingly put a bomb in his friends backpack and almost kill an elevator full of kids and Martin Starr! Then, at the end of the movie Tony Stark offers to make him the newest Avenger. Sure, he turns it down, but Tony Stark didn?t know he would. He had press people standing by to get the scoop (again, Tony Stark is a media whore)!
Also, speaking of The Avengers, Tony Stark rewards Peter Parker with a high tech spider suit that is basically, you guessed it, another freaking Iron Man suit. It?s got a talking robot voice, millions of gadgets, the works! How many dang Iron Mens do we need in this film? One Iron Man is plenty! Black Sabbath knew that when Ozzy sang, ?I am Iron Man?. He didn?t sing, ?Hey we?re a bunch of Iron Mens doing stuff with our super powerful suits that do all the work for us.? Good luck playing a riff to that, Tony Iommi.
Anyways, my point is, this kid wants for nothing and has no empathy for<|fim_middle|>. He also endangers everyone in or near the Washington Monument by putting a bomb in Ned?s backpack, destroys an airplane engine that most likely fell over a heavily populated part of New York, and he almost kills a boat full of people trying to see The Statue of Liberty for free by taking the Staten Island Ferry (quick PSA: Don?t pay for a boat tour, just take the ferry and see the statue for free). Oh wait a second, destroying a boat full of innocent people? Sounds like that character from The Dark Knight who isn?t the hero!
Vulture, on the other hand, is looking out for his people. The people he works with, the people he does business with, his wife and daughter. The means through which he has decided to provide for these people are questionable, sure, but at the end of the day he?s doing it for them. He?s a family man first, and a Vulture Man second. When he is finally caught and tried for his ?crimes? (which let?s be honest, his only real crime was undercutting the government sponsored weapons development business. WAKE UP PEOPLE!) his primary concern was getting his family out of the city so they wouldn?t have to see him like this.
On top of that, Vulture had two chances to kill Spider-Man and he chose not to. He had that little dweeb in his car, and instead of killing him right there, he told him to go inside and show his daughter a good time at the homecoming dance. She was his priority. Sure, he threatens to kill Peter and everyone he loves, but that?s just a vocal threat. Consider it an ?enhanced interrogation mode?, you know like Spider-Iron-Man?s suit has.
Later, during an after credits scene, Toomes runs into an ex-associate in prison who asks him to give up Spider-Man?s secret identity so that some ?guys on the outside? can take him down. Instead of giving him up out of vengeance, he plays dumb and acts like he has no idea who Spider-Man is. Vulture had the chance to destroy one of his most powerful foes, next to Iron Man and, of course, the effects of late stage capitalism, and instead he chose not to. Even though he had the power to kill Spider-Man, he did the responsible thing by letting a 15 year old child live. It?s almost like he understood that with great power comes great responsibility. Sounds like the motto of a real hero, doesn?t it?
Kevin Froleiks is a New York based comedian. Follow him on twitter or check out his website to find out where he?s performing next. His comedy album, Jokes I Don?t Really Do Anymore, is available for free on his website as well. You can also check out his podcast, We Wrote A Musical, on iTunes, and see his new musical comedy, Great Frontier: A Poorly Researched Musical About Lewis And Clark, at the 2017 NY Theatre Festival?s Summerfest.
Flashing LineageOS 14.1 to a Nexus 7 (2012)
25 Ways To Kill The Toxic Ego That Will Ruin Your Life | those around him. I mean his uncle just died and that barely registers on his sociopathic, teenaged radar. All he knows is that a billionaire womanizer has taken a liking to him, given him a fancy Iron Spider suit, and in the end is rewarded with a full time job with The Avengers despite not even finishing high school yet. Meanwhile, we?ve got Adrian Toomes trying to work hard to build a life for him and his family. Peter Parker got his suit as a handout from a wealthy guy in bed with the government, Toomes got his through his own ingenuity and by building a team of people who could make his dream of being an Iron Man with cool wings come true.
Throughout the film, Spider-Man and Iron Man prove that they are the villains, not Vulture. Spider-Man?s idiotic behavior destroys a local deli owned by a kindly working class man who tries to teach Peter Parker about the importance of education | 192 |
9th October 1965 Celtic v Hearts League- Preview
The Boss in a Rage
24 hours after the 1-0 win against Go-Ahead Deventer, Celtic manager Jock Stein, according to the papers, was still in a<|fim_middle|>-final replay should be switched to Hampden. They then had to wait……….. | foul mood, as this headline might suggest;-
Stein Lashes Out As Celts Flop
While, in his other role, as manager of the Scottish national football side, he had even bigger problems;-
Disaster Night For Scots Caps
Crerand
Carried off (Man U v Helsinki)
Broken Leg (Torino v Leeds)
Up High
Britain's tallest (and ugliest) building, the 620-feet Post Office Tower, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister today, appears as a kind of exclamation mark against the London sky.
Mr Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia, left the cabinet room at number 10 Downing Street yesterday, shook hands with Mr Harold Wilson and Mr Arthur Bottomley, Commonwealth Secretary and turning to face reporters outside said "We have agreed to differ".
Feeling Better
President Johnson of the USA yesterday underwent successful surgery for the removal of his gall bladder and within two hours of the operation, praised his doctors for doing a 'splendid job'.
Visitors from the Capital
Next up in the league was Hearts, only a few days later. Frankly, the Jam Tarts were not good travellers, like many sides much better at home than away. At that time of the season, they were only a few points adrift of Celtic, yet they had good players – including future Celts in Chris Shevlane and Willie Wallace – and it was something of a mystery why they did not do better.
Obviously, the manager had not been happy with the performance against our Dutch visitors but would he regard that night as just a case of a side not fully rising to the challenge or one that needed some changes? To be perfectly honest, when a side is playing a two-legged European tie and is 6-0 up from the first leg – away – it is hard for the players to be truly up for the second game. They have already proved that they are the superior side; even on grounds of not belittling fellow professionals, it would not be surprising if they took their feet off the gas in any return.
Non-commital
Well, at the press conferences the day before the match against Hearts, Mr Stein was saying nothing, merely acknowledging that the chosen eleven would be announced shortly before kick-off.
However, one announcement that had us all wondering was when, as there was no second-team match on that day, all the reserve players were told to report to Celtic Park before the game. Were big changes in the pipeline? Or was it just an exercise designed to improve morale?
Change of Venue?
Neither Celtic – nor Hibs for that matter – had been totally enamoured with the choice of Ibrox for the League Cup semi-final tie. Naturally, as Rangers played in the other semi, favouritism had to be avoided and that match had to be at a venue away from the Light Blues home ground. However, both the Celtic and Hibs boards believed that that clash between their clubs should also have taken place at the national stadium, as it would give their players an exposure to the ground where they might have play in a final. Moreover, they argued, even on the grounds of equality, surely all the four clubs involved in the semi-finals should be treated equally.
So, Celtic put forward a proposal to the Scottish League that the venue for the semi | 678 |
A sudden change in hearing is never normal and it must be addressed immediately. Any patients reporting a sudden hearing loss will typically be seen the same day. If we are not able to see you on the same day our clinic staff will make a recommendation for you to attend another facility as soon as possible. It is imperative that this situation be treated as a medical emergency because of the possible causes.
Sudden onset hearing loss can be caused by a range of factors, including wax build-up closing off the ear canal, a viral infection or, in the worst-case scenario, a brain tumor. A brain tumor is rare in these instances, but it is a possibility that should not be ignored.
When patients attend the clinic for hearing tests in these circumstances they will be evaluated for wax build up. If there is no wax build-up the hearing test proceeds as usual. If wax is presenting an issue, it can typically be removed with ease. If the hearing has returned to normal levels, there is no further cause for concern.
If upon conclusion of the hearing test a hearing loss is present, I typically advise patients that they should immediately follow up with a physician. The physician will assess the patient for further treatment, including a likely referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, steroid/anti-viral medications and/or an MRI.
As I said, sudden onset hearing loss is very serious and must be addressed immediately. Patients should not assume that wax build up is the cause in any case. Patients should consider sudden changes in hearing an emergency medical situation and address it accordingly.
Anyone experiencing a sudden change in hearing should call the clinic at (416) 792-9400 and request a same-day appointment. We will do everything possible to rearrange our schedule for you to<|fim_middle|> or in response to a sound that we present to the ear through testing. If you have a healthy inner ear, then chances are your are producing OAEs.
As an Audiologist I feel it is my responsibility to help the public better understand their hearing health. I started this blog to educate people about hearing health and what an Audiologist can do for them. I will focus my first post on the basics: 1) protect the hearing you have, and 2) deal with a hearing loss when one is identified. | attend immediately.
With the holidays around the corner it's likely you'll be spending a lot more time with friends and family. It's in these social settings where hearing aids can make a remarkable difference in your life. If you find you are struggling to follow a conversation around the dinner table or at a busy holiday party, hearing aids may be able to help you in a meaningful way. Around this time of year I strongly encourage my patients who are considering hearing aids to take them for a trial period.
Often taken for granted, the ability to hear plays a crucial role in the way we interact with each other and our surroundings. Yet, for more than one million Ontarians, hearing loss can have serious consequences, negatively affecting daily living. Untreated or mismanaged hearing loss has a profound impact at any age. For example, hearing loss can result in compromised speech, language, and social development in toddlers, poor academic performance in children, behavioural issues in teenagers, and isolation, reduced independence, diminished cognitive function, and depression in adults. Knowing where to turn for help is an important first step – your audiologist can help.
If you find conversations hard to follow and frequently need to ask people to repeat themselves, you may have hearing loss that can be treated with a hearing aid. However, before any decisions can be made about whether you are a candidate for a hearing aid, it is crucial to undergo a comprehensive audiologic evaluation. Hearing aids, especially those developed in recent years, are very sophisticated electronic devices that amplify sound to compensate for an individual's hearing loss. While hearing aids are not a cure, they often can minimize the consequences of hearing loss, and can lead to an enhanced quality of life. However, just as is the case with eyeglasses or medicine, if hearing aids are not properly prescribed, serious harm can result. This is why hearing aid prescription is controlled under the Regulated Health Professions Act.
May is Better Hearing Month – Protect your ears!
An estimated 3 million Canadians have hearing loss. One in three developed their hearing loss as a result of exposure to noise.What's worse: Noise-induced hearing loss is the only preventable cause of permanent hearing loss! Remember how your mom always told you to "take a sweater" to prevent catching a cold? Well, your audiologist will always tell you "wear your hearing protection" to prevent permanent hearing loss. We all know mom knows best, but why don't we listen?
For the past few years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been raising awareness for hearing care through their annual advocacy event: World Hearing Day. Last year, their theme was "Make Listening Safe". Last March, we shared with you some of the posters, infographics and learning tools the WHO published on their website aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of excessive noise and preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
Once again Toronto Family Hearing was at the Roncesvalles Polish Festival in 2015. This was our second year at the festival and it was even better than last year. I had the opportunity to meet and discuss hearing health with people from the neighbourhood and across the city. I met some new faces and existing patients who just stopped by to say hello.
Have you ever wondered how audiologists can diagnose or rule out hearing loss in patients who are difficult to test? How does an audiologist know how loud they need to set hearing aids for someone who can't provide feedback? Take for example, infants, very young children, people with significant developmental disorders or other imparements – they can't always acknowledge when they hear tones during a routine hearing test, nor can they always provide accurate feedback to the audiologist when programming their hearing aids. In these cases, audiologists need to employ alternative testing methods, and this is where auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing comes in.
I mention in my website that I can provide otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing in my clinic. In fact, I am one of very few private audiology clinics in the GTA with this capability. This is an area of practice that I am very excited about because it is so unique.
An otoacoustic emission (OAE) is a very soft sound that is generated by the inner ear. It can happen on its own | 863 |
The Road to Character
(amazon)
David Brooks (View Bio)
Hardcover: Random House, 2015.
In his most eye-opening and deeply personal book yet, David Brooks—New York Times bestselling author of The Social Animal—tells the story of ten great lives that illustrate how character is developed, and how we can all strive to build rich inner lives, marked by humility and moral depth. In a society that emphasizes success and external achievement, The Road to Character is a book about inner worth.
The #1 New York Times Best Seller!
The #1 Amazon Best Seller
"A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin." — Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian
"With his new book, The Road to Character, David Brooks—New York Times columnist, PBS 'NewsHour' commentator and serial mensch—emerges as a countercultural leader. His goal is the recovery of 'a vast moral vocabulary and set of moral tools, developed over centuries and handed down from generation to generation' His method is to profile 'heroes of renunciation'—a diverse group consisting of men and women, minorities and whites, gay people and straight, aristocratic and blue-collar, generally shaped by tragedy and driven to make unsparing demands on themselves…. Brooks's selection of biographical examples is an exercise in cultural criticism. They are chosen to stand in contrast to currently ascendant forms of self-trust, self-love, self-expression, self-esteem and self-actualization…. The literary achievement of The Road to Character is inseparable from the virtues of its author. As the reader, you not only want to know about Frances Perkins or<|fim_middle|> Brooks, who established a reputation for sometimes glib but often insightful cultural commentary with Bobos in Paradise, his 2000 best-seller, has more recently specialized in applying the latest in brain science and social psychology to larger questions of morality on the Op-Ed pages of the Times. He continues, "I'm paid to be a narcissistic blowhard, to volley my opinions, to appear more confident about them than I really am, to appear smarter than I really am, to appear better and more authoritative than I really am. I have to work harder than most people to avoid a life of smug superficiality. The Road to Character is an account of Brooks's effort to find his way out of shallow punditry—or, as he puts it, to "cultivate character." … There is something affecting in the diligence with which Brooks seeks a cure for his self-diagnosed shallowness by plumbing the depths of others…. Brooks's instinct that there is wisdom to be found in literature that cannot be found in the pages of the latest social science journals is well-advised, and the possibility that his book may bring the likes of Eliot or Samuel Johnson—another literary figure about whom he writes with engaging sympathy—to a wider readership is a heartening thought." — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker (Read the full review)
"David Brooks—the New York Times columnist and PBS commentator whose measured calm gives punditry a good name—offers the building blocks of a meaningful life in The Road to Character." — William O'Sullivan, The Washingtonian
"This learned and engaging work brims with pleasures.... Brooks makes his case for character through the stories of people who seemed to have it, including public servants Frances Perkins and Gen. George Marshall and civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph. These little biographies are enlightening, and they demonstrate that character comes in all kinds of people, in a variety of manifestations." — Daniel Akst, Newsday
"Brooks offers biographies of a cross section of individuals who struggled against their own weaknesses and limitations and developed strong moral fiber. . . . [He] offers a humility code that cautions against living only for happiness and that recognizes we are ultimately saved by grace." — Booklist
"The road to exceptional character may be unpaved and a bit rocky, yet it is still worth the struggle. This is the basic thesis of Brooks's engrossing treatise on personal morality in today's materialistic, proud world. . . . [His] poignant and at times quite humorous commentary on the importance of humility and virtue makes for a vital, uplifting read" — Publishers Weekly | Saint Augustine. You also want to know what Brooks makes of Frances Perkins or Saint Augustine. The voice of the book is calm, fair and humane. The highlight of the material is the quality of the author's moral and spiritual judgments. Across the pages, Brooks is a reliable guide and a pleasant companion. But this description plays down the radical, disruptive ambition of the book. The Road to Character can't be reduced to cultural criticism, because the author doesn't take our communal struggle to be primary…. He finds the greatest drama in our sacred journeys—the saving and losing of souls. This requires the moral vocabulary of a previous era. A consciousness of sin. A real determination to reach holiness. When said in public, terms such as 'sin' and 'holiness' have the power to shock, like the choicer curse words once did…. Brooks is an effective modern translator of these ideas because he is constitutionally incapable of finger-wagging. His is a call to a cheerful, tolerant, shared struggle with sin. Yet his description of spiritual maturity—of people who have found lives of self-mastery, graciousness, steadiness and a concentrated sense of purpose—will be read by most people as an indictment…. The book, fortunately, did not stop there. 'We are all ultimately saved by grace,' says Brooks, right there in thesis No. 10…. Brooks makes this point in a nonsectarian, even nonreligious, manner. He is always careful—always courteous enough—to leave people the space to find their way." — Michael Gerson, The Washington Post
""In the introduction to his new book, The Road to Character, David Brooks breaks the columnist's fourth wall with a startling confession: "I was born with a natural disposition towards shallowness." | 361 |
Do you plan your goal achievement?
Goal setting is one of my favourite activities – it's up there with writing lists, saying "yes" to challenges and drinking champagne!
As I prep for a workshop, which is already prepared for<|fim_middle|> very achievement-orientated. So, note to self – be mindful that we're not all fanatical about goals!
Check Mind Tools for the neat article on Locus of Control – Are you in charge of your destiny? | me using the process of #TakeON!, the SMART goal writing tool is used. I'm not an avid user of SMART, I used to be, many moons ago, but it's well worth revisiting or sharing with your team if you struggle with achieving results. I generally find it's in the specifics of the goal.
My favourite approach is back-planning. I visualise the accomplished goal and then work backwards – identifying the significant milestones arrived at and achieved, then back plan each step which I completed (in my head) to arrive at the goal.
It may have a fancy or trendy term (can I trademark it?) however I've used this technique for decades and its 80-90% foolproof.
What tool, technique, method, model etc. do you use to set goals and plan to achieve them? Or, dont you?
I recently completed the Locus of Control (thanks to Carol Howard @blackbirdsthree) which uncovered that I have a strong Internal Locus of Control – I'm | 208 |
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..
Youth ministry is essential to the heart of our congregation. They not only help to preserve our heritages and sacred rituals, but they also encourage us to dream of new ways to live out our faith.
At Hawker we consider "youth" to be approximately those between<|fim_middle|>. Good job!
And above all they share laughter, happiness and give big hugs!
Keith Andrews and Cindy Myers currently lead the Hawker Youth Group. | seventh and twelfth grade. We hold regularly scheduled youth group meetings on Sundays and other planned activities throughout the year. We engage in spiritual reflection and growth, service projects, as well as organized games and activities.
Our youth group utilizes multiple approaches of learning as they grow in their relationship with God. These approaches include the use of video, stories, technology, ritual and action.
They meet every Sunday at 10:30 am in the Crusader's Room.
"Youth Bake & Take Project"
Youth and kids visiting members that are going through some hard times.
that they baked themselves | 119 |
Top 10 Jim Croce Songs
Best Songs, Jim Croce
Brian Kachejian 7 months ago 2 Comments
Photo: Public Domain
Our Top 10 Jim Croce Songs list takes a look at a singer-songwriter who enjoyed tremendous success in the early seventies. At a time when the genre of soft rock had become incredibly popular, Jim Croce landed multiple hit singles along with fellow artists such as James Taylor, Carole King, and Jackson Browne. The early 1970s saw an abundance of artists releasing songs in the soft rock genre that balanced the line between, country, pop, easy listening and rock overtones. It could be easily argued that Jim Croce was one of the pioneers of the soft rock movement.
Jim Croce's talent for writing great grooves, strong melodies and personal stores that fans fell in love with showcased an artist that seemed destined for a long and fruitful career. Tragically, Jim Croce was killed in a plane crash when he was only thirty years old. His guitarist Maury Muehleisen was also killed in the crash. At the point of his passing, Jim Croce was enjoying tremendous success on the charts and gained a reputation for composing songs of substance and commercial viability.
Most of Jim Croce's hits were released on three albums that were issued in only a two-year period from 1971 to 1973. The albums You Don't Mess Around with Jim (1972), Life and Times (1973) and I Got A Name (1973) were brilliant records that defined one of the most promising talents of the classic rock era. Croce had released his first album Facets in 1966 and the follow-up Jim & Ingrid Croce in 1969. However, it was the three albums released between 1972 and 1973 that secured Jim Croce's status as a rock and roll legend.
# 10 – Speedball Tucker
Opening up our Top 10 Jim Croce Songs list is one of the most unfamiliar songs in the Jim Croce catalog. Maury Muehleisen's guitar playing was often overshadowed by Jim Croce who was such a powerful songwriter and singing skills. On the radio, you couldn't see the band and even though Jim Croce played guitar, it was Maury Muehleisen who played all those great guitar riffs on the record. Just take a listen to the licks he played in "Speedball Tucker," and you will hear how overlooked Maury Muehleisen's playing was.
# 9 – One Less Set Of Footsteps
The great Jim Croce song "One Less Set of Footsteps" was released on Jim Croce's Life and Times album in 1973. The song was the albums opening track. "One Less Set of Footsteps," was also the first single released from the album. The song reached the Billboard Top 40 peaking at the number 37 position.
# 8 – Walking Back To Georgia
Another great Jim Croce song that displayed his great guitar playing, gift for melody and most of all the personal stories that we all fell in love with. "Walking Back To Georgia," was never a hit, but it was a very special song to many of us who loved Jim Croce in the early 1970's. Just listen to that chorus. The line, " She's the girl who said she loved me," will just melt your heart.
# 7 – You Don't Mess Around With Jim
The song "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," was the title track of Jim Croce's 1972 album You Don't Mess Around With Jim. The song served as the opening track on the album. "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," was released as the album's first single. The song "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," was a top 10 hit for Jim Croce peaking at Number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
# 6 – Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Out of all the Jim Croce songs on this list, the great recording of "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," may be the most memorable. The song was released on the Jim Croce album Life and Times. The record was issued in 1973. The song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," was a number 1 record reaching the number one position on the Billboard Top 100 in 1973. It was also one of the most popular songs of the years. Piano players loved the opening piano lick that was learned by millions of keyboardists both amateur and pro. Elton John got a run for his money on this one.
# 5 – Time In A Bottle
Rating the next batch of Jim Croce songs was nearly impossible. On any given day this order could change. In the end, all we really care about is celebrating these amazing Jim Croce songs one more time. "Time in A Bottle," was released on the You Don't Mess Around With Jim album in 1972.
# 4 – Photographs And Memories
The song "Photographs and Memories," was the B side to the single "You Don't Mess Around With Jim. " However the beauty of the song has just grown even more special after all these years. This is such a tender song. The guitar work is fabulous and the melody is just breathtaking. The title of the song was also used as the title to Jim Croce's best-selling Greatest Hits album.
# 3 – I Got A Name
As we start to wind down our Jim Croce Songs list, the last three songs define the sound of the early 1970s and the beauty of Jim Croce's work. The song "I Got A Name," was released on the I Got A Name LP. The I Got A Name album was the last official Jim Croce album released before all the greatest hits packages and compilations began to be issued by ABC Records.
# 2 – I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song
The beautiful and tender ballad "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song," was released on the final Jim Croce album I Got A Name. The song "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song," was released as the second single from the album after the album's first single "I Got A Name." It<|fim_middle|> Gardner: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview | is one of the most covered Jim Croce songs in his catalog. The song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.
# 1 – Operator
Closing out our Top 10 Jim Croce songs list is the heartbreaking song "Operator." Every time one hears the track, one can't help but feel the pain of the disconnected number and the search for that one that got away. The song's beauty and heartbreak is as bittersweet as it gets. Released on the You Don't Mess Around with Jim album. It was the album's second single. The song peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Top 10 Jim Croce Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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Brian Kachejian
Brian Kachejian was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of ClassicRockHistory.com. He has spent thirty years in the music business often working with many of the people who have appeared on this site. Brian Kachejian also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stony Brook University along with New York State Public School Education Certifications in Music and Social Studies. Brian Kachejian is also an active member of the New York Press.
Michael McKasty February 27, 2018
He sure does make you want to write songs.
Pingback: Top 10 Essential Harry Chapin Songs - ClassicRockHistory.com February 4, 2020
Baybluesman December 29, 2022
Great talent, lost all too soon.
Although I never met the man, he had this sense of congeniality, empathy for the common man, and displaying humor, while being cerebral.
Nor did I have the chance to see him perform in person, but the attributes above shine through, thanks to documentaries and preserving shows such as The Midnight Special.
Just want to take this opportunity, although this article addresses Jim Croce's many classics, to especially thank Jim Croce for "I Got A Name" which chokes me up every time I hear it, as it fully reminds me of my deceased Father, who taught me to follow the road less traveled, and to make my own mark on the world, to the best of my ability.
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Hirsh | 729 |
Wow. I haven't<|fim_middle|> of the Frank to 5k: Real World Challenge, I took an Herbalife Challenge and came in second, and I've been getting more involved in dodgeball (outside of the usual standing around and waiting to get hit). I'm going to write a second post because while I have been getting down with different activities, I'm not progressing. That really blows. For now though, I'm going to talk to you about my next big adventure: I'M RUNNING MY FIRST 5k ON THANKSGIVING!
My teammate Jess runs all the time and I told her at the beginning of this season that my goal is to do one 5k race before the year was out. Last Wednesday she brought to my attention the Turkey Trot that's happening Thursday morning. Without a second thought I committed!
On Thursday at 7am I'll be arriving in DTLA to pick up my running bib and getting everything started for my first 5k! I'm going to leave it at that and save the real writing for my next few posts! | written anything in four months... That's pretty bad on my part. Good news is even though I haven't been active in writing, I have been active in the real world! Since the last time we met, I have completed all but the final week | 51 |
No matter how small or large your community<|fim_middle|> through the ACS Store.
Distribute surveys (available in English and en Español) for attendees to complete to measure public impact and awareness.
Don't forget to thank volunteers for pitching in their time and resources for ensuring that your CCEW event is a success.
Share the success of your event through local section newsletters, print, and social media (Facebook and ACS Network).
You may also send certificates of participation to attendees.
Your local section or division can compete for a ChemLuminary Award! Record the details of your events using the template for Events, Activities, and Meetings and the template for CCEW-Sponsored ChemLuminary Awards!
Following are ways generate excitement among your volunteer base and engage large numbers of your community!
Reach out to ChemClubs, Student Chapters, and local businesses to participate in or sponsor your event(s).
Use social media to post events on your website.
List your event through the ACS Event Locator.
Publicize your event with local schools, universities, and other local press. | , you will find suggestions that will fit with your targeted audience. Find information on fundraising, promoting your events, and more.
Organize a day of hands-on activities aligned to the yearly theme.
Promote and carry out a CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students with your ACS Local Section.
Participate in the CCEW Community Event.
Speak to members of a local club, school, or other organization and explain how chemistry relates to your career.
Arrange seminars and workshops to engage employees of local industries in discussions about the role chemistry plays in their profession. If you work for a chemical company, read about ways your company can participate in CCEW.
Recruit and adequately train your volunteers.
Request permission from potential venues (local school, library, museum, etc.) to host an event.
Learn about event insurance coverage and request a certificate of insurance from ACS.
Obtain photo release forms from partnering schools and other youth groups.
In this helpful fundraising guide, find ideas for funding sources, sample fundraising letters, acknowledgement letters, and more.
Share this customizable fact sheet with potential sponsors and partnering organizations.
Review ACS's PR Guidebook for more ideas and suggestions about ways to promote CCEW and all other programs, services and events.
Disseminate CCEW-themed merchandise and hard copies of Celebrating Chemistry to attendees. These products can be purchased | 277 |
The practice of identifying significant leadership traits has been chased for years. There are numerous successful attributes that have remained constant over time. Critical thinking, coaching, flexibility, problem solving, and the ability to execute are nothing new. Even the fictional James T. Kirk, when taking command of Starfleet's U.S.S. Enterprise in 2264, embraced many leadership beliefs we've held in high regard for eons.
Moving through the 21st century, following new models for business success will demand the enhancement of certain leadership skills. The following list of characteristics, though not complete, will still act to support ongoing conversation of what skills will become even more important moving forward.
Communication – Communication continues to rank as one of the top leadership skills. How skillfully a leader communicates is a major factor in credibility. Communication needs to be consistent and open dialogue must be supported.
Share company ideas and progress within the team. Discuss potential obstacles and how to push through them.
Leaders need to invest and continually strengthen their storytelling skills. It is a powerful tool when solidifying concepts and connecting with people.
Emotional Intelligence – EI goes beyond the ability to express and control our own emotions and includes the capacity to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others.
Flexibility & Focus – Being comfortable with the speed of change, or at least having the ability to be "comfortably uncomfortable" is a key skill. Maintain the expertise to remain focused in a fast changing environment. Help those around you develop that same skill.
We live in fast moving times. Social media and technology allow us to hear from numerous people at<|fim_middle|> trend and explore how your firm might support efforts to improve lives. Go beyond achieving the appropriate results and work towards building an enduring added value for all.
What has your experience been? Where do you believe we're headed?
Carla Perrotta is an operating leader who was raised through sales and business development. She has extensive experience in growing and expanding firms. Carla enjoys working with companies in growth mode, turnarounds and start-ups. Because of her years in the staffing and service industries she has a keen focus on its greatest asset, people. She can be reached at: carla@carlaperrotta.com. | a faster pace. Information is transmitted immediately. This creates challenges as well as new opportunities.
Character & Authenticity – Understand what you bring to the workplace with regard to integrity, ethics and honor; know your philosophy regarding business, clients and your team. Be aware of the brand you are intentionally or unintentionally building and what it represents. Leaders impact those they lead. It is critical to your success, and the success of others, that you are authentic.
Follow up on what you say you will do. This affords you the opportunity to gain trust and offer value. Be resilient. Acknowledge disappointment, but quickly recalibrate and move on. Celebrate successes.
Collaboration and Partnership will continue to grow. Ben Dattner, Ph.D., an organizational psychologist, states it very well, "Twenty-first century leaders might benefit from thinking of themselves as being in the center of a web rather than on top of a pyramid." We are more connected to a variety of unique sources, information and people than ever before. Value ongoing networking. Find ways to share information.
Acknowledge contributions, everyone wants to feel appreciated and good about what they've contributed. Recognize how individuals and groups add to the overall outcomes. Inspire people. Respect others, listen.
Strengthen Focus on Diversity – As our world metaphorically continues to shrink we must be well prepared to embrace unique perspectives.
Spend time with all members of your team and network. Gain new perspectives. Connect with a wide range of people and cultures. Uncover what individuals are hearing, saying, feeling, doing. Listen to frustrations and look for original ideas. Value input.
Today's leaders must constantly be challenging company conventions to keep ideas flowing. Strengthening diversity allows you to identify opportunities before your competition. Learn from other industries that embrace diversity in the workplace.
Shows like the sitcom Silicon Valley demonstrate how being unique is important and very much appreciated in this competitive world.
Knowledge – Cultivate lifelong learning for yourself and those around you. Educate yourself quickly and shift on a dime. Be adaptable. Go beyond hiring people that are capable, hire people that have potential. Understand that today's job will be different tomorrow. Think ahead. Build a company where employees feel comfortable seeking knowledge and bringing ideas forward. Explore new options, learn from mistakes. Brainstorm. Encourage passion.
Successful leaders don't take their position for granted. They cultivate leadership skills and are lifelong learners.
Pursue Enduring Value versus simply financial results. It is a growing trend that people seek more purpose in their careers. An increasing amount of companies are embracing their value on society, overall. There is expanding interest from customers when making buying decisions on how companies view their community responsibility. Ensure you understand the impact your organization has on all those around you.
As the idea of corporate social responsibility continues to grow, 21st century leaders will need to understand that if they want engaged employees, they must add to the purpose and development of the individual and the community. Grasp this growing | 607 |
Enterprise risk management solutions within the insurance industry are on the increase, as their reactionary potential for dealing with risk<|fim_middle|>-post controls and compliance and meeting accounting and statutory metrics. | events pays off. ERM systems, according to a new survey, may be able to provide a host of additional value added benefits to insurers in terms of additional information, risk transparency, for key business decision making.
The insurance industry is well versed in the area of risks. However, insurance enterprises themselves face risks from a host of directions, among others, from global economic uncertainties, new competition, compliance, as well as loss of talent.
In recent years, ERM systems have been developed that allow companies to better manage their enterprises' risks. According to a new report from McKinsey & Company, titled 'Transforming Enterprise Risk Management for Value in the Insurance Industry', the possibilities within the ERM landscape around risk issues extend well beyond mere compliance measures. New ERM systems are able to provide transparency into risks/payoffs, whereby companies are better able to make decisions in line with strategic requirements. The survey for the report involves 27 insurers with more than $3 trillion in assets.
According to the survey, executives within the insurance industry are considering ways in which to broaden the use of ERP for risk related insights that extend beyond reactionary measures to an event. McKinsey asked respondents to rank the areas in which they would like to see improvement to their ERM system. 32% of respondents cite risk IT and data analytics as the number one area in which they would like to see improvement, while 19% cite stress testing and risk reporting at 18%. Risk appetite and strategy and risk organisation and governance follow at 11% and 10% respectively.
In terms of their second improvement area, stress testing capabilities came out on top as cited by 26% of respondents, while 25% say that risk IT and data analytics was their second improvement area. Risk culture and performance transformation are also cited highly by respondents (23%) in terms of their second area of improvement.
The study highlights that for many organisations, ERM systems are currently seen as a means of reacting to incidents and meeting the requirements of new regulations, rather than a source of information for risk related decision making. According to the firm's analysis, most insurers are at the risk quantification position on the capabilities potential of modern ERM systems – these systems provide few ways of adding value to businesses, outside of a focus on ex | 470 |
There's always plenty of good reasons for a tailgate — football, little league soccer games or supporting a local marathon race. Cap-off your tailgate menu with my Chocolate Brownie Cookies. You will surely<|fim_middle|> salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk beating at low speed about 1 minute, or just until blended.
Cool slightly, then remove to cooling rack. About 3 dozen cookies.
Tip: Smaller cookies can be made using 1Tablespoon dough for each cookie, baking for 8 to 10 minutes. | see alot of smiling faces.
Chocolate treat, under 30 minutes - mixing and baking. But can you wait 24 hours? Probably not, but just save a few because these cookies actually taste even better a few days after baked. Eyes-go-wide open on the first bite. Try my recipe for yourself and you'll agree. For best results use this good quality Dutch cocoa, like Droste Dutch Cocoa or Bensdorp Cocoa; a Good Stuff Pick. Make enough to share.
Cream butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar one minute, or until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating lightly after each.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and | 137 |
The Exquisite Corpse in Glass
Question: What do you get when 11 internationally-recognized flameworkers each create two figures (one male, one female) in glass where each figure composed of three parts: head, torso, and legs.
Answer: A modern glass version of the Surrealist game exquisite corpse.
I swear, I am not making this up.
The brain-child of glass artist Marshall Hyde, The Exquisite Corpse in Glass: Flameworkers Play a Surrealist Game is an exhibit currently on display at the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University. In the original word game that inspired the exhibit, players write words on slips of paper and randomly select them to create unexpected<|fim_middle|> exhibit to a museum near you (PDF)
Google map for Castellani Art Museum | phrases and sentences. In this version, viewer mix and match from among the 66 lampworked parts to create one of the 10,648 possible figures.
The exhibit runs through February 12, 2006. Don't fret if you can't get to Niagara before then. Twenty of the figure are available (with artist information) in a PDF online for your mixing and matching pleasure.
The Exquisite Corpse in Glass: Contemporary Flameworkers Play A Surrealist Game at the Castellani Art Museum
Download exhibit book (PDF)
Bring the | 119 |
Cyanide found in Denver hotel
By The Associated Press | ap@ap.com |
PUBLISHED: August 13, 2008 at 11:01 p.m. | UPDATED: November 13, 2015 at 11:13 p.m.
DENVER — About a pound of highly toxic<|fim_middle|>yanide is a fast-acting chemical used in manufacturing, metallurgy and pest extermination that, when inhaled or ingested, prevents the body from processing oxygen.
Investigators have not said why Dirie had cyanide or whether he worked in a job that would have involved using it. They also have not said how long Dirie had been in Denver.
Addirizuk Karod, manager of Ottawa's Somali Centre for Family Services, told the Ottawa Sun that Dirie was a member of the city's Somali community.
Young Minnesota angler's muskie tops the competition for 2022
Maxfield Elementary joins forces with St. Thomas as a collaborative learning school | sodium cyanide was found in a hotel room where a man's body was discovered, authorities said Wednesday.
The Denver medical examiner was awaiting test results to determine what killed Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, 29, of Ottawa. Police said they do not suspect foul play, and the FBI said there was no apparent connection to terrorism.
Dirie's body was found Monday in the Burnsley All Suite Hotel. Investigators said he had been dead for several days.
Fire officials said they found a bottle of the white powder in Dirie's room. Police said Wednesday it was cyanide.
C | 121 |
Given the fact that I recently examined the upcoming Star Wars Episode III DVD, almost any disc I watch is bound to suffer a bit by comparison; but the DVD for Batman Begins offers<|fim_middle|> on an infomercial for DC Comics' upcoming graphic novel series. But overall the only thing missing is a commentary track by Nolan, who no doubt could offer some additional, personal insights about making the movie; otherwise, this DVD set is stuffed full of extras, and will likely be the definitive DVD iteration of this excellent film for several years - at which point they'll probably throw in the commentary track, the DTS audio and some other stuff we didn't learn about (such as how Liam Neeson got his facial hair to grow like that). | a surprisingly inconsistent digital transfer, particularly given the fact that the film was shot less than a year ago. Thankfully, the disc faithfully represents the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the theatrical presentation.
During the opening sequence (shot in Iceland) where Bruce visits the temple of Ra's Al Ghul, for example, there's a lot of extra visual clutter; while admittedly the skies are filled with mist, rain, and all sorts of precipitation, the images - particularly in wide shots - don't seem to be properly interlaced, creating horizontal streaks as the camera tracks across these expansive and imminently photogenic landscapes. While such problems occur only occasionally, they prove distracting, and again should have been corrected, especially given Warner Home Video's choice to isolate the feature on a single disc by itself and add a second for the bonus materials.
At the same time, the film may initially have been digitally calibrated to accommodate the preponderance of dark-light contrast - of which there is a significant amount - and practically engulfs the viewer during the movie's (literally) darkest moments; unlike the 1989 Batman, which director Tim Burton approached with a far more expressionistic perspective, this film offers myriad shades of gray, with only sporadic, sharp juxtapositions of extreme light or dark.
During the Batmobile chase sequence, which is also arguably the movie's biggest set piece, director Nolan photographs the sequence at extremely close range, which highlights the detail and attention that went into constructing the Batmobile. Thankfully, this footage looks almost flawless: reflected light, both from direct sources and bounce shadows, offer additional textures to the palpably real landscape, while the juxtaposition of static angles inside the Batmobile and action shots never proves jarring.
As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the film is significantly more comprehensible on the small screen; more than merely because the audience can pause, rewind and rewatch, Batman Begins plays directly to its artistic goals - that is, to make an intimate character study as franchise-launcher - by enabling the audience to pore closely over the details Nolan adds in painstaking but undeniably powerful measure.
The majority of the film sounds great - I'll get into specifics in a moment - but if you need a demo disc for your home theater and don't have the money (or inclination) to buy Lucas' Episode III, then try showing the feature's Batmobile chase: the machine itself is a study in aural malevolence - deep bass undertones rumble beneath the localized whirring and beeping sounds that signify its functions - while the combination of center-channel audio (mostly dialogue) and satellite-speaker incidental noise (police sirens, shifting spatial depth) create an indelible and immersive movie-watching moment.
That said, if you absolutely must watch the movie from beginning to end, there are plenty of other scenes in which the English (or French) Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix will serve your ears well. The sound design adheres closely to Nolan's depiction of Batman himself - specifically, by offering a glut of punctuating, sometimes unidentifiable noises - and enhances the filmmakers' understandable mystification of the comic book character.
Ra's Al Ghul's mountainside temple is appropriately cavernous, with occasional instances of ambient noise that suggest shadowy hallways, dark deeds, and the hidden recesses of Bruce Wayne's tortured mind; his father's subway cars, particularly during the flashback scenes, are clear and clean and offer only the center-channel purity of his father's populist message; the hallowed rooms of Wayne manor are expansive and welcoming, like the embrace of Wayne's loyal manservant Alfred; and the dark streets of Gotham are often filled with the elegiac strains of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score rather than the palpable (and presumably uncapturable) fear of a populace paralyzed by criminals and lowlifes.
But if you need further clarification, the DVD also offers English, French and Spanish subtitles for the hearing impaired.
All of the extra materials contained on Disc Two of the Batman Begins DVD are literally framed by the Inner Demons Comic, an 'exclusive Interactive Comic Book' that explores Batman's world via comic imagery. What this means in layman's terms is the DVD is confusing as hell: the 'pages' of the comic book are navigated via Bat-icons at the top of each page, but the featurettes, factoids and documentaries appear in different forms - sometimes in highlighted panel dialogue, and sometimes in the images themselves. The problem is that the designers of the comic book conceit didn't elect to attach a bonus feature to each page, but to attach several to some and none to others; the end result is a sore thumb and a frustrated viewer.
In Batman - The Journey Begins, Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer discuss how they approached the project and more or less willed it into existence. Evidently, the pair holed up in Nolan's house - even prior to securing a deal to make the movie - and toiled day and night until they came up with a serviceable script that would reincarnate the troubled hero; with the guiding principle that they wanted Batman to be a real person, not just that dude with the funny ears and the cool toys, they slowly mobilized a conceptual conceit (including casting decisions, character imagery, and even rudimentary set designs) that Warner Brothers agreed to.
And voila! An avenger of the downtrodden is born!
Shaping Mind and Body discusses Christian Bale's efforts to bulk up for Batman after his gaunt turn in last year's The Machinist for which he lost 60 pounds. Starting at an emaciated 120 lbs, Bale quickly rebuilt his mass until Nolan and the producers actually had to ask him to stop - "we're making Batman, not Fatman," crew members joked. But the end result is not the chiseled physique of his American Psycho character Patrick Bateman, which he described in interviews as "vanity muscle," but muscle mass combined with physical stamina that befit not only the role's action-oriented demands, but the physical presence required to make Wayne stand tall on screen opposite formidable figures like Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
Batman - The Tumbler reveals the ground-up process of designing, building, testing and putting the Batmobile into action. When Katie Holmes says she now understands why men loves cars, even the mildest road warrior can follow: the behemoth was originally designed as "a Lamborghini crossed with a Humvee," and it offers the best of both worlds - stability and size, and speed and maneuverability. Most remarkably, the vast majority of the Batmobile footage was created with a full-size tumbler, adding yet another degree of believability to Nolan's real-world approach to comic book adventure.
In Gotham City Rises, the filmmakers document the process of finding, and in some cases, creating the world Batman inhabits. Wayne Manor, for example, was a real-life home that the production overhauled to suit their needs (such as making it look like the world's most expensive mausoleum; the Batcave, on the other hand, was designed and built completely from scratch at Shepperton Studios in England - and in full size. But the centerpiece of Gotham City is itself a sort of anachronistic miracle, in today's age of computer-generated cityscapes; while some CGI was necessary to add movement and texture to the film's in-camera reality, the chase scenes, fight sequences, and dramatic set-ups were all captured within the four walls of the studio's back lot.
Meanwhile, Saving Gotham City reveals the process of employing miniatures and CGI to enhance Gotham City as well as other locations (including the mountainside temple of Ra's Al Ghul). Rather than contradicting the Rises featurette, it augments its reflective eye, and shows how effectively the two art forms - that is, practical model-making and computer artistry - can work together if properly synthesized.
Genesis of the Bat and Confidential Files offer some additional insights about both Batman and the film, but they cover a lot of material that has been addressed in past Bat-retrospectives, and might be better served | 1,686 |
The Federal Government said on Saturday that it would soon launch a new education strategy, 2016 to 2020, to serve as a guiding framework for transforming the sector. The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, stated at the 32nd combined convocation and Diamond Jubilee ceremony of the Kaduna Polytechnic that the strategy would inspire efforts to bring the capacity of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems to levels where they could respond to multiple demands.
"The aim is to give access to affordable and quality technical and vocational education and training for the acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
"The Federal Government has identified the relevance of polytechnic education in the country's socio-economic development and is aware of the big gully between the non-formal technical education and the formal TVET.
"Our conviction is that the national vocational framework will integrate the non-formal sector of vocational trade with the formal TVET for maximum result and impact,'' he said. Adamu described education as "a veritable tool for the growth and development of any nation,'' adding that all hands must be on deck for the country to be rated high in the comity of nations.
The minister, represented by the Executive<|fim_middle|> to move the nation to greater heights. He said that the current administration was aware of the myriad of challenges affecting the sector, adding that plans are underway to improve investment in the sector to put it on the right path.
The convocation was organised for 67,403 students who graduated from the institution from the 2005/2006 academic session to the 2014/2015 session. The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, said that out of the figure, 2,350 graduated with distinction, 15,680 with Upper Credit while the rest graduated with lower credit and pass.
"The polytechnic is highly cosmopolitan with students from all over Nigeria; from a modest figure of 158 students in 1961 to currently 40,000 students undertaking more than 140 programmes in 44 academic departments and with staff strength of 4,000 academic and non-academic staff members. Ibrahim said that arrangement had reached an advanced stage with the NBTE for the take-off of 12 new academic programmes. He added that during the period under review, 633 staff members were given opportunities to obtain additional qualification with 107 bagging Doctorate degrees, 150 Masters degrees and 416 first degrees and similar qualifications. | Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Masa'udu Kazaure, called on well-meaning Nigerians, the private sector and non-governmental organisations to support the government in funding the sector. The minister equally urged the graduates to contribute their quota in stirring the country in the right direction and place it on the shoes of excellence in technology, high morals and unquestionable integrity. "You must strive to leave your footsteps on the sand of time and make remarkable contributions to the development of this great nation,'' he said.
Also speaking, Gov Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State stressed that no country would move forward without technical education. El-Rufai said that Nigeria needed technical manpower with sound innovation, creativity and the ability to take risk in entrepreneurship | 158 |
Vicky Duval
Muguruza Survives Scare At French Open; Serena, Kvitova Winners
by Staff | September 28th, 2020, 9:12 pm
One of the tournament favorites, Garbine Muguruza, was nearly bounced in her first match at the French Open. The former champion was down big to Tamara Zidansek 3-0 in the third before rallying for a tough 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 victory.
"Definitely, was very difficult first round," Muguruza said. "I know she was playing amazing tennis since the first set, so I just knew that just have to wait for my opportunities.
"I was just trying to stay calm until I saw the chance, and then I went for it."
Muguruza also overcame a 3-0 hole in the first set against the Slovenian.
"It's a good win. In the end, you're out there and it was a tough battle and you manage to get the win, so it feels great," Muguruza added.
"It's definitely a challenge physically with the conditions and such a long match. But I'm happy. It's always tough the first rounds."
Serena Williams opened play against countrywoman Kristie Ahn. Ahn entered with just two career tour wins on clay, but led by a break twice in the first set, but once she dropped the opening breaker the 3-time champion rolled 7-<|fim_middle|> Pavlyuchenkova. And Zhang Shuai upset Madison Keys.
19-year-old Kaja Juvan picked up her first French Open win upending former No. 1 Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3.
"It doesn't matter to me who the draw is, but when you play against players who have a lot of titles, you say to yourself, Okay, I watched them on TV when I was little, but I have to stay focused on myself," Juvan said in her post-match press conference. "So I did what I had to do.
"But in the end, we had to wait three hours to play. And so we were trying to warm up, I was trying to stay aggressive. That's why I won her in the end, because she's a fantastic player."
On Tuesday, Karolina Pliskova and Kristina Mladenovic headline on Chatrier while Australian Open champion champ Sofia Kenin is on Lenglen. Jennifer Brady and Jelena Ostapenko are also in action.
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Read more stories about: French Open
Tags: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Angelique Kerber, Christina McHale, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza, Iga Swiatek, Kaja Juvan, Kristie Ahn, Leylah Fernandez, Madison Keys, Marketa Vondrousova, Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tamara Zidansek, Zhang Shuai | 6(2), 6-0.
"The biggest difference was just confidence," Serena said. "I just need to play with more confidence, like I'm Serena.
"So that was it. I just started playing like that, and I love the clay and I started playing like it, opening the court and moving and sliding."
Serena now gets a rematch with Tsevtana Pironkova who took her to three sets earlier this month in New York.
"She's playing well, but I am too," said Serena. "I'm ready to play her. She'll be ready to play me. It will be a long match, she will get a lot of balls back, but so am I. I'll be ready."
Petra Kvitova opened the day on Chatrier with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Oceane Dodin. Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens and Amanda Anisimova were also winners.
2019 finalist Marketa Vondrousova was eliminated by Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-2. And former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova fell to Anastasia | 246 |
History of Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters
Fort Winnebago<|fim_middle|>bago), in 1832. | Surgeons Quarters (FWSQ), listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, overlooks the site where Louis Joliet and Father Marquette left the Fox River to portage to the Wisconsin River in 1673. The area of land connecting the waterway was called "wauona" by American Indians in the area, and "le portage" by the French.
The Surgeons Quarters was originally the home of Francois LeRoi, a Métis (of French and American Indian descent), and was built between 1816 and 1819. The building is a French post and log construction made from tamarack logs. LeRoi operated a portaging and fur trading business between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers along the same waterway where US Army soldiers would later build Fort Winnebago in 1828.
Fort Winnebago was built as one of three forts along the Fox, Wisconsin, and Mississippi Rivers. LeRoi's home was ideally situated and was bought by the Army in 1828. For the next six years the Army used it as a sutlers store. When the hospital was built behind it in 1834, the sutler's store was remodeled to serve as the home of Fort Winnebago's surgeon and his family. The hospital served all citizens, including American Indians, from hundreds of miles away; after all, the three forts were the locations of the only doctors in the whole of the Wisconsin Territory.
Fort Winnebago was garrisoned with 200 soldiers until 1845 when the troops left for the Mexican American War. The Army saw no conflict during their tenure at Fort Winnebago, but they did leave the Fort to serve in the Black Hawk War of 1832 at Battle of Bad Ax in western Wisconsin. Following the Army's departure the surgeon's cabin was occupied by a local physician and eventually turned into an apartment.
Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution members dressed in period outfits for FWSQ Opening Day 2016.
In 1938 the Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the cabin (that would formally be called the "Surgeons Quarters"), as it was the only surviving building of Fort Winnebago. They worked with many groups to restore it to its original form using plans found in the National Archives in Washington, DC. Thus, Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters opened its doors as a historic tourist site in 1954. The cottage that houses the Heritage Gift Shop was later built in 1958.
Today visitors can enjoy touring the Surgeons Quarters which is staged with many interesting period documents and artifacts, including: medical equipment, books, blacksmith items, clocks, crockery, whale oil lamps, glassware, early children's toys, and more.
This one-room schoolhouse on the FWSQ property is also open to the public.
Old Fort Winnebago Cemetery is the final resting spot of two Revolutionary War patriots.
Fort Winnebago Army soldiers helped build this 234-mile road between 1835 and 1857.
Built for John Kinzie, Indian Agent to the Ho-Chunk Nation (Winne | 692 |
2022 recruit Elijah Statham no longer committed to Pitt
By Mike Wilson Jun 16, 2021, 1:52pm EDT
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PittsburghPanthers.com
In the midst of a wave of commitments, Pitt lost one of the first prospects to join its 2022 class, as defensive lineman Elijah Statham out of Smyrna, Delaware, backed off his verbal pledge on Wednesday. Statham, the brother of Pitt offensive lineman Michael Statham, originally committed to Pitt back on Jan. 11.
The news was first reported by Chris Peak of Panther Lair, but the reason for the move was not provided. And with no statement issued by Statham or Pitt, it is unclear if Statham no longer felt Pitt was a good fit or if the Panthers staff decided to pursue other prospects for what is expected to be a relatively small class.
At the time of his commitment, Statham did not have star ratings from 247Sports, Rivals or ESPN. However, the 6'2", 275-pound defensive lineman has since earned three-star ratings from both 247Sports and Rivals.
During a 2020 season shortened by COVID-19, Statham led a 6-1 Smyrna team with 60 tackles and came up with 10 tackles for losses. And for his efforts, he earned first-team all-state and Delaware Lineman of the Year honors.
Now, with the defensive lineman off the books, Pitt's 20<|fim_middle|> are expected to be added in the coming days and weeks, as June has become peak season for recruiting in the Pat Narduzzi era and several group visits have taken place this month with another to come. | 22 class is down to seven members. However, more | 12 |
2017 Lenten Retreat
February 18, 2017 V. Rev. Fr. John Fenton Announcement, Learn, News & Events, Oblates, Teaching, Upcoming Events
The Society of St Benedict will host their annual Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 4, at St Michael Orthodox Christian Church in Whittier.
"The Character of the Godly Heart" is the theme of the retreat. Rev. Dr. Calinic Berger, Assistant Pastor at St Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles, will offer three meditations during the retreat. In addition to the meditations, this retreat follows the Benedictine model of a "silent retreat." Therefore, there will be ample quiet time for personal prayer, reflection, and meditation.
This event is intended to provide a break from the busyness of this world, to offer time to learn how to live the season of Lent, and to refresh and prepare the<|fim_middle|>Fr. Calinic earned a PhD in Systematic theology from Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He has been a Visiting Professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Vladimir's Seminary in Yonkers NY, and has taught and published on Orthodox theology and spiritual life in a variety of venues.
For more information or to RSVP, please call or email the St Michael parish office.
St Michael Orthodox Church is located at 3333 Workman Mill Road, across the street from Rio Hondo College.
Lent at St Michael's Church | soul for the Lenten journey.
The retreat begins at 9 a.m. with prayer according to the rule of St Benedict, and concludes at 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and a free will donation is appreciated. Child care, unfortunately, will not be available.
| 57 |
Royal Challengers Bangalore: the very first team to play the tournament in IPL history. Over the period of 12 editions, RCB has changed their identity – logo, jersey, flags and whatever you can think of – numerous times, and so does the skippers. In spite of changing everything, they are yet to win the IPL title. Virat<|fim_middle|> – who is topping the IPL all-time run charts, but he needs to transfer that confidence feeling into his leadership. Only then can he turnaround the franchise to achieve the desired result.
After leading his country and Royal Challengers Bangalore, it is expected out of him to win the title in the 2020 IPL edition. Else, the upcoming season could potentially be his last shot at an RCB leadership.
Contemporary State of Women's Game | Kohli, the current leader of RCB is their longest-serving skipper – eighth straight season in 2020. Under him, the team has achieved the knockout stage only twice – 2015 and 2016. 2016 was probably the best year when they made it to the final. However, it has been a dismal show since then. For the last three seasons, the best position they've garnered is 6th in 2018, rest being the bottom of the table.
More from IPL 2020: IPL 2020 Favorites and more…
Virat Kohli: A Lucky Skipper?
Well, there are two aspects of Virat's reputation – one as a batsman and the other as skipper. As far as his batting goes, he's at the top of the world. Even after failing to register more than one half-century in recent NewZealand series, experts across the globe backed him to come good.
However, the grass is not that green about his leadership. In his reign as a leader, India nor RCB have won the coveted trophy. The winning percentage of 47.16 across the IPL games suggests a bleak in his captaincy. Ideally, any franchise would have changed the skipper after three consecutive failures. However, RCB has shown that faith even in IPL 2020, and possibly one last time.
IPL 2020 Expectations
Virat Kohli would consider himself lucky to be at the helm of RCB in spite of failing to take his side into the qualifiers for three consecutive years. Subsequently, he will be under tremendous pressure to win the coveted tournament in the 2020 edition. And there's hardly a doubt the franchise would expect the same out of his leadership. In fact, not just the franchise but even the Royal loyals would expect a big turnaround this season.
As we discussed earlier, there isn't a doubt about Virat as a batsman | 417 |
Cecilian Music was founded in 1998 as the publishing company for the music of Kenneth Hesketh and Arlene Sierra. The music of these two London-based composers is both highly acclaimed and respected in the British and American contemporary music scenes.
An American composer based in London<|fim_middle|> impressive economy and a succession of striking orchestral ideas." | , Arlene Sierra writes music that takes its impetus from rich sources including military strategy and game theory, Darwinian evolution, and the natural world. Her music has been lauded for its "highly flexible and distinctive style" (The Guardian), "by turns, urgent, poetic, evocative, and witty" (American Academy of Art and Letters).
"...Arlene Sierra follows her own rules: The three movements are concise and transparent structures. Thus, the three musicians created a dense atmosphere in which the fluttering and whirring, above all the wordless secret space was to unfold. A fascinating piece, brilliantly interpreted - and given loud applause."
"An intriguing new album of pieces by the American-born, UK-based composer Arlene Sierra, possesses a remarkable brilliance of color, rhythmic dexterity & playfulness."
"... it's music of unpredictable cycles and accumulations, with taunting wind solos, all cut short by a brassy, percussion-driven ending that offers no escape. Lasting just over 20 minutes, the symphony does what Sierra sets out to do with | 222 |
We're fortunate to have a successful business. And we want to share that success with others less fortunate. This worldview led us to partner with like-minded organizations to found Buckets of Love, a growing initiative to feed, clothe, and comfort through the holiday season those in need in our community.
Helping people in need and giving back to communities we serve are of paramount importance to our company<|fim_middle|> of our company. It's part of the greater purpose we serve.
We plan to continue to foster its growth and explore the opportunity to branch in onto its own – enabling growth beyond our community to touch the lives of countless people in need. | . In 2012, we kicked off the Buckets of Love campaign to help feed families during Thanksgiving. To date, we have provided over 2,700 Thanksgiving dinners to our neighbors!
Each Christmas, Buckets of Love brings warmth to the homeless and others in need with a new sleeping bag and warm goodies such as socks, gloves, blankets, and waterproof ponchos. We have provided over 1,250 Buckets of Love in partnership with the Midnight Mission to reach people in need.
This is an important program that's significantly grown over the past few years and speaks to the character | 125 |
Architecture is about the making of things; an outcome of the head and hand, experiment and memory.
Guestroom door handle – sand is press formed to create a single use mould. A process repeated 150 times.
Too often, the actual process of making architecture is overlooked. This gallery seeks to illustrate the art of craft and assembly in making Novotel, Auckland Airport.
Two bespoke pieces are captured during the early stages of making; the lobby stair and guestroom door handle<|fim_middle|> handle can now begin.
One 'piece' takes form within a broader context. | .
The skeletal framework of the stair, intricately crafted pieces that will never be seen once complete, yet vital to the structural integrity of this self supporting helix.
Molten aluminium poured at 1100degC into sand.
Hand drawn setout lines directly transposed from design drawings to material surface.
Discussion by drawing never stops throughout the process.
Once molten aluminium is now revealed formed in planar geometry. Work on the | 89 |
Redline Speed Worx (RSW) is pleased to announce the release of the APR Boost Tap for the 1.8T and 2.0T EA888 Gen 3 engines is a simple, yet elegant solution for referencing boost pressure and vacuum as is commonly necessary for boost gauges. The boost tap plugs directly into the factory intake manifold via the boost pressure sensor bung and can be removed at any time without any permanent modification.
Constructed from lightweight injection-molded glass-filled polypropylene with a Viton o-ring, the tap has very tight tolerances for leak free operation. The reference hoses connect to the rear of the tap via a barbed stainless steel<|fim_middle|> hose is included with OEM style ear clamps and black cable ties to allow for neatly routing hose through the engine bay. | connection point and conveniently routes out of sight. A special fastener was developed to ensure a solid OEM-style-connect between the boost tap, MAP sensor and manifold.
In addition to the boost tap, APR provides several extra components to help suit each individual's needs. For those requiring more than one reference source, a T-Fitting allows for more tapping points. In the case where a mechanical boost gauge is used, the brass restrictor pill limits flow and cures gauge buzz. Just less than 100 inches of 200 PSI | 109 |
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RIA Compliance Blog
Published By Parker MacIntyre
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DOL Action on Fiduciary Rule Makes Important Changes
by Patricia Klusmeyer
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a final rule delaying by 60 days the implementation date of the DOL Fiduciary Rule from April 10th to June 9th. This is in response to President Trump's February memorandum asking the DOL to review the impact of the DOL Fiduciary Rule and assess whether it negatively effects the ability of retirement investors to gain access to retirement information and financial advice. The DOL Fiduciary Rule seeks to assign fiduciary duties to all advisers to retirement investors by expanding the definition of fiduciary investment advice under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to cover a wider array of advice relationships.
Under the DOL's final delay rule, the revised definition of fiduciary investment advice and certain provisions of the Best Interest Contract (BIC) exemption will be implemented on June 9th. At that time, advisers acting as fiduciaries and engaging in transactions covered by the exemption must comply with the impartial conduct standards of the BIC exemption. The impartial conduct standards include providing investment advice in the best interest of the retirement investor, receiving only reasonable compensation,<|fim_middle|>2018 applicability date if it determines it must make further changes to the DOL Fiduciary Rule and related exemptions or that it needs more time to complete its review. The DOL has asked for comments to assist it in its evaluation of the rule and has so far received approximately 193,000 comment and petition letters. Further delays are expected as the DOL continues to conduct its review.
Parker MacIntyre provides legal and compliance services to investment advisers, broker dealers, registered representatives, hedge funds, and issuers of securities, among others. Our regulatory practice group assists financial service providers with complex issues that arise in the course of their business, including complying with federal and state laws and rules. Please visit our website for more information.
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Tagged: Broker-Dealer, Department of Labor, DOL fiduciary rule, Investment Advisers and RIA Compliance
Updated: August 7, 2017 10:59 am
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Notably, the "Transition Period" requirements under the full BIC exemption are no longer required. Previously, advisers intending to rely on the full BIC exemption had to meet certain requirements during the "Transition Period" from April 10, 2017 to January 1, 2018. Specifically, in addition to complying with the impartial conduct standards they also had to provide a written statement acknowledging fiduciary status and certain written disclosures to retirement investors. The final rule no longer requires these requirements, instead requiring only compliance with the impartial conduct standards as conditions of the exemption during the transition period from June 9th to January 1, 2018.
The delay does not affect the other conditions of the BIC exemption, which continue to be scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2018. In regards to advisers proceeding under the full BIC exemption, this includes the best interest contract containing certain warranties about the firm's policies and procedures and the written disclosure requirements. For level fee fiduciaries proceeding under the streamlined provisions, this includes providing a written statement acknowledging fiduciary status and keeping documentation of how the adviser determined a rollover recommendation was in the best interest of the client.
The DOL's final delay rule also extended for 60 days the applicability dates of the new Class Exemption for Principal Transactions, amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-24 (relating to sale of annuities), and amendments to certain other previously granted exemptions. Fiduciaries relying on these exemptions must comply with the impartial conduct standards during the period from June 9th to January 1, 2018.
The DOL re-emphasized in its final delay rule adopting release that its focus during the period before January 1, 2018 and for some time after will be on compliance assistance. The DOL also retained the ability to further delay the January 1, | 409 |
User:Robotech Master/Assault Batteries original
< User:Robotech Master
FreeRIDErs story universe
by Jon Buck, Robotech_Master, and Jetfire
Part 14: Assault and Batteries
Paul yawned and stretched, as much as he could from where he was curled up inside the belly of a wolf. "Morning," he said. "Any change?"
"Negative," Fenris rumbled all around him. "I have been monitoring our ten 'Fortunatos' as closely as I might since the two cured RIDEs have returned to the camp, but I have not seen any unusual movements near them, nor detected unusual network traffic. Of course, whisker laser transmissions are very hard to detect."
"Any signs of anyone trying to leave the camp?"
"Negative," Fenris repeated. "Only standard patrols. All those who departed subsequently returned."
"Hmm. Two days on and we're not a lot closer to finding our culprit than when we began." Paul closed his eyes and dropped into the Fuser link, opening Fenris's eyes and staring out into the world. "We hear back from Shelley again?" He checked comm records himself. "Ah, we didn't," he said. "Just that one message yesterday." Rochelle had sent a terse email that she was passing on the info about the trojan to someone closer to the camp. There was too much scrutiny on them back in Uplift right now for her to be seen slipping away into the desert, and they were also working with Zane on plans to retake the mining platform Fritz had driven him out of.
"Indeed," Fenris said.
"Hope they get here soon," Paul said. "I think Alfie's about to go stir crazy if we can't point him at a culprit."
"They know how urgent it is," Fenris said. "I doubt they will be dawdling."
Upgrade complete. Quinoa's old batteries would be reading 300% full at this point. There had been a moderate loss of sarium during the condensing process, but within acceptable limits according to the old forum post. As her body systems came back online, she listened to the environment around her. Nobody there…no other Integrates. She opened her eyes.
"Good afternoon, Dave." The voice that spoke was a perfect replica of the HAL 9000, fitting for her cell. It was a voice the sphinx was long familiar with. HAL was one of the Steader family's stock Ad-Is (along with Robbie the Robot and Teletraan-1). For some reason, perhaps some long-departed programmer's sense of humor, nothing they could do would induce him to call anyone anything but "Dave." "I am tasked with delivering the following message," HAL continued.
The wall screen flickered on. Quinoa's uncle was dressed like Heywood Floyd. "Hello, Quinnie. This is a recorded message that I think even Fritz won't be able to dig out. I'll be short and to the point.
"I won't be anyone's patsy. I realized Fritz was playing me for one soon after you went into your meditation and he ordered the family station cleared. So, I won't keep you here any longer. But I also won't help you escape. You're a smart girl, Quinoa. I'm sure you'll figure out what to do. I'm sorry about this, and I'll find a way to make it up to you. Your DIN is on the station somewhere. Signing off." He waved, then the screen went blank.
Quinoa's body burned, aching all over as if she'd just run four marathons in a row. Calf muscles complaining every centimeter, she levered herself to her feet and spread her still-bare wings. Sitting on the dining table in front of her was a feast. I thought you weren't going to help me escape, Uncle. Hunger gnawed at her, but now wasn't the time to eat. There was still a possibility that her upgrade could go sour, so she had a narrow window of opportunity.
The first thing she did was look for a door, banging on the walls with renewing strength. Eventually she came upon one that sounded hollow. Well, time to channel Bruce Lee. She put herself into a ready stance, pulled her fist back, and smashed through the wall. The corridor beyond wouldn't be out of place on the refitted starship Enterprise. She knew this corridor. There were homages to three centuries of known science fiction on the Steader family's private space station, but Quinoa hadn't been up here for years. Long enough that the layout was unfamiliar—it was always changing, anyway. The station was built on a modular design, and as the Steaders' interest in particular works waxed and waned, they would move those sections nearer to or farther away from their living quarters. The place was also completely empty of humans, RIDEs, and even Star Wars droids.
"What are you doing, Dave?" HAL said.
"Going home, HAL," Quinoa said. Without her DIN there was no way to easily interface with the station's computers. "Which way out?"
"I cannot let you jeopardize the mission, Dave," the faux movie AI continued according to script.
The book and the movie versions of 2001 were different in a lot of ways. In the book, the Discovery's destination was Saturn, not Jupiter; and the giant monolith wasn't in orbit by itself, but sitting on Enceladus. Other than that, they shared a lot of details. HAL's psychosis caused by conflicting orders, which ended up killing all of the crew except for Dave Bowman. In both versions, Dave had to go into vacuum without a spacesuit for a brief period. The book had HAL venting the atmosphere from the Discovery's interior, and the movie had the dramatic explosive decompression into the airlock from the pod.
For an Integrate going out into space without a suit wasn't that big a deal. A skin-tight hardlight atmo barrier was enough, but the limiting factor was oxygen. Without any supplemental oxy, she could spend at most fifteen minutes "exposed" to vacuum before her systems started taking damage and she had to go into hardlight-shelled hibernation. While that still wouldn't mean her death it would be some time before the Orbital Traffic Control could pick her up. And by then, who knew what Fritz could have done?
The big question in Quinoa's mind was what version of events HAL would decide to follow.
"Open the pod bay door, HAL," Quinoa said experimentally, walking through the empty corridors of the family space station. The exterior design was another 2001 replica, though not quite so large. It shared an orbit with other "antique" stations intended for space tourists: The International Space Station, the Bigelow Space Hotel, and the ambitious for the time (2201 AD, after Earth orbit had been swept clean of debris that had stopped human spaceflight for over a century) version of the 2001: A Space Odyssey wheel station.
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that," HAL droned.
Quinoa went to a wall computer and pulled open the keyboard. DIN or not, she was a very fast keyboardist, but the unit was powered down and not responding. Okay, how about this? The sphinx thought, yanking a panel off the wall underneath. The place had been designed with science fiction tropes in mind. She'd been exposed to thousands of them all the way into early adulthood. It only took a little rewiring and rearranging of a few faux "isolinear chips" to restore power.
The red HAL eye overhead came alight. "Dave, what are you doing?"
Quinoa stayed silent, pulling up a current layout of the station. Now, where would Uncle Joe have stashed my DIN? She had to assume there was at least one of Fritz's supporters somewhere onboard. She looked at the HAL eye and waved, grinning. "Just try and stop me, poindexter. I dare you."
HAL's central core was the obvious place. She found it in the layout, cloaked herself, and headed that way.
"You sure you want to risk your sub again?" Zane asked Rhianna as a small group gathered at the company aerodrome. "Completely sure?"
"We're good. It's as ironclad as the systems in your campus and half of your platforms, and a lot smaller and more maneuverable than your Starmasters," Rhianna replied, hefting a bag full of DIN-beta units over her back. She wore easy-Fuse denim coveralls and a red bandanna to tie up her hair. It felt good to do physical things. She walked up the aft loading ramp of the Dream Chaser. "Leah and Vince both gave these their seal of approval. We're ready."
"Launch is mainly a matter of intel," Vince said. The raven Integrate fluttered on half-spread wings. "There doesn't seem to be any activity at your compromised platform, Zane. But we know that's probably not true."
"The key word there is 'seem'. We can't even get satellite imagery of it, it's all blurry," Zane said. "Which seems to suggest they're at least throwing a party there or something."
"Yes, there is that," Vince agreed. "What about our flesh and metal friends? Are they ready for this?"
"You tell us," Kaylee said. "I've got DINs and weapons up the wazoo. I don't think Rhi could pack anything else onto this old chassis of mine." Kaylee herself didn't look any bulkier, but the support pak and nanolathe supplies were sharing space with a pair of shoulder pulse cannons and a dozen leg-mounted micro-missiles. Everyone else would be protecting Rhianna and herself as she did the hardware swap, then it would be Rochelle and Uncia's turn to toss Fritz's Inties out of the platform's systems.
"DINs by the tens!" Uncia said happily, loping up the ramp behind her. The normally sleek lines of her fluffy fur were disrupted by a long cannon barrel poking forward over her right shoulder and a large metal pod on her left. There were smaller pods on her hips, other equipment modules on her lower back, and still more gear stored internally. "Dare ya to hack me! Double dare ya!"
"Like I've done a couple dozen times already?" Vince said tiredly. He'd only broken through the first couple layers half the time as it was. What the beta units lacked in complexity they made up for in redundancy. "Pass. You're ready. And I've got an optimized DIN, thanks to you."
Rochelle chuckled, bringing up the rear with a shoulder bag full of tools and gear. Her hair was white with grey rosettes today, matching Uncia's fur. "We're all ready. It's gonna be awesome giving Fritz back some of his own. He won't know what hit him."
Rounding out the assault team, Myla and Sophie, Marc and Cernos. The stag Command Armor had been fitted out with more crypto gear to act as a backup to Rochelle and Uncia in VR—and his hated hardlight epaulets were finally gone. Befitting Sophie's Scout Armor status, with the help of the Integrates her hardlight camo was as good as theirs, though more battery-draining. She'd be working closely with Carrie-Anne for stealth.
"You ready for this?" the black jaguar asked Zane's other bodyguard.
"Wouldn't miss it," Myla said. "I just wish we could've talked Zane into staying behind. Absorbing a mil-spec combat skill chip is a poor substitute for actual experience. So, Zane, keep yourself cloaked when at all possible."
"Roger that, Myla." For his part, Zane was more nervous than usual. They were going in with what amounted to a full assault team—a dozen Integrates with military backgrounds, plus Carrie-Anne and himself. Vince had brought him a forearm-mounted pulse rifle that plugged directly into his wrist socket to power it, plus a hardlight shield amplifier. "You know, Rhianna, this isn't how I wanted to introduce you to my platform. I wanted to…well, present it to you like a gift. Watch your eyes light up when I showed you into the RIDE master maintenance bay, with all the equipment and RIDEs being serviced…" He sighed. "Instead, we're going to toss out a bunch of vandals who've probably tagged everything with graffiti by now."
"A…gift?" Rhianna said, sensing something in his undertone—she tried to wrap her brain around it, but couldn't. "Well, that's very kind of you, but…uh…"
"Well, a gift of the experience, anyway." Zane waved a hand randomly. "Not like I was actually going to give you the place." He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "you'd just say no anyway," then cleared his throat. "Um…well…you know, I have to admit, at least it's cozy in here," he said almost frantically. "Kind of like a flying RV."
"Doesn't look much like a Winnebago, does it?" Rhianna said, feeling the urge to smirk at his discomfort. This was familiar, since she still remembered being a young man, stammering through conversations with pretty girls. A young man with a…Oh, boy. Oh God. Does he..? Does he have a crush on me? That put his past behavior in an entirely different light. She knew Terry had a lot of respect for her—that much was in Kaylee's memories. But the last thing she expected was a boyish—tigerish—infatuation.
The cargo area of the sub had just enough space for the extra equipment and the assault team. "I thought you Inties could probably cloak it that way or something."
"So which one of you is the Druish Princess?" Zane said, chuckling.
"Present," Rochelle said cheerfully. "They'd better not shoot the hair."
"Guess that makes me the mog," a golden retriever Intie said. Ianau's tongue lolled.
"I guess we know what the in-flight movie's going to be," Rochelle said.
"No movie. We need to focus," Carrie-Anne said. "Where's CinTally? She agreed to pilot."
"You had to ask?" The female Cooper's Hawk answered from the flight deck. "I came in through the side hatch. Neat little sub you've got here, Rhianna. She'll fly like a dream with me at the controls. She's got some great delta-v with those engine and battery upgrades."
"And she's modest, too," Rochelle said, grinning.
Rhianna had spared no expense for once, either on the sub or on Kaylee's upgrades, even accepting compensation from the cash-strapped Brubeck Mining to get the right tools for the job—something this important was no place for pride. They went in prepared, or not at all. The Dream Chaser had fore and aft retractable pulse cannons and two dozen of Kaylee's favored micro-missiles in underwing FAST paks—the weapons were temporary, at least.
Zane pinched the bridge of his muzzle and chuckled. "Are you sure the Starmaster won't be jealous?"
"Starry and me, we got us an understanding," CinTally said happily. "We can launch when you're all strapped in!"
Kaylee Fused with her partner. In that mode they did look rather bulkier than before. Between the support pak, shield-mode hardlight pelt, and shoulder-mounted weapons, she looked like a very muscular lynx fem-mecha.
Rochelle and Uncia Fused up as well, taking a little more time than usual due to having to move various modules around to fit Rochelle into the body. They ended up with the shoulder-mount cannon racked on her back and other equipment positioned at various spots around her body. Her forearm gauntlets each held a fast-firing pulse submachine gun modeled after the 20th-century mini-Uzi, on spring-loaded auto-holsters that would snap them into her hands on command. The rest was high-speed hacking gear with Enigma-3 and their own DIN-beta Sneaker software.
Rhianna didn't mind depending on Kaylee's own experience, now that she had full access to all her memories. There was a lot of ground to cover there, including some pointed things they both wanted to ask Conyers, and how to break to Katie that not only was Kaylee actually her "biological" mother but Fritz was her dad. And what had happened to the other fifty-two Ris? The odds weren't good that they were all still alive, but many of them could be. Did they even know they'd had "real" parents? What had blotted out Katie's memory of her mother, even after they'd given her Kaylee's old parts?
The visceral loss of Frank from the previous night's review still sat heavily in Rhianna's belly. She'd known it was coming, from the memories Kaylee had shared of her reunion with Kandace the evening after Paul's crew had come and gone, but experiencing it directly had a tremendous impact. The whole situation had been so confused, Kaylee had never found out exactly what vehicle Ophelia Steader had even had<|fim_middle|>ane said. "An area-effect blast from vehicle mount guns should scramble even our systems for a few minutes, and with any luck it'll be 'quiet' enough they won't notice inside."
"And with any luck we'll fry a DIN or two," Rhianna added.
"Hell, the way they make DINs I'll bet you ten mu we fry at least half of them," Rochelle said.
"They will have spares," Rhianna reminded her. "Let's make them use them up."
CinTally nodded. A panel flipped open on the instrument board and a bank of switches flipped themselves. Targeting reticles appeared in the HUD—entirely redundant to the ones on CinTally's inner eyes—and a moment later a series of energy pulses spat from the Dream Chaser's nose, splashing the impromptu volleyball court with energy. A half-dozen Integrates froze and fell over. Unheeded, the ball bounced over the side of the platform and rolled a hundred meters down to the desert.
"Ooooh, that must have hurt!" Cosma chirped. "Sparky sparky boom DINs! They're all down."
"It would be nice if someone could shove all that deadwood to the side so I don't crunch any of them when I land," CinTally said. "Not that I'd mind, but I don't wanna risk damaging the landing gear on this beauty."
"I thought you wanted a challenge," Zane said. "Bet'cha fifty mu you can't land on that platform without squishing at least one of them."
CinTally grinned. "Ooooh, you are on!"
As it happened, Cindy was able to nose the Dreamchaser into place amid the comatose and twitching volleyball players without fatalities, though she ended up lifting one of them with the nose skid and carrying him along ten meters before setting down.
"Well, that's six," Carrie-Anne said. "How many are left? Myla, our turn to find out." She moved to the hatch and vanished as she slid through it.
"We should secure those guys," Rochelle said. "Don't want them waking up and giving us trouble."
"Don't worry," said Flint. The bear Integrate had jumped at the chance to sign onto this assault mission. The chance to work with so many Nextus soldiers and Myla again was just too tempting. "I'll stay here and keep watch on prisoners and the sub with CinTally. With the birds giving us air cover we should be well situated for defense."
"Just like Old Smokey," Marc said. The antlers on his whitetail stag Fuser were aglitter with communications gear. He'd given some tiny laser reflectors to Myla and Carrie-Anne to place during their scouting. Unfortunately their usefulness was a little iffy due to all the Q dust in the air. The platform's hardlight shields were still down—getting them up again was one of the mission's priorities.
Rochelle flicked her wrists, popping the pulse Uzis into her hands and back to the greaves. "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?" She grinned. "This is gonna be fun."
Carrie-Anne reappeared in the doorway. "We seem to be clear all the way to the secret hatch. No sign they are aware of it."
Rhianna and the Brubeck Mining techs had gone over the platform's network schematics with a fine-tooth comb, looking for key points where DIN-betas could be installed to regain them control of the computers. A remarkable number of the points could be accessed from the same secret shaft Zane and Terry had used to make their way to the boardroom when they had infiltrated the platform. It was a bit of a risk given that Fritz had used it himself, but Fritz had shown a level of overconfidence bordering on megalomania so it was judged worth a shot.
The mechanic would need one minute per network junction to replace the nodes. It was no stretch that the second she touched anything inside the occupiers would notice something amiss. Even one DIN-beta would be enough to tip their hand, so they'd start looking for a cause. Two were enough to make them really take notice.
Rhianna had over a dozen to install around the platform. Rochelle could start her VR work when six were finished, but her arsenal would still be incomplete. There were all sorts of "big guns" within the DIN firmware she could use.
"Come along," Carrie-Anne said. "We are ready."
Rhianna, Rochelle, and the others skimmed silently through the hall in their RIDE armor or Integrate bodies under cloak of invisibility, as the RIDEs and Ints kept weather eyes out for any signs of life. A quick jog down the corridor and into a broom closet, then out the door in the back and they were in the twenty-foot-wide shaft in the center of the platform. Not bothering with the ladder along one wall, the escorts spread out vertically as they rose, covering known entrances and exits, as Rhianna moved to the first junction box near the secret entrance to begin her work.
"Magic paws, do your thing," Rhianna muttered, or maybe it was Kaylee, or both. The duo often spoke in unison when Fused. One nanolathe started cutting into the node, and in her other handpaw was a DIN junction unit at the ready.
Uncia floated back to back with her, submachine guns clutched in both hands. "The enemy gate is down," she muttered, staring down at the square of desert sand visible in the distance at the bottom of the shaft.
Meanwhile, Zane and Myla floated up above the others, watching the square of blue sky and bits of superstructure visible through the top. It was most likely any assault would come from either the top of the bottom, as finding other entrances into the elevator shaft might take time if the intruders were unfamiliar with the place. They would cover it from here until everything was underway, then move outside to cover the approach when the fracas started.
But for all that, the first DIN was going to be a "freebie." Only after it was done would they really need to worry. The node came free easily enough. Rhianna placed the DIN unit and started securing it in place with the nanolathe. The unit was the size of a Fuser thumb, and it used several times as much qubitite as all the Integrate DINs she had seen thus far. Rhianna was still trying to fully apply the basic principles, so the beta units were much less complex. Ideally they would only need one in the future, but for now redundancy was essential.
:You know, when this is over we're going to make a killing on security hardware and software,: Rochelle said through Uncia. :The banks are going to fall all over us.:
:I'm not really interested in patenting something this important. Besides, we already sent the beta designs to the Consuls. They're a pretty sharp bunch, so I hope they're doing their own installs right now.: Rhianna said. The second network junction came free and its replacement went right in without trouble. :Intie activity on the network. I think they know we're here. How many do we have to worry about?:
Myla reappeared at her side. "We counted about thirty that we could see. There could be others cloaked, but Carrie-Anne doesn't think so. That puts them at a two-to-one advantage."
A darker form entered the light square below them. "Not smart, guy," Rochelle muttered, cutting their lifters and dropping, the cannon on her shoulder firing an EMP blast to precede her. She opened up with the Uzis as she fell closer, Uncia's targeting system centering both blasts on the unlucky Intie's torso. She felt something tickling at the back of her mind, but ignored it, cutting the lifters back on in time to reduce her impact just enough as she bodyslammed the hapless rat Integrate to the ground. Slightly singed and battered, leaking silvery-pink fluid from half a dozen wounds, he squeaked in fear, squirming and trying to throw the leopardess off. Uncia growled and showed her fangs, and Rochelle poked the muzzle of one of their guns into his face.
"Why…can't I hack you?" the rat wheezed.
"Because you didn't say the magic word," Rochelle purred. Then she growled, "Now surrender or I blow your damn fool head off."
The rat squeaked and complied, his DIN switching to open access mode. It only took them a moment to access his systems and send him into deep hibernation. Then they lifted him back up the shaft by the scruff of the neck and tossed him through the broom closet door, where he'd be safely out of the way.
Zane, Carrie-Anne, and Myla floated back to back above the top entrance of the shaft, keeping Fritz's defending Integrates at bay. Zane blocked hardlight blasts and other shots with his shield, and sent the occasional lifter push or pulse blast back at the enemy. Carrie-Anne, Myla and Sophie covered his rear. Then all three dived for cover, staying in motion to keep the enemy guessing. The various heating, cooling, and ventilation units scattered around provided plenty of cover for friend and foe alike.
Overhead, Vince and the avians were keeping the enemy birds busy—but there were more of them, too many for Cosma, TimRazor and himself to fully engage. It was almost an aerial dance, watching them fire away at one another but not hitting. Their attacks were likely more in the virtual realm.
"Ha, gotcha!" Zane whooped, vaulting over a pipe to land feet-first on top of a wolf Integrate. He slammed the butt of his pulse rifle down on the wolf's forehead and he went out like a light, then turned and fired across some crates at a lioness who was lunging for Myla. His blasts furrowed her shoulder, and she lost concentration and fell.
Carrie-Anne hunted swiftly and efficiently from stealth, slipping up behind Integrates and catching them in sleeper holds until they passed out. It would have been more efficient to break their necks, but Zane and the others had been in agreement that they didn't want any unnecessary killing insofar as it could be avoided.
As the only non-Integrate, Myla was the most at risk, but she was moving quickly with speed and grace, managing to keep out of the way of most attacks. Her stealth wasn't quite as good as Carrie-Anne's, but it was enough to throw off the aim of most attackers. And the heavy gauss pistols she wielded were sufficient to knock any Integrate they hit for a loop. But she was perhaps most valuable as a distraction, as Integrates kept getting distracted trying unsuccesfully to hack her long enough for Zane or Carrie-Anne to move in and take them out.
But they'd gotten so busy taking out enemies at close range, they'd forgotten to keep an eye out for enemies at greater distances. By the time Zane caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and saw a redtail hawk Integrate taking aim from midair a hundred meters away, it was too late. She fired a concentrated burst of energy from one arm that stabbed through Myla and Sophie's side like a hot poker. They slumped to their knees as Sophie flooded the area with medical nanos.
Zane knocked the avian from the sky with a pulse blast, then ran to Myla's side. "Myla!" His eyes narrowed as he took in the damage. He put his hand over the entry point, as if to try to stop the bleeding. Then he felt his hand start to tingle. "What—?"
A long-silent voice reappeared in Zane's mind. Easy, buddy. This one's on me.
Myla looked up. "Zane—what're you—"
Zane gasped. "Terry…?" Then he felt a surge of energy rise up in his body and gush out through his hand, sinking into the traumatized metal and flesh beneath it. He felt the wounds close up beneath his hands—and the energy start to spread further, sinking into Myla's and Sophie's bodies alike. What in—? He tried to pull back, but he couldn't take his hand away. And then he felt things beginning to shift and change within their bodies…
Then Carrie-Anne hit him with her shoulder, knocking him back and free of his contact with the downed fennec Fuser. He shook his head. "What the—what did I just do?" Terry? What did you just do? But his inner tiger had slunk back down into his id again. Zane wanted to reach in and grab him by the neck and shake him, but there wasn't time.
"I don't know," Carrie-Anne said. She frowned as she felt Sophie's Fuser form shift under her hands. "But whatever it was, it healed the wound, so that is at least something."
Myla and Sophie's eyes flickered open. "Ngggh," Myla said. "Feel strange. Woozy." She got to her feet. "Whoa…and my balance is off. What's going on?"
"Half my internal diagnostics are giving me weird readings," Sophie reported. "I feel so funky!"
"You were shot. Zane healed you." Carrie-Anne blinked invisible again, vaulting a ventilator intake to close on a rabbit Integrate coming up a ladder. She kicked him in the head, and he fell off again. "There may be…side effects."
Sophie bent over to pick up their gauss pistols. "This can't be right. My batteries are reading 210% charge." She spun around and fired twin blasts at an approaching raccoon. "Wow—we're fast! Faster than we should be."
Zane followed up Sophie's gauss shots with a fusillade of pulse blasts. The raccoon ducked behind a cooling unit. "Don't look a gift horse…"
"Wait…what? My batteries are only at 150% charge," Sophie said. "The other 60% is coming from…Myla's batteries?"
"What? I don't have batteries," Myla said.
"I, um, think you do now," Zane said. Terry, I swear after this is over I'm gonna come in there, and…
RI and human alike blinked at Zane, then looked at herself. "Well, crap. Fight now, fuss later. But we're going to have words, boss. This wasn't in the medical plan."
"I need a little help here!" the self-described mog said. "They're regrouping!"
Rhianna was on the fifth DIN near the top, moving faster, starting on the sixth and last Rochelle and Uncia needed to get into the platform's systems proper. :We'll need to move into the Boardroom next!: Kaylee broadcasted on a secure channel. There were another three nodes in there. :How are your DINs holding up, everyone?:
:Couldn't be better,: Vince said from above. :I've hacked three other birds before they can hack me! The sub platform's swarming with cronies, though they're not doing anything yet. Flint and the others are holding ground. Ow! Damn! They winged me! He's gonna pay for that one! You don't touch the feathers!:
Nobody was actually trying to kill one another, which made the assault team's job easier. The Integrates in particular didn't want to cause any mortal injuries to their opposite numbers. Integrates could take much more damage than the Fused could, so there were a few serious injuries. But nothing, Vince said, that couldn't grow back.
:That's number six!: Rhianna sent. :These puppies are shielded. On to the Boardroom. Once we get there, Shelley, Uncia, Marc, Cernos, it's your show!:
Quinoa realized she was being followed almost immediately, but not soon enough. She also finally realized that wasn't Rosie. She narrowly escaped being pounced upon by a giant black panther Integrate with a single roving red eye. The sphinx-girl spun around to face him. "Hello, KITTy." She paused, chuckling as she realized what she'd just said. "Long time no see."
"Shaddup and get back into your cell," the midnight-black cat said in a voice modeled after the original KITT's voice actor William Daniels. He crouched on his forepaws, red eye swooshing from side-to-side across the bridge of his muzzle between eye sockets. One of the unlucky few Integrates who were stuck in animal rather than human form, KITTy hadn't lost too much mass from his Trans-Am-replica RIDE days. "And I prefer 'Cylon' now."
"Funny, I would've thought 'Ravage' suited you better," Quinoa said, snapping a hardlight whip across his nose. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you keep me from leaving."
The black panther sat on his haunches and started grooming a forepaw. "Oh, I think you'll find getting out is harder than you think, even if you do me in. Fritz locked this place down tighter than Harold's old fetters on me. I personally welded every airlock shut. You're going nowhere, doing nothing. Dig?"
Quinoa slammed him with a hardlight fist—the hardknuckle straight out of Mega Man—so hard and fast his eye-lens shattered. The huge black panther slumped over, unconscious. That would buy her a few minutes at most, though. She instantly ran for one of the windows in the Jetsons playroom. There were times when crazy worked, and this was one of them. "Dig that. I'm out of here!"
The sphinx didn't break her stride, going back into lifter mode, once again forming her hardlight into an atomically-sharp arrowhead. She slipped through the transparent aluminum window as if it wasn't even there, then curled up into a ball. On a lark, she reformed the shell around her into the shape of a Mercury capsule, with Sphinx 7 emblazoned on it. Quinoa blasted her lifters for retrofire and began her steep descent back to Zharus.
Moments later she saw the entire side of the family station explode, habitat modules scattering into space, followed by an angry roar in radio. Cursing that last bit of Steader flightiness she hadn't yet shaken, she realized that she hadn't taken Cylon's DIN when she had the opportunity. The angry panther Integrate didn't bother with any hardlight theatrics, adjusting his velocity to intercept her. But orbital mechanics being what they were, Quinoa was far enough away from him that they would both be falling out of orbit over the Dry Ocean before the fight would resume.
Sophie fed Rhianna her diagnostic data as they moved towards the Boardroom with very little resistance. The defenders had lost over half their numbers, either to injury or forced hibernation. Those who were left were demoralized and regrouping.
The assault team was not without its own casualties. Myla's gut shot was comparatively the worst, but Vince himself was missing a few toes from a crony's anti-air particle blast. He assured the others they would eventually grow back.
"You're a cyborg," Rhianna informed the fennec Fuser. "Otherwise, you're good as new. It's on par with my own implant, plus the…uh…batteries. There are a few other little bits here and there that I don't have time to suss out right now, but we can do a full work-up after this is over."
Myla snorted. "Great! This better get me a huge bonus paycheck for hazard pay, Zane!"
"Even if I have to sell a few platforms," Zane said, still a little upset at his inner tiger. "I was going to have to do that anyway to raise some cash. We're down to number 40 on the Fortune 100 list."
"Even this one?" Rhianna asked, shoulder cannons swiveling to lay down some covering fire. The defenders were hardly putting up any fight now. "You can't sell old Clint's platform, can you? How much of the lode is left?"
"Far too much, even if it weren't for the sentimental value." Zane replied. "We account for a good 40% of all AA+ Sarium on the market just from this one site. I'll be keeping it, of course. But considering all the damage I doubt it'll be back up to full production for a month or two, so look for high-grade sarium prices to stay spiked in the short term."
The interior of the Boardroom was a wreck—and a recent one. The table was in little pieces, the walls bore hardlight gouges and scorch marks, there wasn't a single light that wasn't broken. Rhianna had the schematics for this room as well. She plunged her hand into a wall panel and pulled out a long-buried network access port. She quickly attached a DIN. "That's number seven. Here's your access, Shelley, Uncia. The other network ports in this room are dead, though. I think one of them might've figured out what we're up to. The other DINs are reporting ruined nodes all over the platform. There's a lot of them, so the network is still fine. Old Clint sure knew how to build things to last," she added reverently.
"Seven might be enough to do the job," Rochelle said. "We still have to get them out of the mainframe."
Marc and Cernos entered the ruined Boardroom. The Medium Command Armor's shoulder-mounted PPCs were smoking a little. "Sorry for the delay. Ran into a little complication."
Rochelle pulled a hardwire connection from one of Uncia's hip pods. "Well, deer-boy, hook up. Glad to have you watching my back in there."
"Four of us will be watching out here," one of the assault team said.
"And I'll be in there with you, too," Vince said, flying in through the passageway door. "I can't wait to see this Enigma of yours in action!"
The Aloha Elevator passed by Quinoa a few dozen kilometers away as the fires of re-entry enveloped the hardlight Mercury capsule, much as it had John Glenn's centuries ago. It was a very steep, 15-G deceleration intended to get her out of orbit as fast as possible. Her own inertial dampers were up to the task, but in combination with the hardlight heat shields they were draining her upgraded batteries quickly. To save energy she dispelled the pointless capsule illusion. The sphinx Integrate scanned the area for Cylon. Even an Integrate couldn't cloak this kind of thing.
The black panther was ten kilometers away now, and moving closer. Quinoa fired her lifters to adjust her trajectory. It would be some time before she could brake herself enough to regain full control over her velocity. Cylon also had to avoid hitting the ground himself. Angry as he was, he wasn't suicidal.
The first hardlight blast came in at just over Mach 2 at thirty thousand meters, Quinoa easily dodged it—taking out Cylon's visual sensor had obviously helped—and returned fire with a fusillade of hardlight projectiles that would dissolve just beyond her attacker's range. However, she didn't hit him either.
Quinoa fired her lifters again, hoping to make him fly past her, but was rewarded with a sharp pain in her stomach. Her entire body was on fire, power levels fading. She barely kept enough hardlight online to keep herself from being torn apart by the supersonic wind. The sensation left a taste in her mouth like sour milk. Shit! Shitshitshit!
One of her batteries had…curdled. The forum post had mentioned this possibility—a nasty side effect of condensing so much sarium. If she didn't purge the affected qubitite substrate then it would scram every single speck of sarium in her body. She would be quite dead before she even hit the ground. She poured every single bit of power remaining into her shielding, falling limp.
A screech echoed across the comm space, and a golden spear dived down from the upper atmosphere. Glowing missiles separated from the spear, aimed at Cylon. The feline tried to dodge, but surprise and their speed caught him by surprise. Most exploded around him, but two struck him square on. Cylon was blasted off course, momentarily stunned.
The spear itself adjusted its trajectory, bending in the atmosphere to keep Quinoa locked on. It came up on the red, bare-winged sphinx from above, matching her speed. In the flaming nimbus at the heart of the spear, a golden eagle reached to grab onto the sphinx with her talons and hands. Quinoa felt the strong talons grab her shoulders and grip her hips.
"Need…need…sarium…" she mumbled in the thickening air, conscious enough to know a rescue when she felt one. She started expelling silvery fluid from her mouth and nose—then every single orifice. "Need it now. Please."
"You need a brake first. Ground's coming up mighty fast," the eagle replied.
The air lit up above them, as the eagle spread her wings. Fiery golden wings extended from her own natural wings, catching the air, killing most of their downward speed at once.
"Thank you…" Quinoa mumbled. "Whoever you are…"
"Astranikki," the golden eagle woman said. "We still have your friend up there to deal with, but I have reinforcements coming in about thirty seconds. Just hang tight!"
Astranikki? Uh…oh. Astranikki Munn, whose daughter Wanda had run many of the Integrate web boards Quinoa had shut down the last five months. "Sorry…"
"Not now!" she replied, dodging left from their pursuer's shot. Half a minute was a long time.
A bat-shaped flier shot past them too fast for Cylon to react to it. It quickly braked, not quite as fiery or quickly as the eagle's methods, but just as effective. The fused pair then reversed course with its mouth open. Whatever it was doing Cylon didn't like it very much. The big black panther roared in pain and confusion and broke off pursuit.
Astranikki flinched a bit and banked a bit further away from the bat. "He's getting better at his aim at least. First few times he tried that, he was very omnidirectional."
For once Quinoa was glad she didn't have her DIN after all.
"Not bad for meat and mech," Astranikki said proudly. "Now let's get some power in you so you can thank them properly on the ground. Next stop, Aloha."
The cyberspace of Zane's platform looked about like the platform itself, but with more graffiti. In glowing neon, it adorned the walls, and even hung in space within the air. "INTIES RULE, MEAT DROOLZ!" was the most articulate. Some of the graffiti was even in binary or bar coding. Clad in bright white snow leopard armor, Rochelle looked around and wrinkled their feline nose.
"This is utterly ridiculous," Cernos said. The stag flicked his ears and looked around. "What are these people, a bunch of spoiled children?"
"That's exactly what they are," Rochelle said. "Spoiled children who don't want to grow up. And Fritz is their Peter Pan."
"Well, that means Zane gets to be their Captain Hook," Vince added.
"Does that mean Quinoa was Tinkerbell?" Uncia wondered. "And who does that make the alligator with the alarm clock?"
"Okay, let's not get too sidetracked, here," Marc said. Various access panels opened in the air in front of them, revealing armor and weapons. They floated out of the DIN memory stores and attached themselves to the Fused stag duo. The matte black, blue tron-lined armor was only partly complete. As Rhianna and Kaylee added more DINs to the network things would improve. "Not bad. Not bad at all, Rochelle."
Rochelle picked up her own share of weapons. "So let's get started. You cover me. I'm going to start uploading the code." She started with the greenly-glowing DIN that had been placed in the conference room. For convenience, the network had been arranged to have a 1:1 topology between the virtual and real worlds, which meant that the DINS in here would be in exactly the same places as outside.
Some of the network nodes blinked out, but the platform occupiers were lazy enough to not know them all. Rochelle reached out with a flood of DIN encrypted network probes masked as something from another Integrated. She got several pings back. "There's four of them. They're stationary right now—they must think we're coming to take them one-on-one." She chuckled, and started shifting code into the DIN. "Maybe you should feint at them a little, keep them in their holes for longer."
"I'll put on a show of being the one who's really doing the work," Vince said. "You're just 'meat' and 'mech' to them, so why should they bother you?"
"We'll give 'em a whuppin'," Marc said, rubbing armored hoofhands together. "Just a little prodding. They're already off balance from the pasting we've been giving them IRL. It shouldn't take much to get them to cut and run."
Rochelle finished her upload, and the DIN changed from green to blue. "I'm gonna get the others in the shaft now." She slipped out the secret door and drifted down.
"I'll watch your back," Marc/Cernos said, activating his armor and following her down. "Oh, this feels good."
"I'll stay here and put on a good show," Vince said.
Rochelle got the second and third DINs uploaded without incident, but by the time she got to the fourth, Vince reported, "Watch out. I think they're getting wise by now. They're on the move."
"They're in X-Wings," Cernos deadpanned. "They want to treat this like a game? Fine. Let's give them a game."
"Ready player one," Rochelle said, grinning. "Hmm…what game shall we play?"
"Global Thermonuclear War," Vince said.
"How about a nice game of tic tac toe? I'll let you be the Xes."
The X-wings appeared in the pane of blue sky above, then swooped downward, firing energy blasts from their wingtips. Somehow they managed to fit into the elevator shaft even though they should have been several times too wide. Rochelle reached out and tapped one as it passed, and it collapsed into wireframe lines that disappeared. The Integrate inside, apparently a hamster, kept right on going until he smacked into the sand at the bottom of the shaft, raising a little Wile E. Coyote style puff of dust.
"That was anticlimactic," Marc said, smirking. "For them."
"You know, I don't think the crew Fritz assigned to occupy this place is all that competent," Uncia said. "I mean, look at this! Not really professional."
"Why do they need to be?" Rochelle asked. "They're Integrates. Practically perfect in every way. They're so reliant on their one trick—hacking anything that moves—that when you take it away they go right to pieces."
"They're not very good with weapons either, for the most part," Marc agreed. "After the performance we saw…present company excepted, of course."
"Hey, no problem," Vince said. "Just give the rest of us some credit for keeping our skills brushed up. We're not too proud to use actual weapons."
"Of course," Marc said.
Rhianna's voice rumbled out of the sky. "That's DIN eight! Number nine coming right up! I think the ones in VR are the only ones left putting up any kind of resistance, so have at 'em!"
"Have we got enough in the system yet to run the purge?" Uncia asked.
"I'd like another one or two just to be safe," Rochelle said. "But we can start the compile, anyway." She opened a display panel in front of her and flicked it with a clawnail. It rang like a chime and turned blue, as code began running and a wireframe image building behind it.
"Numbah nine!" Rhianna said. "Lots faster now. Just give me a couple more minutes and you'll be good to go!"
"I'm on it!" Rochelle moved to the virtual location of the new DIN and tagged it with a code upload. The wireframe started to build faster.
"They're coming around again!" Marc said, raising his own VR bazooka. This time the trio of avatars were doing without the game elements—simply three arrows of light. "Eat this, you amateurs!" He fired.
The burst scattered them, but they didn't stop. Vince opened fire with his own virtual weapons, adding to the chaos, then formed a shield between them and their attackers.
"Ten! Eleven!" Rhianna shouted. "Yes, that's two!" They blinked into being on the opposite side of the shaft.
"Two lovely DINS! A-ha-ha-ha!" Rochelle said, playing a thunder-and-lightning effect, as she placed one hand on each and uploaded to both at once.
The VR attackers shook themselves out of the shock they'd experienced, only to get another one when they saw what was being built right in front of them—a cartoonish, bulbous-shaped bomb with a big yellow and green radiation symbol on it. Vince smirked at them. "You guys better log out now if you know what's good for you. I've got a surprise coming."
"Ohshit!" one exclaimed. "You're not…"
"Bada boom!" Uncia said, giggling.
"Twelve!" Rhianna boomed.
"You could just save yourselves some trouble and surrender now," Rochelle said reasonably. "Put yourselves into hibernation and we promise not to doodle on you with magic markers while you're asleep. Well, much, anyway."
The one who spoke first instantly vanished, but the other two weren't quite so intelligent. They poured on more speed, smashing against Vince's shield. "Children, the both of you," the raven reproved. "Me and my friends will be just fine, but you've been warned. The Fat Man is ready."
Rochelle put on smoked-glass goggles and held up a detonator switch with a big red button under her thumb. "We're ready for the kick-off here. You guys ready out there?"
"Eeek!" the Integrate attackers squeaked, and winked out—moments before Rochelle pushed the button. The virtual explosion swept the mainframe clean.
"Boom!" Uncia said cheerfully, clapping their hands.
"That's it! They're bugging out!" TimRazor reported. "We did it!"
"Yes, but perhaps too easily," Carrie-Anne said. The platforms systems, those still undamaged by Q-dust, were coming back under their control. While the platform-wide hardlight shield was down they could at least restore power to the residential emitters. "They were simply unprepared for the ferocity of our assault. Next time we will not be as lucky."
"Lucky," Myla said, glaring at Zane. "Boss…not that I don't appreciate it—I do—but did you almost Integrate me or something? Sophie's reporting all sorts of big changes, in me and on her."
"This is real fur!" Sophie exclaimed, shaking herself. "I've got little fleshy bits in me here and there. Ewww."
Zane groaned. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I was worried…" He facepalmed. "I thought you were gonna die because of me."
The fennec's shared expression softened. "How can I blame you for that, boss? I knew the risks on this operation. Anybody in the military does. As an LT I lost a few people under my command. This is just—I dunno. I guess we'll see once I de-Fuse. If I can de-Fuse."
"I didn't go that far," Zane said. "I think."
"Partial Integration isn't unknown," the golden retriever, Ianau, said. He transmitted some data. "There are at least a dozen known cases over the past thirty years. Including one of Aloha's Munns. In each case, they were…boosted, but didn't become a single being—unless and until they Integrated all the way later on, anyway. Aside from your new batteries, I can't say how you might look once you de-Fuse."
"As long as I don't end up one of those Earther cyberpunk borgs…" Myla said.
"Hey, what's wrong with us Earther cyberpunk borgs?" Rhianna asked, mock-offended. "We need love too, you know."
"Nono! Not like that," Myla said, chuckling. "You know, metal bits? Uh…"
"Like the one I have inside here?" Rhianna tapped the side of her own head. :You've got one, too,: she sent.
"Um…I didn't mean—" Myla said, a little flustered.
"Just funning you, Myla," Rhianna said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Nothing like a job well done. I'm going to install another half dozen DIN units for safety before we leave."
"We need to decide where to put the prisoners," Carrie-Anne said. The black jaguar transmitted video from the newly-online cameras. The Dream Chaser had some carbon scoring, but nothing serious. There were ten hibernating Integrates in all. "We can't take them back to Uplift."
Zane sighed. "We've got a brig on the platform. Mainly meant for miners who get a little too exuberant with those stills we intentionally never quite manage to stamp out, but we can easily make them secure against Integrates, especially if we keep their DINs. Won't be the first time this place has kept prisoners."
"As long as we have root access to their systems, we should be okay," Vince said. "I've come up with some experimental fetters for Inties. We're not a completely trouble-free community, after all. We have our miscreants and criminals."
"Gosh. Integrates, not completely trouble-free?" Zane said. "I thought we were all a bunch of peaceful hippie lotus-eaters who form communes to try to expand our minds."
"Sarcasm aside," Vince continued. "There's something else that crossed my mind. It's my opinion that Fritz will think his people were beaten only by other Inties—whatever his cronies tell him. This makes the Freerider Garage something of an open secret. Once Fritz realizes that Rhianna and Rochelle are the source of his pain…"
"Aw man, we only just rebuilt the place," Rochelle said. "And the insurance company won't touch us with a ten foot pole."
"I could—" Zane began.
"No, you couldn't," Rhianna said.
"You don't even know what I was gonna say," Zane whined.
"You've done enough for us already," Rhianna said tartly. "I'd rather keep you as a last resort."
"I'll be happy just so long as you want to keep me at all," Zane said, his voice sounding more like Terry's for a moment.
Rhianna smiled warmly, realizing what she said had stung him a little too much. She and Kaylee answered in concert. "Of course, Terry."
"Terry?" Myla said. "Oh…right."
"A voice I have not heard in some time," Carrie-Anne said.
"I keep to myself a lot, much as I wish I didn't," Zane said. "Er…I mean…he does. As much as he wishes…er…I wish…" Zane shook his head. "Oh, I don't even know which pronouns I meant anymore."
"Just…trust me," Rhianna said. "I know my pride's a personal flaw, but it's nothing against you. When I truly need your help, I will ask, and I won't be shy about it." Trusting her feelings, she hugged the tiger Integrate, who purred loudly while wearing a very startled expression. It felt like a very feminine thing to do, maybe stereotypically so, but that was the point. "Now, come on. What next? Call in repair crews?"
Zane nodded. "The Starmaster's and a couple other subs are already loaded with repair supplies, and our maintenance teams are standing by. I just need to comm them and they'll be here in half an hour."
"We're in no rush to leave," Rochelle said, smiling at her business partner. "Are we? I'd like to make sure my little firecracker did its job."
"Let me get the laser comm gear back up so we can get in touch with the mainland," Rhianna said. Her brain was itching, her paws were twitching. Big repair jobs were what she did best and loved most, and here was the biggest one yet, right in front of her. After what the Inties did to it, making this vast machine come to life again would feel so good. It already felt like a second job, for that matter.
Over the past week she'd gotten to know the people in the Brubeck Maintenance and Repair Department, as well as a number of the RIDE techs. They'd gotten to talking shop a time or two, and it was a lot of fun to share tips and tricks. Though sometimes the Brubeck techs would clam up at odd times when it came to discussing restoring older RIDEs, as if there was something they weren't supposed to talk about. Some sort of corporate secret project, she supposed. Well, that was fair. She was just a consultant, after all. They hadn't even made her sign an NDA.
"And I could show you that repair bay I mentioned," Zane said. "If the Inties haven't taken it apart or something. Maybe you and Myla should come down there with me and you could check her and Sophie over."
"Let's do it," Rhianna said.
"Yeah. I want to find out if I need a new wardrobe," Myla said. "I feel…off."
Rhianna considered her. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm sure you were at least five centis taller than I was before, not counting the ears. Now we're meeting at eye level, even in Fuse."
Abruptly, Zane twitched. He held up his DIN, and a body-conforming hardlight pane formed in front of Myla and swept across her from front to back, scanning her just as he had done to Rhianna and Rochelle in the garage after they had made his DIN. He looked distant for a moment, then groaned. "Oh God." He buried his face in his hands. "It just hit me what that idiotic tiger did. Terry, wherever you're hiding, I am coming after you with a roto-rooter."
Both women folded their arms across their chests in an almost disturbingly identical gesture. "Well?"
"You're gonna find out sooner or later," Zane said, his voice muffled by his hands. "When you de-Fuse, anyway. I'm just gonna go find a bottle of hemlock to drink or something."
"Repair Bay, Zane, now," Rhianna said sourly. "Climate control's operational in there."
"Okay, now this I gotta see," Rochelle said.
The repair bay was everything Zane had said it was—an immense cavernous facility with state-of-the-art repair cradles and diagnostic equipment situated along the walls in numbered spaces. There was a section at one end where motorized tool carts, painted with numbers and designations, rested until they were called for. They could trundle up to a given space and unfold into exactly the right assortment of tools for any given job. At the other end were a set of in-depth diagnostic scanning tables and devices.
The chamber had benefited from its position buried deep down at the bottom of the platform. By the time the partying Integrates had worked their way down to it, they were too exhausted to give it more than a couple of desultory licks of spray paint and dent a few control boards. All the displays were hardlight anyway so they wouldn't even have the satisfaction of smashing glass screens, and to scatter tools all over in a symbolic gesture they would have first had to retrieve the carts all the way from the other end of the room, then open them. Too much trouble when there was still booze to be had from all those hastily-abandoned stills…
"This place reeks like a frathouse," Myla said. "So Fritz just takes the place over, leaves it to his most irresponsible cronies, and we get to waltz back in and retake it with minimal time and effort."
"I expected much more resistance as well," Carrie-Anne said.
"Fritz must still be drinking his own kool-aid about Integrate superiority," Rochelle theorized. "He didn't think he'd need any more than a few simps to hold this place against anything norms could dish out."
"And he thinks he hasn't pissed off enough Inties yet that they'd care to take a hand," Flint said. "He'll soon find out he's wrong about that."
Ianau looked around the space. "Let's get this Q-dust cleaned up before you de-Fuse. Flint, you game?"
"Willing to try. It's more fine lifter control than I've done before," the bear Integrate said.
"You'll do fine, sarge," Myla reassured him.
"I can help, too, if you show me what to do," Zane said. "Never let it be said I didn't do my share of the…light lifting."
"Like what Quinoa did when she cleaned up Katie's old DE shell," Kaylee said, leaving unvoiced her concern about the missing sphinx. She wasn't Kaylee's favorite person, nor anybody else's here, but she'd partly redeemed herself before her kidnapping. It still bothered Kaylee that she'd never had the chance to thank her for how she'd fixed Katie's original body.
"Set your visual scanners for fine acuity," Ianau said, the golden retriever's eyes turning a deep purple. "Q has this spectral pattern." He transmitted it to Flint and Zane.
"Right," Zane said.
"And once you find some of it and get a feel for it, you can sort of reach out for anything that 'feels' like Q around you and lift it all at once. Like turning yourself into a magnet that only attracts qubitite dust," Ianau continued. "It's kind of hard to explain, but if you fiddle with it a little it'll just click in a minute or two."
"Repair crews launched, Zane," Cernos reported. "ETA forty minutes."
"Righto." Zane held out his hands, peering at the floor and frowning in concentration. "I think…I get what you're talking about. Q-dust kind of…tingles. Like pop rocks, only not on my tongue."
"That's quantum for you," Ianau said, smirking. "It'll tingle on your tongue, too, if you ever eat any." He considered the bluish-tinged sand and grit on the floor thoughtfully. "I think there's…oh…about two thousand mu worth of AA dust in this room, if I'm any judge. And I am. I was in the Uplift Assay Office."
"Well, we are sitting right on top of a vein of the pure stuff," Zane said. "I still don't know exactly how my Dad found it." He shook his head. "Anyway, let's get it contained." A haze formed in the air around him as qubitite dust wafted up off the floor, walls, and out of equipment.
Flint held the palms of his hands about ten centimeters apart, the dust streaming between them into a diffuse sphere. The bear Integrate's brows were furrowed with concentration. "I…think I've got it."
"Looking much better in here," Ianau said. "Back into the green. No risk of contamination. Q dust in the lungs is nothing to sneeze at."
"I think it's more something to develop a hacking cough about," Zane said, shrinking the cubic meters of dust around him into a little sphere the size of a golf ball.
"Keep those," Ianau said. "Good money in them—or you could just eat it."
Zane blinked at him. "Eat…qubitite? That's the second time you've said something about that, so I guess you're not joking…?"
"Our Integrate bodies treat it like a nutrient, in certain situations," Ianau said. "Certain other minerals, as well, like the doping materials for sarium batteries. I can fill you in later."
"Getting Q-dust out is normally a months-long job on a rig this size," Rhianna said. "Just…don't do too much, okay? The repair crews still need something to do," she jibed with a grin.
Zane tossed the qubitite sphere up in the air, and it circled his head like a small moon. "I'll bear that in mind." He glanced at Flint. "So to speak."
"You owe me a fish for that pun," the bear Integrate said.
"Well, I'll get you one," Zane said, grinning at him. "Just bear with me."
"Hey, if you're hiring, I'm willing," Flint said. "And make that two fish."
"And you'll charge all the market will…oh, all right, I'll stop now." He chuckled. "Seriously, if you want a job, you're hired. You did good on this assault, and—" he glanced at Myla "—you've got great references. You can speak to my head of security when she gets here on one of those Starmasters—or see if my chief bodyguard has room for another Intie on the team."
Myla chuckled. "I don't think that will be a problem, if you can bear the terrible puns. See, now he's got me doing it." She grinned. "Welcome to the team, Flint."
"Thanks, LT." Flint matched her grin. "Looking forward to it, ma'am."
Rhianna was looking critically at the equipment in the Repair Bay. It was of similar quality to the Freerider Garage's, which she approved. The cradles looked in good condition with the dust now off of them. There were even several Fuser dummies like she recalled from Kaylee's testing phase for accessing parts that could only be gotten to that way. The temperature still wasn't quite ideal—still about 30C—but cool enough. It would go down further once they'd had the chance to de-dust the cooling fans and generators, which Zane was suggesting Flint and Ianau should do next. Then he glanced worriedly at Myla.
At a mutual nod, the women de-Fused from their RIDEs at the same time.
Sophie's pelt didn't shut off. As the fennec pulled away from her rider, hands and feet reconfiguring into paws, it was clear the light golden fur was indeed quite real. A few odd pieces of gear—almost fleshy—could be seen inside the RIDE's frame before she closed up. The woman she revealed, on the other hand could have been Rhianna's twin sister aside from her face, hair, and ears—and even then she had a fennec's cold-and-wet nose like Rhianna's feline version. Her build had formerly been slimmer and taller, but now she was exactly as short and well-rounded as Rhianna.
Zane projected a perfectly reflective two meter by two meter plane of hardlight in front of them so they could see themselves, and started to whimper a little.
One arm folded across her chest, Rhianna sighed before putting the other hand over her eyes.
"Lordy Lord Lordy," Kaylee said, face-pawing herself.
"Oh my God!" Rochelle squealed, her voice abruptly cutting off as Uncia, undoubtedly showing a greater sense of self-preservation than her rider, stifled the incipient giggle before it could escape.
Rhianna just sighed, at a complete loss for words.
Myla looked at her reflection, then back at the lynx's rider, then at herself again. She had no external signs of being a cyborg. No more than Rhianna herself did, at any rate. "Well, at least we can share clothes."
"I…I think I'm hungry," Sophie said. "Am I? Do I have a stomach now?"
"We should call Mike Munn," Ianau suggested. "He and Tonto stayed like that for several years before they were finally fully Integrated."
Zane groaned. "I am so sorry about this. Please don't kill me. Or…please do kill me if it would make you feel better…it might make me feel better."
"I'm…really not that upset," Myla said. "Rhianna has a nice curvy figure, so I don't mind sharing. But then again, maybe it isn't me you need to worry about."
Rhianna smiled predatorily at the tiger. "Okay, I understand. You have a crush on me. I don't know how to feel about that—I've never been on the female end before. I—"
Myla tugged on the crossrider's sleeve. "We need to chat, before you say anything else, okay?"
"Fine," Rhianna said, shrugging. "Lead on, MacDuff."
"Excuse us. We need to visit the Ladies Room," Myla said.
"Uh, it's that way," Zane said in a small voice, pointing.
The Munn family home—the Aerie—was often written about in Zharusian architectural circles. Quinoa had visited it a few times over the years, before her Integration and after. The after was the problem more than anything. Until recently, Astranikki had been living with her family in secret. During that time, Quinoa had paid a visit to her daughter Wanda and rather arrogantly (being honest with herself) shut down her Integrate web boards in person. The same boards that had provided the knowledge the sphinx had used to escape captivity.
Dr. Sam Munn was currently in his male minotaur aspect, rather than the female panther shape in which she spent the other half of her life. He probed the paste clogging the sphinx's DIN port. "I've never seen this material before. Tell me, has an Intie ever had a port damaged beyond repair?"
"They grow back, but it takes about a day. You could surgically remove it if need be," Quinoa said between swallowing off-the-shelf AA-class sarium batteries and more normal human food. Her green flight feathers were even beginning to grow back—but by her own choice, no longer iridescent. It was time to grow up.
Sam shook his head slowly, still poking at the plugged DIN slot with a probe to judge how hard it was. "That's a bit extreme. This is more of a mechanical problem than a biological one. Maybe we can drill out most of it, and try to scrape the rest off enough for you to heal. Instead of chopping the entire thing out."
The Munns rivaled the Steaders in terms of quirkiness, but without the Crazy to go with it. Sam and Jason/Janet Munn swapped their RIDEs—and genders—every five years. Astranikki's son, Tracy, had been one of the first civilians to use a dolphin. There was Nikki and her golden eagle Astra who had been a de-facto married couple even before they Integrated. The video of Nick's Fuse proposal was often used in campaigns by RIDE rights groups. Then there was the family's long reliance on IDEs, even after everybody else but Clint Brubeck had abandoned them for RIDEs.
I should've been a Munn instead, Quinoa considered. Satisfied, she pushed her plate back. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I've done horrible things to you. I've acted like a…a prick. That's what." That was a word that supposedly applied to males, but this was Zharus, after all.
"Never thought you were acting," Astranikki said, eyebrow raised.
"Well, I wasn't," Quinoa admitted. "There, I said it."
Wanda studied the battered sphinx carefully from the other side of the table, her ears twitching as she thought. "Apology accepted. As long as you promise not to do it again."
"I can do better than that." Quinoa tapped the side of her head. "I have a lot of stuff in my head that's useful. I never actually deleted anything Fritz told me to. I shut down more boards than just yours, Wanda. A lot more. What I've got are the results of a lot of basic research. As soon as I get an operational DIN, I'll upload you a copy of everything."
"You didn't really delete it from us either. We just went deeper into the mesh and kept going. It's harder for newbies to find us now, but it kept you guys in the dark too," Wanda said, unable to resist boasting about how futile Quinoa's attempt had been. "My hat may be white, but I hate bullies. When the need's there, it can be as black as night."
Crystal, Wanda's RIDE, nuzzled Quinoa's side. "Give us a call when you've got your DIN back, and we'll send you the keys to the boards. Ashley's teams would be interested in that research and your thoughts on it I'm sure," the RIDE purred.
"Speaking of Ash, she's already searching the boards, to try and find what that goop might be. It's not as easy as it used to be since you shut us down, but if anyone has heard of anything, she'll sniff it out," Wanda added.
The sphinx seemed to melt under the unexpected feline affection. She stroked the snow leopardess between her ears. She strongly reminded her of Uncia, though she had a slightly smaller shell. "I will. Now, fill me in on what's been happening since I screwed the pooch a week and a half ago."
"Actually, there is one more thing you need to do before Ryan loads up the powerpoint," Astranikki said, nodding to the pair of bats waiting at the breakfast bar. Normally, the family would have some of their members Fused, but they were all separated from their RIDEs, to not-so-subtly make a point.
Quinoa nodded, feeling sure-footed enough to stand up again. Peter Munn had been partnered with Vincent long enough that he looked more changed than many, and bats were one of those RIDE types that needed something like the wing membranes and a bat-like nose. She hugged Peter, then his RIDE. "Thank you. I'll repay you both. You risked a lot going up against Cylon."
Pete reddened, but his RIDE answered for them. "It vas nothing; ve do the orbital sky dive regularly. Vas goot to test those new routines too, and to see they vorked."
"We had backups in case they didn't," Peter added. "But seeing that cat take off like his tail was on fire was sweet."
"Right now, if there aren't any more thank yous to go around, I believe someone requested a briefing." Ryan, Wanda's husband said. One wall lit up.
"Remember, hon, keep it brief," Wanda added. "Nikki's graduation is in two years and I don't want to miss it."
Ryan threw a roll at his wife, and the first news clip started.
Integration Part XIII: Kaylee & Anny FreeRIDErs Succeeded by:
Integration Part XV: The Task of Amontillado
Retrieved from "https://shifti.org/index.php?title=User:Robotech_Master/Assault_Batteries_original&oldid=18941"
Robotech Master | in her garage to mount such a powerful weapon. It was just as if lightning had struck from out of a clear blue sky and blotted out her littermate. Who the hell keeps something armed like that in their garage? Who? Rhianna wondered.
:I'm going to find out once this crap is over with, come Hell or high water,: Kaylee said, picking up on her rider's thoughts. :More, I want to know who fired it. Fritz never did like Frank very much. Fritz always showed up in the 'nick of time'. Feh!:
They weren't ready yet to go over what had happened to put Kaylee in the Shed a couple years later. Even Kaylee herself shied away from reliving those days, keeping them isolated. She was scared. Rhianna didn't blame her at all. The shed had been the greatest trauma of Kaylee's life, and when something that bad happens to you, you always end up wondering if you somehow deserved it. What would you do if you were suddenly given the chance to find out for certain just what you might have done?
:Rhi, let's just do the job in front of us right now,: Kaylee sent. :Dwelling on not dwelling on something is kinda uncomfortably recursive.:
:Yes,: Rhianna replied simply, shutting the aft ramp. Then, aloud. "Lock and load, everyone. Let's get old Clint's platform back. CinTally, do that thing."
"You got it!" The Integrate pilot kicked in the engines and launched. The sound of electric guitars played over the onboard speakers as another selection from her playlist went into the intercom.
Yeah, we'll get higher and higher
Straight up we'll climb
Leave it all behind
Oh, we'll get higher and higher
Who knows what we'll find?
After the takeoff, CinTally faded the music out of the speakers, though kept up a sideband playlist broadcast for anyone who wanted to listen. It was easy to tell who was tuning in from the heads nodding in rhythm along the seats. She projected flight path and ETA data along another sideband—18 minutes to apogee, 34 to landing. "The pilot has turned the 'no smoking' sign off!" she chirped cheerfully over the intercom. "You are now free to move about the cabin."
Zane chuckled. "Well, I can't fault her enthusiasm. You get hired for the thing you love doing, and never work a day in your life."
The first hint that the camp might be receiving a visitor came in the form of "somebody big" calling Paul and Fenris by laser comm to ask them to warn AlphaWolf and the camp of an incoming "new recruit". The language of the missive strongly suggested one of the larger dinosaurs. But the message itself had unmistakable "Integrate dandruff" all over it.
"Heh. Looks like we're going to have some competition, big guy," Paul said.
"I've never seen size as a 'competition,'" Fenris said.
Paul chuckled. "That's because you've never had to. Some of those dragon RIDEs get pretty big—especially the ones that turn into full-fledged subs. And I gather bigger RIDEs don't shrink that much when they Integrate."
"In that case, I shall rather look forward to meeting someone even bigger than I am," Fenris said. "And I believe I will adopt that philosophy of yours."
AlphaWolf called a general meeting before going out to meet the new arrival. "Okay, everyone. I have good news. We've got another big guy on the way, so don't be shocked when he flies over. Spread the word to anyone who isn't here. We'll be going out to meet him first, of course. But we'll have another set of big guns like Fenris here."
"Well, this should be interesting," Kandace said. Her tawny hardlight pelt had been installed since returning from Uplift. She looked much happier, and there was even a family resemblance to Kaylee.
Alone with Fenris and Paul after the meeting, waiting outside the dome to greet the new arrival, AlphaWolf was somewhat less positive. "So you're telling me we're not just getting an Integrate visitor, we're getting a huge Integrate visitor?" he growled. "Are you sure they're not trying to undercut my authority here?"
"They're as horrified by that trojan as we are, Alphie," Paul said. "We did another survey. There are two more infected in the Camp, more than we thought. We think it's spreading—maybe losing two caused whoever's behind it to trigger a more active phase—so we have to act."
"Getting comm signal," Fenris said. "He's here, cloaked, outside the dome."
"I guess the point is moot," AlphaWolf said unhappily. "He knew exactly where we are."
"Ah, yeah," Paul said. "About that…" Rhianna had mentioned that the camp's location was something of an open secret among the Integrates, but he hadn't really figured out a good way to break that to AlphaWolf yet.
"I hate to barge in on this chat," came a friendly new voice. "But we've known where you folks were since the day you established the Camp—some sympathetic Inties over at Camelot directed you here. Until now we've had no reason to stop by for a cup of sugar. Sorry, I'm Peaches."
AlphaWolf blinked. "…Peaches?"
"If it helps, you can call me Mister Peaches," the uncloaking dragon deadpanned. His scales were the shade of a ripe peach, and he had an oddly jolly expression on his pointed muzzle. He was about fifteen meters from nose to tail. His horns, dorsal spines, and tail fork glowed. "Pleased to meet you. My human half is Captain Josh Weinstein, formerly of the Burnside Militia. But 'we' go by Mister Peaches."
"Of course. It makes sense a dragon would hail from Burnside," Paul said.
"Oh, marvelous! I've never heard that one before!" Peaches said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "I've got all the anti-virus tools from Shelley and Uncia at the ready."
"Think you'll be up for cleaning out twelve infected at once?" Paul asked.
"My RIDE half was a Command Armor. As I see your fellow is, too." Peaches nodded to Fenris. "I was a drop-shuttle and I've still got all the comm gear. I just funnel it through my industrial-sized DIN and it's a win. I could give short stuff over there a copy as a backup, just in case." Peaches grinned good-naturedly at the two-tailed wolf who came up to his shoulder.
"You have sufficient parallel processing to handle them all at once?" Fenris asked. "Impressive."
"Only after I Integrated. Before, well…I wasn't the sharpest tooth in the jaw," Peaches said uncomfortably.
Paul smiled ruefully. "You two have more in common than you know. Oh…one more thing." He nodded to AlphaWolf.
"We fully expect whoever is behind these infections—perhaps the trojan's original author—is still within our camp. But we haven't been able to pin down who it is," AlphaWolf said. "He or they are also likely to have non-infected supporters."
Peaches concentrated, his hardlight spines glowing, then appeared to be a metallic dragon RIDE. "This is going to be tough. If they run, I'm a little too big to chase, and I'm going to have to focus more on curing the infected, so I'm going to be vulnerable. Bring in some with more mobility for the capture. Once I get inside I'll start analyzing signals and pinpoint this bastard. If they're in the Camp, I'll burn them out." The disguise's eyes flashed red. "Just keep them off me until I'm done."
Paul grinned. "Fenny, could you let Kandy-girl know we need her and any others she can round up she trusts?"
"With pleasure," the wolf boomed.
AlphaWolf groaned. "This is already worse than I thought. Even if this goes well the Pack's going to be weakened for years, maybe. Word will get out. Abused RIDEs will stop coming to us for sanctuary…"
"Better to root out the poison now before it gets any worse, boss," Paul said. "There's a major risk they'll decide to infect even more of the Pack, just for kicks. It could be like a zombie attack from the old movies."
"Of course you're right," the movement's leader said firmly. "We'll hurt for a while, but it needs doing."
"Let's get this party started!" Peaches said. "Your friendly neighborhood driggin at your service."
"Righto." Paul turned to the giant wolf beside him. "Let's Fuse up!"
Fenris nodded, then opened wide and gulped him down, standing up into their six-meter Fuser shape a moment later. "You know, you enjoy that a little too much," Paul said.
"Can you blame me? Since we can't eat together while Fused, it's the only time I actually get to taste anything directly."
"Oh, thank you for that," Paul said. "Someone pass the brain bleach."
Mister Peaches started snickering metallically. "I think we're going to get along just fine. Good ol' human-me got nommed a few times, though there was an…alternative way in."
"Can we not go there, please?" Paul asked.
"So to speak," Fenris added.
The problem with obvious places were rather self-evident, but it was just like her uncle. The problem was that if there was another Integrate aboard they could have done any number of things if they found the DIN. They could have destroyed it, moved it, or were just waiting for Quinoa to show up. Still, Felix didn't want her dead—yet. To her knowledge neither he nor his followers had ever killed another Intie.
There was always a first time, given what was now at stake.
Quinoa passed through the Star Trek section, then Star Wars, followed by the Jetsons home. This place she remembered fondly. It was a play-area for the ever-changing gaggle of Steader children, and had never been empty for as long as she could remember—until now. Seeing it like this made her angry. Rosie the Robot went pling in her corner, the red eyes on her cylindrical head blinking, but she didn't move. The poor Ad-I seemed confused.
The next step was to open a maintenance crawlspace—a Jeffries tube—to enter HAL's meticulously reproduced core. Pulling off the access panel rewarded her with a deafening racket of machinery. "What the Hell is that?" the sphinx fumed, peering into the tube.
There was more to science fiction than just TV, books, and movies. There were plenty of video games in that genre as well. After the My Little Pony bodyguards that poor Myla was subjected to, there had been one "Samus Aran" paired up with "Mega Man X". At least those two had had excuses for being armed to the teeth.
"You're kidding me. You're fucking kidding me, Uncle Joe," Quinoa said. In front of her was a larger room filled with floating blocks that vanished and reappeared in a predictable pattern. Little robots in hardhats, and floating hardlight Metroids moved around just to add some spice. Yet another play area. "I'm not doing this. I'm not."
Quinoa powered up her lifters, forming a dense hardlight shell around herself, atom-thick at the leading edge. There was only one thing to do when presented with a Gordian Knot like this—slice right through it and hope there was nobody in the way.
She stopped herself before launch. This was a very Steader thing to do, she reflected. Acting without thinking had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Underestimating the hippogryph had almost gotten her killed. She shut the entrance to the videogame haven and pondered where else her Uncle might have hidden the DIN, or even whether she needed it. For most Integrates the DIN was something of a security blanket—their connection to the outside world. Then she remembered.
The nano-paste was still in her DIN socket. The sphinx facepawed. What the hell was I thinking? No, she knew exactly what was on her mind. The Steader family had a well-deserved reputation for being crazy, unpredictable, and downright creepy. Quinoa's own cousin Harold (half the time Henrietta) was the nuttiest of a nutty bunch, going through RIDE after RIDE, discarding each one as he became bored. When Quinoa was younger, before getting the sphinx Quorra, he'd offered to give the then-teenaged girl a huge black panther named KITTy at one of the twice-yearly family reunions. Not wanting to be an "icky" boy, she'd turned him down.
No more Steader Crazy, she decided. No more "come at me, bro" taunts. No more thinking of potential Integrates—as she now thought of them—as a lower form of life. There were times when Crazy worked, but the family as a whole were a poor judge of when to apply it. No more.
It was simply time to leave.
The sphinx started hyper-saturating her body with oxygen, topping off her batteries. The station's orbit would give her a re-entry trajectory over Gondwana in twenty minutes. It was going to be rough, but no more than orbital skydiving. There was an airlock devoted to that sport right on the station. She lifted, then headed that way at speed.
Rosie the Robot followed, going pling-pling all the way.
At twenty thousand meters Vince, TimRazor, and Cosma jumped out of the opened loading ramp. The Dream Chaser was still going all of Mach 3 at the time, but the speed was immaterial for the raven, the peregrine falcon, and the harpy eagle. CinTally glanced wistfully at them as they departed, then she and the other Integrates cloaked the sub. The avian pilot slammed on the deceleration thrusters.
Zane pointed ahead at the small landing pad high on the side of the platform. "There. It's meant for fliers, not subs, but this sub is flier-sized, shouldn't be a problem. That's where I brought the cargo ship in when we took out the Board."
"Aww, I thought you said it was gonna be a challenge," CinTally said. "That's a lot bigger than a postage stamp."
"We've got some activity on the platform," TimRazor reported. "I've got a half dozen of Fritz's cronies milling around. Looks like they're…playing volleyball?"
A scrap of music came over the speakers. "…playing, playing with the boys…" CinTally shook her head and it cut off. "Whoops, soundtrack moment. One of Tally's original features I haven't been able to root out of my brain yet. So, how you wanna play this, boss?"
"Configure the pulse cannons for EMP," Z | 3,233 |
Florentine Mayor Matteo Renzi to Lead Italy
Matteo Renzi is primed to become Italy's next prime minister—and he's being called a cross between Tony Blair and The Fonz.
Updated Jul. 12, 2017 12:42PM ET / Published Feb. 14, 2014 1:00PM ET
ROPI/ZumaPress
Italy's political stability has just gone from bad to worse. It has been almost six years since Italians have had a leader they actually<|fim_middle|> into the Democratic party. But as soon as he got close to power, he started behaving just like all the others."
On Friday afternoon in Rome, Letta officially tendered his resignation to Napolitano, who then put into action the same set of steps he implemented for Berlusconi and Monti. He could call new elections, but he will more likely call on Renzi to cobble together a government where Letta failed. Because a Renzi government—new or not—will not be born out of new elections, there are no new members of parliament to muster together. Instead any new leader will have to form a government by rearranging the same puzzle pieces Letta used. But unlike Letta, the more centrist Renzi should be able to garner support from a wider swath of politicians, including old allies who have grown weary of Berlusconi from the center-right, whom Renzi desperately needs in order to replace those on the far-left he has alienated with his centrist views. Prior to his hostile takeover, Renzi also made a landmark agreement with Berlusconi, who is unable to run for office because of his tax fraud conviction, but who is still very much a player in behind-the-scenes politics, on a much-needed electoral reform package. Renzi has promised to institute the reforms and then call elections, possibly sometime later this year or early next year, assuming the role as front runner. But to do that, he will need to forge a path where Letta hit roadblocks. If he fails, he could end up another casualty of Italy's dysfunctional political system. "We're not taking anything for granted," said Angelino Alfano, leader of the center-right post-Berlusconi party. "And we're not even sure this attempt will end smoothly." | voted for, and their next one will again be chosen by the president, not the people. In 2008, the last time the Italian populace managed to pull off a conclusive election, Silvio Berlusconi swept to power for what would end up being the fourth and final term of his long career. He was booted out of office in 2011 amid a maelstrom of corruption and sex scandals and replaced by technocrat Mario Monti, who lasted about a year before he, too, stepped down. After Monti's short tenure, Italy held elections in February 2013—but they proved inconclusive (Monti ran but fared miserably) and, after weeks of political wrangling, Italian president Giorgio Napolitano tapped center-left moderate Enrico Letta to form a government last April.
For a period of time, Italians reveled in the fact that they had a leader who seemed normal. Where Monti had been dull and dreary, Letta was seen as a man of the people who famously shunned chauffeured cars, preferring to drive his Fiat station wagon to the presidential palace to accept the mandate to try to form a government.
For the last ten months, Letta has pulled off something of an equivalent to herding cats as he attempted, with some success, to guide a grand coalition of political enemies—including Berlusconi and protest movement leader Beppe Grillo and his "Grillini" or "little crickets"—to govern the country. This noble effort won Letta the flattering honor of having "balls of steel". Still, he was unable to deliver on his promised reforms, and the country remained stuck. Youth unemployment hit an all time high of 41.6 percent under his leadership. Finally, on Thursday afternoon, Matteo Renzi, the charismatic 39-year-old mayor of Florence and new party leader of the center-left Democratic party, gave Letta the final push out of office. "The title of my adventure is 'live each day as if it were the last,'" Letta told supporters just hours before he announced he would be resigning. Indeed, it was.
What's next for Italy is likely more of the same with slightly different packaging. Renzi, at 39, will be Italy's youngest-ever leader. He has never run in national elections and is not a member of parliament. "It's time to crawl out of the swamp," Renzi told Democratic party leaders before announcing he would pull his support from Letta, effectively pushing him out of office. "I'm running a crazy risk, but I have huge ambitions for Italy."
On Thursday, he pulled up to Italy's senate palace in a snappy Smart car, to the delight of the waiting press, who loved him as mayor of Florence but don't know quite what to make of him yet as a political leader. He has been compared to Tony Blair and Bill Clinton for his political style. But he has also been dubbed "the Fonz" thanks to his penchant for t-shirts and leather jackets. When he announced his decision to take out Letta, he quoted Robert Frost, telling Italy "We are at a crossroads. I'm asking you to take the road less travelled."
Some within and outside Renzi's inner circle have criticized the young leader for acting too soon. He won with nearly 70 percent of the vote in a primary election to choose a new leader of the Democratic party last April. But like a child launching pebbles with a slingshot, he has been increasingly critical of Letta's failures to boost the economy and create growth without actually calling for him to resign, prompting Letta to challenge him to show his cards and come clean with his intentions. "This is a very dangerous operation by Renzi for both the country and for himself," said former adviser to Berlusconi Giovanni Toti on state-run RAI television Thursday night. "He was supposed to be an outsider who would breathe new life | 817 |
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Begin enjoying the benefits of server virtualization with the free VMware Server.
VMware Server installs on any existing server hardware and partitions a physical server into multiple virtual machines by abstracting processor, memory, storage and networking resources, giving you greater hardware utilization and flexibility. Streamline software development and testing and simplify server provisioning as you utilize the ability to 'build once, deploy many times.
The free VMware Server is based upon VMware proven virtualization technology. With this robust yet easy to use software you can:
Streamline software development and testing by allowing developers to create multiple environments with different operating systems on the same server.
Simplify IT testing of patches, new applications and operating systems by allowing systems administrators to test in secure virtual machines and be able to roll back to a clean state by leveraging snapshots.
Simplify server provisioning by building a virtual machine once and deploying it multiple times.
Evaluate software in ready-to-run virtual machines without installation and configuration.
Re-host legacy operating systems such as Windows NT Server 4.0 and Windows 2000 Server in a virtual machine running on new hardware and operating system.
Leverage pre-built, ready-to-run virtual appliances that include virtual hardware, operating system and application environments. Virtual appliances for Web,<|fim_middle|> same applies to the information provided about the software products listed.
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Sony's 'Attack of the Blockbusters Sale' Slashes Prices in Half for a Ton of PS4 Games
By George Norman on Oct 19 2011
With the blockbuster movie season upon us, Sony decided to celebrate the occasion with a sale: the Attack of the Blockbusters Sale that offers discounts of up to 50% (60% if you're a PlayStation Plus member) on a ton of PS4 video games.
How Samsung's New T5 Compares to the Old T3 Portable SSD (Infographic)
Samsung's new T5 portable solid-state drive (PSSD) uses the latest 64-layer V-NAND technology, offers between 250GB and 2TB of storage capacity, has a lightweight and shock-resistant design that's smaller than the average business card, and delivers industry-leading transfer speeds of up to 540 MB/s.
10 Things that Make Your Smartphone a Godsend while on Vacation
Sandy beaches, lovely blue water, a refreshing drink in your hand and… what's missing from this picture? Your smartphone, of course! Vacation time is your smartphone's time to shine.
Say Goodbye to Opera Max because It Just Got the Axe
Opera Max, the Android app that uses compression technology to help you save data and get up to 50% more from your data plan, has been discontinued. The app is no longer featured on Opera.com and it's no longer listed on Google Play.
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The complexity of test pieces today is so extensive that contact or optical sensors alone are no longer sufficient. With the ViSCAN 2D optical probe, it is now possible to perform touch and optical measurements on one machine.
The hallmark of ViScan is its flexibility in all aspects<|fim_middle|> the measurement of parts with very small or two-dimensional geometries and/or soft materials such as sheet metal, rubber or plastic parts. Difficult measurements can also be performed on low-contrast test pieces such as punched components or printed circuit boards using the optional, mobile transmitted light stages with LED illumination. | : combined with RDS, it permits measurements in all spatial directions without rechucking the part. Different lenses are also available. The working distance is practically independent of the lens used, thus allowing the measurement of deep features. In addition to the measurement in the image, the auto-focus system also permits measurements perpendicular to the camera plane.
ViScan is particularly well-suited for | 75 |
If you have Braun's Series 3 shaver, you know it's a great shaver. You could be tempted to continue with Series 3 forever. He would not be wrong in his assessment that the Series 3 is a fantastic presentation of Braun. However, they make significant improvements and advances in each Series.
Staying with Braun's Series 3 vs. reviewing Series 5 would be a mistake. We will show you the differences in several models from head to head and then we will focus on the improvements that Braun has made in Series 5, to which you should pay attention. It will be worth reading. At the end of this comparison, you will see that the Series 5 is a better option.
Series 3 and Series 5 have some very important characteristics in common. Braun has created the Series 5 as an advance in the Series 3. When looking at the two razors, the similarities will be compared first.
The 3 3040s series features advanced and specialized shaving elements. It gives you a shave in a hurry and protects the skin. The blades sit behind a SensoFoil that will soften the skin and protect the face. It is the technology that Braun has perfected for all its shavers from the Series 3. It is also available in all the shavers of the Series 5. There are 899 openings in the blade. They allow the hair to enter while smoothing the skin of the face to avoid nicks and cuts.
The shaving head of series 3 and 5 will flex in 8 directions. This keeps the shaver in constant contact with the skin. When you do not have to make several passes in the face, you will avoid irritation. It will give you a clean shave without shaving strokes.
Shaving in the shower can be done with both shavers. They are waterproof for cleaning and shaving. Warm, wet whiskers are easier to cut than dry ones. It is an excellent way to get the closest possible shave.
Series 3 3040s and 5 5190cc have precision trimmers on the handle. You will not lose any accessories for shaving when the trimmer is right on the shaver. The trimmer makes the shavers ideal for all your cleaning needs. It is possible to skirt the sideburns or around a knob or mustache with the trimmer.
The 5190cc Series 5 has some advanced features that are not available in the 3 Series 3040. It has an automatic detection engine that will give you more power in areas where your beard is denser. That's a new technology that is not found in the 3 Series 3040.
The 5 5190cc series also has an ActiLift trimmer. This central trimmer raises flat hairs and pulls all your whiskers in one direction. When the hair is lifted and directed in the right direction, it will slide easily on the cutting blade.
As for cleaning the shaver, the 5190cc has a charging and cleaning station included. The cleaning and loading station of the Series 5 is a unit of 4 actions. It will be cleaned and disinfected, as it will be dried and charged. That is one of the biggest advantages of the 5190cc. It keeps the shaver looking new for a longer time before you have to buy a replacement shaving head.
The 3050cc and the 5 5030s are good razors because they are made by Braun. It is a company that makes improvements every time they create a new shaver. The 5030 has more technology than the old Series 3, however.
We will cover the similarities before discovering the differences in the two razors. First, the 3050cc and 5030 have an ergonomic grip. Shavers will not slip from your hand when the handle is wet. That's vital when<|fim_middle|> characteristics that they have in common are more advanced in the Series 5. That applies to the trimmer. The 3 Series mower will collect the hair to cut it. The Series 5 trimmer will lift the hairs that lie flat to stay in place for the cut. That is a characteristic that all men can appreciate. Hair never grows in the same direction, and some of them are ungovernable.
Series 3 and Series 5 are washable. It is easy to rinse them under an open tap. Shaver's may not be 100% waterproof or go to the shower. It will depend on the model number of the series. For the most part, all Series 5 shavers have the ability to submerge.
It is important to be able to carry your razor on the road. Many Series 5 shavers have locking buttons that make them more comfortable to travel. All come with storage to put the razor in your luggage. Not all men will travel with an outdated toilet kit, but you will want to travel with your favorite shaver.
BHraun Series 3 and Series 5 are easy to take care of every day. They are simple open top and come with brushes. That makes it easier to brush the hair from the cutting elements if the shaving dries. For wet shaving, Braun shavers can be rinsed under an open tap.
Some options of series 3 and 5 come with a cleaning and charging station. It makes it much easier to disinfect and clean the shaver, making it as new for longer. If you do not want to take the time to clean and then load the shaver manually, choose one that has a station included.
When it comes to charging, Series 3 and 5 come with special chargers that will give you a charge after one hour. Some of them come with a quick charge option for a quick 5 minute shave.
If you are looking for a shaver that is easier to maintain, the Series 5 has more progress in terms of battery, charging, cleaning and maintenance. Series 3 is simpler with fewer alarms and whistles than newer models.
Is it Worth Upgrading from the Series 3 to Series 5?
If you currently own a Braun Model 3 shaver, you will definitely want to upgrade. Everything you like about the Series 3 has been improved and expanded in the Series 5. If you love the way the Series 3 moves along your face with the contour, you will find that the Series 5 makes it better.
Series 5 gives you more shaves per load. It gives you a better medium trimmer that will give you a closer shave. The Series 5 also has a more detailed handle screen. The travel case is more luxurious. The loading and cleaning station has more actions. Each advantage and benefit you have with Series 3 is an earlier step with Series 5.
Some of you came here wanting to be convinced that you can get a good shave if you continue with your old Series 3. You will not find that the case. The Series 5 is a superior range of shavers from a company that constantly strives to improve its shavers from series to series. The 5 Series is a better range of shavers in general, regardless of the model you choose. | shaving with foam or gel. Your hands will get wet.
Both have built-in precision trimmers, too. Instead of having to add attachments, the trimmer is available right on the handle. You will never lose it. It will not take precious time to fix the attachments and change it.
Specialized shaving elements are a feature of all Braun shavers. The SensoFoil protects your skin from sharp blades. However, there are plenty of openings in the blade to allow the hair to be easily cut.
Series 3 and Series 5 have features that focus on user comfort. Those who are sensitive will find that Series 3 has pressure sensitive blades that retract if you put too much pressure on your face. The 5 Series has an 8-way comfort head. It moves smoothly along the curves of your face.
The only benefit of the 3 3050cc series during the 5030s is the cleaning and loading station. Unlike some of the new shavers in the series, the 3050cc has a 3-part docking station. It will clean, lubricate and charge your shaver.
The 3050cc has MicroComb technology, which brings more hair so that the blades can cut. While it is a good feature, the ActiLift trimmer is more advanced. In reality it will lift the hairs that are stubbornly lying against the skin. Your hair grows in a variety of directions, especially in certain areas such as the neck.
The model 5030 has a MultiHeadLock that allows 5 angles. Once you find the perfect position, it will lock in place. This feature gives you a more precise shave in areas such as under your nose. The 3050cc does not have an adaptable shaving head. It does not move at all, so it is not necessary to have it fixed in its position.
The 3050cc battery is a NiMH that gives you 45 minutes of shaving after 60 minutes of charging. The 5030 model has a Li-Ion battery that also takes 60 minutes to charge. However, it gives 50 minutes of shaving time. Both have the ability to quickly charge in 5 minutes for a quick shave. The 5030 can also be charged while in use. That's not a feature for the 3050cc.
The 3 310 series is an older razor that has some excellent features because it was manufactured by Braun. They are known for their German engineering and advanced technology. The 310 model has an ergonomic grip that is a hallmark of all Braun shavers. The Model 5040 has the same ergonomic handle with its patented knit texture.
There are other similarities between the 310 and the 5040. You can rinse the shavers with running water to clean them. It is also possible to shave wet or dry with these shavers. The cover can handle moisture, which is a great test for ergonomic grip.
That's where the similarities between razors end. The Model 5040 has a precision trimmer on the back of the handle. It is an excellent addition to the Series 5. It's is not necessary to remove the shaving head, find the trimmer and attach it to the shaver. It is simpler with the attached trimmer. You can skirt the sideburns, the goatee, the beard or the mustache.
The 5 5040 series has an automatic detection engine that takes note of the thickness of your beard and adjusts accordingly. It will adapt automatically to density. You will not have to do anything. Intensively it will give you a close shave even in areas where your whiskers get thicker. The model 310 does not have a sensor to change the power of the shaver.
In the 310s, you will get a head of 3 push-ups. The three heads move independently of the one next to them. The flexible heads allow the shaver to remain in contact with the skin. They have gone a step further with the Series 5. The shaving head of the 5040s moves in 8 directions. The flexible 8-D head ensures you get the closest possible shave.
The 5040s has an ActiLift trimmer. The model 310 has a small element that will direct some hairs for a better shave. The ActiLift takes that a thousand times beyond the other shaver. It will lift and direct the flat hairs towards the sheets. Your hair grows wild in some areas. It never grows in the same direction, which can make it very difficult to shave some areas.
The Model 5040 has a charger that allows you to shave while you are charging. While this is a wet / dry shaver, it should not be used in the shower with the plug in the base. That could be a real problem. Electricity and water are never a good combination. However, you can use the shaver in the sink with shaving foam.
The Model 5040 has other features that make it a great shaver and better than the 310 model. There is a travel lock available for those who travel with their shaver constantly. The screen for the battery is also more advanced.
On some models of Series 3, you will find that there is no movement in the shaving heads. They will retract if the user presses too hard. Otherwise, they will not keep in contact with the skin as with other models. Series 5 presents heads of 8 directions. The shaving elements move independently of the one next to them. The whole head also moves. On some models, the head can also be locked in position for precision cuts.
The cutting elements of the Series 5 are more advanced than those of the Series 3. The Series 3 has 3 shaving elements, while the Series 5 has 5 shaving elements. One of the shaving elements of Series 5 is the ActiLift, which is not available in the models of the Series 3. Actually, it separates and lifts the hairs to cut. Even those that are flat against the skin are the focus on the elements.
Handle screens of Series 5 are more advanced than the handles screens of Series 3. The Series 3 has a simple light that will alert the user when the battery is low. The Series 5 models have indicator lights that will alert you when you are close to needing a load. There are 5 lit areas to indicate how much time you have for shaving time.
The Series 3 and Series 5 models have approximately the same amount of charging time needed to fill their batteries. The charging time is 60 minutes. The amount of time it gives you to shave will vary depending on the model. The Series 5 models will have between 45 and 50 minutes of shaving. The Series 3 models have much less time. They go around 20 to 45 minutes.
Not all models of the series come with charging and cleaning stations. The charging stations that load and clean come with the models that have cc in their names. When the models of Series 3 have a charging station, they have a function of 3 actions. They will clean, lubricate and charge. Series 5 models with cc in their model name have a function of 4 actions. They will clean, disinfect, lubricate and load between uses.
The Series 3 models do not always have a precision trimmer connected directly to the shaver handle. The Series 5 models have built-in trimmers. The trimmers connected directly to the handle of the shaver are not lost. They slide quickly out of the handle to allow the user to continue quickly preparing his face. The mower is an excellent way to make the most of your morning grooming routine.
All Braun shavers have a wet / dry component. They can be used with foam or shaving gel. Shavers can be rinsed under an open tap to ensure they are clean. A razor that has been cleaned after each use will work better. Not all Series 3 or Series 5 shavers are 100% waterproof enough to submerge in the shower or dive. It will depend on the characteristics of the model.
The cutting elements in the models of series 3 and 5 are quite flexible. In some of the older Series 3 shavers, the cutting elements retract if there is too much pressure. They will not move independently. The latest models of Series 3, as well as the cutting elements of the Series 5, move in a variety of directions. Series 3 has movement in 3 directions. Series 5 has movement in 8 directions.
In the Series 3, the intermediate trimmer is not as advanced as those available in the Series 5. All the | 1,842 |
Is your once romantic roman style jacuzzi tub looking ancient? Are their so many cracks that it is mistaken for a relic? Are you unsure whether or not the discoloration is simple fading or staining? With Tuff Tub Refinishing<|fim_middle|>After performing a seamless crack repair, we were ready to reglaze the entire surface. We used Napco Brite, white high gloss polyurethane resin. In addition, we only professionally trained and certified installers. We use industry standard, and eco-friendly products. So, you and your family can feel safe with Tuff Tubs on the job!
Check out the detail on this newly glazed jacuzzi tub! Shimmering, shiny, and flawless. You do not have to settle for bathroom remodel. Using a reglazing expert like Tuff Tub Refinishing can save you thousands of dollars. Especially, with a full resurfacing project like this.
The final product is like a breathtaking work of art! For instance, look at the backsplash and step work. Perfecto! Please, don't settle for an ancient Roman jacuzzi tub! So then, call us today for a free over-the-phone quote. You will not be sorry!
Tub Refinish on You Tube! | on the job, you can regain the historic beauty of your beloved tub and more!
This faded roman jacuzzi tub had an outdated brown hued swirl pattern. It was cracked as well. In fact, the whole bathroom needed a fresh look. With our expert bathtub, shower, sink, and vanity reglazing services – you are not relegated to ancient history.
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Not only did it have a backsplash and step, but a matching sink top and vanity. Indeed, with all of those varying cracks and crevices, you need a bathtub refinishing sculptor like Michelangelo.
| 127 |
for the interview. you must arrive in plenty of time for the interview,so that you give yourself a littletime to relax before the interview begins.the impression you make as you walk into the room is very important. try<|fim_middle|> some questions of your own. the questions you ask will show the interviewer that you have given careful thought to the position. you can ask questions like these. what duties will i have to do in the job? will i be allowed to join a health insurance program? does the company provide opportunities for further education? | to find out if thecompany or organization has rules about dress. then try to dress according to their regulations.you also need to plan what you are going to say. in some interviews you will have to do a lot of talking, and in others you will only have to answer a few questions about your education and experience. you need to have answers ready about yourself, your schoolwork, your strong points, your reasons for applying for the job, and the salary you expect.
you will also be allowed to ask | 103 |
This October in celebration of All Hallows' Eve the Dedee Shattuck Gallery will be hosting<|fim_middle|> | a Jack-O-Lantern Contest. All are welcome to submit a carved pumpkin to the gallery on Wednesday October 29th from 10-5pm. Whether elegantly carved with patterns of swirly snowflakes or with a freighting Frankensteinesque portrait, all pumpkins are welcome. On October 30th from 5-7pm pumpkins will be illuminated outside in the Dedee Shattuck Gallery sculpture garden. During that time pumpkin carvers, friends, and family are invited to vote for their favorite pumpkin. At the end of the evening, all votes will be cast and counted, the winner will receive a special prize. Pumpkins can be submitted to the Dedee Shattuck Gallery at 1 Partners' Lane, Westport, MA 02719, during open hours 10:00-5:00pm beginning Wednesday October 29th. Pumpkins must be carved before submitting and have a sufficient opening to insert a tea candle to be submitted. | 211 |
When we were young(I am talking about 8<|fim_middle|> (well, mostly American) is through renting or "borrowing" movies/series in a now would be extinct or is already extinct(?) - video rental stores.
At that time,there were no Blue ray DVDs of course.. We catch up by renting betamax or VHS tapes :D In a typical home, you would usually see a Betamax/VHS player and a tape rewinder below the TV set.
Video rental stores were a booming business at that time. All you need is to register your name, telephone and address and bring some identification and Voila! You can rent a VHS tape for N no of days for a fee (and an additional fee when you bring them back late).
When I was a young girl, it was my brother who frequently goes there and would bring me with him sometimes. He would rent around 3 tapes and we'd watch it with the rest of the family on a weekend :) Its a good bonding experience, actually. I remember I got familiarized at the time with WWF (wresting) because my brother rents WWF series as well.
When I came here to Singapore, around 10 years ago, there were still some DVD rental stores(graduate na from VHS). I would go there on a weekend and and borrow up to 7 tapes for a movie marathon usually with my housemate. Every time I do this - I consider it a weekend well spent.
Any memories you wanna share? | 0s-90s here), there was no internet (or if it did exist, it wasn't for everyone). Cable TV was there, but again, its not accessible to everyone. In terms of TV entertainment, we rely on local channels. We have an option to probably go to a movie house, but since we were young and still studying, going to movie house could be quite troublesome and expensive.
One way to catch up with what's going on in the international entertainment industry | 98 |
Alexander Spit – A Breathtaking Trip to That Otherside
Decon: 2013
Alexander Spit is a Los Angeles-based producer/MC whose debut full-length, A Breathtaking Trip To That Otherside, is a spiritual cousin to other like-minded SoCal psychedelia rap outfits like Gangrene. In fact, one half of that crew (who are labelmates, by the way) shows up in the form of Alchemist on "Getaway Car", a chase scene etched into lyrical relief by whatever hallucinatory supplements Al and Spit happened to have on (or in) them the day they recorded the joint.
Indeed the bulk of A Breathtaking Trip is less a stark rendering of familiar, sample-laden Cali weed rap, and more a fuzzy tableau of modernist electronic/industrial set pieces amplified by Alexander Spit's versatile and engaging rasp. Both components provide a ton of atmospheric mileage which serves to cohere the work into a formidable (though not quite breathtaking) piece of aural cinema. Most of the traction is gained by the production, all handled by Spit, which takes cues from fellow electro-ethereals like Blue Sky Black Death and team Weeknd (Doc McKinney and Illangelo).
Here we have "That's Spit / Space Echoes" an informal introduction to the artist that sounds like it was recorded inside one of the L.A. River's cavernous storm drains — the bass provided by blowing on the tops of half-empty 40 bottles, the rhythm section sounding like a cavalcade of repurposed garbage can lids. (These are good things, by the way.) "Coastal / Hyperion" works as both hardcore riding music and a trippy tune for smoking sessions.
There's also some good convention here: "B.N.E. Remix" (featuring E-40 and Mr. MFN Exquire) and "Ride (Chicken Wit The Odds)" beg for requisite rap head-nodding in a live venue, the setting where Spit may actually thrive the best considering his less than thrilling lyrics (more on that in a second). The final third of the album is where all<|fim_middle|> they redeem him whenever he (or a famous friend, as is the case on "Artesia" where Action Bronson cameos) fails to deliver inventive lyrics. You could bump A Breathtaking Trip strictly as a beat tape and still be satisfied. Alexander Spit isn't famous yet — though he's achieved enough national burn to garner a vote-in candidacy on XXL's 2013 freshman class — but he deserves to be based on his inventive production merits. If only the talented Californian could step up his lyrical game, all bets might be off.
Tagsa breathtaking trip to that otherside, Alexander Spit
Posted underAlbum Reviews | signs of standard rap hyperactivity give way to a meditative stimulant seance. Alexander Spit makes music to do drugs to (his bio on Decon's website says as much) and the three song suite that closes out the record is evidence of that (see, also: his instrumental Mansions).
As far as the bars are concerned, Spit spends most of his time alluding to a lifestyle informed by drugs and fast women which, I don't have to tell you, can become tedious. "Pulp 2013 / Heroin Chic" paints a vague after-party scene in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles (or is the rapper's perception merely chemically induced?) and "Honeymoon In A Motel Room" is equally lawless. Beyond those hazy renderings there's a fair amount of "rapping about rapping" which, admittedly, can be exciting on a superficial level just because of Spit's natural rugged charm. But dude rarely drops a memorable couplet and too often his voice ends up as a mere ornamental component rather than something vital that truly elevates the music.
Ultimately the beats are Spit's savior, and | 235 |
The shimmering flair of a great holo is just about too gorgeous for words, but being able to turn any of your favourite nail polishes into a holo is doubly awesome, right? That's where Digital Nails Spectraflair Holographic Topcoat comes in to save the day. Read on to see just how awesome it is!
Spectraflair is a pretty incredible pigment, and is a common ingredient in many indie holo polishes because of it's stunning linear effect. When I was looking for a holo topcoat I knew I wanted one made with Spectraflair to get the most holo effect possible and this bad boy delivers!
You get the most linear flare when applied over darker shades (like China Glaze Man Hunt above) but it also gives a great effect over medium depth shades. When used over lighter shades, the effect doesn't read as linear unless you're in direct/bright light, but even the scattered look is quite striking. I tend to use two coats of this over polishes to get the best effect.
When used over Avon Speed Dry+ Bon Voyage (a medium depth, dusty lilac) the linear effect isn't apparent in all lighting situations, but does look pretty amazing regardless. When blurred you can really see the holo effect shine.
Overall, you really can't go wrong with a little holo, and this topcoat delivers just that. My next use of this is going to be over a really deep green, and I'm sure it's going to be stunning! I should note that I ordered this polish a looong time ago- a year<|fim_middle|> As of my knowledge the brand isn't carried by any international (like Harlow & Co.) stockists at this time. Are you a fan of holo polishes? Do you have a favourite holo polish or topcoat? Let me know! | ago at least- but have only just gotten around to using it. Unfortunately, like many indie brands, Digital Nails no longer ships internationally, so if you're outside of the US you're out of luck. | 43 |
Life at SLU
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Catholic, Jesuit Tradition
Opus Prize<|fim_middle|> women with well-developed minds, generous hearts and reflective souls — "agents of change" who work to bring about a more just, humane world.
— Information from "Do You Speak Ignatian?" by George W. Traub, S.J. |
Community in Dispersion Resources
The Ignatian Year
In 1818, Catholic Bishop Louis William DuBourg founded Saint Louis University, the first institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. Less than a decade later, the Society of Jesus assumed control of the University. Ever since, the Catholic and Jesuit traditions have guided the University to serve a higher purpose and to seek the greater good.
Saint Louis University follows the Jesuit traditions of educating the whole person — mind, body and spirit — and preparing students to make the world a better place.
At SLU, we encourage asking hard questions and looking beyond easy answers. What does ethical leadership look like in the 21st century? How can we help improve the lives of the incarcerated or underprivileged children in St. Louis? How do we work to end systemic racial inequity?
Office of Mission and Identity
Center for Social Action
Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement
Explore SLU's Mission
How Does Jesuit Education Work?
SLU doesn't just talk the talk — we walk the walk. Our undergraduates are encouraged to take a broad range of classes, and every major is founded upon a core curriculum that includes theology and philosophy. But whatever the topic, students learn to defend ideas and to improve upon them, developing the skills to think clearly, argue persuasively and express themselves coherently.
Inspired by the Jesuit call to be men and women for others, at SLU ideas become actions, and serving others is a way of life. More than 80 of SLU's courses directly integrate service into academic content. Outside of the classroom, students, faculty and staff members devote more than 1.6 million hours to community service annually.
In and out of class, on campus and around the globe, SLU students come to see the future as a wondrous opportunity for growth and good works.
At Saint Louis University, the nearly 500-year-old Jesuit tradition inspires everything from the kinds of classes students take to how they spend their free time. But just what does it mean to be "Jesuit"?
FAQ About the Jesuit Tradition
The Jesuits are members of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Early on, the Jesuits became known for education as they traveled throughout Europe doing missionary work and starting schools and seminaries. Less than two decades after they were founded, Jesuits had established 74 colleges on three continents.
Today, there are close to 200 Jesuit institutions of higher learning around the world, including Saint Louis University. The Society of Jesus is the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with almost 17,000 priests and brothers worldwide. They are teachers as well as pastors, lawyers and more. In fact, Pope Francis is a Jesuit priest.
Nearly 30 Jesuit priests and brothers live, teach and minister at Saint Louis University. In addition, Bellarmine House of Studies, one of only three houses of Jesuit First Studies in the country, is an on-campus residential community for 25 scholastics in training. Jesuit Hall is home to priests who work on campus, as well as some who have retired from teaching or ministry.
Learn More About the Jesuit Vocations
What is Jesuit Education Known for?
Jesuit education entails caring for the whole person — mind, body and spirit — and encouraging students to become well-rounded people who contribute to the greater good.
Inspired by the Jesuit practice of "finding God in all things," students take a broad range of study, which is grounded in the theological and philosophical foundations of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Then there's the idea of "the magis" (more), which leads to excellence in all pursuits. This ties into the Jesuit legacy of academic rigor, which requires students to go deeper, think critically and solve problems creatively for the glory of God and the service of humanity.
Finally, Jesuit education prepares students to become "men and women for and with others," to make the world a better place by seeking justice and serving the most vulnerable among us.
Do SLU Students Have to Take Religion Classes?
All undergraduates take a course that is unique to SLU called "Theological Foundations." The course is an exploration of the Judeo-Christian religious traditions that have contributed to shaping cultures throughout the world for more than 3,000 years. Connections are also made in this course to other major religious traditions alive and well today.
Do SLU Students Have to Attend Mass?
No. While there is ample opportunity for Catholic students to go to Mass, other students are welcome but not obligated to join them. The Department of Campus Ministry also works with affiliate ministers of many faith traditions who accompany students on their spiritual journeys, on and off campus.
Who Was St. Ignatius?
Inigo de Loyola (1491-1556) was the youngest child of a noble Basque family loyal to the Spanish crown. He spent his early days not as a priest but as a courtier and a soldier. During the battle of Pamplona in 1521, his leg was seriously wounded by a cannonball. While he recuperated at his family's home, he reconsidered his way of life. A spiritual and religious conversion followed, and he decided to lay aside his sword of war and take up what he called the "sword of Christ."
After his convalescence, Ignatius began his new life as a pilgrim. He stopped in a town called Manresa, intending to stay for a few days. Instead, he stayed for 10 months, spending hours each day in prayer. This led to the creation of what is now known as the "Spiritual Exercises." Also during this time, Ignatius had a vision that led him to seek "to find God in all things."
After his religious conversion, to be of greater assistance to others, he went back to school, studying at a variety of different universities. While at the University of Paris, he formed a circle of friends who decided to dedicate themselves to the greater glory of God and "helping souls." They placed themselves at the service of the Pope, who would send them throughout the world, wherever they were needed most. Everywhere the Jesuits went, their mission remained the same: to seek the greater glory of God and the good of humanity.
St. Ignatius was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His feast day is celebrated on July 31, the day he died.
Welcoming All Faiths and Religions
People from every religious identity, practice or tradition are welcome at SLU. Student groups such as the Interfaith Alliance and campus ministry's affiliate minister program encourage the spirituality of all members of the SLU community.
Catholic Faith Tradition
Guided by the Roman Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus, Saint Louis University encourages all students, faculty and staff to discover truth that is accessible by way of both faith and reason.
Here, we're committed to Catholic education at all levels. We offer ample opportunities to worship, participate in the sacraments and grow in faith. The Sunday Evening Student Mass at St. Francis Xavier College Church consistently draws more than 800 students each week.
Mass is also celebrated daily at St. Francis Xavier College Church and throughout the week in residence hall chapels. SLU's Department of Campus Ministry sponsors retreats, service opportunities and mission trips, as well as groups devoted to faith-sharing and prayer.
Jesuits On Campus
SLU is home to Jesuits at every stage. During the academic year, you can find our Jesuit Scholastics, young men studying for the priesthood, sharing coffee and fellowship with the community starting at 8:30 a.m. each Friday at the clock tower or in various locations around campus. See what's brewing.
Jesuits teach and minister at SLU
Jesuit institution to receive the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award
Jesuit Glossary
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG)
Often abbreviated "AMDG," this Latin phrase translates to "For the Greater Glory of God" and means that even the smallest gesture can be done to glorify God.
Cura Personalis
This Latin term means "care for the individual person" and describes respect for the dignity of each person as a child of God. It leads to the teacher involving the student in the process of learning and expressing personal care for each individual.
Educating the Whole Person
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., a recent superior general of the Society of Jesus, said that Jesuit schools should "educate the whole person of solidarity for the real world." This translates to learning through contact, not just concepts: first-hand experience, service-learning, outreach.
Finding God in All Things
Those at Jesuit institutions should seek to find God in all things — divine revelation, the natural world, human experience and every academic discipline that explores these orders of knowledge. This active discernment can lead to spiritual development made possible by the liberal arts ideal of studying a broad spectrum of topics to have a sense of the unity of knowledge.
Ignatian
This refers to aspects of the spirituality initiated by Ignatius and the Jesuits that are applicable for all people.
Latin for "more," this is the challenge to strive for excellence.
Men and Women for and with Others
Coined by Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who's considered the founder of the modern, post-Vatican II Society of Jesus, this phrase speaks to the heart of the Jesuit tradition: We must become "people who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors." A Jesuit education encourages students to integrate contemplation and action, so they become men and | 2,060 |
As a proscribed activity that is separate from the regular school day curriculum, independent reading programs tend to focus on choosing the right book at the right level. However, little attention is given to helping students understand what they are reading.
Book Punch addresses this issue by modeling the processes strong readers use to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize texts, as well as providing personal in-depth support before, during, and after reading.
Book Punch guides students through the process of thinking and writing about books commonly read in schools today. Built-in hints and tips tutor students step-by-step as they work. Lesson plan aids help teachers develop a practical framework<|fim_middle|> that answers an online Evidence and Inference question, they note the page number next to the question.
Help students create mental images of the reading material by using offline worksheets for character exploration.
Have students use the online Evidence and Inference writing prompts when you feel they have enough information to answer the questions.
When students use the online Evidence and Inference writing prompts encourage them to use the built-in tips and learning scaffolds.
Use the discussion topics cited in the teaching guides to foster classroom discussions.
Have students write down their own questions.
Ask students to finish their online Evidence and Inference topics.
Have students polish their work by going through the online proofreading and grammar mini-lessons.
Have students use the online Reading Check to determine that they haven't forgotten or mixed up information.
Encourage students to share their written work and opinions about the book.
© 2019 Merit Software | All rights reserved. | for using each book with their students.
Try these tips when using Book Punch as part of an independent reading program.
Create a library of Book Punch books in your classroom.
Help students choose a Book Punch book at a reading level that is both comfortable and challenging.
Help students choose a Book Punch book that will interest them.
Encourage students to discuss the books they have read and to describe the subject.
Tell students that they will get clues to find the location of key facts.
Give students a printout of the assigned book's online Evidence and Inference writing topics.
Tell students they will get help needed to think about and write responses to the Evidence and Inference questions.
Before students begin reading the book, help students make independent personal connections to it by writing on one of the online Text-to-Self topics.
Show students through the PDF walkthrough to introduce them to Book Punch's online writing prompts.
Use the offline vocabulary worksheets to teach students important words in the book.
Suggest that when students find a fact in the book | 204 |
Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/arts-advocacy-and-legacy-bill/)
Arts advocates celebrate the approval of the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment bill
By Betsy Mowry (TC Daily Planet) | February 23, 2008
For Minnesotans, 2008 may be a pivotal year for both the arts and the environment. On February 14, the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment bill was approved as the first piece of business in this year's state legislative session. Nearly ten years in the making, the initiative asks voters to amend the state constitution to dedicate a small portion of the state sales tax to protect clean water, wildlife, natural areas and cultural heritage projects.
On Election Day this fall, voters will see the following question on their ballots.
Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage and Natural Areas
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect our drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore our lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2034? Yes_____ No_____
If approved by the voters, the increase in the state sales tax is predicted to raise approximately $291 million per year, available starting in 2010. Of the funds, 33 percent will go to an outdoor heritage fund to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game and wildlife; 33 percent will go to a clean water fund to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams and to protect groundwater; 14.25 percent will support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance; and 19.75 percent will fund the arts—arts education, arts access and the preservation of Minnesota's history and cultural heritage.
On that day, over 500 arts advocates from across the state gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol for Arts Advocacy Day, an annual event. Arts Advocacy Day is promoted by its organizers as an opportunity for citizens to thank legislators for their support of the arts—and to encourage support from those who don't. With the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment before the legislature, this year's Arts Advocacy Day had special significance.
The day began with a rally at the Minnesota History Center, just down the street from the Capitol. Sheila Smith, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, ran through the agenda and talked about what to expect for the day. Arts lobbyist Larry Redmond said a few words, as did arts supporter Senator Richard Cohen—a Democrat representing St. Paul's District 64.
"The purpose of the day is really to connect Minnesota arts people with their elected representatives and to teach officials about the importance of the arts in their communities," said Smith. "This year, the message was to pass the Great Outdoor and Heritage Amendment—and boy, did they listen. The bill passed a few hours later!"
Carolyn Bye, formerly the executive director of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, has attended Arts Advocacy Day for fourteen years. "It's very important that people show up for Arts Advocacy Day," she said. "Legislators like to communicate with their constituents one-on-one. It's very exciting for individuals to be able to speak with their senator or representative and talk specifically about programs with their organization or in their community."
According to Bye, the feeling of this advocacy day was different than other years because of the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment bill. "Often, Advocacy Day is spent going from appointment to appointment—this time was different. With the passing of the bill, advocates received almost immediate reinforcement."
Many were attending Arts Advocacy Day for the first time. Campus Arts Advocacy intern Tara Degn has worked hard since last fall to engage students—over 200 of whom attended this year's Arts Advocacy Day—in the "art" of advocacy. "Ultimately, if [students are] majoring in an arts related field, they're going to need to have a dedicated interest in advocacy…it's their future. [Arts funding will help provide] the job security that they need, so they know there will be a thriving arts community in Minnesota when they graduate."
Some legislators have<|fim_middle|> thing to remember is that the majority of them passed it. Now it's up to the people to decide."
Betsy Mowry (betsy.mowry@hotmail.com) works as an arts administrator with COMPAS and the Arts & Culture Partnership of St. Paul.
Betsy Mowry | expressed concern over the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment bill due to the fact that the bill requests an increase in the state sales tax by three eighths of a percent for 25 years. Others disagree with combining funding of both the environment and the arts on one bill.
On Arts Advocacy Day, Representative Cy Thao—a Democrat representing St. Paul's District 65A—told his constituents that it's not easy to consider raising taxes for environmental and cultural causes when there are so many areas of need. Senator Tom Bakk is a Democrat representing District 6, Lake Superior's north shore including Duluth. During the Senate debate on February 14, Bakk warned his colleagues about adding a new sales tax. "You need to reflect on the cumulative impact of this session and the burden it's going to put on our low-income citizens, our unemployed citizens, and our elderly people on fixed incomes. We are making our tax system…significantly more regressive than it is today."
According to advocates of both the arts and environmental protection, however, it's worth the cost. "This amendment is about future generations, and increasing our investment in the future of Minnesota," said Peggy Ladner, state director of the Nature Conservancy. "Acting now to ensure that we properly protect our water, natural areas, and cultural heritage for our children and grandchildren is an investment well worth making."
Sheila Smith knows that there are legislators opposed to the bill. "But the important | 302 |
Jillian Kemper
Jillian Kemper is a third-year student from Groveport, Ohio. Jillian wanted to attend<|fim_middle|> immediately, as the university has so much to offer; she encourages students to find at least one group or organization and to stick with it. It can totally transform and enrich your experience, she says.
One of Ruby's biggest projects as a senior has been starting her own business and developing as a student entrepreneur. She and her co-founder participated in the Best of Student Startups (BOSS) competition, in which they participated in a series of workshops to develop a brand, marketing strategy, operations, and ultimately a pitch. Ruby's startup earned second place as well as funding at the autumn competition. Ruby is thankful for the resources provided by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship that enable students to develop real world entrepreneurial and start-up skills while in college. | Ohio State because it was a large, in-state school that would push her outside of her comfort zone. Having attended a small high school, Jillian was ready to branch out and explore the many opportunities that Ohio State offers.
When deciding on a major, Jillian looked for something that suited her strengths and interests in efficiency and project management. She ultimately chose operations management with a minor in human nutrition. As a student, Jillian is a part of the Business Scholars Program, Dean's Leadership Academy, and the Consulting Industry Immersion Program.
During her first year at Ohio State, Jillian quickly got involved in a variety of Fisher organizations. She attended student organization meetings within her major and discovered the Undergraduate Business Women's Association (UBWA) from her mentor. She loved the energy that UBWA provided and was excited to get involved. In her first year, she joined the UBWA Mentorship Program and participated in the UBWA Case Competition, where she formed connections with the executive board. In addition, Jillian became a Fisher Ambassador and showed her passion for Ohio State to prospective students.
In her second year, she served in various leadership roles including vice president of professional development for UBWA. In this role, she launched Business Bootcamp, a six-week program to develop individuals personally and professionally.
Currently, Jillian serves as the president of both UBWA and the Business Scholars Leadership Council, where she reshaped it into a more collaborative environment. Outside of Fisher, Jillian is involved with Buckeye Leadership Fellows, an organization that provides exposure to a variety of different companies and individuals across campus.
This past summer, Jillian interned at General Mills on its Global Trade Team, where she was able to get experience seeing how General Mills operated during a pandemic by improving safety regulations and efficiency. This internship solidified Jillian's interests within project management and process efficiency.
Jillian hopes to contribute to the next group of rising Fisher student leaders while also developing her personal passion for natural remedies and self-care. Her biggest advice to students is to take care of yourself first, because you can only do your best work when you are your best self.
Saarthak Gaur
Saarthak Gaur is a third–year student from the Columbus area, where he attended Olentangy Liberty High School. Growing up, he always felt a connection to Ohio State. Although he applied to a variety of schools, he knew Ohio State was the right choice as soon as he received his acceptance letter. As a student so far, Saarthak has made a large impact at Fisher and at Ohio State and, as the president of the Undergraduate Business Council (UBC), he is looking to make an even larger one over the next two years.
Saarthak is majoring in finance and economics and is pursuing a minor in computer science. He was always interested in finance and data and decided to pick up the double major in economics based on the positive experiences he had in each of his economics classes at Ohio State.
Saarthak got involved at Fisher early, joining UBC as a first-year representative. Throughout his freshman year, Saarthak wanted to experience many of the opportunities that Fisher and Ohio State offered. He attended many student organization meetings with the goal of determining where his passions and interests were.
During his sophomore year, Saarthak further focused his interests to his co-curricular activities. He got involved with Undergraduate Student Government at Ohio State and served as a Fisher Peer Mentor. He also discovered an interest in consulting, which led him to join Students Consulting for Nonprofits, a student organization. Currently, Saarthak is a part of the Honors Cohort program and is interested in refining his leadership skills. As president of UBC, he hopes to have a lasting impact at Fisher by uniting the college community and its many organizations.
Professionally, Saarthak is interested in healthcare and the large impact it can have on many. He interned this past summer with HealthPlan Data Solutions, a startup where he worked with databases and was a project manager on a number of teams. The experience taught him to be self-reliant and to better himself in a variety of ways, even when he wasn't working directly with his teams.
Saarthak discovered his passions and interests through many programs and organizations at Ohio State. As a leader, he wants to provide other students with the same experiences and opportunities to discover theirs.
Cameron Zelen
Fourth-year Operations Management major Cameron Zelen has found opportunities at Fisher that integrate her passion for service, community engagement and academics. Originally from Milford, Ohio, a town northeast of Cincinnati, Cameron grew up playing intramural volleyball and serving on her high school's student council. Upon arriving at Fisher she, like many first-year students, struggled to navigate the challenges of college life and find her niche.
A pivotal moment that transformed her Ohio State experience was her decision to join the FisherCares volunteer organization during her first year and spend her spring break trip in Florida serving others. On the trip, Cameron met new friends, opened up to new experiences and discovered her passion for leadership. Upon returning from the trip, she picked up a minor in Nonprofit Management and changed her major to Operations to pursue her interest in project management, processes and finding efficiencies.
Throughout her time at Ohio State, Cameron has held leadership positions as Vice President of FisherCares, a Team Captain of BuckeyeThon and as the Student Director of Fisher Impact Day. She is passionate about each organization's mission and their ability to utilize the resources of the university to positively impact the community. Additionally, she has served as the Vice President of Internal Relations for Buckeye Precious Plastic, a student run nonprofit, whose goal is to educate the Columbus community on the effects of plastic waste on the environment. The nonprofit has found success among the university community and has received funding from the Ford Motor Company.
Cameron has had internship opportunities with the Center of Operational Excellence at Ohio State and with the Bath & Body Works division at L Brands, where she will be joining full time as a Space Planning Analyst. When reflecting on her college experience and on advice she would give to her freshman self, she stresses the importance of not expecting everything to go as planned, and to look at failure as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. Taking things one step at a time, being OK with failing, and seeking new opportunities can all help create experiences that play to one's strengths.
When she's not busy developing her nonprofit, working her internships and completing volunteer opportunities in the community, she enjoys playing intramural sand volleyball and going hiking, and plans to eventually hike in all U.S. National Parks!
Rachel Goldstein grew up in Mentor, a suburb outside of Cleveland, and has lived in Ohio with her parents & brother her whole life. She was initially drawn to pursuing a career in business due to a program her high school had that exposed students to a two-year curriculum in marketing & entrepreneurship. Upon evaluating her college options, she admired the diversity & opportunities that a large school had, and ultimately opted to stay in-state and attend OSU.
Rachel got involved with Fisher early, as she was a member of the Business Scholars Program and attended Fisher's early arrival program. She was able to get connected to other business students, get acclimated, and ultimately found the transition to college life to be relatively easy. She credits her extroverted personality and excitement for meeting new people as some of the most valuable tools in branching out & making friends. Rachel joined Phi Chi Theta, a professional business fraternity, as a first semester freshman and considers it one of her most formative involvements in college, as it's allowed her to be a member of a large cohesive & supportive group.
Rachel reflects on sophomore year as her most academically & personally challenging time in college. While enjoying leadership opportunities in PCT and SLA, she struggled to find balance between her involvements, a social life, Fisher core academics, and part time jobs with the Owens Group and Connecting Grounds. A major learning experience was taking time to meet with professors one-on-one, and relearn how to most effectively study college material.
Rachel interned with the Fisher summer global internship program her sophomore summer with a PR firm in Dublin, an experience that she loved but ultimately drove her towards considering roles that focused more on brand & strategy within marketing. She had always been interested in consumer packaged goods, as it's a sector that's constantly innovating, and as a junior joined the CPG industry immersion. Rachel interned within brand marketing at Smucker, and will be joining full-time with Hershey after graduation.
Senior year has been a time for reflection and introspection for many, and upon looking back on her college experiences, Rachel is thankful for the many friends she made in and out of Fisher, and the skills she's developed in growing and maintaining those friendships, particularly when separated by distance. As a senior, she's spent her time working in ULEO as a Peer Impact Consultant, a role in which she's able to give back to Fisher through mentorship and consulting appointments with underclassmen. She enjoys getting to hear people's experiences, offer guidance, and interact with friends & staff in the office.
Advice Rachel would give to freshmen? Of course, get involved: find organizations that make you feel at home socially, and find groups that challenge you professionally & intellectually. But always focus on finding balance, which includes potentially saying no to certain things and instead focusing on the depth of experiences rather than breadth.
Ruby Xun
Unlike many graduating seniors at Fisher, Ruby Xun began her college career as a Hoosier at Indiana University. As a freshman in Bloomington, Indiana, Ruby joined IU's chapter of Phi Chi Theta and was involved in its Business Honors Community. While she has significant respect for the Kelley School of Business and its students, she grew to appreciate the humility, work ethic, and well-roundedness of the student body at Ohio State and the opportunities that existed at Fisher. Ultimately, Ruby transferred and began her time as a Buckeye as a first-semester sophomore.
She credits her Phi Chi Theta connection for introducing her to some of her first friends and mentors in the Ohio State community; the organization has remained one of her most meaningful ways of getting involved at Fisher — she even served as the chapter's pledge educator. Additionally, Ruby has spent time as part of Alpha Phi, Fisher Emerging Consultants, Students Consulting for Non-Profits and the Fisher Mentorship Program.
As a marketing major, she's enjoyed internships that blend creativity and business; she was a private label marketing intern with Speedway, where she was responsible for Speedway-branded packaged goods and products. She also was a merchandising intern with Abercrombie & Fitch, which sparked her initial interest in fashion.
Ruby has also been drawn to consulting thanks to various touchpoints with the industry through friends and connections. The appeal of changing environments, working with different people and the chance to focus on issues that matter to her, such as sustainability in the supply chain, are strong draws to consulting. She has accepted a full-time offer as an analyst with Accenture in its Columbus office. Her advice to other transfer students is to get involved | 2,279 |
7 nights accommodation in a 1 bedroom luxury fully equipped apartment (1 bathroom) at the Residences Mar Menor<|fim_middle|>.
Groups must make spa reservations in advance. | Village (all rooms with twin beds) with breakfast daily (limited buffet) at the clubhouse, and 5 green fees on your choice of Alhama Golf, Saurines Golf, El Valle Golf, La Torre Golf, Mar Menor Golf and Hacienda Riquelme Golf. Free shuttle to/from golf courses (1 Feb-31 May/19).
Early Booking discount available for booking more than 60 days in advance. This will be automatically calculated for you.
The Residences at Mar Menor are brand new apartments in the heart of the Mar Menor Golf Resort... which means doing what you really want to do, it means tranquility, sun, beaches, fine cuisine, sport, fun… At the Residences you will enjoy family holidays the way you like them. Feel at home, but without giving up the comfort and services of the best hotels. Choose a weekend break or stay as long as you like, of course, you will have access to all the services provided by Mar Menor Golf Resort, Intercontinental Mar Menor and Murcia Golf Experience. There are also infinite ways to enjoy your free time, including: golf, the spa, shops, bars, restaurants, terrace bars, sports facilities and a long list of activities designed to keep the whole family entertained.
And all this in Murcia, a region with one of the mildest climates in the Iberian Peninsula. The resort enjoys fantastic natural surroundings and is close to the best beaches of the Mar Menor as well as being only a few kilometers from the cities of Murcia and Cartagena.
Especially recommended for: couples, foursomes, families, golfing groups.
These luxury apartments leave no details to chance, They have a beautiful and bright living room, fully furnished with modern and comfortable furniture. Fully equipped kitchen and full bathroom. 1,2 or 3 bedrooms, terrace or garden, communal swimming pool, all of them overlooking the golf course and beautiful lakes.
The complex offers top level facilities and services with a 5 star Intercontinental Hotel and its facilities: spa, swimming pool, restaurants, Proshop and cafés; an 18 hole golf course designed by Nicklaus Design; sports facilities, Social Club with cafés, swimming pool, restaurants, supermarket, cash dispensers, bank, etc.
. Nomad Restaurant - Mediterranean cuisine on the magnificent terrace.
. Al Fresco – Pool Restaurant with a fresh variety of sandwiches, salads, burgers….
. El Olivo: Bistro Restaurant. The best selection of salads, tacos, paellas...etc and everything by the pool.
touches studio the 1100m spa also has a 15 meter indoor heated pool and a state-of-the-art fitness studio | 559 |
One of the NLC's primary missions is to serve as an advocacy group for the island's environmental interests. One of the most important building blocks for a strong advocate is education and outreach. The NLC has always strived to not only be a voice for the island's natural resources, but to provide the island community with the educational tools to use their own voice as well.
Our educational programs take place across a variety of platforms. We strive to produce literature and publications that give up to date information on local environmental issues. From our biannual newsletters and more frequent e-blasts to brochures and inserts in the newspaper, we use all<|fim_middle|> school programs.
The NLC believes that education is truly fundamental to our role as an environmental leader on Nantucket. | forms of media to reach beyond our membership. The Land Council also seeks to convey valuable information and provide memorable experiences to the community directly through workshops and field trips. Finally, the Land Council has been at the forefront of local environmental education in Nantucket's public and private schools. Classroom instruction, educational grants for school projects and guided field trips out into Nantucket's natural environment are all important aspects of our | 82 |
Amy Ruppel Wall Art
Amy Ruppel was born and brought up in Plymouth, Wisconsin. she grew up on lots of acreage, surrounded by animals (some rabbits, 4 dogs, 2 horses, 22 cats, birds), grass, trees,... and the occasional excitement of thunderstorms and tornadoes. She was fascinated by science from a young age because of the Mammoth Ice Age Center close by.<|fim_middle|>
The Single Man
Am I Upside Down
That's a Lovely Idea
Morsel | She realized she liked to draw as well, dragging her paper and pencils into the woods with her. Today she proudly calls the green and beautiful Portland, Oregon, her home. Here she now drags her pencils and paper to and from her studio and home. But she draws most everything on the computer these days. She's a full-time illustrator and artist. At a young age she dug up fossils, drew animals and plants, and went for never-ending forest walks among all her friends in the forest. Amy's love for science and nature is what led her to an illustration and art career.
Currently she bounces between paint and pixels so easily, and has since worked with Converse, Target, Burton Snowboards, Whole Foods, and many other companies. She's had shows of her artwork across the United States of America and beyond. She creates art for a long list of leading shops and galleries all over the United States of America and abroad. She generally reserves her more personal work for art shows, and tries to make her commercial work something that will be accepted and enjoyed by the masses. Amy enjoys switching between mediums like paper, wax, vector graphics and paint, depending on the project.
Amy Ruppel | 243 |
NSCC is here to help you meet your educational and career goals.
NSCC supports students from start to finish.
NSCC's commitment to student support helps you get the most out of your college experience, plan for the future, and balance work, school and family priorities. Whether you need help choosing your next class or transfer school, or are transitioning to civilian life after serving in the military, NSCC is here to help you achieve your college and career goals.
A college degree can transform your life, benefit your family and even support your community. NSCC offers affordable pathways to bachelor's degrees AND helps you avoid unnecessary student debt and helps you stay money smart!
NSCC emphasis on advising takes the guess work out of choosing your courses and making important decisions when it comes to your college experience.
TRIO offers personalized academic advising and encouragement to students who are low-income, or first generation to college, or individuals who have a documented disability.
Take advantage of transfer opportunities after graduation.
Complete your associate degree at NSCC, transfer to UMass or another MA state university, get your bachelor's degree and save thousands of dollars.
Pledge to go full-time with a 3.00+ GPA and you'll save thousands of<|fim_middle|> the needs of veterans.
NSCC Student Success Centers offer students one-stop support.
Take the guesswork out of choosing classes, find out about transfer opportunities, and explore career ideas. Whether you're a new, current, returning, transfer or non-degree seeking student, our advisors are dedicated to helping you achieve your educational goals. Advising is available on a walk-in or by-appointment basis. | additional dollars through a combination of special savings offered only to MassTransfer and Commonwealth Commitment students.
NSCC is a military-friendly college. We welcome and support our veteran students every day."
NSCC is committed to providing quality services and programs to meet | 49 |
Intelligently designed, Skoda's Roomster offered an unusually different take on compact, yet versatile five-seat family motoring. In 2010, the Czech brand updated it, adding in a more efficient engine range. It was a useful embellishment to a practical, affordable compact MPV contender that certainly deserves a second look.
If you're after a reasonably-sized compact family car, there are basically four often unsatisfactory choices. Most start by looking at an ordinary Focus-sized family hatchback. But that may not be versatile enough. One of those Renault Modus or Citroen C3 Picasso-sized supermini-MPVs then? But that might be a little too small. A boxy van-based mini-MPV like Citroen's Berlingo Multispace or Fiat's Doblo would solve that problem - but who wants to drive a converted van with windows? People who can't stretch to the high prices you're required to pay for proper purpose-designed 5-seater mini-MPVs like a Renault Scenic or a Citroen C4 Picasso, that's who. People, in fact, who perhaps really should be considering this car, Skoda's Roomster. If you're not familiar with the name, then we're not surprised. This car wasn't one of Skoda's more successful sellers, first introduced in 2006 and then updated in 2010 to create the version we're going to look at here as a used buy. The modest sales this car achieved were somewhat unfair since arguably, this is one of the most innovative cars that Skoda has yet produced. In creating it, they tried to blend the driving pleasure you'd get from a family hatch, the versatility you'd expect from a supermini-MPV and the practicality and size you'd expect from a van with windows. Then, with a twist of design flair, the Czech brand attempted to deliver it all for substantially less than buyers would pay for a purpose-designed 5-seater mini-MPV. So why didn't the Roomster sell better? The answers aren't obvious, but a more efficient, adventurous engine range certainly helped its cause when the range was refettled in 2010, this model selling in this guise through to the end of 2015 when Skoda stopped offering it. Let's check it out.
Skoda wanted the Roomster to stand out a bit more in its revised post-2010 form, hence the redesigned radiator grille and widened 3D-shaped headlamps that differentiate this version from the original post-2006 version, these changes intended to visually widen the car's front end. But it's not the front end you'll be thinking about the first time you clap eyes on this car. That side profile may seem unusual with its swooping curves and angular windowlines but it's all been designed with purpose, if one that seems to suggest that the designers of the front and rear ends had only a passing acquaintance with each other. This is, as Skoda say themselves, a car of two halves - or 'rooms' as the Czech company's PR machine would have us refer to them. The 'Driving Room' is the area occupied by the driver and front passenger, and it feels very much like that of a conventional family hatchback. There's nothing adventurous (or especially up-market) about the design here but it all feels solid and durable and the two-way adjustable steering wheel and height-adjustable seat mean it's easy to get comfortable. Great attention has been paid to practical touches like the double glovebox or the extra-wide door bins that can accommodate a 1.5-litre bottle and have elasticated straps that run along the top for holding maps in. As you progress rearward, you enter the Roomster's 'Living Room' and once you've found the hidden door handles and entered through the large doors, you'll find that it's here that the vehicle's van-like silhouette pays dividends. The roofline steps up, allowing the rear seats to be mounted 46mm higher than those in the front. This not only gives back seat passengers a better view but also increases the space they have on offer. Leg and headroom are both extremely generous and there's a light, airy feel to the space thanks to the large windows. The Varioflex rear seating has also been thoughtfully designed, with the rear bench divided into three separate chairs, all of which are individually foldable and removable, though the centre seat is rather narrow. In total, there apparently are over 20 different seating configurations. If you've only two kids in the rear for example, you might want to take the centre seat out - or perhaps just fold it down and use the in-built cup-holders. And because the seats slide backwards and forwards as well as reclining for long distance comfort, you can decide between prioritising backseat legroom or rear luggage compartment space. Which brings us to the boot. Though the rear hatch isn't the easiest thing to lift and will be awkward in confined supermarket spaces, once it's raised, you should have few complaints about the 450-litre space on offer which is not much less than Skoda's much larger Octavia hatch. It's versatile too, thanks to the way that the parcel shelf can be positioned at two different heights. So, for example, the family dog can be positioned well clear of squashy shopping on the way back from town. If you've heavier objects, they can be secured via lashing eyes on the boot floor. But of course that's only just the start. Fold the rear seats down and a loading surface of up to 1,022mm long is created, whilst the volume rises to 1,555-litres. If you need more room, each seat unit - or all three - can be independently pivoted forward and held in place with a bungee cord which can also secure items in the boot. If that<|fim_middle|> position and the drive itself is pleasantly car-like, especially round corners where stiff springs which create a slightly firm ride over jiggly surfaces also mean that bodyroll is well resisted. These, along with the wide track, a long wheelbase and nicely weighted accurate steering create a car with plenty of grip ever-ready to change direction without fuss. Don't get us wrong, the feel isn't especially sporty, but it's certainly a cut above most that's MPV-ish. Wind noise is decently contained too, despite the constraints of what essentially remains a boxy shape. There will though, be a little more rumble than we'd want coming from under the bonnet if you've selected the ideal pick from the Roomster's improved post-2010 engine selection, the 1.6-litre common rail TDI diesel, with its choice of 89 or 104bhp power outputs. It's nothing you couldn't live with though and in every other way, this engine is the ideal choice for this kind of car, torquey, efficient and as responsive as you'd wish. Sixty occupies around 11.5s on the way to 113mph in the 104bhp version, quite as fast as you'd want to go in this class of car. Those wanting petrol power in a post-2010 Roomster can sample the hi-tech 1.2-litre TSI unit. It offers 85bhp in this form and is well worth the few extra hundred pounds it costs over the older 70bhp 12v 1.2-litre engine that stayed on at the foot of the range. If you can shake the piggy bank a bit further, the 105bhp version of this TSI powerplant is well worth a look too, especially as it comes with the option of clever 7-speed DSG twin-clutch semi-automatic transmission. Sixty from rest in this variant occupies around 10s.
The Roomster is unconventional - and that also makes it exactly the kind of car Skoda should be building, using Volkswagen Group parts and economies of scale to keep prices down but blending it all together with design innovation you wouldn't normally expect at this price point. If you thought practical cars were also boring, then you clearly haven't seen this one. If you're convinced by the design, then try and stretch to one of the post-2010 facelifted versions we've been looking at here. You won't pay a lot more than you would for the original version and there's a better range of more economical engines on offer. Overall, those in search of a different take on compact 5-seat versatility will find a Roomster very affordable to run, practical to own and decent to drive. For all that, this car will remain an unusual choice - but in many ways, a very clever one. | 's still not enough, then each of the 16kg seats can be removed completely and shoved in your garage for a truly van-like 1,780-litres of space: just as well that a 515kg payload is on offer too.
(Estimated prices, based on a 2011 Roomster 1.2 12v) An alternator is a big ticket item at around £400, while a clutch assembly is around £200. Front brake pads are a reassuring £40 a pair, whilst somebody must have employed a pre-VW Skoda accountant when radiators were priced at £90. A starter motor is around £135, whilst a replacement headlamp is just over £100.
If you don't want to feel like you're driving either a people carrier or any kind of converted van, then the Roomster will please, because it feels like neither. Though rear over-the-shoulder visibility could be better, otherwise everything else about the low-set driving | 218 |
It is snowing this morning. We are anchored at Stromness but can hardly see the mountains over which we hiked yesterday. The M/V Polar Star is covered with snow<|fim_middle|> seals and the soft tap-tap-tap of the still-falling snow. Eventually it is time to leave Hercules Bay and the staff gathers the zodiacs back on board. As we motor away toward Grytviken, the skies open up and show us how really gorgeous this bay is. | . The beaches surrounding our anchorage are dusted with snow and look cold. During breakfast we slowly motor north to Hercules Bay, anchor and prepare for a look at more penguins and seals. Hercules Bay is a spectacular cirque, a snow-topped bowl that rises on three sides of us. A waterfall drops hundreds of feet to a narrow cobblestone beach on which king penguins, fur seals and elephant seals reside.
Macaroni penguins, on the rocky shoreline of Hercules Bay, South Georgia Island. One of the crested penguin species, the macaroni penguin bears a distinctive yellow crest on its head. They grow to be about 12 lb and 28″ high. Macaroni penguins eat primarily krill and other crustaceans, small fishes and cephalopods.
It continues to snow as we motor in the zodiacs. As we arrive in a small rocky cove, the stench of bird guano and pinniped poop is stunningly strong, a bracing waft of lung-shaking malodorous fumes. Nothing like a group of elephant seals lying in puddles of their own making to open up one's sinuses. Everyone winces. Ahhh, to be alive on South Georgia Island! Indeed, this is the smell we traveled halfway around the world to experience. For a hour or so we watch Macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) as they walk to and fro from their nests in the tussac grass on bluffs overlooking the bay down to rocks at the water's edge. As we do, we must avoid Antarctic fur seals and elephant seals resting on the rocks. Two lone chinstrap penguins are hassled by the larger macaronis, which we now realize are nothing more than 24" bullying avian thugs. Clouds break and the sun begins to light the beach. The air is actually fairly warm now yet snow still falls. What a morning! It is beautiful here, wow.
Hercules Bay, with the steep mountains and narrow waterfalls of South Georgia Island rising above.
Antarctic fur seal, adult male (bull).
King penguins gather in a steam to molt, below a waterfall on a cobblestone beach at Hercules Bay.
After an hour we move by zodiac to another cove a short distance away, the one we saw earlier with a waterfall dropping into it. On a small cobblestone beach with mountains rising high above us, a group of about 100 molting King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are standing in the fresh water as it flows the short distance from the cliff to the ocean. A few young fur seals move about the edge of the king penguin group. Feathers dropped during the penguin's molt gather in clumps in the stream, and blow about in the air when a breeze rises. They are very photogenic and cooperative. Besides the photos I take of them, I shoot a video to show my kids later, hoping that the audio track captures the croaking of the penguins, barking of the fur seals and elephant | 645 |
Q: How do I pass values from my express middleware function? I am a beginner in Javascript/Node/Express.
I am trying to get some data from the Facebook Graph API and have an Express middleware function as given below.
What I want to achieve is this:-
Get a user authentication token from Facebook - Done
Pass that user authentication token to the middleware function - Done
Retrieve the data and display it on the screen as a graph - Using chart.js for the front end charting, but I'm unable to send this data there.
function getFBData(req, res,<|fim_middle|> value + "into " + array);
array.push(value);
console.log("Now the array contains " + array);
}
console.log("Impressions = " + impressions);
console.log("Dates = " + dates);
res.locals.FBData = [impressions, dates]
console.log(res.locals.FBData);
return next();
}
Now the problem I am facing is that the array is empty at the time of setting in res.locals.FBData
I think I am doing something wrong in basic javascript but not able to pin-point what it is.
Edit:- I am able to see the values being set in the array through the function setArrayData as well as inside the graph.get statement console.log, but the array is empty outside.
My assumption is that the arrays impressions and dates are both global in scope wrt to this function and it should not be reset.
Where am I going wrong?
A: replace this line:
return next();
with
next();
in middlewares the next function helps you to pass data to next middleware.
A: Graph.get is asynchronous. You need to do it like this:
function getFBData(req, res, next){
var impressions = [];
var dates = [];
graph.setAccessToken(req.user.facebook.token);
graph.get("{page-id-placeholder}/insights/page_impressions/day",function(err,res){
for(i=0; i<res.data[0].values.length; i++){
impressions.push(res.data[0].values[i].value);
dates.push(res.data[0].values[i].end_time);
}
console.log("Impressions = " + impressions);
console.log("Dates = " + dates);
res.locals.FBData = [impressions, dates]
console.log(res.locals.FBData);
return next();
});
}
| next){
var impressions = [];
var dates = [];
graph.setAccessToken(req.user.facebook.token);
//graph.get("me/accounts", function(err,res){
// console.log(res);
//});
//var impressions = [];
//var dates = [];
graph.get("{page-id-placeholder}/insights/page_impressions/day",function(err,res){
//console.log(res);
//console.log(res.data[0]);
for(i=0; i<res.data[0].values.length; i++){
setArrayData(impressions, res.data[0].values[i].value);
setArrayData(dates, res.data[0].values[i].end_time);
}
console.log("inside!!");
console.log(impressions);
console.log(dates);
});
function setArrayData(array, value){
console.log("Pushing " + | 159 |
I want to blastx a huge sequnce set against swissprot<|fim_middle|> region against the subject? | (as it takes too long aginst nr), is it possible in a resonable time with a regular hardware and how to install and run it locally?
your question is way too broad.. "how to install and run it"??? google, download, try and after that ask. +1 to Pierre Lindenbaum for the link.
Blast can be downloaded from the NCBI and swissprot from www.uniprot.org .
The last major update is also available through the NCBI: swissprot.tar.gz | Swiss-Prot sequence database (last major update).
Yes, it is possible "in a resonable time with a regular hardware." Use the links Pierre gave and run 100 or 1000 searches. See how long those take and then look for ways to optimize the process if need be. Each compute environment is different and so it is difficult to say with absolute certainty how long a job will take until one tries a subset of the queries.
UniProt references to SwissProt references?
Is it possible that sequence have blast hit in arabidopsis database and no blast hit for viridiplantae and swissprot database?
Hi What are the ways to combined different HSP hits from BLASTX to obtain much more continuous alignment representation for the target | 260 |
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