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[GLENN BECK] Aaron Watson: One of the Greatest American Entrepreneurs Alive Today
Country music sensation Aaron Watson made it the old fashioned way: through hard work, grit and determination. The only recording artist to make it without a record label, Watson credits his parents for teaching him about hard work and never giving up. He treasures one story, in particular, about the heartbreaking day a record producer told him he didn’t have the right stuff.
“After he said we didn’t have what it takes, I went back home, and I was pretty heart broke,” Watson said. “And I told my dad, ‘They don’t like my songs.’ And he said, ‘That’s alright. They said the same thing to Willie.’ And then dad said, ‘When Willie turned 45 years old, he made it.'”
At the time, Watson was 21 years old.
"I’m thinking, ‘Whoa, dad, so are you saying that it’s going to take me 24 years to make it?’ He said ‘Yeah, if you want it bad enough.'” Watson recalled.
Eighteen years, 13 albums and 2,500 shows later, Watson is at the top of his game.
“I just applied all the principles that my mom and dad taught me growing up of being all heart, all hustle, giving God all the glory, and I used all of those things they taught me. My business model is very simple: Faith, Family and Fans,” Watson said.
Read the full article and interview on glennbeck.com
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Will Gustav Become a ‘Rural Storm’?
Most-eyes-over-the-next-few-days-will-be-on-New-Orleans.-Rightly-so.-But-if-Gustav-is-a-quotrural-stormquot-and-strikes-hardest-outside-the-metro-area-the-nation-needs-to-pay-attention-too
Return to "Will Gustav Become a ‘Rural Storm’?"
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As Gustav churns toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, we are glued to the television. What's the latest pressure? Wind speed? When will the next hurricane hunter report?
This morning, we learn in the New York Times that there are urban hurricanes and there are rural hurricanes, depending on where they make landfall. The Times reports: "A Louisiana State University scientist who has been tracking the storm said the area at greatest risk, under present forecasts, was not New Orleans but the low population district between Houma and Lafayette on the state’s south central coast. 'It’s just like Rita; it’s more of a rural storm than an urban storm,' said Robert Twilley, a professor of oceanography and coastal sciences.
Most eyes over the next few days will be on New Orleans. Rightly so. But if Gustav is a "rural storm," and strikes hardest outside the metro area, the nation needs to pay attent
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If you are dreaming of getting married in an exotic foreign land surrounded by friends and family; serenaded by outlandish dancers and tropical lures, read on and decide from our expert list.
Mexico is loved for its multiplicity and while being exotic and predominantly Spanish, the country's close ties with the USA means many Mexican's understand English well and the US dollar is an accepted currency. The best locations for weddings in the country are Cancun, Acapulco, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán. The beautiful coastal stretches of Mexico face the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on the East while the mighty Pacific is on the West. Weddings are popular not just for the stunning scenery but also for the fabulous food and ever smiling locals who know just how to set up an unforgettable celebration. Mexico is ideal for couples on a tight budget looking to have a tropical and exotic wedding.
The Bahamas is an archipelago of over 2000 islands that are found close to the edge of southern Florida. There are many little islets and coral cays that are great lures for snorkelers, divers and also wedding planners. Vintage mansions surrounded by rustic gardens, sunny skies and informal settings are what many couples crave for when planning a wedding in the Bahamas.
The Maldives is probably one of the most popular wedding destinations around the world. The gorgeous island is dotted with beautiful coral atolls that are ideal to organise dreamy and memorable wedding ceremonies at a luxury Maldives resort. Catering to the couples every need these resorts take care of all basic necessities and additions - leaving you completely hassle free. Choose from impromptu beach side weddings to romantic sunset terrace weddings. The choices are endless. The complimentary overnight hotel stays often offered, are great treats for couples who opt to spend their honeymoons right on the archipelago. There you can swim, dive, snorkel, sail, fish, kayak - as a couple in a tandem kayak - and indulge in a million other 'couples' activities under sunny skies. On the South Ari Atoll is Maafushivaru Maldives resort.
Kauai is considered the Garden Island of Hawaii. It is one of the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands located to the far north. Kauai is much smaller than its sister islands; Big Island, Maui and Oahu. The island still exudes a vintage ambiance of Hawaii from years gone by; this is probably just one of the lures that draw couples to choose Kauai as a wedding destination. Other attractions are the islands unspoilt beaches, the gorgeous Na Pali coastline, the Waimea Canyon and many breath-taking waterfalls.
The Caribbean islands are favoured by couple as a wedding destination for its diverse tropical lures. Popular islands are St Lucia, Turks, St Martin, Caicos, Cayman Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands. Seven Mile Beach is generally a hot spot to plan a wedding at, while sunny skies and laid back vibes are ideal for couples who like a no fuss wedding.
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Q: How to redirect Wordpress home page to custom static HTML page I am facing an issue while I upload the custom HTML page into my Wordpress site.
The page all alone working fine as I put it in separate folder or if I change its name to index.php .
But then their arise a conflict between this custom page and the other WP theme pages .If I set this as a index.php page in theme or root WP .This page runs swiftly but other theme pages doesn’t work .Just show the same index page but with broken css
So all I want is not to broke my theme page as well to set custom html page it as my default Home Page
How can I achieve this ? I am using divi them
HTML page that I want to set as my Default Home page : http://filmyoze.com/Default
Rest of site : http://filmyoze.com
A: WordPress relies on all WordPress requests being routed to index.php, which kicks off the whole WordPress lifecycle and then serves up the proper page, content, etc. (This is true for everything except requests to other real, existing files, like images and external pages that don't need WordPress.)
If you want your custom page to be the home page of your site, but live within WordPress (which is usually the case), then you need to operate within WordPress's world. That means you don't just stick a file in your directory, and you certainly don't replace WordPress's index.php file.
Instead, you create a page template and a page within WordPress to use it. Basically:
*
*Create a page in WordPress
*On your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings -> Reading and for Front Page choose the page you created
*In your site's directory, name your file front-page.php
*In front-page.php, at a minimum, put the PHP calls to get_header() before your content, and get_footer() after your content
With those steps, WordPress will capture all requests to your home page, and serve the page you created (in step 1) using the template you created (in steps 3 & 4). You can then go further and store front page content (i.e. content, meta data, etc.) on that WordPress page, and pull it into your page template dynamically.
A: This code may help resolve the issue for this particular situation. Put this code in yor theme's functions.php.
add_action('template_redirect', 'default_page');
function default_page(){
if(is_home() or is_front_page()){
exit( wp_redirect("http://path/to/your/html/file"));
}
}
Replace http://path/to/your/html/file to exact url of html file.
I hope this helps.
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Founded more than 20 years ago, All Immigration Services is a full service immigration agency focused on helping legal migrants make a smooth transition to Australian soil. Our experienced agent, Jane, focuses on giving you unparalleled assistance with your visa and migration issues. Jane is our registered migration agent with 25 years of experience practising law and over 20 years in the immigration field. We work closely with you to better understand your situation and effectively provide guidance through the entire process. Call us!
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Cities within 100 miles of Oakdale, TN
35 miles: Knoxville, TN
77 miles: Chattanooga, TN
60 miles: Cleveland, TN
87 miles: Dalton, GA
16 miles: Oak Ridge, TN
36 miles: Maryville, TN
72 miles: Morristown, TN
78 miles: East Ridge, TN
23 miles: Farragut, TN
56 miles: Sevierville, TN
97 miles: Greeneville, TN
76 miles: East Brainerd, TN
38 miles: Athens, TN
These are straight line distances in a radius around Oakdale, Tennessee. There are many towns within the total area, so if you're looking for closer places, try a smaller radius.
Even more cities 100 miles from Oakdale, TN
63 miles: Soddy-Daisy, TN
76 miles: Somerset, KY
73 miles: Red Bank, TN
65 miles: Middle Valley, TN
Airports within 100 miles of Oakdale, TN
34 miles: McGhee Tyson Airport
75 miles: Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
67 miles: Moore-Murrell Airport
98 miles: Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport
100 miles: Lebanon Municipal Airport
89 miles: Dalton Municipal Airport
86 miles: Marion County Airport
Looking for a new town that's just miles away? Try changing the distance, results will vary depending on the radius. Plan a quick day trip from Oakdale, TN or a nice weekend getaway.
Radius from Oakdale, TN
within 10 miles of Oakdale, TN
20 mile radius of Oakdale, TN
30 miles of me in Oakdale, TN
radius of 50 miles from Oakdale, TN
within 100 miles of Oakdale, TN
200 miles from Oakdale, TN
300 miles away from Oakdale, TN
400 mile distance from Oakdale, TN
500 mile Oakdale, TN radius
located 700 miles of Oakdale, TN
900 miles of me in Oakdale, TN
1000 miles from Oakdale, TN
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Fairfield, New Jersey, July 30, 2003 -- Kyocera Mita, one of the world's leading document imaging companies, announced today that it has been awarded the Most Cost-Effective Printer Technology award from internationally known Business Equipment Research and Test Laboratories (BERTL). This award further validates Kyocera Mita's commitment to lowering its customer's total cost of ownership (TCO) as well as providing an environmentally friendly product which maintains the highest quality output.
"Kyocera Mita is honored to receive BERTL's Most Cost-Effective Printer Technology award," said Michael Pietrunti, vice president, marketing for Kyocera Mita America. "BERTL's recognition further supports our claims that Kyocera Mita offers the lowest printer TCO in the industry today. This commitment was further reinforced with Kyocera Mita's introduction of the FS-C5016N, the first color printer in the 11-20 page segment to offer a color page for less than five cents."
"The core of ECOSYS is a Kyocera Mita patented long life amorphous silicon drum which has a much longer life than traditional network printer imaging/toner cartridge units and can last up to a half million impressions without being thrown away," said Carmel Rowley, CEO BERTL. "This not only reduces landfill waste, but also reduces the cost per page significantly. When BERTL analysts performed an accelerated 24-hour continuous print test, Kyocera Mita's ECOSYS technology easily beat its competition, with reliability as good or better than products it was tested against."
Kyocera Mita introduced ECOSYS for its printer line to symbolize their environmentally friendly properties. ECOSYS products allow the addition of toner to the existing unit without disposal of the drum, eliminating the unnecessary waste of cartridges. Unnecessary waste is eliminated because the only consumable is toner. ECOSYS printers also utilize long-life drums that significantly reduce the cost per page. The result is that Kyocera Mita's ECOSYS printers create less waste than any competing products and have the lowest comparable cost per print.
BERTL is the leading independent test laboratory for digital imaging devices; with offices located in the United States and England. BERTL has pioneered new methods of testing multifunctional devices, introduced a highly sophisticated range of user-relevant tests on "connected" imaging output devices, and developed the world's leading image analysis software, "Page Check". BERTL has been in the office products testing industry for over 10 years. The end-user is always their primary consideration. BERTL offers a range of subscription services: LabCheck, Imaging at Work, Color at Work, DataCheck Side by Side Comparison Database and PageCheck PRO software for measuring Page Coverage and producing Annualized Print Cost Reports. BERTL is regarded as the premier source for independent test reports and up to the minute product research. For more information, visit BERTL (Digital Test Lab) on the World Wide Web at http://www.BERTL.com.
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Save on the Razer Hammerhead Pro v2 In ear Headphones at Deals King.
The Razer Hammerhead Pro complements every style while retaining its signature durability factor. Designed with a high quality body to enable improved acoustics, the new flat-style cables also facilitate fuss-free mobility and easy storage while you’re on the move. In-line microphone with 3 Quick Action Control buttons for iOS and Android phones. The discreet in-line microphone on the Razer Hammerhead Pro has been further enhanced with a 3-button remote control. Whether you need to control the volume or answer a call, the 3 Quick Action Control buttons give you greater flexibility with your mobile devices.
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Evelynd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Evelynd is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Evelynd family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Evelynd family lived in Surrey. The name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Ivelyn, in Calvados, Normandy. The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae noted Roger Ivelin, Normandy 1198. [1]
Early Origins of the Evelynd family
The surname Evelynd was first found in Surrey where "the family, said to have come originally from Evelyn in Normandy, had settled in Shropshire and afterwards in Middlesex. " [2]
From this verifiable source, we found Burke in his Burke's Landed Gentry who claimed derives it from a place in Shropshire "now called Evelyn, but formerly written Avelyn and Ivelyn." (Burke) However, this claim has met with disagreement as "the name of that place was formerly Evelyth, which has never been that of the family of Evelyn. " [1]
Early History of the Evelynd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Evelynd research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1579, 1620, 1706, 1631, 1706, 1591, 1664, 1628, 1660, 1601, 1685, 1626, 1640, 1648, 1660, 1660, 1620, 1706, 1818, 1655, 1699, 1633, 1671, 1664, 1666, 1677, 1702 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Evelynd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Evelynd Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Evelynd have been found, including Evelyn, Ivelyn, Aveling and others.
Early Notables of the Evelynd family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Evelyn (1591-1664), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1628 and 1660, reluctant supporter of the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War; Sir John Evelyn (1601-1685), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Wilton (1626), Ludgershall (1640-1648), and 1660 and Stockbridge in 1660; John Evelyn FRS (1620-1706), an English writer, gardener and diarist, best known for...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Evelynd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Evelynd family
For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Evelynd were among those contributors: Mary Evelin who settled in Virginia in 1648; Thomas Evelin settled in Barbados in 1671; Francis Evelyn settled in Philadelphia in 1874.
Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae
Norman Conquest
The Evelynd Motto +
Motto: Durete
Motto Translation: Hardness.
^ The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
^ Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Evelynd (English)
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Soccer takes opponents to limit but falls short
Wednesday (Dec. 30) proved to be a tough final day for the Xavier Prep soccer team in the Excalibur Tournament of Champions in Irvine, Calif.
The Gators began the day at 3-0 after winning their first three games of the tournament.
But they fell to Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) on penalty kicks after battling to a scoreless tie in the semifinals, then suffered another penalty-kick loss to Chaminade (Los Angeles) after the two teams tied at 1 in regulation in the third-place game on Wednesday night.
Xavier coach Barb Chura said the Gators dominated the game against Esperanza, but could not put the ball in the net during regulation time.
Chura said she played reserves in the third-place game to give them experience and the Gators held up well. Senior Jackie Tait scored the XCP goal on a feed from sophomore Hannah Hale.
Xavier (8-2) had two players selected to the All-Tournament Team – senior Lex Allard and sophomore goalkeeper Kinsey Ehmann.
The Gators return home to Petznick Field on Tuesday (Jan. 5) for a game against Phoenix Pinnacle.
Posted by Don Ketchum at 10:09 AM No comments:
Xavier on a roll, reaches soccer tourney semis
This is shaping up to be quite a memorable season for Xavier Prep’s soccer team.
The Gators ran their record to 8-0 on Tuesday (Dec. 29) and reached Wednesday's (Dec. 30) semifinals of the Excalibur Tournament of Champions in Irvine, Calif.
It is the most success Xavier has had in the years since first coming to the prestigious tournament.
The Gators will meet Esperanza, Calif., in a semifinal contest at 1:30 p.m., Arizona time, on Wednesday. The winner will play for the tournament championship at 7:30 p.m., and the loser will play in the third-place game at 6 p.m.
Xavier began the day on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Temecula Valley, Calif., then played Cypress, Calif. The Gators fell into a 2-0 hole against Cypress before rallying in the second half for a 2-2 tie and then earning the victory with a 5-4 edge in penalty kicks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kinsey Ehmann made a pair of penalty kick saves to ensure the victory.
Down, 2-0, the Gators came back in the second half with goals by freshman Emily Chiao and sophomore Abby Hubbard.
Freshman Sadie Wintergalen set up the first goal with an aggressive run down the flank, beating a defender and getting the ball to Chiao. On the second goal, Olivia Chan made a long run and fired a shot at the goal. The Cypress goalkeeper mishandled the shot and Hubbard was there to finish the play.
Xavier coach Barb Chura said Cypress was by far the best team the Gators have faced in the tournament, and said Esperanza also will provide a big challenge.
Against Temecula Valley, both of Xavier's goals came in the first half.
Junior defender Maddie Amavila picked up the point on the first goal, and sophomore defender Madeline Warren connected for the second score. Both goals came off of corner kicks.
Chura said the game was physical and fast-paced, “and the defense by the whole team held strong.’’
The coach was able to play most of her girls on her roster against Temecula Valley.
Posted by Don Ketchum at 8:20 PM No comments:
Gator soccer triumphs in first round
Xavier Prep’s soccer team reached the round of 16 after a 3-0 first-round victory on Monday (Dec. 28) over Long Beach Poly in the Excalibur Tournament of Champions in Irvine, Calif.
The Gators (6-0) will play Temecula, Calif., or San Clemente, Calif., in the second round on Tuesday (Dec. 29). That game will begin at 11:30 a.m., Arizona time. Xavier also will play another game later in the day.
Freshman Alison Broderick scored the Gators’ first goal in the first half. She connected from about 30 yards out off an assist from Natalie Duque. Xavier had several other good chances in the first half. Sadie Wintergalen set up many of those attempts by outworking the opposing defense.
Quiqui Hita had a fine all-around game for the Gators and scored the team’s second goal for a 2-0 lead in the second half. Emily Chiao provided the assist.
Chiao accounted for XCP’s final goal after dribbling the ball through three defenders and sliding the ball past the Long Beach Poly goalkeeper.
Kinsey Ehmann was solid in goal for the Gators, and her defensive teammates kept the opponent away from the goal most of the time.
Posted by Don Ketchum at 10:12 PM No comments:
Soccer team ready for Calif. tournament
The Xavier Prep soccer team takes over center stage during the week between Christmas and New Year’s with five games over three days in the Excalibur Tournament of Champions at the Great Park in Irvine, Calif.
The Gators are riding an early streak of success with a 5-0 record. They have outscored opponents 17-2 during that time, including three shutouts.
Xavier opens play in the Excalibur on Monday (Dec. 28) with a noon (Arizona time) start against Long Beach Poly.
A win over Long Beach Poly would set up a second-round game on Tuesday (Dec. 29) against either Temecula, Calif., or San Clemente, Calif., at 11:30 a.m. (Arizona time). A loss to Long Beach Poly would lead to a loser’s bracket game on Tuesday against Temecula or San Clemente, with a 10:30 a.m. (Arizona time) start.
Two more games are scheduled Wednesday (Dec. 30). Starting times depend upon what the Gators do in the earlier rounds.
The Gators return to regular-season action on Jan. 5 with a home match against Phoenix Pinnacle at Petznick Field.
Back to the drawing board for Xavier hoops
Xavier Prep’s basketball team will have these next two weeks over the holidays to sit back and reflect on what occurred in the Nike Tournament of Champions and take steps toward improvement.
The Gators won their first game of the tournament, held in south Phoenix and the east Valley, but then lost three in a row and saw their overall record dip to 9-4.
The last two came on Monday (Dec. 21) and Tuesday (Dec. 22).
Both games were close. Xavier had fallen into the loser’s bracket of the Gold Division after a loss on Saturday (Dec. 19) to Huntington Beach, Calif.
XCP then took Cherry Creek, Colo. (Greenwood Village) to overtime on Monday, and Cherry Creek came away with a 71-65 victory.
That set up a seventh-place game on Tuesday against Lutheran High of Colorado (Parker), and Lutheran earned a 56-52 win, holding off a furious rally by the Gators.
XCP returns to action on Jan. 4, facing Anthem Boulder Creek in a 6:15 p.m. game that will be played at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix. The arena is home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Good start for XCP hoops, finish not so much
Xavier Prep’s basketball team walked into its Nike Tournament of Champions game on Saturday (Dec. 19) and jumped to a 10-0 lead over Huntington Beach, Calif.
The Gators went on to another easy victory, right?
Not really. From that point on, everything that could go wrong for the team did at Gilbert Campo Verde High.
They lost their shooting touch. Their passes went into the hands of the opponent as much or more than they did their own. Huntington Beach was more aggressive on the boards and played with a much more physical approach.
It all added up to a 58-40 victory for Huntington Beach, and dropped the Gators (9-2) into the loser’s bracket of the Gold Division.
Xavier’s next game is Monday (Dec. 21) at 1 p.m. against Cherry Creek (Colo). The game will be played at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, 13th Street and Broadway Road. Xavier would play again on Tuesday (Dec. 22) at 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. at Kroc.
Xavier was outscored 19-10 in the second quarter and 14-6 in the third.
Sophomore Alana Kelley scored 12 points to lead the Gators. Senior Vanessa Murphy scored 10, but all of those were in the first half. She spent most of the second half frustrated by foul trouble.
Xavier opened the tournament on Friday (Dec. 18) with a 67-32 win over Windsor, Calif.
So long, Sr. Nancy: You will not be forgotten
Gators come back after loss, take care of business
XCP hoops drops close one to Desert Vista
Gatorade likes Gator: Lanier National POY
Defense plays crucial role in soccer triumph
Gators good, but they must stay focused
XCP runners shine in rainy Nike Nationals
Gators hold birthday bash, dash past Basha
Soccer downs Mtn. Pointe to go 3-0
Gators record second straight soccer shutout
Strong showing for soccer in 3-0 opening win
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Murexsul jacquelinae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Description
Distribution
References
Muricidae
Gastropods described in 1969
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The National Assembly member representing Kankia, Kusada, Ingawa Federal constituency, Alhaji Ahmed Babba Kaita has won the APC Daura Senatorial Primary election.
Alhaji Ahmed Babba Kaita defeated eight other contestants when he scored 1,723 votes.
Declaring the result at Daura Motel venue of the primary election, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee from the National Secretariat of the Party, Mr. Patrick expressed satisfaction on the peaceful conduct of election.
Other contestants are Alhaji Sani Nasiru Zangon Daura who scored 1,474 votes and Alhaji Mustapha Kanti Bello who scored 317 votes.
The rest are Ahmed El-Marzuk the current Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice who got 46 votes, former Speaker of the state house of assembly Alhaji Ya’u Umar Gojo-Gojo 101 votes, Lawal Garba seven votes, Ahmed Jamo and Dr. Salisu Inagwa got two votes each, Professor Umar Katsayal 29 votes among others.
The result indicated that all the Senatorial candidates of APC Ahmed babba Kaita and that of PDP Kabir Babba Kaita are of the same family who would slog it together in secondary election.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of Katsina State Alhaji Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa has described the peaceful conduct of Daura senatorial district primary election as a victory for democracy in the state.
Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa was speaking shortly after the declaration of the result said the party APC would now waste no time in embarking on campaign for its candidate.
He expressed optimism that the ruling APC in Katsina State would emerge victories after the election.
Also speaking, Katsina State APC Chairman, Malam Shitu S. Shitu advised the winner of the primary election Ahmed Babba Kaita to put more effort in conversing for support and advised those who loss to co-operate with him for the success of the party during the secondary election schedule on August 11, 2018.
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We are very excited to announce our 7th Avery's Light Golf Tournament in memory of our daughter, Avery Diane Hanson. This year's tournament we will be supporting The Finley Project.
Register: Click here to register online. Pay in advance here or with cash or check the day of the tournament.
Secure your sponsorship by registering here and paying online or by calling, 321-591-8655.
The Finley Project's mission is to provide care for mothers who have experienced the unimaginable - the loss of an infant. Their devoted team provides a lifeline for mothers in the minutes, hours, and days after the loss of an infant through a 7-part holistic program that supports each mother physically, emotionally, and spiritually at no cost to them. They provide support to families as they plan funerals, nourishment to the families by providing grocery gift cards, assist in placing families in support groups, one on one counseling sessions with a licensed mental health counselor and assigns each mother a support coordinator who will provide support for the mother for up to 5 years.
Unlike any other support program, The Finley Project has been supporting families since 2014 and to date has helped over 500 families, provided $27,000 in groceries, 150 hours of home cleaning services, 135 hours of massage therapy, 500 hours of counseling services and over 6,240 hours of support coordinator services. And this year we hope to be able to help The Finley Project support even more families by donating funds raised from the Golf Tournament to their organization and we hope you will join us!
Copyright Avery's Light. All Rights Reserved.
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Mykolaivka (), previously Mykolaivka-Vyrivska (until 1957) and later Zhovtneve (1957-2016) is an urban type settlement in Sumy Raion of Sumy Oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Population:
History
During World War II it was under German occupation.
Urban-type settlement since 1957.
In January 1989 the population was 4768 people.
In January 2013 the population was 4350 people.
The settlement was called Zhovtneve, to commemorate the October Revolution, until 2016. On 19 May 2016, Verkhovna Rada adopted decision to rename Chervone to Esman according to the law prohibiting names of Communist origin.
References
Urban-type settlements in Sumy Raion
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Catholic Bishops' Conference urges Govt. to reopen schools
The Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka yesterday (29) urged authorities to reopen schools and take drastic measures to stop the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the poor. "The children will be able to learn not only the sciences but also achieve emotional, psychological and spiritual health, interact with their teachers, their fellow students and friends, and engage in extracurricular and sports activities with their peers in order to achieve a sense of emotional balance," said Bishop Winston S. Fernando, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka, in a press statement. Addressing the teacher salary anomalies which have resulted in mass protests, the Conference appealed to the government in the interests of the children to be flexible and agree to rectifying the long-standing salary anomalies as the teachers. They also stated that teachers matter the most in the moulding of our future citizens and leaders. "We also call upon the teachers to consider it their sacred duty to form and mould the future citizens and call off their strike action to return to school for the love of the children they look after,” the statement further read.
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As a professional photographer, one the most self-rewarding things that can ever happen in your career is to be part of the highlight moments in the life of others.
I had met Jenny and Randall some time ago as the sweetest couple ever. I covered the exciting event of their engagement session truly makes you feel part of their cherished life experiences. And I cannot stop to express how thankful and inspired I am by this.
During engagement photo sessions you have this feeling of pure happiness which surrounds everybody while the photos are being taken. For this engagement session, we picked the location of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, because of the surreal scenery it has. The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn is just beautiful during summertime. It is like having an amazing collage of different natural and urban environments in the same area. You have the beach rocks, the East River, the iconic NYC bridges, urban buildings and green areas too. Along with flowers blossoming and everything happening right in front of your eyes.
Jenny and Randall are such an exciting couple to have a photoshoot with. They were in a great mood throughout the whole afternoon. This helps so much when trying to get the best out of any engagement session. Another carefully picked detail is the time of day to shoot. One can never go wrong with sunset. The cotton candy color of the sky and textures that the sun coming down gave them really helped to capture their love. The clouds looked beautifully painted as if they were cotton candy clouds just placed in the blue sky.
In engagement sessions, props are always welcome. For engagement props, I often suggest specific ones a client can bring, but in the case of Jenny and Randall, they chose to bring ¨ Roxie¨ their beloved dog. With her, props became secondary. Roxie is their ever loved dog, and she was definitely the cherry on top of the day. I often suggest and plan a timeline for the photoshoot but I also give my clients as much freedom as possible. So whether you would like you photos done at Jane’s Carousel, Brooklyn Bridge Park, inside Manhattan, the Skyline, or the World Trade Center, the city is our oyster!
All the planning, preparing, and execution is done together as a team in order to bring out the best of each and every session. I just love to make dream photos of my clients come to life. I am just so grateful to be able to be part of these special moments in people’s lives.
Omg! Make me a poster of this!
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EU Summit: Slow But Steady Progress
By Forex Gump
October 24, 2011 6:10 AM UTC in News
The long awaited EU summit is done but unfortunately, while some progress was made, not all the details were hammered out. Here’s an update on the three main issues that were discussed by EU finance ministers this past weekend.
Bank Recapitalization
A couple weeks back, I highlighted the importance of bank recapitalization, its potential effects on the European economy, and what methods the EU could implement to buff up European banks.
As it turns out, Germany was able to enforce its demands that responsibility for bank recapitalization would fall to bank shareholders first. If shareholders cannot come up with enough cash, then national governments would have to step up.
The only time the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) may be tapped is when shareholder and local government efforts have been exhausted.
For some, this was a step in the right direction, as it frees up the EFSF to be used for other emergency measures.
One wrinkle that did come out of the meeting though was that the finance ministers could not decide what level to set the minimum tier 1 capital ratio. EU officials had planned to set it at 9%, but word through the grapevine is that Spain, Italy, and Portugal refused to sign off on this unless an expansion or leveraging of the EFSF was part of the EU’s plans.
In the end, I do think these countries will give in to higher capital ratios, as long as they feel that the EFSF will be enough to cater to their needs should they need to access it sometime down the road.
Greek Write-downs
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou also pushed for a “definitive solution” for the Greek debt crisis. This basically meant that he wanted bondholders to accept bigger write-downs on Greek debt in order to lighten the burden on Greek citizens.
Rumor has it that banks offered to take haircuts of 40%, but finance ministers were asking for 50%, while Germany was demanding as much as a 60% reduction in the value of Greek bonds.
Take note that when Greece was given a second bailout last July, assumptions were that Greek bonds would have to be slashed by 21%. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the political battlefield and if banks will be willing to take such big hits on their balance sheets.
European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF)
With regard to the EFSF, the European Union is basically left with two main options.
The first one is a sort of guarantee for those investors who have already bought the bonds of the debt-ridden euro zone nations. This option would limit the risk to investors because it would allow them to claim insurance in case of a default. The European Union hopes that this plan would attract more buyers to keep weak nations financed and yields low.
The second is to create a new and separate fund. The fund, which would be funded by private entities and other financial institutions, would be used to finance debt-laden European nations. Of course, some of the EFSF money would also be used in the fund.
These three issues are heavily-related. For instance, the amount that would be used for the recapitalization of banks would depend on how big the losses the private sector would be willing to accept on Greek bonds. Meanwhile, the expansion and development of the EFSF program would be largely dependent on how much indebted nations would need should bond yields continue to rise as contagion fears spread.
I must admit that things are looking up though. Financial officials are stepping up their game and showing that they are serious in finding a resolution to the debt crisis. At the same time, I can’t deny that time is running thin. They must act quickly or run the risk of risk aversion taking over again. Watch out for their next meeting this Wednesday as the plans will be clearer and more concrete.
Will we see more progress made in Wednesday’s meeting?
About Forex Gump
I throw macroeconomics, forex trading, pop culture, and everyday life into a pot and hopefully, the final product are lessons about the FX market that's easy to understand.
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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Albert Einstein
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Q: Problem with CAGradientLayer in a custom UIView within a UITableViewCell I have a somewhat special situation that I need help with. I have a CustomView which I am placing in every UITableViewCell in my UITableView. No problems there.
Within my CustomView is a UILabel which displays some text given to it. Depending on the length of the text, the width of the CustomView grows/shrinks. All fine.
The problem I am having is with a sublayer in my CustomView which is a gradient (CAGradientLayer). The gradient size will not grow/shrink off screen on cells not in view.
Let me show you some code... I create my CustomView like so:
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
static NSString *CellIdentifier = @"Cell";
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:CellIdentifier];
if (cell == nil) {
cell = [[[UITableViewCell alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleDefault reuseIdentifier:CellIdentifier] autorelease];
CustomView *custom = [[CustomView alloc] init];
custom.tag = 777;
[cell.contentView addSubview:custom];
[custom release];
}
}
I don't initWithFrame at this stage as the cell could get reused and the width is always wrong. Once the cell is there, I call a method configureCell: where I do the following:
CGSize teamMaxSize = CGSizeMake(300, 18);
CGSize teamNewSize = [[managedObject valueForKey:@"category"]
sizeWithFont:[UIFont systemFontOfSize:kFontSizeTeam]
constrainedToSize:teamMaxSize
lineBreakMode:UILineBreakModeWordWrap];
CustomView *lozenge = (CustomView *) [cell.contentView viewWithTag:777];
lozenge.frame = CGRectMake(10, 5, teamNewSize.width+12, 18);
[lozenge resetSize];
[lozenge setLabel:[managedObject valueForKey:@"category"]];
This works fine, the width of my CustomView is setup as per the length of the 'category' key. The resetSize; method above simply resizes the UILabel I mentioned before to the new frame of the CustomView before I fill it with the value.
Anyway, back to my issue. I am creating the background gradient in the drawRect: method of my CustomView. It works fine, however is the size of the CustomView at init. After I resize I need to resize the gradient.frame. So, I tried adding
gradient.frame = self.bounds
When I call resetSize in my aforementioned code. However when scrolling through the UITableView I can see the gradient literally filling from left to right as it loads into view. Is there anyway I can get this to happen 'off screen' so the CustomView is filled with the gradient as soon as it appears?
A: Instead of creating a gradient in drawRect:, have you considered using CAGradientLayer as the layer class of your custom view, e.g.:
+ (Class)layerClass
{
return [CAGradientLayer class];
}
Then you can perform any setup of your gradient in your initializer, via self.layer.
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This De Waterkant Spacious Two Bedroom Apartment is a stylish and spacious (130sqm) 2 bedroom property with lovely Table Mountain views and some harbor views. The block in located in De Waterkant which is close to Cape Town city, the V&A Waterfront and Green Point. An ideal location for tourists and coporates as within walking distance to lots of restaurants and nightlife.
The apartment is on 2 levels with the living area downstairs and the sleeping quarters upstairs. There is a balcony both upstairs and downstairs. The kitchen is equipped with Miele and other European appliances including a espresso maker and steak griller. There is also a scullery area off the kitchen with laundry facilities.
The lounge has double volume floor to ceiling windows which fill the apartment with views of the Cape Town cityscape and Table mountain. It has a large comfortable L-shaped couch and large flat screen TV. There is a also sound system and DVD player.
Downstairs also has a guest toilet and there is a gas BBQ which can be used on the balcony.
Upstairs both bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms, one with bath and separate shower and the other with a shower. The main bedroom has lovely Table Mountain views and a walk in dressing room.
The Soho block has a pool and BBQ area which is communal.
Thank you for considering this De Waterkant Spacious Two Bedroom Apartment for your stay in Cape Town. Book with Us for the Lowest Rates available online.
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Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood - Trixie Mattel & Katya
Trixie Mattel & Katya
Laag (9%)
Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood
Ebury Press
Drag superstars Trixie Mattel and Katya have long captivated fans with their stunning looks, onscreen chemistry, and signature wit. In Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood, the pair channel that energy into an old-school etiquette guide for ladies.
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The Supply Chain Matters blog continues its market education series on capabilities related to B2B Business Networks and specifically how advanced technology directed at application to application integration drives added efficiencies across digital ecosystems.
Severe flooding in the U.S. Midwest region is having a cascading effect on agricultural, food, fertilizer, and fuel related supply networks with more severe flooding forecasted for the coming Spring.
The Supply Chain Matters blog features our March 29, 2019 Edition of This Week in Supply Chain Management Tech, a brief synopsis of noteworthy supply chain management focused technology news which we believe would be of specific interest to our global-based readership.
As a follow-on to a March 22 posting, the Supply Chain Matters blog provides added highlights and perspectives relative to the global-wide grounding of the relatively new Boeing 787 MAX aircraft. The aircraft manufacturer obviously desires to have grounded aircraft flying as soon as possible, but from our lens, many additional hurdles need to be addressed.
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Credit: Screen grab
Man Worried Civilians Who Storm Area 51 Will Get Shot Creates Rival Event – at Bermuda Triangle
By Michael Lee | Jul 19, 2019
The success of a Facebook event created by alien hunters hoping to “storm Area 51” has spawned a copycat for thrill-seekers intent on uncovering the secrets held within the notorious Bermuda Triangle.
The Bermuda Triangle, located in the western part of the North Atlantic ocean, is purportedly the site where many ships and aircrafts have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Experts, however, dispute the notion.
The “Storm the Bermuda Triangle, It Can’t Swallow All Of Us” event, created on July 12, has already garnered interest from more than 40,000 people. A description on Facebook says the event’s purpose is “to find lost pilots and the hidden islands in the mysterious triangle.”
MORE: Bud Light Sides With Civilians Who Want to Storm Area 51 Against US Military
Anthony Dominick Carnovale, the event’s creator, told Fox 11 that his event isn’t a joke.
Once the idea reached more than 25,000 people, Carnovale created a GoFundMe to raise money for a beach party at the tip of the Bermuda Triangle in Florida.
So far, the fundraiser has only been able to raise $85.
Carnovale says the event is scheduled for October 1 at 8 A.M., and attendees are required to dress up as Spongebob characters or pirates. For his part, Carnovale will provide boats and scuba gear. He insists that this is “absolutely” a real event.
“I’m contractually obligated to only use the money for the event. If I somehow can’t, I have to give everyone their money back,” he said.
Carnovale said that he created the event out of concern that people may actually attend the rival Area 51 event.
“The Area 51 event is dangerous,” Carnovale said. “I honestly just don’t want people to attend the Area 51 event because I don’t want people getting shot or arrested.”
Storm Bermuda Triangle event response to viral Area 51 event
More than 1.6 million people have signed up for the Sept. 20 event aimed at storming Area 51, the top-secret Nevada military base.
MORE: Las Vegas Cops Reveal What’s Waiting for the 1 Million Civilians Threatening to Storm Area 51
Air Force spokesperson Laura McAndrews last week warned unauthorized civilians against entering Area 51, which is the site of “armed” training.
“[Area 51] is an open training range for the US Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces,” she told the Washington Post. “The US Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets”.
McAndrews declined to elaborate on exactly how officials were planning to respond to the potential threat. But security guards and motion-sensor cameras surround the perimeter of the base and signs warn that intruders could face “deadly force.”
WATCH: Watch SecDef Nominee and War Veteran Mark Esper’s Powerful Exchange With Elizabeth Warren
Cover image: Las Vegas police officers. (Screen grab)
Tags: Area 51, Bermuda Triangle, social media
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Home/Start ups/MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar Inaugurates Digital India Startup Hub at STPI, Davanagere in Karnataka
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar Inaugurates Digital India Startup Hub at STPI, Davanagere in Karnataka
NewsVoir November 26, 2022
Hon. PM Modi’s vision is to ensure that every Young Indian gets an opportunity to participate in India’s vibrant Startup & innovation ecosystem: MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar today inaugurated a Digital India startup hub at the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) centre at Davanagere, Karnataka.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “The STPI, Davangere will soon usher in new opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurships for the people in the region. It is our PM Narendra Modi Jis vision to ensure that every Young Indian gets an opportunity to participate in the India Techade initiatives taken by the Government.“
He said the Government’s emphasis has been on the growth of IT/ITES/ESDM Industry in the newer cities, and that it should not be confined to the metropolitan centres.
This is the 63rd STPI centre in the country and the fifth in the Karnataka.
Stating that India has the fastest growing innovation system with more than 80,000 Startups and over 107 Unicorns, the Minister said the world today looks at India with awe and respect. “We have assumed the presidency of the G20, a league of world’s largest economies and also the GPAIan international initiative on Artificial Intelligence. It is the fastest growing major economy that has surpassed the UK to emerge as the fifth largest economy, receiving its highest ever FDIs of $83Bn.”
Shri B A Basavaraja, District In-charge Minister, Davanagere, Shri G M Siddeshwara, Member of Parliament, Davanagere, Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI and other dignitaries were present at the inaugural programme.
Shri Arvind Kumar, DG, STPI in his speech affirmed, “Spread over 10,000 sq. ft. area, Davanagere facility is 5th sub-centre under at STPI- Bengaluru. It has state-of-the-art incubation facility to promote growth in IT/ITES services and build a resilient startup ecosystem.”
The State Government has provided 10,000 sq. ft.builtup space in Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) Regional Centre, Davanagere for the establishment of this STPI Centre.
Among other facilities, the Centre has plug-n-play 102- seater Incubation facility, Network Operations Centre (NOC), 16-seater conference room, and 32-seater cafeteria and provision for providing high-speed data communication facilities and other amenities & services required for the export of software & services.
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Port Washington Co-Ops For Sale | Spruce Realty Co.
Port Washington is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. Port Washington is an unincorporated area within and directly governed by the town of North Hempstead.
There are lots of co-ops for sale in Port Washington, NY, but if you have a dream of owning a home, you probably have much more in mind than a generic Port Washington co-op.
On SpruceRealtyCo.com you can refine your search for co-op listings in Port Washington and include all sorts of features that are important to you, like a garage or the number of bedrooms.
By using our advanced search features you are most likely to find the best co-op for you.
On this page we present your with a complete list of Port Washington co-ops for sale, but we recommend that you use our search filtering capabilities using the search box on the left to view only those Port Washington properties that appeal to you.
ML# :3055830 Desirable Property, End Location With Parking. Spectacular Water Views Overlooking Hempstead Harbor And Li Sound. Waterfront Community . Completely Renovated! Amenities Include A Private Beach, Dock W/Slips, Winter Storage And Mooring Rights.30 Min Commute To Penn Station, Large Trex Deck. Must Truly See To Appreciate!
ML# :3047427 Gorgeous Water Front Community, With Low Taxes. Individual Cottage Which Can Be Increased To 1500Sqft Of Living Space, Comes With Beach And Mooring, And Dock Rights. There Is A Slip For Your Boat Available With Extra Fee. The Cottage Needs Work But Does Already Have Gas Heat And Fireplace.
ML# :3075921 Prime Waterfront Location! Second Floor Corner Unit! 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath Unit With Terrace Overlooking Courtyard. Second Bedroom Overlooks Manhasset Bay And Olympic Size Pool. Meticulous Grounds And Walking Paths Along Manhasset Bay. Maintenance Includes: Real Estate Taxes, Heat. Close To All! Laundry And Storage In Basement.
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Find Trails > Montana > Larchmont Trail
Larchmont Trail
Larchmont Trail Facts
States: Montana
Counties: Missoula
Trail end points: Dearborn Ave. and Old US HWY 93
Trail activities: Bike, Inline Skating, Wheelchair Accessible, Walking, Cross Country Skiing
Larchmont Trail Photos
View Classic Gallery
Larchmont Trail Description
The Larmont Trail is a paved path that parallels Missoula's busy Reserve Street (US 93) and provides a safe alternative to riding on the road. The path runs for only a little more than 0.5 mile between Dearborn Avenue and where Reserve Street meets Clark Street (across from University Motors). The path runs along the west side of Reserve Street, paralleling Larchmont Golf Course.
When you reach the south end of the Larchmont Trail, go right on Clark Street then right again on Post Siding Road to access Fort Missoula. You can safely ride or walk along the road here into the fort grounds. Continue toward the other end to visit the Historical Society Museum and also to pick up the South Avenue Trail, which then links to other trails on Missoula's west side. You can also get to the Bitterroot River from there.
There is not official parking for this trail but you can park at Fort Missoula and take Post Siding Road to access the Larchmont Trail.
Missoula City Trails Map
Missoula Parks & Rec
Larchmont Trail Reviews
4 stars for safety from Reserve Street
May, 2012 by lunariver
Reserve Street (US 93) is a nightmare for cyclists but the trail resolves that problem, if only for a short distance. This path is a great alternative for cyclists and pedestrians wanting to access Missoula’s west side and the Bitterroot River. You'll get great views of Missoula's surrounding mountains and you can link to other west-side trails. Fort Missoula is definitely worth the visit, too!
Bitterroot Trail
Montana - 51 miles
The Bitterroot Trail is a paved pathway largely paralleling US 93 between Missoula and Hamilton in Montana's scenic Bitterroot Valley. The trail...
South Avenue Trail
Montana - 2.2 miles
The South Avenue Trail is a paved path that parallels Missoula's busy South Avenue and provides a safe alternative to riding in the road. The path...
7th Street Trail
The 7th Street Trail is an on-road, extra-wide shoulder specifically designed for pedestrians and cyclists. The path runs for 1.36 miles between...
Mansion Heights Trail
The Mansion Heights Trail passes along the northern end of a neighborhood development of the same name toward the top of Missoula's South Hills. The...
Clements Road Trail
Montana - 1.27 miles
The Clements Road Trail is a paved path that parallels Missoula's busy Clements Road and provides a safe alternative to riding on the shoulder. The...
North Avenue-Humble Road Trail
Montana - 1 miles
The North AvenueHumble Road Trail is a short, Y-shaped link joining two other of Missoula's west-side trails: South Avenue Trail and Clements Road...
Milwaukee Trail
Missoula's Milwaukee Trail provides a valuable east-west commuting route through the city. The paved pathway includes occasional on-road segments but...
Spurgin-Humble Road Trail
The SpurginHumble Road Trail runs just under 1 mile between the Clements Road Trail and the Kelly Island access path at the end of Humble Road. The...
Riverfront Trail (MT)
Missoula's Riverfront Trail follows both the north and south sides of the Clark Fork River through city parks downtown and near the university campus....
Kim Williams Nature Trail
The Kim Williams Nature Trail provides a scenic stroll or bike ride alongside the Clark Fork River, connecting several parks in downtown Missoula. It...
Mullan Road Trail
This shared-use path parallels Mullan Road between Flynn Lane and Cote Lane in Missoula, Montana. The trail is in a mostly residential setting and...
Greenough Park Trail
The Greenough Park Trail is truly one of urban Missoula's best, making for a peaceful refuge from the city hubbub and near the downtown area. The...
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Unable to pay salaries, Afghanistan asks donors for more money
Teachers, civil servants, government workers in need of pay
By Jessica Donati
KABUL (Reuters) — Afghanistan does not have enough money to pay salaries this month and has asked aid donors for a bailout before the end of the year, the treasury chief told Reuters on Thursday.
"Salaries are our priority," Alhaj Mohammad Aqa said, explaining that teachers, civil servants and other government workers had not been paid their salaries this month.
In September, Afghanistan asked for a $537-million bailout but donors had only responded with $170 million, he said, adding that the remainder was needed because the budget for state salaries had run out.
Despite more than a decade spent on projects to boost the economy, the drawdown of foreign troops and aid donations has crippled Afghanistan's finances.
Aqa said government officials had met representatives of the United Nations and a group of about 25 donors this week to ask for the funds.
The revenue shortfall this year stood near 25 per cent of planned expenditures, he said, illustrating the severity of the budget crisis.
‘Perks’ most popular query by jobseekers: Report
U.S. job growth rebounds in March, but wage gains moderate
The deteriorating state of Afghanistan's economy is just one of the big challenges facing the new president, Ashraf Ghani, who was appointed in September.
Another priority for his administration will be dealing with a growing Taliban insurgency, that has inflicted a record number of casualties on the security forces this year.
Almost three months into his presidency, Ghani has yet to appoint a cabinet. He told donors at an Afghanistan conference in London this month it would take another few weeks to get a government in place.
The fighting and the drawdown have caused economic growth to slump to a projected 1.5 per cent this year, down from 3.7 per cent last year and an average 9.4 per cent during 2003-2012.
In Kabul, even hospitals are struggling to provide services as doctors are not being paid and some have held protests to gain attention from the government.
"Many of the doctors have not been paid for three months now because the government says there is no money to pay the salaries," said Dr Zabihullah, who works at Nur Hospital in the capital. "We can't work like this."
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James Joyce’s ‘Dead’ house on Usher’s Island goes on sale
Protected structure on Liffey quays to be sold by receivers with guide price of €550,000
Wed, Apr 12, 2017, 05:00
'The Lass of Aughrim' is performed in the 1987 film adaptation of James Joyce's 'The Dead', starring Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann
James Joyce House and Bridge Usher's Island, Dublin.
The “dark gaunt house on Usher’s Island” – the setting of the James Joyce short story The Dead, is to go on sale.
The Georgian house at 15 Usher’s Island, facing James Joyce Bridge on the south side of the Liffey, was built in about 1775 for Joshua Pim, who had his business next door at number 16.
During the 1890s the upper floors of the building were rented by Joyce’s maternal great-aunts, who ran a music school and, most notably, held the Christmas parties that provide the scene for The Dead.
The Dead by James Joyce, in John Huston's film adaptation.
During the course of the 20th century, the house fell into increasing disrepair. Its top floor was removed as an alternative to repairing the roof, and its interiors were vandalised and occupied by squatters.
The building was almost lost to fire in the mid-1990s, and firefighters tackling the blaze had to break most of its remaining windows.
The house was boarded up and remained in a derelict state until 2000, when it was bought by Dublin barrister and quantity surveyor Brendan Kilty.
James Joyce’s listed ‘House of the Dead’ on market for €550,000
Mr Kilty refurbished the building over a four-year period, recreating Victorian interiors in some rooms which have since been used for Joyce-related events, including re-enactments of the Christmas dinner scene.
In 2012, Mr Kilty filed for bankruptcy in the UK, with debts including £2.1 million owed to Ulster Bank in relation to the Usher’s Island house. The house, which is a protected structure, is now being sold on the instructions of receivers with a guide price of €550,000.
‘Very significant’
Senator and Joycean scholar David Norris said Mr Kilty deserved great credit for saving the house from dereliction. “It is a very significant house. I identified and photographed it more than 50 years ago I don’t think anybody knew of its significance at the time.
“Joyce attended Christmas parties there, and the story is a faithful reproduction of those Christmas parties.”
Brendan Kilty, who bought 15 Usher’s Island in 2000, talking to actor Rachael Dowling who played the part of Lilly in the film version of “The Dead”, at a 2004 recreation of the famous dinner scene in the house. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien
Mark Traynor, managing director of the James Joyce Centre on North Great George’s Street, said while the centre would not be in a position to buy the building, it would be interested in becoming involved in its future.
“We would be very supportive of any activity that would promote its Joycean heritage and would be happy to have discussions with the new owners.”
The centre would also be interested in working with any State agency that might acquire the building, he said.
If James Joyce was alive, I don’t think he’d care
Bob Joyce, the writer’s grand-nephew, said he did not think the building should be acquired by the State. “It has a small connection with Joyce. I don’t think it makes a difference who buys it. If James Joyce was alive, I don’t think he’d care.”
Dublin City Council said it had no interest in acquiring the house, adding that its use as a “public cultural facility celebrating James Joyce would require planning permission”.
Mr Kilty did not respond to queries.
Bob Joyce
Brendan Kilty
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From The Irish Times Book of the Year to Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, you'll find books for all tastes and ages.
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LA County Reports 9,927 New COVID-19 Cases, 88 DeathsThe Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Monday reported 9,927 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 88 deaths, bringing countywide totals to 1,024,190 cases and 13,936 deaths.
Orange County Health Officials Still Concerned About Rising COVID-19 Cases As New Numbers Encourage OptimismA record was set recently for daily deaths reported in Orange County, but some health care workers say they are now seeing some signs of improvements locally while acknowledging there are still tough days expected ahead.
Cultural Commission Agrees To Nominate Norms For Historical Status
Filed Under:Demolition, Googie, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles Conservancy, Norms
(Photo credit: "NormsRestaurant LaCienega" by Minnaert/ via Wikimedia Commons)
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The city’s Cultural Heritage Commission Thursday unanimously agreed to nominate the famous Norms restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard to be considered as a historical monument.
Members of the nonprofit Los Angeles Conservancy issued a public notice Wednesday on Twitter that the new owners of Norms Coffee Shop received a permit Jan. 5 to demolish the building.
The ruling Thursday prevents the new owners from tearing down the restaurant for 75 days.
The commission came to their decision after hearing from architects, writers, historians and long-time residents who also praised Norms as a significant building for the city.
Built in 1956, Norms La Cienega is considered a classic architectural example of the California coffee shop and an icon of the post-World War II Googie movement of the 1950s and 60s.
“This was an example of modern architecture in modern times that the average person could enjoy,” said one speaker.
“We’re now literally down to handful and this is one of the best remaining buildings,” another man told the commission.
The 24-hour restaurant chain dates back even further to 1949, when owner Norman Royback opened the first location at Sunset and Vine, according to the Conservancy. After remaining in the family for three generations, the Norms chain was finally sold late last year.
The protection will last until an official historical designation vote is taken by the City Council.
The new owners of the building said while they have obtained a demolition permit, they have no immediate plans to tear down the restaurant.
RELATED: Preservation Group Warns Demolition Permit Issued For Classic Norms Coffee Shop
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Andrew Nerland Hall
Fairbanks Campus
Description: 1854 Tanana Loop
The four-story Andrew Nerland Hall opened in 1953 as an all-male residence for 100 students, the center building of the Stevens-Nerland-McIntosh complex on Denali Lane. The university built six residence halls on the main campus in a seven-year period. Today Nerland is coed by floor and in the mid-1990s received a “Healthy Lifestyle” designation. During 1997, the hall underwent renovation that included new furniture and wiring for high-speed Internet access and cable television.
“The Cornerstone on College Hill,” by Terrence Cole; “University of Alaska Catalog 1974-75”; Eric Jozwiak, Assoc. Director for Residence Life, UAF; Nathan Platt, Residence Life, UAF 2002.
Notable People: Andrew Nerland
Last Modified: December 30, 2021
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The non-stop stories of hacking in the news have put my bank’s executives on edge. They establish a company-wide initiative to beef up cybersecurity. I am tasked with leading a communications project under the security initiative.
10 minutes before my first meeting with stakeholders, I type cybersecurity priorities into Google.
A search result from your website, “Cybersecurity Priorities for 2017,” grabs my attention. SureCourse just won my I-want-to-know moment.
The post recommends companies start by performing a risk assessment. I want to know more for my meeting in 10 minutes.
A question pops into my mind, “What threats could we be at risk of?” I scan the page and do not immediately see the answer. I’m about to click ‘Back’ and type my question into Google. Then – a chat icon pops up.
Your chatbot grabs my attention by introducing SureCourse’s unique selling proposition – the size of its network.
According to cybersecurity influencer, Jon Oltsik, there are roughly 800 to 1200 cybersecurity vendors. Of the 800+ vendors, who else can say that they operate and secure a network of this size?
I ask about the ransomware problem.
After explaining ransomware, your bot lists SureCourse’s solutions. I ask for an overview of Intrusion Prevention.
Next thing I know, I’m asking to chat with a live agent.
The live agent recommends that for a large bank, the best thing is to start with a risk assessment. She sends me an email explaining how to order a risk assessment from SureCourse.
In walks the VP of IT Infrastructure of my bank.
“I was just on the chat with SureCourse,” I say while closing my laptop.
I forward him the email I just received from SureCourse’s live agent.
A month later, the VP of IT Infrastructure purchases the risk assessment. His department is considering a bid from SureCourse to perform the full cybersecurity overhaul.
You saw me read an article, have a question and almost click the ‘Back’ button because I could not find an answer on the page. This is not just the SureCourse website.
Earlier this month, Heather Johannsen from Texas Instruments spoke at Oracle’s Modern Marketing Mashup in Dallas. She said that Texas Instruments markets approximately 900 products. Look at the websites for Bank of America, ExxonMobil – or any company with a deep product portfolio.
These companies follow best practices for web design. Inevitably, there will be moments when people cannot find answers to their questions. These moments determine if a B2B prospect will convert to a sales opportunity or move on.
A chatbot saved the day in the story above. As I was about to click back to Google, the bot stirred up I-want-to-know moments. Then it led me to a live agent. As a result, I connected SureCourse with my bank’s VP of IT Infrastructure during a critical B2B micro-moment.
As great as chatbots can be, it is important to note that leads are generated without them every day. The current solution is to use web forms.
Let’s say there was no chatbot in the story above. I fill out a web form because I want a person at SureCourse to answer my questions. I type my name, email, title, company and phone and click ‘Contact me.’ Then I show up on a sales person’s list.
Six figure checks for cybersecurity procurements are signed by the IT department. My title is “Project Manager” in the marketing department.
A sales rep sees me on his list and thinks, “Not a priority. Let’s wait an hour or a day to pick up the phone and dial that guy.” By then, lead decay will have reared its ugly head.
As you can see, the status quo of relying on lead forms is expensive.
No matter whether you are talking to Adi Ignatius of the Harvard Business Review or Christie Pitts from Verizon Ventures or the guys wearing lab coats downstairs in your basement… I do not think you will find anyone who would disagree that the B2B marketers who implement chatbot technology today will be the ones leading the pack in the future.
Throughout 2016, I had a series of conversations with marketing leaders at some of Dallas’s largest B2B companies.
In November 2016, professor Mark Schaefer published an article about how your marketing strategy is decided for you by your ecosystem. I took Professor Schaefer’s advice to mean that while there are lots of marketing channels to experiment with, only a handful can drive growth for a multi-billion-dollar company.
I called Kevin Karner at Drift, a live chat service. He said that an average of 20% of web visitors engage in chat; 5% of chats convert to sales. Then Kevin told me about a client who was having a lot of success with a chatbot. I wondered what a chatbot would look like on a large B2B marketer’s website like SureCourse.
This question led me to sign up for IBM Watson Conversation.
My first attempt was to have Watson answer open-ended questions. I quickly realized that it would take 1 to 2 years to build a chatbot that answers open-ended questions about a product portfolio with 200 products like SureCourse’s. Besides, answering open-ended questions can be risky at the beginning of the customer journey. Prospects have not done enough homework to accurately judge a product’s value.
This video shows an interactive demo of the bot. The video does not contain sound.
Here is a link to a PDF document with the chatbot’s full script.
Here is a link to the live chatbot.
Here is a chatbot tutorial from IBM’s Zach Walchuk.
By now, you know that SureCourse is a fictional company and my chatbot is a prototype.
I skipped a critical first step when I built the bot. I did not test the script with real users.
Install Drift chat on the website.
Chat with visitors and guide them through the unique selling proposition, problems and solutions.
Study the chat analytics and iterate through the bot’s script.
These metrics will help you forecast performance. Setting achievable forecasts will help you manage stakeholder expectations.
Stakeholders will not want leads to stop when they give the green light to build the bot. So, keep live chat going. Even if you are confident in your script, live chat will help you validate change requests that may come up during development.
Although my bot’s script was not designed with live chat, I believe the conversation structure (unique selling proposition, problems and solutions) will be effective in leading web visitors from I-want-to-know to I-wanna-talk-to-a-human micro-moments.
I have used this conversation structure on the front lines as a salesperson. Guiding prospects is more effective than answering open-ended questions at the beginning of the sales journey. This approach will work for your chatbot too.
If you are designing your first B2B marketing chatbot, you can use my research as a starting point. If you need help during your project, feel free to reach out to me via live chat at https://eisaiah.drift.com/e. If you could, once you finish your B2B chatbot, please share a link in the comments below so we can have another example to study.
Disclaimer: To illustrate the concepts in this article, I created examples that reference fictitious companies as well as real companies. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. No reference in this document is intended to imply an endorsement, favoring or connection of any kind between this document and the trademark owners.
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sellmelb Great seller to deal with! Item delivered as described. Pleasant transaction! Thank you!
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Live from the Met: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Select a time to view seat availability
Location: Cinema
£20 per opera
£12 under 21s and students*
Full season package (10 operas): £160
Five opera package: £90
*please bring proof of your status when purchasing or picking up tickets
The Gershwins’ modern American masterpiece has its first Met performances in almost three decades, starring bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Angel Blue in the title roles.
This new co-production with English National Opera and Dutch National Opera was hailed as a triumph at its premiere in London earlier this year. Featuring the much-loved arias Summertime and I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin, director James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row, a setting vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants.
The final stage work of George Gershwin, Porgy and Bess is largely regarded as one of the greatest American operas of the 20th Century.
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What is the recommended c drive size for Windows 7?
As is known to us all, it has been regarded as a hot topic since Windows 7 released. Then what's the primary partition (C: drive) size for your Windows 7? In fact, it depends on certain factors: what you want or need to do with the computer, where apps, games install and how much RAM you have, etc.
According to my experience, I have a HDD of 120GB and 50GB for Windows 7, the remaining space is for apps, games installation and music, data, files storage. I recommend multiple partitions which has the advantage of giving you flexibility.
Low disk space on C drive what shall we do?
When first partitioning hard drive in Windows 7, you make a small C drive but a large data partition for some reasons. With Windows updates and apps installation increasing, C drive running out of space. It's unnecessary to worry about and consider such case as headache. With Partition Magic for Windows 7 – Aomei Partition Assistant Pro Edition, it is very easy and safe to extend C drive in Windows 7.
How to extend C drive in Windows 7?
With its user-friendly interface, it is extremely easy to use even for beginners. To follow the instruction of extending C drive in Windows 7, please download partition magic for windows 7 demo version and try.
Step1: Launch Aomei Partition Assistant Pro Edition.
Step2: Right-click partition D and select "Resize".
In the pop-up window, drag the left handle rightwards to create unallocated space and click "OK".
Step3: Select C drive. Drag the right handle rightwards to extend C drive.
Step4: Click "Apply" on the toolbar.
You can see from the tutorial extend C drive in Windows 7 is very easy. Therefore, there is no need to waste your time in considering what the recommended C drive size for Windows 7 is.
What more, as a magic all-in-one Windows 7 partition manager, Aomei Partition Assistant also allows users to create/delete/format partition, clone partition/disk, convert FAT32 to NTFS and wipe unallocated space, etc.
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A screen room gives you a place to enjoy the outdoors without those pesky bugs nagging at you. It is something about sitting in a screen room on a late summers evening that is just mesmerizing and peaceful. The cool breeze, the chirping crickets, and the setting of the summer sun is just plain ole relaxing. Don’t waste another year fighting the bugs and not enjoying the outdoors. Let us add that screen room that you have always wanted. We have many different options and designs that can complement any style home.
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Glutamine synthetase sequence evolution in the mycobacteria and their use as molecular markers for Actinobacteriaspeciation
Don Hayward1,
Paul D van Helden1 &
Ian JF Wiid1
Although the gene encoding for glutamine synthetase (glnA) is essential in several organisms, multiple glnA copies have been identified in bacterial genomes such as those of the phylum Actinobacteria, notably the mycobacterial species. Intriguingly, previous reports have shown that only one copy (glnA1) is essential for growth in M. tuberculosis, while the other copies (glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4) are not.
In this report it is shown that the glnA1 and glnA2 encoded glutamine synthetase sequences were inherited from an Actinobacteria ancestor, while the glnA4 and glnA3 encoded GS sequences were sequentially acquired during Actinobacteria speciation. The glutamine synthetase sequences encoded by glnA4 and glnA3 are undergoing reductive evolution in the mycobacteria, whilst those encoded by glnA1 and glnA2 are more conserved.
Different selective pressures by the ecological niche that the organisms occupy may influence the sequence evolution of glnA1 and glnA2 and thereby affecting phylogenies based on the protein sequences they encode. The findings in this report may impact the use of similar sequences as molecular markers, as well as shed some light on the evolution of glutamine synthetase in the mycobacteria.
Gene duplication is a common occurrence in bacterial genomes and may result from evolutionary pressures exerted on the organism by the niche it occupies, thereby enabling adaptation to changing environments [1–3]. Glutamine synthetases (GS; glutamate ammonia ligase EC 3.6.2) are enzymes present in most living organisms where they are involved in the ATP-dependant synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonium. There are two main GS families, namely GSI, which is further subdivided into a GSIβ and the less common GSIα, and GSII. Both the GSI and GSII enzymes are found in prokaryotes, while the GSI enzyme is largely absent in eukaryotes. Various studies have shown that the genes encoding the various GS sub-types are widely distributed in various organisms and encode proteins that have very conserved catalytic and structurally important regions. This finding suggests that all the GS families diverged from a single ancestral sequence through duplication events prior to the divergence of prokaryotes and eukaryotes [4–7]. The GS sub-classes are distinguishable from each other by specific insertion sequences and mechanisms of regulation [5]. The GSIβ sub-type is subjected to post-translational modification by adenylylation of a conserved tyrosine residue by an adenylyltransferase [8], while GSIα and GSII activity may mainly be regulated through feedback mechanisms. The enzymes also appear to differ in structure; the GS I enzymes form dodecamers [9], while GSII molecules are octamers [10]. The DNA and protein sequences of GS have thus been used as molecular markers in the construction of the phylogenetic relationships between evolutionary diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms [6, 11]. These sequences are considered useful as phylogenetic markers due to their higher degree of sequence variation in comparison with other markers, such as 16S rRNA [12], which are very similar in ecologically related organisms.
Organisms belonging to the phylum Actinobacteria have adapted to occupy a wide variety of ecological niches and include species that are major antibiotic producers, as well as various human, animal and plant pathogens. The genome sequence of M. tuberculosis, a member of the Actinobacteria, revealed that this important human pathogen has four glnA gene copies that may encode GSIβ (glnA1 and glnA4) and GSII (glnA2 and glnA3) enzymes [13]. Of the four glnA gene copies, it has been shown that glnA1 encodes the main and essential GS in M. tuberculosis [14], while the other glnA sequences (glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4) encode functional, but non-essential GS enzymes [15]. Although these glnA sequences have been shown to encode enzymes that catalyse glutamine synthesis, their evolution and importance in M. tuberculosis is not well understood. Evidence has been presented that suggests that M. tuberculosis GSIβ (encoded by glnA1) may have evolved to perform other specialised functions not present in non-tuberculosis causing mycobacteria and may play a role in enabling M. tuberculosis to survive during infection and growth in the human host [16, 17]. These functions may include the synthesis of poly-L-glutamic acid, a cell wall constituent unique to M. tuberculosis that might play a role in maintaining cell wall homeostasis [18].
These observations suggest that M. tuberculosis might have been subjected to varying environmental pressures that may have influenced GS sequence evolution. This hypothesis questions the retention of potentially non-essential and/or non-functional sequences in the mycobacterial genome. Furthermore, if such sequences are retained, do they evolve at the same rate as the organism, but with enough changes over time, thereby enabling its use as a marker of evolution? In this report we attempted to study the evolution of the Actinobacteria, with specific reference to the Mycobacteriae, through a comparison of the GS sequences present in these genomes. The GS sequence data was used to construct Actinobacteria phylogenies, which were compared to phylogenies constructed from 16S rRNA and cytidine triphosphate (CTP) synthase genes. Through these comparisons it was determined that the GS sequences may undergo adaptive or reductive evolution due to the different evolutionary pressures exerted by the ecological niche the organism occupies. These differences may lead to subtle differences in phylogenetic reconstructions, although broad phylogenies could be defined.
Distribution of glnA sequences in the Actinobacteria
The distribution and similarity of GS protein sequences in all the available genomes of organisms defined as members of the phylum Actinobacteria [19] were detected through a BLAST sequence comparison of the M. tuberculosis glnA1, glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4- protein sequences (Table 1). Protein sequence data has been preferred to DNA sequences, since the various Actinobacteria genomes may differ with respect to G/C content that may result in skewing of sequence alignments. Protein sequences of high similarity (>60%) to the M. tuberculosis glnA1 and glnA2 encoded protein sequences could be detected in all the Actinobacteria genomes (Table 1), with Symbiobacterium thermophilum being the only exception, where only a single GS sequence with greater similarity to the glnA1-encoded M. tuberculosis GSIβ (50% similarity) was observed. The genome of S. thermophilum, a high G+C gram positive organism belonging to an as yet undefined taxon situated just outside the phylum Actinobacteria, was included due to its close relationships to the actinobacterial ancestor [19, 20]. It was observed that the glnA1 and glnA2 sequences were situated in close proximity to each other in many genomes, but that considerable variance in the distribution and similarity of GS sequences similar to that M. tuberculosis glnA3 and glnA4 sequences was observed. Some Actinobacteria genomes contained an additional glnA protein sequence similar to the M. tuberculosis glnA4 protein sequence. However, this sequence was less conserved than the glnA1 and glnA2 sequences. Only the mycobacteria and some other closely related actinomycetes, such as Frankia and Rhodococcus species, contained sequences similar to the four glnA-encoded GS sequences (summarised in Figure 1). An exception was observed in that sequences similar to glnA3 and glnA4 were absent in the genomes of M. leprae and M. ulcerans, which had glnA sequences similar to glnA1 and glnA2 only. It is well known that M. leprae and M. ulcerans have undergone major reductive evolution [21, 22] and as such may have lost these genes. Since the distribution of the glnA sequences (as seen in Figure 1) reflects the evolution of phylum Actinobacteria as defined by 16S phylogenetic analysis [19], it might be argued that there was a sequential acquisition of first glnA4 and later glnA3, rather than a loss of these genes from an actinomycete progenitor. In order to prove that glnA3 and glnA4 were lost in these two mycobacterial species specifically, rather than being separately acquired in different members of the mycobacteria, the chromosomal regions containing the glnA3 and glnA4 genes in M. tuberculosis were compared to the corresponding chromosomal regions of M. leprae and M. ulcerans (Figure 2). It was observed that the chromosomal regions of M. leprae and M. ulcerans contained copies of glnA3 in the form of pseudogenes situated in gene clusters corresponding to that of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv chromosome. In M. ulcerans it was observed that the glnA3 sequence had been disrupted by an insertion element (Figure 2). A copy of glnA4 can be observed in a gene cluster similar to that found on the M. tuberculosis chromosome, suggesting that both sequences have been retained from the mycobacterial ancestor during mycobacterial speciation, but that they have become non-functional through the evolutionary process in some members of the genus Mycobacterium.
Table 1 GlnA protein sequence distribution and similarity in the Actinobacteria
The distribution of glnA sequences within the genomes of different actinobacterial species reflects the evolutionary history of the phylum Actinobacteria as derived from 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses and indicates that the gln A3 and gln A4 sequences were acquired in a serial fashion. *(The glnA3 and glnA4 sequences are present as pseudogenes in the genomes of M. leprae and M. ulcerans.)
The chromosomal regions of M. leprae and M. ulcerans similar to that of M. tuberculosis containing the gln A3 and gln A4 sequences show that these GS encoding sequences were disrupted by insertions ( gln A3, M. ulcerans ) or deletions ( gln A3, M. leprae ; gln A4, M. ulcerans ). Similar genes are indicated in the same colour and the percentage amino acid identity to the M. tuberculosis H37Rv reference sequence is indicated between brackets. Open arrows indicate no significant similarity to sequences in the corresponding chromosomal regions.
Origins of the glnA4 and glnA3sequences
The sequence annotations of the M. tuberculosis glnA genes suggest that glnA1 and glnA3 encode GSI enzymes and glnA2 and glnA4 GSII enzymes, which together with the results summarised in Figure 1, suggest that the glnA4 and glnA3 GS sequences were acquired either through sequential duplication of a GSI and GSII sequence, or through separate lateral genetic transfer events. Therefore the ancestry of the glnA sequences was investigated through a phylogenetic analysis of all the glnA sequences present in the phylum Actinobacteria (Table 1). The simplified tree shown in Figure 3 (see additional file 1) indicates that, consistent with previous reports, the glnA-encoded protein sequences may have been derived from a common ancestral GS sequence [4]. The sequence phylogeny further shows that the glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4-encoded sequences are clustered on a separate branch from the glnA1-encoded sequence, indicating that these sequence are related and may share a common ancestor.
Phylogenetic analysis of the all the actinobacterial glnA protein sequences showed that the gln A3 and gln A4 protein sequences are closer related to the gln A2 protein sequence that to that of gln A1. (Distances not drawn to scale).
This finding was unexpected, since the glnA4-encoded GS sequence has a conserved tyrosine residue in the adenylylation region of the GS sequence, suggesting that it may rather be derived from glnA1 and would encode a GSIβ enzyme. Therefore the structural relationships between the GS protein sequences encoded by the four M. tuberculosis glnA genes were investigated by aligning the glnA1 (Rv2220; 478 amino acids), glnA2 (Rv2222; 446 amino acids), glnA3 (Rv1878; 450 amino acids) and glnA4 (Rv2860c; 457 amino acids) -protein sequences according to maximum probability of amino acid identities (Figure 4). Inspection of the aligned protein sequences of the four M. tuberculosis glnA sequences (Figure 4) showed differences in functional regions that separate the GSI and GSII protein families. This data reflects a low level of similarity between the GS sequences due to the low level of sequence conservation in regions containing putative functional domains, notably those that might be involved in the formation of the GS-catalytic site [23]. Furthermore, the protein sequences encoded by glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4 lack the insert sequence that is used to identify GSIβ sequences [5]. In addition, the tyrosine residue in the glnA1 protein sequence involved in post-translational regulation of GSIβ through adenylylation [24] is situated in a run of amino acids that is not conserved in the other three proteins. Therefore the tyrosine residue present in the glnA4-encoded GS sequence might not be subjected to post-transcriptional regulation by adenylylation, which indicates that the protein sequences encoded by the glnA3 and glnA4 genes are of the type II GS family. This observation supports the phylogenetic analysis which indicated that the glnA3 and glnA4 protein sequences are related to or may have been derived from the glnA2 protein sequence.
Multiple protein sequence alignment of the M. tuberculosis glnA encoded sequences shows the amount of variation between these proteins. Identical amino acid sequences are blocked; the insert sequence distinguishing GSIβ are in bold type and the active site tyrosine (position 429) is indicated in red.
Alignment scores of the GS sequences (calculated as a percentage of amino acid identities per GS sequence length, Table 1) showed that the glnA3 and glnA4 protein sequences were dissimilar to those encoded by the glnA1 and glnA2 genes. From the alignment scores it is evident that the protein sequences encoded by glnA1 and glnA2 are most similar (32.4% – 32.7%, Table 1), while the sequence encoded by glnA3 shows the lowest similarity to the protein sequences encoded by glnA1, glnA2 and glnA4 (less than 23%; Table 1). Because it was expected that recent gene duplicates would share a high degree of similarity, the low level of glnA4 and glnA3 sequence conservation in comparison to the glnA1 and glnA2 sequences suggests that these sequences either may have undergone rapid evolution after duplication, or have been derived from separate lateral gene transfer events during the speciation of the later actinobacteria. Therefore the glnA3 and glnA4-encoded protein sequences were compared to all available microbial genomes on the NCBI BLAST server. Sequences with similarity to the glnA4 sequence were detected in members of the proteobacteria, such as Nitrococcus mobilis (61% similarity) and Acidiphilum cryptum (54% similarity). Both these organisms had an additional GSI copy, although it had lower similarity to the glnA1-encoded GS of M. tuberculosis (50% and 51% similarity respectively). The similarity of these sequences to the glnA4 sequence was confirmed by a protein sequence BLAST of the N. mobilis protein sequence against all the genomes of the Actinobacteria. Higher protein sequence similarity to the glnA4 sequence (see Table 1) were observed in all cases, with the sequence of A. cellulolyticus (YP_873609) being the most similar (63% identity). In organisms where a glnA4 sequence is absent (see Figure 1), no sequences of significant similarity could be detected. However, it could not be conclusively shown whether these sequences were similar enough to suggest that the presence of the glnA3 and glnA4 sequences could be due to a lateral transfer event. The comparison of the chromosomal regions on which the glnA4 gene is found showed remarkable consistency even in more distantly related actinobacteria, while the same was not true for the glnA3 gene. For instance, the gene arrangement surrounding the glnA4 gene remained the same in M. tuberculosis as in K. radiotolerans, while very few genes of significant similarity surround the glnA3 locus. These observations suggest that the genomic region containing the glnA4 gene was inherited from the Actinobacteria progenitor, rather than being transferred from an organism outside the phylum. The ancestry of the glnA3 gene is more difficult to explain, since a similar sequence could not be detected, suggesting that the glnA3 gene arose through a duplication event, but may be undergoing reductive evolution.
Actinobacteria GS sequences as phylogenetic markers
The lower level of GSIβ sequence conservation observed in comparison to the GSII sequence between species (Table 1) was surprising, since GSIβ may be the major GS of M. tuberculosis and other Actinobacteria [14, 15, 25]. Since this observation suggests that the GSIβ and GSII sequences evolve differently, Actinobacteria phylogenies based on the GSIβ and GSII sequences were compared to phylogenies based on 16S rRNA sequences [19]. Since the glnA3 and glnA4 protein sequences might be undergoing reductive evolution, they were excluded from the phylogeny. Figure 5 shows that the Actinobacteria phylogeny based on the glnA2-encoded GSII sequence reflects the 16S rRNA phylogeny, while shifts are observed in the phylogeny based on the glnA1-encoded GSIβ sequence. In the GSII sequence phylogeny, organisms are clustered according to suborders, such as the Micrococcineae (B. linens, Arthrobacter, L. xyli, and Janibacter), Corynebacterineae (Corynebacteria sp., Mycobacterium sp., Rhodococcus and N. farcinica), Streptomycineae (Streptomyces sp.), Streptosporangineae (T. fusca) and the Frankineae (A. cellulolyticus, Frankia sp). Exceptions were observed in that K. radiotolerans (Frankineae), P. acnes and Nocardiodes sp. (Propionibacterineae) were dispersed amongst the Micrococcineae. However, bootstrap values below 50 were obtained for these branches making a true interpretation of the inter-relatedness of these organisms impossible. In the phylogenetic tree based on the GSIβ sequence, bootstrap values above 50 were obtained at some of the nodes, but the clustering of organisms to defined Actinobacteria suborders were not observed.
Dendograms of aligned actinobacterial GSIβ (encoded by gln A1) and GSII (encoded by gln A2) sequences constructed using PAUP 4.0 with the GS sequence of Bifidobacterium longum as out-group (*). Percentage bootstrap support values are shown. The ratio of nonsynonymous (Ka) to synonymous mutations (Ks) in the GS sequences of the mycobacteria and C. diphteria were computed using the GS sequences in C. efficiens, and is shown between brackets.
The differences in the GS phylogenies are most marked in the mycobacteria. Although the slow-growing and fast-growing mycobacteria are clustered in two separate lineages, only the GSII sequence phylogeny reflects the suggested 16S rRNA phylogeny [26]. For instance, the GSI phylogeny put members of the M. tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis, M. microtti and M. africanum) in different lineages with M. ulcerans and M. avium as M. tuberculosis complex ancestors. This differs from the GSII phylogeny, which clusters the M. tuberculosis complex and puts M. leprae and M. avium just outside the complex similar to what is observed in 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses. The branch depth reflects the small amount of variation between the sequences, and the synonymous to nonsynonymous substitution ratio (Figure 5) indicates that there is a selective constraint that preserves the accumulation of amino acid changes over time. However, most of the sequence variation within these sequences occurred outside important functional GS domains. Since phylogenies are not absolute, the results suggest that using GS as a marker in phylogenetic reconstructions gives a broad definition of phylogeny, although subtle differences between trees are observed.
GSIβ remains conserved between species
Since the sequence encoded by the glnA1 locus is the major GS of M. tuberculosis, it is expected to undergo little evolutionary change over time. However, the genetic conservation of the gene was studied to assess whether it is subject to gradual changes over time. The glnA1 gene (1434 bp) and its 5' and 3' regions were PCR amplified from purified genomic DNA of 54 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates. These strains were selected on the basis that they were genotyped by IS6110 insertion mapping in a previous study and included highly prevalent and less prevalent strain families as defined in a high tuberculosis incidence community [27]. These clinical isolates are genetically diverse and encompassed the broad M. tuberculosis strain families that are grouped according to IS6110 banding pattern identities exceeding 65%. The glnA1 sequence data obtained in this manner was compared with the corresponding sequences of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv reference strain, M. tuberculosis CDC1551 and M. tuberculosis 210 (clinical isolate) through BLAST. The glnA1 sequences were 100% similar in all respects and no mutations, deletions or insertions were found in any of the M. tuberculosis glnA1 loci, showing that the glnA1 sequence undergoes no evolutionary change within M. tuberculosis.
Glutamine synthetase has long been considered a good molecular marker for evolutionary studies because, similar to the 16S rRNA gene, it is a universally present and essential component of most living organisms and therefore may be constrained to evolve at a slow rate [4, 28]. In addition, the GS sequence is long enough to be used together with other sequences, such as 16S rRNA, to obtain a higher degree of confidence in phylogenetic analyses [29]. However, multiple copies of GS encoding genes have been observed in the genomes of some organisms, notably M. tuberculosis (which has four GS encoding genes) [13]. Of these sequences, only the glnA1 gene (encoding a GSIβ) has been shown to be essential for M. tuberculosis growth, while the other sequences are not [15]. To further understand the evolution of GS and the use of duplicated proteins as evolutionary markers, it was attempted to reconstruct Actinobacteria speciation by using GS sequences as phylogenetic markers. Through this study insight was gained into the possible evolutionary scenario of the glnA genes in the mycobacteria.
Through sequence comparisons it was shown that most members of phylum Actinobacteria had at least one copy of both the glnA1 and glnA2 genes and that the protein sequences these genes encode are conserved between species. Symbiobacterium thermophilum was an exception having only one glnA gene similar to the glnA1 sequence. Since S. thermophilum may be closely related to the Actinobacteria ancestor [19], the absence of the glnA2 gene may indicate that glnA2 (which is present outside of the phylum Actinobacteria) was either not passed down from the Symbiobacterium ancestor, or may have been lost from this organism. Previous studies have shown that the GSI and GSII sequences are duplicated derivatives of an ancient GS sequence [4], which suggests that S. thermophilum may have lost the glnA2 sequence during speciation. It remains to be investigated if other members of the Symbiobacterium species may have retained a glnA2 gene. It is interesting to note that in many cases, the glnA1 and glnA2 genes were situated in close proximity to each other. This arrangement has been observed in the genomes of other organisms [30], which suggests that these GS enzymes may be functionally linked. In support of this observation it has been demonstrated that the synthesis of the GSII enzyme was up regulated while the synthesis of GSI was reduced significantly during nitrogen starvation in the Frankia [31], therefore suggesting a synergistic role of both enzymes under different conditions. The close proximity of the coding genes for the two GS enzymes also suggests that the chromosomal region containing the glnA copies may be conserved. The genomic region containing the glnA2 sequence has been studied in M. tuberculosis and C. glutamicum and in both cases it was shown that the glnA2 gene was situated adjacent to and transcriptionally linked to the glnE gene [15, 32]. The glnE gene encodes the adenylyltransferase involved in the post-translational regulation of GSIβ, and deletion of this gene is fatal owing to disturbances caused from the resulting unchecked GS function [33]. Therefore it is possible that disruptions in the chromosomal region containing the glnA2 sequence may be under negative selection pressure.
The distribution and ancestry of the other GS-encoding genes (apart from glnA1 and glnA2) have not yet been described. The relationships between the glnA proteins were investigated by generating a phylogeny of all Actinobacteria GS sequences. Through this phylogeny it was revealed that the glnA3 and glnA4 protein sequences are most closely related to the glnA2 protein sequence. Our results suggested that the genes might have been derived from either serial duplications of the glnA2 gene, or from separate lateral gene transfer events with glnA4 being the first and glnA3 the most recent acquisition. Analysis of the functional regions of the GS sequences confirmed the possibility, since it was noted that glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4 encode GSII enzymes. We attempted to establish whether these sequences may have entered the Actinobacteria genomes through other mechanisms, such as lateral gene transfer. No clear conclusion could be reached other than that similar sequences were present in some members of the γ-proteobacteria. It is known that lateral gene transfer between mycobacterial species and members of the proteobacteria has occurred [34]. However, these transferred elements are usually related to virulence [35] or pathogenicity [36]. Since GS is involved in central metabolism, no definite conclusion could be made.
The evolutionary history of species within the genus Mycobacterium has been investigated using the DNA sequence encoding 16S rRNA [26]. Intriguingly, in comparison to this, subtle differences were observed in the mycobacterial phylogeny based on the GSIβ protein sequence, although the phylogeny based on the GSII sequence reflected the proposed mycobacterial speciation more closely. This observation suggests that, although the coding sequences are constricted as measured by synonymous to non-synonymous substitution rates, change in the GSIβ and GSII sequences may be influenced by environmental pressure. The greater similarity between the GSII sequences may suggest that this sequence remains more conserved and undergoes change at a different rate to the GSIβ sequence. The greater conservation between the GSII sequences indicates that this enzyme might have played a more important role in the early Actinobacteria species, although it may have become redundant in some of the later mycobacteria. In this respect, it is interesting to note that deletions of the glnA2 sequence lead to attenuation of M. bovis in guinea pigs [37], whilst the same result was not observed in mice infected with M. tuberculosis strains with glnA2 disruptions [38]. From the analysis of actinobacterial genomes containing sequences similar to the glnA sequence, it seems that the glnA3 and glnA4 duplication event may have occurred independently, since some Actinobacteria genomes contain either glnA3, glnA4 or both, together with the glnA1 and glnA2 sequences. However, some bacteria, such as M. leprae and M. ulcerans, might have had a copy of glnA3 and glnA4, which was lost due to transposon insertions or deletions, suggesting that a lack of glnA3, glnA4 or both genes might also be due to reductive evolution such as is observed in the genomes of M. leprae and M. ulcerans [21, 39]. If it is accepted that some of the mycobacteria have lost the glnA3 and glnA4 sequences, this could indicate the redundancy of the GS encoded by these sequences, since if they had a function besides glutamine synthesis they might have been under different evolutionary pressure to be retained in the genome.
The influence of evolutionary pressures on such a critical metabolic enzyme may be explained by adaptive evolution of GS due to pressures exerted by the distinct ecological niches these organisms occupy. Adaptive evolution may lead to functional promiscuity whereby an enzyme can exert other functions, whilst still using the same active site as for the original singular activity [40]. In this respect, it has been shown that the GSIβ enzyme may be exported in great quantities by M. tuberculosis and M. bovis (also the BCG sub-strains) and that it might be involved in the formation of poly-L-glutamic acid, a cell wall constituent unique to these two mycobacterial species [14]. Evidence has been presented that these functions might be essential for M. tuberculosis survival in vivo [18], and that the GSIβ enzyme may have functions that contribute to the virulence of these important human pathogens, which cannot be substituted by the GSIβ from non-pathogenic mycobacteria (such as M. smegmatis) [38]. The ability of the GSI sequence to undergo evolutionary specialisation may be the underlying reason why this enzyme has been functionally replaced by the more evolutionary stable GSII sequence in eukaryotes. It was suggested that the GSII enzyme is present in eukaryotes due to lateral transfer from endosymbionts early in the eukaryote evolution and, that in some cases, these eukaryotes had other GS-enzymes that were functionally replaced by GSII [41]. Indeed, a remnant of GSI, lengsin, has been observed in the vertebrate eye lens [42, 43]. Lengsin has a dodecameric structure and conserved GSI functionally important regions, but is not catalytically active and has undergone significant evolutionary change in the N-terminal region and probably specialised to play a role in lens homeostasis and transparency.
In conclusion, the specialisation of critical metabolic enzymes may have implications for the use of such enzymes as molecular markers for evolution. Although diversity in these protein sequences may be useful for discriminating between closely related species that show little variance in the 16S rRNA sequences [28], adaptive evolution of these sequences may skew phylogenies.
Sequence retrieval and multiple sequence alignments
Mycobacterium tuberculosis glnA1, glnA2, glnA3 and glnA4 protein sequences were retrieved from Genolist (Pasteur Institute) [44] and compared to the Actinobacteria genome databases on the NCBI microbial genomes BLAST server [45]. Glutamine synthetase protein sequences were retrieved and compared through multiple sequence alignment using ClustalW 1.8 software at the European Bioinformatics Institute [44, 46]. The alignments were manually checked for errors using BioEdit 5.0.9 [47]. For phylogenetic reconstructions, some alignments were manually edited during which unaligned regions (inserts) were removed. BLAST searches against the genomes of M. africanum, M. marinum and M. microtti were carried out on the Sanger Institute website [48] by using the function TBLASTN.
Phylogenetic trees
The edited GS protein sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis using the neighbour joining algorithm (PAUP 4.0*; Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*Other Methods) Version 4b10. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts). A 1000 subsets were generated for bootstrap resampling of the data to establish a degree of statistical support for nodes within each phylogenetic reconstruction [49]. A consensus tree was generated using the program contree (PAUP 4.0*) in combination with the majority rule formula. The GS protein sequence of Symbiobacterium thermophylum was selected as out-group to assign roots due the closer relation of this organism to the Actinobacteria ancestor [19]. Only branches which occurred in > 50% of the bootstrap trees were included in the final tree and all branches with a zero branch length were collapsed. Overall topology of the trees were confirmed using PhyML 3.0 [50] (data not shown). Synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous (Ka) substitutions were calculated using DnaSP software [51]. In these calculations, the glnA1 or glnA2 DNA sequence of C. efficiens was selected as the out-group.
M. tuberculosis clinical isolate DNA preparation and glnA1sequencing
DNA was isolated from M. tuberculosis clinical isolates representative of the various strain families [52] and genotypically classified through the internationally standardised IS-3' fingerprinting method [53]. The Southern-blot autoradiographs were normalised and the IS-3' bands were assigned using GelCompar software (version 4.1). Assignments were visually checked by two independent persons and bands with a >20% intensity than the other bands were scored as representing the IS6110-mediated evolutionary events [54]. This DNA was used as template for the PCR amplification of glnA1 using the primers listed in Table 2. PCR reactions were carried out in a GeneAmp 2500 PCR-system (Perkin Elmer) with an initial enzyme activation and DNA denaturing step of 15 min 92°C, followed by 30 cycles at 92°C (2 min); Tm (Table 3, 30 sec) and 72°C (1 min) and a final 7 min elongation step at 72°C. PCR products were purified using the Promega SV-miniprep system and submitted for direct automated DNA sequencing (Central Analytical Facility, Stellenbosch University, South Africa). Full-length glnA1 sequences were assembled from sequencing data using DnaMan software and compared to each other through multiple sequence alignment using ClustalW 1.8 software [44].
Table 2 GlnA protein sequence similarity in M. tuberculosis
Table 3 PCR primer sequences and priming sites
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The authors would like to thank the CSIR (Dr C. Kenyon) and the MRC for financial assistance, Dr N. Gey van Pittius and Dr R. Warren for advice in preparing the manuscript.
DST/NRF Centre for Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, US/MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences – Stellenbosch University, PO Box 19063, Francie van Zijl Drive, TYGERBERG, 7505, South Africa
Don Hayward
, Paul D van Helden
& Ian JF Wiid
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Correspondence to Don Hayward.
DH carried out all experimental work, interpretation of data and drafted the manuscript. PvH and IJFW were responsible for initiating the project and revising the manuscript for intellectual content.
Additional file 1: Actinobacteriaphylogenetic reconstruction based on glnA protein sequences. The data provided represent the phylogeny of several Actinobacteria based on the glnA protein sequences present in these genomes. (PDF 62 KB)
Hayward, D., van Helden, P.D. & Wiid, I.J. Glutamine synthetase sequence evolution in the mycobacteria and their use as molecular markers for Actinobacteriaspeciation. BMC Evol Biol 9, 48 (2009) doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-48
Accepted: 26 February 2009
Glutamine Synthetase
Mycobacterial Species
Reductive Evolution
Conserve Tyrosine Residue
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RGS Foundation Charity Golf Day 2017
We are proud to be Principal Sponsor for the RGS Foundation Charity Golf Day, to be held on 29th June 17. It is great to support and connect with the Reigatian community on behalf of the RGS Foundation, especially in respect of all of the excellent work th...
SEAL OF EXCELLENCE 2016
AWARDED TO OUR BUILDING MANAGER, JOHN MCCARTHY We are once again delighted to announce that John McCarthy, our Building Manager, has been awarded the ‘Pride In The Job' Seal of Excellence by the National House-Building Council (NHBC), for excellence ...
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crime fighting duos
Crime Fighting Duos with Faye Kellerman’s Murder 101
Posted on November 20, 2014 November 20, 2014 by Yasmin Jaunbocus
LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker and his wife and crime-solving partner Rina Lazarus are back in Faye Kellerman’s newest thriller, Murder 101! The couple moved from the chaos of their earlier life by moving to a quiet town in upstate New York, but being semi-retired lacks the excitement of crime solving in L.A. So when two beautiful stained glass windows are stolen from The Bergman crypt, Decker and Lazarus are back on the case!
With the release of Murder 101 today, it’s a good time to take a look at some of our favourite literary crime duos!
The brilliant and eccentric consulting detective and his flatmate, assistant and friend’s placement on any list of crime duos is simply, well…elementary. The well-loved pair continue to live on today through new novels, TV and movies thanks to the incredibly great public outcry when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attempted to kill off Holmes that eventually convinced him to bring the iconic detective back from the dead—much to the joy of his audience and dear Watson.
Alex Cross & John Sampson
Alex and John have been friends since childhood; who better to have at your side while fighting crime in Washington, D.C.? The pair’s younger years were full of troubles and morally questionable behaviour, and even today they’re not always the most law abiding detectives (revenge is a tricky business after all). But together they do everything they can to protect their community and each other, even at risk of their own lives.
Lisbeth Salander & Mikael Blomkvist
A tattooed, pierced computer hacker and a middle aged, disgraced investigative journalist hardly seem like the perfect crime solving team, but the two make almost easy work of solving some of the most brutal murders in Sweden in the Millennium trilogy. Despite their unlikely and often rocky relationship, the nearly fearless pair regularly put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of the truth and each other’s safety.
Buy your very own copy of the new Peter Decker and Rina Lazurus novel, Murder 101 here
Written by Lauren Nettles @LaurenRNettles
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I know that there are some pugs that enjoy the water, but all the pugs I've personally known hate the water, whether it's falling from the sky or on the ground. So unlike the retrievers that are enjoying the water, these three pugs make very poor swimmers since they refuse to jump into the pool (even with goggles and life vests).
We have a new pool in the back yard. Chunky fell in twice this summer. He doesn't swim well and had to be rescued. I think that's why they hate water. It scared him but not enough to keep away from the edge; the need to be with his people overrides his need for personal safety.
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"I just wanted to let you know how very much I appreciate the fine work you've done for us. The brochure you designed and produced, from scratch, is nothing less than a first class job at an excellent price. Thank you. Your advice in every area we've discussed, even though you're not an expert in our field, has been right on target. In fact, your creativity is evident in everything you've done, from logos to letters."
Logo of diversified electronic services firm, Greystone Systems, Inc.
Welcome...and what are you looking for from a freelance business logo designer, developer, producer?
What I do: I produce custom logos and full company or organizational identities, image, from A to Z. From scratch. Not "fancy designs," but a logo with tag lines set within an identity that resonates with key markets that will stand the test of time. I don't have, nor do I supply, stock logos or images. All work is custom work, creative work, and is designed to produce the kind of result that provides benefits and advantages to clients. It's all about "meaning."
Study this logo above, and think about what you see.
I emphasize this word to describe what I do in creating and producing logos for companies and organizations: Professional. If you think a logo is just "a fancy design" then you are simply looking for an artist to produce some shapes, resulting in a logo that may or may not mean much of anything other than a purely abstract representation. And it's not hard to find an artist that will do that; dime a dozen, and rare is the one that comprehends market positioning, competitive positioning, and the business aspects of it all. What does a good, professionally-designed, and carefully crafted logo actually do? What, exactly? It is the very symbol of your enterprise, what the organization stands for, "who" you are, and what you're about. It positions you against competition. It gets you business or inquiries, subtly, as a central part and element of what you provide; while hard to measure, it's true. A logo is a central part of your marketing and advertising, your very identity as an organization, starting with your business card and carefully applied through all the pieces that communicate your printed or electronic representations of your organization. It calls forth a positive response in the viewer; a very good one should do just that. A logo participates silently in your results, growth as an enterprise, your future. It's not something you "play around with" and change, willy-nilly; it is something of real value that you hold onto and keep firm and use for decades. Combined with a skillfully crafted tag line, text, copy, ideas that define and position you, a logo is a workhorse that keeps on working. A really good one, that is.
I produce logos. I study and analyze all aspects and factors that come into play in regard to the creation, and work closely with a local, experienced, and professional graphic artist with much design experience specifically in logo development (or others if a client has their own designer). I don't usually draw them, as my personal drawing skill can be accurately described as high level stick figures. However, I'm part and parcel of the creative process, as well as in developing tag and positioning lines. I manage the process while being part of it. There is much more to a logo and logo decisions than you would think. It is the marketing and positioning aspects, the definitions of an enterprise, that go into the graphic design; not one without the other. A good producer and writer coupled with a skilled graphic designer: power.
A logo is all these things: central, basic, important, necessary, first, prime, primary. These are the words that come to mind as I think about the place of a logo in its business use, in marketing and advertising. From the Greek, logos, as in "meaning". In theology, with a capital, "Logos", literally "the Word of God".
logo: a trademark or other figure frequently associated with an enterprise. World Book Dict.
logo, noun, colloquial: 1. Logotype. 2. a motto, especially of a commercial product. Oxford Dict.
Central. The symbol calls forth image, thought, words, pictures, associations. When you see signs in front of businesses with common logos, you know instantly with some what they represent: a big tooth = a dentist, a key = a locksmith, a frothy and frosty mug of beer, either a tavern or a beverage store or beer distributor.
SHIFT: Chances are you're not a multi-million dollar corporation with a huge big budget. For small and medium businesses or organizations, apply the concepts to your market and your prospects, as well as customers - very important. Same concept; different delivery. What do you want to have happen? When your prospects and customers think of your product or service, you want them to think of you first. This begins with a logo and name type, and then on to how it is delivered and driven home. Use different methods to impact your customers and your prospects.
There are significant differences in how you apply these ideas for a small and medium business, and you must understand the differences in how identity is communicated, the different approach to identity.
I produce unique logos with appropriate name type geared to establishing or enhancing your business identity in your market. We do so in line with our knowledge and our experience with business identity and the needs of small and medium businesses.
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How candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley is changing how moms can run for office
Posted on: October 23rd, 2018 by ABC News No Comments
The Washington Post/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In the middle of speaking to a group of voters on a chilly Long Island day, Liuba Grechen Shirley stops.
“Put your coat on baby, it’s cold,” she said over the microphone, after her 4-year-old daughter took off her jacket and tossed it on the ground.
Shirley continued to address the group, but she’s interrupted. It’s her daughter again. She sprinted through supporters to give her mother a sticker.
“Thank you, munchkin,” chuckled Shirley, who’s running for office in New York’s 2nd Congressional District.
With less than a month to the election, Shirley’s children are her two youngest supporters. Her daughter refers to door knocking as “trick or treating for votes” and jumps at the opportunity to tag along, she told “Good Morning America.”
Her husband can typically be seen pacing the edges of events with the couple’s second child in his arms.
Paving the way for more moms to run for office
“I’m a mom first and I’m running for office because of them,” she said. But her children also caused her biggest hesitation.
When she was approached to run for office by Square One politics, an organization started by staffers for former President Obama, they asked her one important question: “What do you need to run?”
“Child care,” Shirley responded. At the time, she was a full-time caregiver for her two kids, who were just 1 and 3 years old.
“I would be nursing my son, and my daughter would be playing with my hair and I’d be making phone calls,” she recalled. In the first two months of her campaign, she raised $126,000 — with no paid staff.
Child care, however, was expensive — a cost Shirley believes keeps many mothers from considering a run for office. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of infant child care in New York is $14,144.
The Federal Election Commission, which monitors campaign finances, prohibits using campaign funds for personal use. Shirley decided to put in a request to the FEC to create a ruling that would allow her to use campaign funds from private donors on child care.
“I can make the decision to use these campaign funds on a pizza party for my staff or on more lawn signs or on child care — and without the child care I wouldn’t be able to run for office,” she said.
Hillary Clinton wrote in support of Shirley’s request, as well as 24 U.S. representatives, including Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. The decision was approved in a unanimous bipartisan decision.
“This is for people who need to pick up the extra costs of child care to be able to run, because if you’re not independently wealthy and you have small children you can’t do it. You cannot run for office. And this rule changes that,” Shirley explained.
Running to flip a red district blue again
Shirley, who has a Master of Business Administration and previously worked for the United Nations Association, is facing off against Republican incumbent Rep. Peter King in November. King, who has held the seat since 2012, hosted President Donald Trump in the district in May to discuss ways to combat violence and the MS-13 gang.
Although the district leans red, Shirley believes this election is different from previous ones. For starters, although the district voted for Trump in the 2016 election, its constituents voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012.
“The problem is this district was actually redrawn in 2012. We have more Democrats in this district. Peter King is out of touch with people in this district,” she said.
She admits that a lot of Democrats in her district, which includes Long Island’s Suffolk County, have voted for King in the past but said it’s because there wasn’t a serious challenger.
“Maybe they didn’t know his voting record, but they knew his name and he seems like a nice guy and so they’ll vote for him,” she said.
Shirley’s opponents call her a socialist, a description she denies.
While King voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Shirley would like to expand upon it. She supports a plan that provides Medicare for All, often championed by former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. A pro-choice advocate, she would like to protect a woman’s access to abortion care. She believes health care is a human right.
“When you knock on doors there are always four issues that people care about: It’s health care, taxes, education and the environment,” she said.
Shirley supports legislation that would cut taxes on the middle class. King voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts, a measure brought forward by the GOP to rewrite the nation’s tax code.
She’d also like to see campaign finance reform.
“There is a disconnect between the people who are in office and the people who live in the community. And that disconnect is there because of campaign finance issues. We need campaign finance reform. We need publicly financed elections,” she said.
Shirley, who grew up in the district, has seen it change: “There are a lot of people who have to leave Long Island because they can’t afford to live here; who can’t find affordable housing; who can’t find good paying jobs.”
The Long Island home her parents bought in the 1940s has been passed down through generations. After a long day of campaigning, Shirley enters the living room skipping over rocking horses and toy firetrucks. Her daughter decorated toilet lids with colorful stickers and her fridge is covered in her children’s artwork.
She admits she’s not like other politicians. She said she isn’t wealthy and is still paying off student loans while trying to provide for her kids. But she believes that representation is exactly what is needed.
“We need more diversity in Congress,” she said. “We need to be having the important conversations and we’re not going to have them until we change the dynamics at the table.”Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Uncovering Dark Pink: The Sophisticated APT Group Targeting APAC Region
Understanding the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures of the Dark Pink Advanced Cyber Threat Group that is targeting the APAC region.
in Cyber Attacks, Malware, News, Threat Intelligence
In the APAC region, the cyber threat landscape is rapidly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups continue to pose a significant risk to organizations, and one such group that has recently come to the attention of cybersecurity experts of Groub-IB is Dark Pink. This APT group has been found to be behind a series of targeted attacks against organizations in Vietnam and Indonesia and has been active since mid-2021.
Dark Pink is a highly sophisticated APT group that has been able to breach the defenses of government and military organizations in the APAC region. The group is known to use a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in their attacks, including spear-phishing emails, custom malware, and advanced persistence mechanisms.
Timeline of the cyberespionage campaign
June 2022: Dark Pink is first identified by security researchers, following an attack on a religious organization in Vietnam.
August 2022: The group launches an attack on a Vietnamese non-profit organization.
September 2022: One attack is attributed to the group
October 2022: Two attacks (one successful, one unsuccessful)
November 2022: Two attacks
December 2022: One attack on an Indonesian governmental organization
Adversary’s Modus Operandi
The Threat Actor’s primary method of gaining initial access to a victim’s network is through spear-phishing emails. These emails are highly targeted and contain a shortened URL that directs the victim to a free-to-use file sharing site, where they are presented with the option to download an ISO image that contains all the files needed for the threat actors to infect the victim’s network. These malicious ISO images have been found to contain three types of files: a signed executable file, a non-malicious decoy document (e.g. .doc, .pdf, or .jpg), and a malicious DLL file. The malicious DLL file is used to run a technique called DLL Side-Loading, which is used to ensure that the group’s core malware, TelePowerBot, gains persistence on the victim’s network. The use of ISO image by adversaries is a new trends observed in 2022 by various security researcher in russian-speaking apt attacks and north-korean backed apt attacks.
Once the malware is on the victim’s network, the group uses several different techniques to maintain persistence and exfiltrate data. One technique they use is Telegram API, which allows the group to use custom modules, TelePowerBot and KamiKakaBot, to read and execute commands via a Telegram bot. These modules were developed in different programming languages, with TelePowerBot being a PowerShell script, and KamiKakaBot, which includes stealer functionalities, being developed on .NET. The group has also been found to use self-made stealers, Ctealer and Cucky, to steal victim credentials from web browsers.
Dark Pink APT group also uses various infection chains and kill chains. Some of the methods used by the group include template injection, DLL side-loading, and leveraging MS Office documents. The group is able to operate undetected for a long period of time without detection.
Impact of a successful attack
Considering the profil of the targets, the impacts of a successful attack by Dark Pink can be devastating for the affected organization and its ecosystem. The Threat Actor’s advanced persistence mechanisms allow them to maintain access to a victim’s network for an extended period, giving them the ability to continue to exfiltrate data and potentially cause further damage.
Dark Pink is a highly sophisticated APT group that poses a significant threat to organizations in the APAC region. Their ability to evade detection and maintain persistence on a victim’s network make them particularly dangerous. Organizations should take the necessary steps to protect themselves against this group, including implementing advanced email protection measures, fostering a cybersecurity culture in the workplace, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. Additionally, organizations should monitor their networks for any signs of an attack and have an incident response plan in place.
APAC is an interesting target for military cyberespionage due to its rapidly growing economy and increasing importance in the global geopolitical landscape. Many countries in the region are experiencing significant economic growth, which has led to an increase in the development of critical infrastructure and the emergence of new industries. These factors make APAC a prime target for cyberespionage, as nation-states and other threat actors seek to gain access to sensitive information and intellectual property that can provide them with a strategic advantage.
Furthermore, APAC is considered to be one of the most dynamic regions in the world, with many countries expected to play a key role in shaping the future global order. The region is home to several major military powers, including China and India, and is also a key player in the global supply chain. This means that the region is strategically important for military and economic reasons, making it a prime target for cyberespionage operations that aim to gain insights into the military and economic strategies of countries in the region.
Tags: APACAPTASEANCtealerCuckyCyberespionageDark PinkDLL SideloadingKamiKakaBotMalicious ISO imageSpywareTelePowerBotTemplate Injection
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Since Pompano Beach Piranhas head swim coach Jesse Vassallo arrived three years ago, the USA Swim program has shown steady progress in major swim meets.
Vassallo, who brought 25 athletes to the recent 24th annual Speedo Winter Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex, was pleased as his program finally reached the Top 10.
The Pompano Beach Piranhas placed 10th overall in the combined standings with 522.20 points. It was eighth in the men’s team standings with 303.50 points and 12th in the women’s standings with 219 points.
This is the fourth year that Pompano Beach has been a USA swim program, and it was Vassallo’s third year heading the program.
Vassallo said development of the program has been noticeable.
Oakland Park’s Raphael Santos, 12, a Sunrise Middle 6th grader, trains twice a day for four hours.
The South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO) won its second consecutive Winter Championships with a combined total of 2,097 points to easily outdistance runner-up Azura Florida Aquatics (1,412 points) and the Pine Crest Swim Team (1,240 points). They were the only teams to top the 1,000-point mark.
In my 15 years of writing movie reviews, I’ve always felt a stronger sense of obligation to my readers during the holidays. When I reviewed Oscar potential motion pictures in the past (No Country for Old Men, Brokeback Mountain), I felt the need to warn my readers that a film might be technically good, but the effect could be “Anti- Christmas” and depressing. During the opening scene of Wild, I felt the need to warn my readers.
Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) sits upon a mountain top and removes her boots and socks. Her big toenail is falling off, so she painfully removes it. Her shoe suddenly slips and falls down the mountain. Cheryl lets loose a string of expletive derivatives and throws the other shoe down the mountain.
Within the first two minutes of Wild, you can observe the self-destructive behavior of our protagonist. The question is do we really want to spend two hours of our time watching this woman? The answer is a definitive yes!
Cheryl sets off on a quest to hike the 1000 mile Pacific Coast Trail, from California through Oregon to Washington state. The hike is mostly a solitary one, with plenty of time for Cheryl to reflect upon her relationship with her mother (Laura Dern), her exhusband (Thomas Sadoski) and heroin. Yet, with such darkness in her life, the protagonist discovers the beauty in nature, animals and finds grace in an unsuspecting way.
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, Wild is a simple film about the complications of living. Cheryl’s dramatic flashbacks intrude upon the early narrative. Yet, Vallee uses these intrusions to enhance the emotional content of Cheryl’s life spiral. As the film progresses, the pace slows down, which gives Wild an epic quality. Despite the 115 minute running time, the film feels longer, but in a good way.
It has been nine years since Witherspoon’s Oscar winning performance as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Given her recent public relations debacle with the police, Wild is a definite career redemption for Witherspoon. She provides a truthful and naked performance and she is likely to be Oscar-nominated.
Despite some beautiful cinematography, this film touches upon the darkness of one’s soul. Critics are debating that Cheryl’s odyssey is one of either self acceptance or redemption. Either philosophy, Wild is likely to be on my top 10 list next year.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you in District 4 for helping me make Deerfield Beach such a great place to call home.
It has been a busy year and we’ve tackled numerous issues. One thing is certain, I am committed to doing what is in the best interest of our City and our District.
I hope all of you get to make some wonderful new memories this holiday with those you love and I look forward to seeing many of you in Commission Chambers after the holiday.
I wish you and your families a blessed Holiday & Happy New Year!
Kudos and thanks to the City of Deerfield Beach and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
You have done a super job of bringing extra holiday joy to our great city with the lights and silhouette displays (Brandano & Company) on the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier and all along the beach walkway.
How exciting to see many, many people and families walking the beach at nighttime and taking photos of the displays, along with checking out all the great food establishments by the pier.
Thank you, too, for the new displays by the Deerfield Beach Fire Dept. at Hillsboro & Federal Highway, and the beautiful tree and menorah in The Cove Shopping Plaza.
What a wonderful city and beach to call “home”…. you have made the holidays extra special this year!
Dec. 9 A man wearing dark clothing entered Wendy’s at 355 W. Hillsboro Blvd. and stole $266 in cash. He was carrying a gun.
Dec. 9 Someone broke into a home at 104 SE 14 St. and stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and electronics from the home.
Dec. 9 Someone attempted to break into a home at 214 SE 11 Street.
Dec. 10 A theft of several boxes was reported from the delivery area of CVS Pharmacy at 1829 W. Hillsboro Blvd.
Nov. 25 A subject took body wash, deodorant and lotion from a store at 3580 N. Federal Hwy. without paying for it. Loss was $140.70.
Nov. 28 Someone entered an open garage at the 2850 block of NE 40 Street and stole a chop saw and blower valued at $750.
Nov. 28 Someone stole pool supplies and beach equipment from a patio located at 3810 NE 24 Ave. Loss was $50.
Nov. 28 Victim returned home at 2306 Vintage Circle to fi nd that someone had taken dishes, towels, basket ornament, an iPhone power cord and a DVD player from a the townhome he rented. Loss was $233.
Friday, Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m.
South Florida Chamber Ensemble program. Pianist Sheng- Yuan Kuan returns to the SFCE for world premiere of a new piano trio version of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony along with other iconic works like Ravel’s Bolero and Grieg’s Peer Gynt. $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors. Free wine and cheese during intermission. Tickets available at the Emma Lou Olson box office or by calling 954-803-3762.
Saturday, Dec. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
South Florida Railway Museum of Deerfield Beach at the historic AMTRAK/TRIRAIL Station shows off its three operating model train layouts and museum displays of railroad memorabilia. For directions or info, call 954-448-8935 or 561-441-6952.
Lively, FREE indoor concert with worship and dance. Countdown to midnight with LIVE TV feed from Brazil, concert at 9 p.m. and midnight buffet. (Across the street from Century Village in the old movie theatre building.) For more information, call 954-421-7737 or e-mail info@ceizsflorida.com.
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m,. to 1 a.m.
Holiday party with music for singles & non-singles, 21 and up. Hosted by Living FLA. Chloe Dolandis performs. FREE but must RSVP – www.theeveball.com.
Live entertainment, “ice” skating, inflatables, campfire, carousel & more. Activities going on elsewhere in Delray, including retro video games at Delray Beach Center for the Arts! Buy First Night button for $10 in advance ($15 on 31st) at 100 ft. Christmas tree or City Hall (credit cards accepted) or Delray Beach Library, Crest Theatre, Delray News Stand and Chamber of Commerce (cash only). For info. on Delray holiday activities, call 561-278-0424 or visit http://100ftchristmastree.com.
Held at Constitution Park, 2841 W Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, Jan. 10 through Feb. 28 on Saturdays from 1 to 3:45 p.m., this program is for 6- to 15-year-olds to learn the basics of ballet and jazz dance. While participating, children will engage in cooperative learning, socialization, auditory and kinesthetic memory, and gross motor skills. The program is $90 with a $30 one-time registration fee. Required registration ends Wednesday, Jan. 7. To register, visit www.deerfield-beach.com/register or any City of Deerfield Beach Parks and Recreation facility.
Held at Constitution Park, 2841 W Hillsboro Blvd., on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 11 to 11:45 a.m., beginning Jan. 13 through March 5, 2015. This program is for children 2 to 4 years old and their caregivers. The series of classes will help promote language skills, encourage literacy and provide exposure to books. The program is $90 with a $30 one-time registration fee. Required registration ends Wednesday, Jan. 7. To register, visit www.deerfield-beach.com/register or visit any of the City of Deerfield Beach Parks and Recreation facilities.
For further information. contact Constitution Park at 954- 480-4494.
A popular song heard regularly over radio during Christmas is Andy Williams’ classic rendition of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The song celebrates the traditional activities that accompany Christmas, including gathering with our families, feasting, enjoying fellowship and having fun. Thoughtful lyrics and a memorable melody capture the joy and excitement that we first discovered as children anticipating Dec. 25. Although numerous other artists have recorded the song, it is Andy Williams’ golden-voiced version that has helped to solidify it as a perennial Christmas favorite.
The idea of jingle belling and swapping scary ghost stories may be foreign to modern observations of the season. Singing carols and hymns, having holiday parties and remembering past Christmases is much more in line with what we are accustomed to. Crowded shopping malls, colorful light displays, giving and receiving gifts, enjoying fruitcake and eggnog, are experiences that characterize the festive nature of the season. Though there are some who do not celebrate Christmas, there is an undeniable sense of wonder and joy among those who observe its traditions.
Beyond the sights, sounds and anticipation of gifts, however, what really makes Christmas memorable and wonderful is the reason it exists in the fi rst place. Christians celebrate the birth of the Savior at Christmas: God’s Son given to redeem mankind from slavery to sin. The Bible teaches that sin entered the human experience when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Their act of rebellion made them sinners and imputed their sin upon all of their descendants. Even when given specifi c instructions as to how to honor God and treat fellow human beings, mankind was unable to live according to the Creator’s intentions.
God could and should have visited humanity with righteous judgment, but He decided to take the penalty of man’s disobedience upon Himself by sending His Son. The incarnation refers to God becoming like man in order to save mankind. In Galatians 4:4-5, we are told “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (NIV). It was His love for His creation that moved Him to demonstrate mercy and grace towards us. John 3:16 indicates, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (NKJV).” This undeserved favor is accepted by believers, and motivates them to serve and to honor God by living for His pleasure.
It is very easy to be caught up with the colorful lights and the lure of sales discounts at your favorite store. Santa Claus, Frosty the snowman and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer are now established seasonal characters. And while we ought to enjoy the traditions that help to make this season memorable for us, we should never overlook the reason why there is a Christmas. The essence of the Christmas story is the Creator’s willingness to provide the remedy for our sinfulness: the life of His dear Son. The remembrance of God’s great love demonstrated in this awesome act is what truly makes this the most wonderful time of the year.
Highlands Christian Academy (HCA) showed there is reason to be optimistic as two elementary school and two junior high programs finished on top in their respective leagues.
Daniel Copeland Del Toro and David Jesus each scored a goal as the Knights Elementary School soccer team defeated defending league champion St. Paul Lutheran, 2-0, in the Elementary Soccer League (ESL) championship game to finish the season at 7-1-1. Cameron Brooks earned the shutout.
The 2014 Elementary Soccer League consisted of Abundant Life, Highlands Christian, Sagemont, St. Paul and Trinity.
The Knights of Highlands Christian defeated all the schools during the season except their long-time rival, the Falcons of St. Paul. The first meeting between the two teams ended in an exciting 4-4 tie. The second meeting was for the League Shield and for home field advantage in the playoffs. The two teams battled throughout the regular time with a score of 1-1. After the overtime play, the result was the same, and St. Paul eventually prevailed in penalty kicks.
The Knights defeated the Falcons with a score of 2-0 earning the Champions for the second time of the Elementary Soccer League.
The Junior High School volleyball team ended the year at 11-5 and swept Westminster Academy (WA), 25-20; 25-20 in the finals to take the South Atlantic Coast Conference (SACC) title.
Knights’ eighth-grader Aiyana Garcia had 12 service points in the second game of the championship to seal the win.
The Junior High School football team completed a perfect season by winning all six of its games, while the HCA Elementary School volleyball team downed Sheridan Hills to win the SACC Championship. The team finished 6-2.
Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games literary trilogy has been stretched out to four separate stories on the cinematic big screen. This practice of stretching out the final book began with the Harry Potter series (worthy) and continued with the Twilight series (unworthy). Mockingjay is a 400 page young adult novel, which means that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay –Part 1 is full of exposition that should lead to an epic big screen grand finale.
In the previous motion picture, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) challenged the federal status quo with an act of public defiance. Mockingjay opens with Katniss adjusting to her new role as a rebellious public symbol – the Mockingjay. Her new title is a creation of rebel leader Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and her agent Plutarch (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Katniss, Alma and Plutarch are in direct conflict with ongoing villain President Snow (Donald Sutherland).
In her previous act of defiance, Katniss lost track of her beloved Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), her ally (and possible love interest?) from the government sanctioned Hunger Games. Now, President Snow uses Peeta as a government propaganda pawn to confront the growing rebellion. Katniss is put in an emotional vice as she tries to separate her public obligations with her personal needs.
Director Francis Lawrence does an excellent job presenting this conflict for Katniss. It helps that Jennifer Lawrence is the perfect conduit for audience empathy, for much of this story is told through her eyes. We have watched young Katniss age in the past two years; the stress and betrayals are revealed on her face. With this type of emotional connection, the well-directed action scenes take on more depth and one eagerly awaits the grand finale with part two next year.
As we wrap up 2014, mainstream critics are presenting their top films of the year, with The Grand Budapest Hotel being consistently nominated. By the end of the month, this film will be on cable. Much like his previous motion pictures Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tennenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel is another peak into the vision of Wes Anderson. With high brow cinematography and low brow comedy, this film tells the tale of M.Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge with contacts everywhere. Art theft, international intrigue and the onset of a world war … this film has something for everyone.
Dec. 1 Four women attacked a woman while she was walking home. The attack occurred at 40 NE 44 St.
Dec. 2 Two women were arrested and charged with shoplifting at Target at 3599 W. Hillsboro Blvd. The women stole clothing items. Both women were on probation.
Dec. 2 A burglary was reported at a condominium at 616 S. Ocean Dr.
Dec. 3 A woman hired Moving Squad to move her items. After the move had been completed, she noticed that her diamond rings were missing from a box. Report was made at 1204 S. Military Trail.
Nov. 20 A subject was trespassed after shoplifting at a store at 3700 N. Federal Hwy.
Nov. 20 Someone entered a 2013 Range Rover while it was parked at 3280 NE 31 Ave. and ransacked the center console. Nothing appeared to be taken.
Nov. 22 An officer initiated a traffic stop at 1951 NE 39 St. and, during a search, discovered two rock cocaine and four .22 caliber rounds of ammunition.
• Sheriff Scott Israel and the men and women of the Broward Sheriff’s Office wish you a safe and happy holiday.
Brought to you by Chabad of N Broward Beaches free. Lighting of 9 ft. menorah with Mayor Lamar Fisher. Doughnuts, latkes, free carousel ride, crafts for the kids! www.JewishLHP.com or 347-410-1106.
Thursday, Dec. 18, 3 to 5 p.m.
Enjoy holiday activities, such as horse-drawn hayrides, photos with Santa, a real SNOW field; make your own “Frosty the Snowman.” Kids activities, holiday treats and the thrilling Polar Express ride. Small fee for refreshments and some activities. For more information, call 954-480-4494.
Thursday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m.
FREE. Menorah Lighting with local dignitaries and Chanukah refreshments. Brought to you by Chabad of N. Broward Beaches. For more information, call 347- 410-1106 or visit www.JewishLHP.com.
Friday, Dec. 19, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Free. For more info., call 954-427-0222 or visit www.communitych.org.
“The Matchmaker!” presented by Curtain Call Playhouse is a comedy about a local merchant who hires a lively widow matchmaker; mayhem ensues. $30 Friday, $20 Sunday. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Herb Skolnick Community Center or online at www.Eventbright.com. For more information, call 954-786-4590.
Presented by Delta Lodge #519. Free food, family & fun.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sponsored by Chabad of East Boca. Rides, food, concert starring Eduardo, menorah lighting with dignitaries, and more. Nominal fee for food and rides. For more information, call 561-417-7797 or visit www.Chabad-BocaBeaches.com.
Sunday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Come take an exhilarating yoga class and visit with the volunteers at Milo’s Dog Rescue who will have adoptable animals available just in time for the holidays. They will also be accepting donations such as pet food, treats, blankets, sheets, toys, cleaning supplies, kennels, etc. For info., call 954-322-YOGA (9642) or visit www. anuttarayoga.com.
On Sunday, Dec. 21, 5 p.m. on Deerfield beach, join the Chabad of the N. Broward Beaches as they light their menorah, offer up latkes and doughnuts and supply plenty of opportunities for fun, including face painting, sand art for the kids and more.
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var express = require("express");
// path module -- try to figure out where and why we use this
var path = require("path");
// create the express app
var app = express();
var bodyParser = require('body-parser');
// use it!
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
// static content
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, "./static")));
// setting up ejs and our views folder
app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, './views'));
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
// root route to render the index.ejs view
app.get('/', function(req, res) {
res.render("index");
})
// post route for adding a user
app.post('/users', function(req, res) {
console.log("POST DATA", req.body);
// This is where we would add the user to the database
// Then redirect to the root route
res.redirect('/');
})
// tell the express app to listen on port 8000
app.listen(8000, function() {
console.log("listening on port 8000");
});
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#LG Electronics #ESS #solar power
LG Electronics unveils ESS for small solar plants
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. on Thursday unveiled a new energy storage system (ESS) designed especially for solar power plants with smaller capacities.
LG said it will release what it calls the all-in-one ESS for 100 kilowatt solar power plants Friday. The comprehensive package brings together power conditioning and management systems, batteries and other equipment that can simplify the installation process.
As the package includes a 274 kWh battery, it is capable of storing power that can support roughly 25 households on a daily basis.
The new package includes LG Electronics' power conditioning system and LG Chem Ltd.'s battery.
LG said the battery also stands out as it maintains 75.4 percent of its performance even after 15 years. The company will also provide a three-year warranty on all parts of the package.
The company said the South Korean market for solar power ESS is expected to reach 400 billion won (US$354 million) in 2020, soaring from 110 billion won posted in 2017.
colin@yna.co.kr
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October 29, 2018 Business models, Editorial content, Podcasts, Publications, Publishers
This week, Claire Sanderson, the editor in chief of Women’s Health (UK) talks about the magazine’s circulation growth, why they love working with influencers, and how mental health has become such a vital part of overall wellness. She also explains how integrating the print and digital teams helps them to drive audiences between both platforms, and why VR will be a huge part of health and fitness in the future.
In the news round-up the team discuss Apple’s invention of something called a ‘human editor’, Twitter’s return to profitability and Refinery29’s refining of its publishing strategy. A maudlin Chris derails the round-up with a philosophical question.
Sign up to our new transcript email list to be alerted as soon as our transcripts are live.
Women’s Health are one of the few women’s magazines who are showing real, consistent growth, according to the most recent set of ABCs.
So one of my first questions for Claire was why this was happening. Was there a recent campaign to drive awareness? Have they had any significant giveaways at events to boost circulation, or have they tempted readers with cut-price subscription deals?
Her answer was surprising in both its honesty and simplicity. The magazine happens to be perfectly aligned with one of the biggest trends in Britain and further abroad: wellness. Not just fitness, but the concept of eating, drinking and generally looking after your physical and mental health.
Also pleasantly surprising was how enthusiastic Claire was about influencers – social media stars who are often seen as a threat to traditional media. But instead, Women’s Health works with top fitness and wellness influencers where they get to be on the cover of a print magazine, and in return bring in their ‘borderline fanatical’ audiences of their own.
Yet there’s something that Claire only mentions briefly which I think also holds great significance in making Women’s Health stand out – after all, they have plenty of competition from magazines in the fitness and wellness space. It’s that their content is science-backed, well-researched and fact checked. They draw on research papers from world-leading universities, but present the information in an accessible way to their audience.
Perhaps in today’s world, among all the fad diets and popping jade eggs in unmentionable places, people actually welcome just a little bit of hard science about what works in women’s health.
Apple News, Audience, Circulation, Fitness, Hearst, Influencers, Refinery29, Twitter, Wellness, Women's Health
CEO of Associated Media Publishing Julia Raphaely on the mission of magazines
Cosmopolitan UK’s Farrah Storr on Snapchat and representation
Paywall Special
AOP MD Richard Reeves on supporting publishers online
Glamour’s Jo Elvin on a modern magazine’s role in society
British GQ’s Becky Lucas on the true meaning of ‘engagement’
How Women’s Health is defying circulation decline in women’s magazines
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The world is black and white and silver beneath the full moon as I stumble down the hallway and retrieve a hungry boy from his crib. It’s been weeks now since we’ve needed to turn on the light to help us latch, so as we enter the room, the nursing chair waits in a mural of interrupted white from beyond the window. As we step into range, zebra stripes rush up our bodies, disorienting, so strong they almost seem a tangible creature.
The baby settles in to his job with deep concentration, his free hand grasping, releasing, and grasping my finger. The strength of his grip measures his progress from wakeful hunger back to peaceful sleep. Strips of brilliance curve around the shape of his head. It’s so bright, as if something punched a hole in the universe, and all the light of Heaven now pours through a disc the size of a quarter hung in the center of the sky.
We switch sides, and the stripes curve the opposite direction. His hand still wraps my finger, but hesitantly, pausing longer between grips. Silver skitters over my face, making me aware of my own nose, my eyelashes–things I can always see, but never notice. I wake my brain, willing it to commit this moment to memory. So many beautiful moments have disappeared. I hope that once the clutter of early childhood’s constant need fades, my mind will be able to retrieve some of them, but I’m not confident. Christian remembers things I’ve already forgotten. This moment–this one, at least–I want seared into brain and body until it is a visceral thing, the pattern of light and dark disrupting normalcy with magic. Reminding me how close by the side of transcendence lies every moment.
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Fabrizio Colonna (c. 1450 – 1520) va ser un condottiero italià, destacat per la seva participació en les Guerres d'Itàlia.
Família
Membre de la influent família Colonna, Fabrizio va ser fill d'Eduardo Colonna i de Filippa Conti. Es va casar amb Agnès de Montefeltro, filla del duc d'Urbino Federico da Montefeltro i de Battista Sforza, amb qui va tenir diversos fills: Vittoria (1490 – 1547), casada amb Francesc Ferran d'Ávalos; Federico (1497 – 1516); Ascanio (1500-1557), casat amb Joana d'Aragó, neta de Ferran el Catòlic; Ferdinando (c. 1516); Camillo, i Marcello.
Carrera militar
Guerres de Nàpols
El 1501 les tropes enviades per Lluís XII de França van envair el Regne de Nàpols des del nord i les de Ferran II d'Aragó van ocupar el sud, cosa que va marcar l'inici de la Guerra d'Itàlia de 1499–1501 amb l'excusa de la seva aliança amb els turcs. Fabrizio i el seu parent Prospero Colonna es van alinear amb Frederic III de Nàpols. Fabrizio va comandar les forces que defensaven Càpua, on va ser derrotat per l'exèrcit francès de Bérault Stuart d'Aubigny i fet presoner. Posteriorment va ser rescatat per Frederic III mitjançant el pagament de 2.000 ducats.
Després del derrocament de Frederic III, els Colonna van entrar al servei de Ferran II d'Aragó, participant en la guerra contra els francesos sota les ordres de Gonzalo Fernández de Còrdova; en aquest nou conflicte Fabrizio va participar en les batalles de Ruvo i Cerignola, va combatre a les forces d'Yves d'Allegre als Abruços juntament amb Diego García de Paredes i també va participar en la decisiva batalla de Garellano.
Després de la sortida de Fernández de Còrdova de terres italianes, Ferran el Catòlic va nomenar Fabrizio cap màxim de l'exèrcit de la Corona a Itàlia.
Guerra de la Lliga de Cambrai
El 1512, durant la guerra de la Lliga de Cambrai, va ser derrotat en la batalla de Ravenna per les tropes franceses de Gastó de Foix-Nemours. Fabrizio va ser fet presoner i enviat a Ferrara.
Nicolau Maquiavel el va incloure com a personatge principal de la seva obra De l'art de la guerra.
Referències
Condottieros
Morts a la Campània
Militars de Roma
Família Colonna
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Coda: Medieval Music at the End of Life
Author: Grant Osborn
We have become, as Elaine Stratton Hild describes it, very specialized in the area of end-of-life care. “We are excellent at understanding the body, and how we can control symptoms, control pain,” she says. “On the other hand, because we’ve specialized in that, we’ve created some weaknesses in other areas.”
Hild is a musicologist who specializes in Medieval chants for the sick and dying. Her work is noteworthy for its scholarly contribution, but it may also yield observations that can help strengthen those “weaknesses” that exist in end-of-life care.
To learn these traditions, Hild traveled to Germany, to Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. She learned Latin and learned the notation used in Medieval manuscripts. She labored to find manuscript sources that might contain rites for the sick and dying, combing through catalog descriptions and traveling to engage with the manuscripts themselves. The work requires a certain blend of tenacity and patience. When she found a manuscript likely to have the rites, she examined it to find a certain notation indicating it was music, and if it was specific enough to reconstruct a melody. And then the output: transcribing the recoverable notations into a modern musical framework. It’s a skillset that is all but extinct. Hild estimates fewer than 100 people in the world can do it.
Hild came to the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) as a residential fellow to create a book of the chants she’s pieced together through her research. It’s a scholarly pursuit, but also a personal one.
“That’s one reason I appreciate the Institute for Advanced Study so much, because they don’t need to draw distinction,” Hild says. “They’re looking for people who are doing academic work that can also make a contribution to contemporary society, so they respect the rigorous academic work that in itself is a type of calling.”
This is an excerpt from “Coda: Medieval Music at the End of Life,” written by Andy Fuller. Read the full story.
Originally published by Grant Osborn at ndias.nd.edu on August 22, 2018. Republished at medieval.nd.edu.
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Kulhanek Records Second Podium of Season at Battleground Speedway
Driver & Team News
Inside Line Promotions
– HIGHLANDS, Texas (May 4, 2014) – Things are going in the right direction for Ray Allen Kulhanek, who capped arguably his most successful weekend of the season with a podium finish last Saturday at Battleground Speedway.
“It was a lot better,” he said. “I went in the direction I’m used to going in. After the way our season started this year with all the little gremlins, we really haven’t had any finishes to talk about. To get through a weekend and be fast all weekend long and not really fight any issues was kind of a nice break from the way the season has been going.”
The weekend began on Friday at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, to kick off the ASCS Gulf South Region doubleheader. Kulhanek maneuvered from fifth to third place during his heat race on the narrow track, which earned him enough points to advance into the feature redraw.
“Same old story,” he said. “I drew back there on the fourth row.”
Kulhanek pulled the No. 7 in the random redraw to start the main event on the inside of the fourth row.
“On the very start of the race the guy starting in front of me got on the brakes sooner than I expected,” he said. “I got in the back of him and damaged the nose wing. I’m not sure if that really hurt me though. The track was really one groove around the bottom. The only way you were going to get to pass anyone was if they bobbled and messed up.”
Kulhanek picked up one position to end with a sixth-place result.
The team wrapped up the weekend on Saturday at Battleground Speedway, where Kulhanek powered from fourth place to win his heat race. That earned him another trip to the feature redraw and this time he pulled the No. 2 to start the main event on the outside of the front row.
Kulhanek jumped to the lead on the start and led for approximately the first 10 laps before traffic became an issue.
“We ran up on a couple of lapped cars,” he said. “(The racing lane) was pretty much right around the top and dry around everywhere else. I came up on four or five of them that were stacked together. You had to make a real fast decision and hope you made the right one. I ended up getting hung up for a lap and it let Travis (Rilat) get by me.”
Kulhanek battled with Rilat for a couple of laps through traffic before he was able to gain the advantage. Channin Tankersley then attacked Kulhanek for the runner-up position in the closing laps.
“Me and Tankersley went back and forth swapping spots,” he said. “I think we swapped spots three or four times. With about two or three laps to go I got another shot to go by him, but I got pinched between him and a lapped car.”
Kulhanek ended with a third-place result, which marked his second podium of the season. It also moved him into third place in the ASCS Gulf South Region championship standings.
Kulhanek is scheduled to take the next couple of weekends off before returning to action on May 23 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, and on May 24 at Shady Oaks Speedway in Goliad, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 2 – Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas – Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 6 (7).
May 3 – Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas – Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 3 (2).
SEASON STATS –
8 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s, 7 top 15s, 8 top 20s
UP NEXT –
May 23 at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, and May 24 at Shady Oaks Speedway in Goliad, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.RayAllenKulhanek.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dork.racing.9?fref=ts
Kulhanek will have apparel available for sale at his race trailer throughout the season. For a list of his scheduled events, visit http://www.RayAllenKulhanek.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – J&J Auto Racing
Located in McKenzie, Tenn., J&J Auto Racing has manufactured sprint car chassis and racing parts for more than 40 years. For more information, visit http://www.JandJAutoRacing.com.
“Everyone at J&J Auto Racing are probably some of the nicest people in racing,” Kulhanek said. “I talk to them quite frequently. They are always quick to answer phone calls and will get stuff shipped out to you the same day. And they are definitely the safest cars on the market. I don’t have a complaint on them after winning the last four championships running their cars.”
Kulhanek would also like to thank Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing, Miller’s RV Park, Texas Rotating Equipment, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Smiley’s Racing Products, Engler Machine & Tool, Outlaw Wings, Hoosier Racing Tire Southwest, Penske Shocks, Don Ott Racing Engines, Snap Graphics, Frazier and Son Laser Cutting and Simpson Race Products for their support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Ray Allen Kulhanek
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Unabridged Episode 19: Emily X. R. Pan's The Astonishing Color of After
The Astonishing Color of After, by Emily X. R. Pan, chronicles the journey of Leigh Chen Sanders as she goes to her mother’s homeland, Taiwan, in order to bring about some resolution for her mother (and herself) after her mother’s suicide. Shortly after her mother’s death, Leigh discovers that her mother has become a beautiful red bird, and she pursues the bird, which takes Leigh on a journey into the collective past of her family.
My Take: This book was stunningly beautiful. I also found it deeply painful to read. For a large portion of the book, I was worried that there was no hope for redemption or peace. The premise makes it clear that there is no hope for Leigh's mom (at least in her bodily form on this earth) as she has already succumbed to suicide as the book opens. However, I was completely captivated, and I found the twists and turns and magical realism that Pan weaves so smoothly into the text to be both compelling and comforting.
My conclusion: This was a stunning novel. Throughout much of the novel, I felt like I couldn't imagine feeling hopeful by the end, but it is remarkably uplifting considering the heavy content and premise. It was captivating, eloquent, and artistic. In short, I loved it. I was teary throughout much of it, but I found it cathartic and hopeful. Well done, Ms. Pan. I look forward to more works by this talented author. 5/5 stars.
Favorite Quotes: The memorable, gorgeous quotes are endless. I was taking photos of pages to capture the passages, and I truly felt that I could have photographed every page. I cannot believe this is Pan's first novel! Here are a few of the ones I loved.
This is the mother I want to remember. This joy. The way her glow filled a room. Her playfulness, her love of good food, her bright and bouncing laughter. [...] I stand there with my feet rooted into the carpet of that memory, watching until my ribs crunch together and pulverize my heart and send the heat of my missing everywhere. The grief spills out of me sepia dark. - In one of Pan's many brilliant artistic choices, she makes it possible for Leigh to relive memories, even ones that don't belong to her. Leigh is able to rediscover powerful components of the past that help her better understand the present and future. Pan captures the essence of grief with a clarity that's frighteningly accurate for those who've experienced it firsthand.
I would always remember my fourteenth birthday with perfect clarity, because it was one of the first times I realized that there might be something truly wrong with my mother. She cared that it was my birthday, but it wasn't enough to blow aside the storm. In the shadowy master bedroom, with lights off and curtains drawn, she spiraled all the way down. Her body was silent, but her darkness was louder than anything. Our home shrank to the size of a dollhouse, and the walls pressed up against me so that I couldn't breathe or speak or hear anything but her despair. - Pan depicts the ins and outs of depression and the way it can affect a whole family. She also captures what that experience is like for a teenager only beginning to understand the profound circumference of its shadow.
"They blame me. They think if I never come to America, if I never meet you, Jingling would be alive. Why everything always my fault? Maybe I blame them. They ate lunch with her the day she died. They should see how sick she was. Why everything my fault? Why not their fault? They will never meet Leigh. They will never hurt her like they hurt me." - Through Leigh's journey to Taiwan and the memories that she discovers, she learns about the way that family members can impact each other throughout generations and can shape each other's lives. I so loved Leigh's discovery of Waipo and Waigong and their histories, and I love how that expanded and enriched her view of the world -- even though they were two people who had caused her mother tremendous pain.
What I added to my TBR list: I'd read both of the other recommendations, Toni Morrison's Beloved and Laurie Halse Anderson's The Impossible Knife of Memory, but I love both passionately and wanted to mention here how great both of those reads are.
Teaching Tips: This novel would be a great choice for lit circles, and it would work well with other works about grief, coping with loss, family dynamics, cross-cultural families, and second generation Americans.
Unabridged Episode 15: Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone
Quick Summary: Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone is a YA fantasy novel the centers on three characters who live in Orisha, a fantasy world loosely based on the author’s Nigerian heritage. This world that has lost its connection to magic. Zélie is one of the maji, individuals blessed with a connection to the gods who could do magic. The other two narrators are siblings, the children of the king who killed an entire generation of maji and who banished magic from the kingdom. Amari, the princess, has quietly struggled to meet her parents’ expectations through a lifetime of trying to fit in and to resist her desire to leave the castle. Inan, the prince, has done everything his father wanted, becoming a captain in the military who will enforce magic’s banishment. All three characters struggle with conflicts that have no easy answers, particularly as they come to know each other and their unique, hidden challenges.
My Take: Man, I loved this book so very much, and it was really tough to realize that I'll have to wait a long time for the next book to be released. I was enthralled by Zélie from the start--I loved her stubbornness and her loyalty to Tzain and her father. Her dedication to her mother's memory was powerful, and I appreciated the struggle she had throughout the novel to reconcile the damage magic could do with the way that it could give power to the powerless. I found Amari's and Inan's perspectives intriguing as well, and I appreciated the way that all of their lives wound together as the novel progressed.
My conclusion: I'm a fantasy lover in general, and I've been long overdue for a great fantasy read. I had extremely high expectations for this novel and could not wait for it to be released. Often, it's tough for a novel to live up to those expectations, but in so many ways, I thought that Adeyemi delivers. Adeyemi manages to tell a phenomenal story that is compelling and gripping while also making it a socially conscious commentary on the struggles within our contemporary society. That is hard work, but she pulls it off with finesse and seeming ease. 5/5 stars.
Favorite Quotes:
"I teach you to be warriors in the garden so that you will never be gardeners in the war." - Mama Agba is such an amazing character. Her wisdom and composure make her immediately lovable. Her teaching philosophy, particularly when contrasted with Saran, shows that not all warriors are evil and not all are taught to harm others.
"I'm the very monster I hunt." - Inan's determination to deny his magic is painful to witness, but his misguided loyalty to his nation shows the mistakes people make all too often when misled by faulty logic and damaging ideology.
NOTE -- THE NEXT QUOTE CONTAINS A SPOILER!!!!!! Pick up at the bold below to skip the spoiler.
"Air dies inside my chest as Zu looks down, small hands gripping the arrow's shaft. The young girl with a smile too wide for her face pulls against the weapon, speared with Orïsha's hate." - Although she was a minor character, Zu was such a phenomenal part of the story. I loved the way she led her people--with tenderness, compassion, and quiet certainty-- and the way that leadership contrasted Saran's awful regime. Her death (like many other parts of the book) highlights Adeyemi's social commentary on the senseless violence happening in our society today and the way that innocent victims are being murdered by people in positions of power simply because of ignorance, racism, fear, and hate.
YOU'RE SAFE READING HERE TO AVOID THE SPOILER!
What I added to my TBR list: I was so interested in the text that Sara shared, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. With that kind of recommendation, I want to make sure that I read it soon! I also love Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison so very much. Jen sharing that one made me want to read it again.
Teaching Tips: This novel would be a great option for lit circles. As we discuss in the podcast, it would work well as an option along side of other socially conscious books that are taking on issues such as racism and police brutality more directly with realistic fiction. I love how this book takes a different angle on these complex issues our society is facing.
Podcast Highlights: I so appreciated what Jen said about Amari's quiet strength, and I thought Sara's commentary about the backstory she created for Saran was fascinating. I most especially appreciated how we all found different things about the book interesting, but despite those various perspectives, we each loved it. That speaks to the strengths of the novel. I can't believe it's Adeyemi's first novel! I'm so looking forward to the rest of the series.
Subscribe via Stitcher
Unabridged Podcast Episode 13: Dane Huckelbridge's Castle of Water
Dane Huckelbridge’s Castle of Water is a story about two strangers, Barry and Sophie, who are on a small plane that crashes into the ocean. They end up on a small, deserted island where they have to learn to survive . . . and to live together.
Phew... We had so much to say about this book! It was so fun to discuss, and we could've dug into it for much longer.
My Take: I enjoyed this story very much. The language is breathtakingly beautiful, and the perspective (that includes some rather cosmic examinations of the two main characters and their predicament) is quite interesting. The role of art in the novel is also powerful and gripping. The best part of the book? I appreciate it more each time I think about it, which is a great complement to a book!
My conclusion: Upon my first reading, there were a few facets of the plot line about which I felt a little critical. (To avoid spoilers, I will not specify what those were, but I will say they mostly occurred toward the end of the book.) However, the more we discussed the book (both at book club and then with the podcast crew), the more those tiny details fell away and the stark beauty of the story--one of survival, love, and hope--remained. 5/5 stars.
Favorite Quotes: How can I choose? The quotable passages are endless. Here's just a small sampling.
"Although it was never spoken, there was a mutual understanding that without the other, neither would have survived alone on the island. Their relationship was the bulb that burned on in the darkness; their love was the rigging that kept the sails intact. And they didn't need a preacher or a priest or an until death do us part to place benediction upon
that which was abundantly clear." - I love the hard earned tenderness of Barry and Sophie's relationship and the way that they rely on each other.
"She'd like to give those masterpieces her undivided attention, but the hem of her thoughts is still snagged on the hooked nail of his work. Those haunting black-and-white paintings of the island, frightening in both their scale and their beauty, and that strange floating mobile with all the fishhooks. . . She finally gives it a rest, though, when her distracted meandering causes her to nearly bump into Marcel's infamous urinal. A security guard scolds her, and Mona tiptoes quietly away." - Though perhaps a relatively small part of the main narrative, I love the way that art is so vital to life in this novel and the way that it washes over the viewer who participates in the experience. I also love the way it links past and present experience together as the story unfolds. And lines like "the hem of her thoughts is still snagged on the hooked nail of his work"? Yes, please. More of that. STUNNING.
What I added to my TBR list: Sara's pick, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, is one that is right up my alley. I've heard great things about it, and I'd love to read it soon!
Teaching Tips: This book would be an amazing one for lit circles and could stand up to a whole class reading with advanced/ AP students.
Podcast Highlights: I so LOVED listening to Jen read the passage about rowing from the novel (which was undoubtedly one of my favorite parts of the work as a whole), and I thought after our discussion that I could enjoy this book all over again by listening to it as an audio book.
Podcast Episode 7: John Green's Turtles All the Way Down
Quick Summary: This story centers on Aza Holmes, a high school student grappling with the loss of her father and learning to live with her crippling anxiety. She and her best friend Daisy get wrapped up in a mystery involving a reward for finding a missing billionaire; they get to know (or in Aza's case, reconnect with...) his son, Davis, whose mom died and who has to find his way to help his brother now that their dad is gone, too. John Green brings the issues of anxiety to the forefront of this gripping novel, showing readers firsthand what it's like to be in the thick of that spiral.
My Take: LOVE. IT. This is an awesome book that showcases an in-depth character study of a teenager facing tremendous anxiety. I love the way Green examines all sides of the issue, from her perspective as well as the perspective of friends and family. He does an awesome job of showing that there are no easy answers and that living with anxiety does not mean that a person overcomes it. The characters are vibrant and three-dimensional, and they suck you in immediately.
My conclusion: This is a brilliant novel dealing with the realities of so many vital issues connected to mental health and relationships. Green does an awesome job of demonstrating for a teen audience (as well as adults) what the world is like for a chronically anxious person. 5/5 stars.
Favorite Quotes: Phew, there are SO many. Here are a few...
"You think, it's like a brain fire. Like a rodent gnawing you from the inside. A knife in your gut. A spiral. A whirlpool. Black hole. The words used to describe it--despair, fear, anxiety, obsession--do so little to communicate it. Maybe we invented metaphor as a response to pain. Maybe we needed to give shape to the opaque, deep-down pain that evades both sense and senses." - So often in the novel, Aza so clearly articulates her suffering. Green does an amazing job of showing through Aza how a person can both understand her situation and be totally unable to control it.
"Every loss is unprecedented. You can't ever know someone else's hurt, not really-- just like touching someone else's body isn't the same as having someone else's body." While my analysis and much of our podcast discussion focused on Green's portrayal of anxiety, the role of grief is also pivotal in this novel, and he shows how the loss of Aza's father shapes her and wounds her.
What I added to my TBR list: First off all, I love. love. love All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven that Jen used as her pairing. I was interested in both Jenni and Sara's pairings, but I think based on the reading load I have right now, I'll add The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, which sounds like a hilarious and touching approach to the challenge of relationships.
Teaching Tips: This novel would work really well in a high school classroom. It certainly complements a classroom library, but it could easily be taught whole class or as part of lit circles. As we discussed in the podcast, an author study would be a great way to utilize Green's novels while finding different works to reach different readers.
Podcast Highlights: I so loved what Jenni shared about how it feels to be in the midst of an anxiety spiral, as well as what she shared as far as feeling like "the mustard" sometimes in life. It was fascinating to see how each of us viewed the novel; while we all loved it, I enjoyed seeing the different aspects that each of us appreciated.
One More Thing: I so loved this NYT article about John Green's own struggle with anxiety. It's well worth a read. I especially appreciated what Green said about sharing his experiences: “I want to talk about it, and not feel any embarrassment or shame,” he said, “because I think it’s important for people to hear from adults who have good fulfilling lives and manage chronic mental illness as part of those good fulfilling lives.”
Unabridged Podcast Episode 1: Fredrik Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Quick Summary: The protagonist of Backman’s novel is Swedish seven-year-old Elsa (who is "almost eight"). She loves her grandmother but has a conflicted relationship with her mother. She quickly comes to discover that her grandmother is dying. Her grandmother directs Elsa to deliver a series of apology letters through which Elsa has to come to terms with a very different picture of her grandmother than the one she knew. Backman unveils her grandmother’s connections to the other characters as the story unfolds. (Photo credit: Sara; check out her Meaningful Madness site)
My Take: I found this one a bit slow moving at first, but I quickly grew to love Elsa, and I found myself empathizing with her struggle to understand the way the world was shifting around her. Elsa has to confront the harsh realities of the world, one filled with loss, cruelty, isolation, and unimaginable courage. Although she mourns the loss of her grandmother, she grows to discover the truth about her grandmother's life and comes to love the people who had been precious to her grandmother.
My conclusion: Though I had to warm up to this one, it has left a tender impression on my heart. I'm a fan. I wanted a bit more explanation in places, and I could've used a few more tied up ends, but I really loved it overall. 4/5 stars.
"The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living." - This book has some raw moments when it comes to capturing the pain of grief and the way it can entirely consume a person.
"Grow up and be different and don’t let anyone tell you not to be different, because all superheroes are different." - Yes! I love the way her grandmother empowers Elsa to be courageous and to be her own person.
"People in the real world always say, when something terrible happens, that the sadness and loss and aching pain of the heart will ‘lessen as time passes’, but it isn’t true. Sorrow and loss are constant, but if we all had to go through our whole lives carrying them the whole time, we wouldn’t be able to stand it. The sadness would paralyse us. So in the end we just pack it into bags and find somewhere to leave it." - As I mentioned above, the way that Backman can show the depth of grief is one of the best aspects of this novel.
What I added to my TBR list: Fannie Flagg’s Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
Sara recommended this one, and it sounded great. I have never read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, but I grew up (in Georgia) watching that movie. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man sounds like a captivating story, and I'll be checking it out soon!
Teaching Tips: This would work well as a lit circle book for upper level junior or senior classes. It certainly holds up to analysis and could be grouped with other books about grief, secrets, reconciliation, or coming of age.
Podcast Highlights: I loved when Jenni talked about the Worst and said, "It's a dog. Just call it a dog!" Jen made a great point about the grandmother when she talked about her own grandma and how she was "her person" and she knew that her grandma always supported her no matter what. I also really enjoyed our discussion about the way that the magic in her life changed and faded as she learned more about reality.
Unabridged Site
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Should Davy Jones Return To The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies?
David Martinez 1 year ago
The second thing coolest about the Pirates of the Caribbean movies was the main villain, the fish-faced Davy Jones. And we all know what the first coolest thing about it was. I don’t have to say it, but I will anyway, because it brings back the greatest of childhood memories. There is no Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Every fan knows that, but sadly, it looks like he will no longer be a part of it. That is very much a tragedy and I’m not sure I see the point in trying to continue it. But it looks like the franchise will go on, with Margot Robbie replacing Johnny Depp as the lead. Hey, that could work, but still, no Captain Jack Sparrow? That’s like trying to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the peanut butter. It just feels wrong. That’s probably because it is. But if we can’t get Captain Jack back, then I would settle for one of his biggest enemies, fellow Captain Davy Jones. If you ask me, he’s the main villain of the franchise. It would be Barbossa, but he turned into a hero and even died one in the last movie. And after Curse of the Black Pearl, we got Cutler Beckett, who was more of a smug little pest. The famous scene of him freezing up while his Armada was being destroyed will remain as one of the most memorable scenes in the franchise. It was satisfying and it was fun to watch, but he didn’t do much fighting. Davy Jones, on the other hand, fought just about everyone.
Now I must say, I do enjoy Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, probably more than most people do. I have to attribute a large portion of that to Davy Jones, who became the next big bad of the movies. He was terrifying, knew how to pop out of nowhere, and even had a sarcastic wit to him. He seemed like a gross mirror version of Jack Sparrow and his crew was just as bad. They made for the deadliest of antagonists, even more so than Beckett’s crew. The final battle in At World’s End put them against the regular pirates we got an epic battle of crossing blades in a big maelstrom. That is also where Davy Jones met his end. Out of all the villains, he did the most damage to the heroes. Not only did he duel just about every major character, but he actually killed Will Turner. But before Will did die, he did manage to kill the fish-faced villain by stabbing his heart. That was the end of Davy Jones and Will became the new captain of the Flying Dutchman. It was a somewhat tragic ending, since Will did live, but couldn’t settle down with his family. He was forced to be bound to the Flying Dutchman for ten years, but for his one day, he did manage to impregnate his wife Elizabeth.
For those who saw Dead Men Tell No Tales, Will’s curse was lifted and he finally settled down with his wife and son. But in an interesting post-credits scene, Will and Elizabeth had an unseen visitor come to them while they were sleeping. From the shape of the shadow of the mysterious figure, not to mention the puddle left on the floor, it’s obvious who that figure was. That scene heavily implied that Davy Jones was set to return. Since all the other villains didn’t work, it only makes sense that they bring back the best one. The thing is, I’m trying to decide if bringing him back is a good or bad idea. First of all, I have to remind everyone that the absence of Johnny Depp means almost everything. Pirates of the Caribbean will continue, but not having him involved seriously neuters the quality it could have. Okay, so the last two movies were undoubtedly the worst of the bunch and he was in them. However, I still don’t think another Pirates of the Caribbean movie will attract a crowd without Captain Jack. And if we don’t have Captain Jack, then how would bringing back one of his biggest enemies work? I think that would be the big challenge in bringing back Davy Jones without Jack Sparrow.
I think their rivalry worked because they both had that facetious attitude for just about every situation. Whenever Davy Jones said something, Jack Sparrow would retort with a witty remark. He would do that with just about everyone, but this enemy would either get angry or respond with a witty remark of his own. He’s probably the only guy to get the last laugh on Jack when he stabbed Will. You know you’re a devious son of a gun when you can get the best of Captain Jack Sparrow. Would that dynamic work just as well with another protagonist? I suppose it could, but I don’t think it would feel the same. Only Jack Sparrow can ruffle the feathers of his enemies like no one else can. He’s that rare protagonist who enjoys engaging in quippy back-and-fourths with his enemies. If these movies think they can replace him with a hero who can do the same, then I’ll believe it when I see it. The point is, I think Davy Jones works best when there’s a Jack Sparrow around.
The next Pirates of the Caribbean movie might be a soft reboot, so Davy Jones can return. If he does, then he’ll have to deliver the same kind of banter with Margot Robbie’s character. Yes, she’ll retort with facetious sarcasm, as expected. But let’s just call it right now, it won’t light a candle to the banter he had with Jack Sparrow. Personally, I would like to see Davy Jones make his return, but it has to feel right. If it’s just for the sake of bringing him back, then it will be a serious waste. What are your thoughts, Pirates of the Caribbean fans?
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David Martinez
David Martinez is a freelance writer with an associate of applied science degree from Tribeca Flashpoint College. He is a former contributor for the privately owned production company, Dark Catt Studios, and the video game journalism site known as Gameskinny. He wrote numerous articles for them, including guides, opinion pieces, top ten lists, reviews, and any kind of news related to video games. He currently lives in Schaumburg, Illinois.
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Think You Know The Best of The Cultural Mile? | A Cocktail With A View
With its forever views and unrivaled amenities package, 1000M doesn’t hold back when it comes to options for celebrating your favorite beverage. There’s the Wine Tasting Room with private wine storage and Club 1000 with its elegant full-service bar. With this type of luxury, it’s tempting to stay in and enjoy a cocktail at home. But, when the gravitational force of the neighborhood pulls you in, the savvy choice for in-the-know Chicagoans — for brunch or a night out — is Cindy’s Rooftop Restaurant.
Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Association. Photo provided by Cindy’s.
Located in the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel (CAA) up the street from 1000M, Cindy’s is perfect for a boozy brunch or a lavish night out. The Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, in partnership with Land & Sea, has several rock star drinking and dining options that can fulfill most occasions. Cindy’s niche is the rooftop restaurant and bar that dazzles even the most jaded Chicagoans. Take an elevator up to the 13th floor of the CAA and step into an upscale Lake Michigan beach house fused with a classic rooftop bar. The terrace has panoramic views of Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, The Art Institute and Lake Michigan. In the warmer months, an outdoor terrace bar means you do not have to stray from your view to re-hydrate.
The cocktail Howl at the Jun. Photo credit: Nick Gerber.
While Chef Christian Ragano’s food menu is nothing to scoff at, cocktails still take center stage at Cindy’s. The drink menu is designed like an old-fashion pharmacy, where drinks are healing and transformative potions and elixirs. Howl at the Jun, a take on a classic French 75 with kombucha fermented from raw honey, is a lighter, pink tangerine-colored drink served on the rocks. As a type of fermented tea lauded for its health benefits, kombucha is an apt fit for cocktails that promise to soothe. The sparkling wine, grapefruit juice and kombucha mask the gin, for a fresh taste with a hint of citrus. For something with a bit more punch, the Pillar of Hercules is predominately citrus, but has a surprising bitterness complemented by a touch of mint.
The cocktail Pillar of Hercules. Photo credit: AJ Trela.
Nandini Khaund, director of the beverage program and the bar’s “spirit guide,” is the steward for Cindy’s as a destination for special events. On any night, crucial social moments — meeting the parents, family reunions, savvy business get-togethers — are happening among casual drinkers. As a destination for large parties, the menu includes options for sharing cocktails, such as the Grey Garden, a refreshing, lavender cocktail that “cures” twenty. If liquor is not your thing, the menu also includes a list of thoughtful mocktails, as well, like the apple cider-based Blaze of Fall.
As part of the Cindy’s experience, the sound level can be boisterous, and you may need to sharpen your elbows to find standing room at busy times. But, for your inner claustrophobic, avoid the press by reserving a table for dining, so you can lounge out with table service instead of vying for the bartender’s attention as you try to secure a two-by-two’ space to view the drink menu.
1000M’s neighborhood is full of exceptional dining and drinking options, but Cindy’s has that special pulse of a must-have Chicago moment.
Follow us @1000MChicago.
Cindy’s Restaurant // 12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60603 // Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
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Four additional arrests made in SCSO/GBI joint narcotics investigation
As part of a month-long investigation involving the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation West Metro Regional Drug Enforcement Office, four people were on Friday, March 16, arrested in Stone Mountain.
According to a press release issued by the GBI, Jermaine Montrel Johnson, Lindsey Michelle Anderson, Justin Phillip Lee Adams and Crystal Denise Hall were arrested on numerous narcotics and other charges.
Officials say agents developed information that Johnson, age 35, was allegedly distributing methamphetamine and heroin from his residence in Stone Mountain.
Upon the execution of a search warrant, agents reportedly seized marijuana valued at $11,000, powder cocaine valued at $6,000, methamphetamine valued at $28,000, heroin valued at $12,600 and a quantity of Xanax and Oxycodone pills.
Also located was $10,099 in U.S. currency, nine firearms – two of which were confirmed stolen – body armor, high-capacity magazines, what was described as a “large amount of ammunition” and a stolen motorcycle.
Johnson was charged with the sale of methamphetamine and heroin, trafficking of methamphetamine, trafficking of heroin, trafficking of cocaine, possession of marijuana more than one ounce, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule II narcotic, possession of a Schedule IV narcotic and nine counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Anderson, Adams and Hall were charged with trafficking of methamphetamine, trafficking of heroin, trafficking of cocaine, possession of marijuana more than one ounce, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule II narcotic, possession of a Schedule IV narcotic and nine counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Also assisting in the investigation was the DeKalb County SWAT Team and the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.
Johnson and Anderson, age 31, are being housed in the DeKalb County Jail.
Adams, age 24, is being housed in Spalding County due to an outstanding warrant.
Hall, age 27, is being housed in Henry County due to an outstanding warrant.
Adams and Hall will later be transported back to DeKalb County for the warrants taken as a result of the search warrant.
Arrested March 14, in connection to this alleged distribution ring of heroin and other narcotics, was William Patrick Flanagan, of Griffin.
Flanagan has been charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance and possession of drug related objects.
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: arrests, crime, drugs, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Griffin, heroin, methamphetamine, narcotics, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, weapons
« Two teens charged in numerous Griffin entering auto cases
Spalding County Fire Department Chief Kenny West retires »
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Ice is a 10 month old male Ibizan Hound (Podenco) Cross. This is stunning Ice, the cute white puppy with beautiful blue eyes! He has a short white silky coat and he will be a medium sized dog weighing now 10 kg and height at shoulder 42 cm. Ice is very lovely and affectionate. Now he is absolutely healthy, happy and lively! He loves his walks and getting much better on his lead Good in the car, good in the vet, no problem. Not tried with small children or cats but we can try to test for cats if required.
Every month treated with Advantix , and protected with Scalibor too. Ice was found with his sibling SWEET. He must walk on a leash, because he still doesn’t respond to the recall. Ice is a good boy, enough independent and not scared, clean in the home ( he was in my home immediately after the neutering); good with other dogs, but with character, he is a leader!
Current occasion is in a foster home in Spain can travel to the UK once he has a home to go to, Vaccinated, wormed, flea treated, Neutered, Microchipped, Pet Passport, FREE 4 weeks Pet Insurance to be activated from the link on our website, Any known health issues NONE KNOWN.
FOR DOGS COMING FROM OVERSEAS: This adoption fee is a contribution towards the costs of rescuing the dog- microchip, passport, vaccines, tests for S European diseases, neutering (IF OLD ENOUGH), parasite treatment and transport to the UK.
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ABC News Reveals Drafts of Benghazi Talking Points
Do I have to write about the latest on Benghazi? I guess so. In for a penny, in for a pound.
ABC News now has a complete set of drafts of the infamous “talking points” that were prepared a few days following the Benghazi attacks. The drafts don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know, but here’s a nickel summary:
From the very start, the talking points say that the attacks were “spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo” and then “evolved” into the assaults on the two compounds in Benghazi.
The first draft included references to “Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qa’ida.” This was eventually sanded down to “extremists” after the State Department pointed out that they had been deliberately withholding this information because “we don’t want to prejudice the investigation.” This is the same thing that David Petraeus told Congress last November.
The third draft included an ass-covering paragraph from the CIA making sure everyone knew they had produced “numerous pieces” on possible threats to Benghazi in the previous few months, with the obvious implication that the State Department had ignored them. Unsurprisingly, the State Department’s spokesman, Victoria Nuland, objected to this gratuitous display of bureaucratic point scoring. It was removed in the final draft.
So….nothing much, really. The third bullet point is the only one that’s even tenuously problematic, and it’s not much more than a disclosure of internal backbiting. In any case, it was ultimately removed at a Deputies Committee meeting on Saturday morning that Nuland didn’t attend.
I’m really, really trying to find anything scandalous here. I know I’m biased. But on a scale of 1 to 10, this is about a 1.5. It’s a little bit of unseemly bureaucratic squabbling combined with the usual mushiness that you get when an interagency process produces a series of drafts of sensitive information for public consumption. But I’m sure it calls for impeachment hearings to begin anyway.
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Feast of Henry Irving Louttit, Jr. (December 31) 10 comments
Above: The Flag of The Episcopal Church
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HENRY IRVING LOUTTIT, JR. (JUNE 13, 1938-DECEMBER 31, 2020)
Episcopal Bishop of Georgia
Bishop Henry Irving Loutttit, Jr., comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses: An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via my ecclesiastical past. Within Anglicanism, history makes saints. I, having known Bishop Louttit, attest that he was a saint.
This post is personal. Know, therefore, O reader, that I have chosen to refer to this saint on a first-name basis–as Henry.
Henry was a model of Anglican collegiality. In the last two decades, “Anglican,” in the United States of America, has assumed a Donatistic connotation in my mind. Henry’s Anglicanism was a big tent, however. He, to my right in many respects, offered an ecclesiastical setting that made room for heretics such as me.
Henry Irving Louttit, Jr., born in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 13, 1938, was a scion of The Episcopal Church. Henry’s mother was Amy Cleckler Louttit. His father was Henry Irving Louttit, Sr. (1903-1984), then a priest in the Diocese of South Florida. Henry, Sr., went on to serve as the Suffragan Bishop of South Florida (1945-1948), the Bishop Coadjutor of South Florida (1948-1951), and the Bishop of South Florida (1951-1969). In 1969, the Diocese of South Florida broke up into the Dioceses of Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida, and Central Florida. Henry, Sr., served as the first Bishop of Central Florida (1969-1970) before retiring.
The Louttit family belonged to the Anglo-Catholic wing of The Episcopal Church. In 2005, Henry recalled:
…we knew that we were right, even though we were not the majority in the Episcopal Church. There was a fortress mentality that caused us to suspect that everything the national Episcopal Church did was intended to undercut the truths that we held dear. Most of the young priests who influenced me as a teenager believed that the greater part of the Episcopal Church was heretical–were outside of God’s communion.
The family was progressive on racial justice issues. The Ku Klux Klan once burned a cross on the front lawn of the family home in Winter Park, Florida.
Henry had a fine Episcopal education. He studied at Christ School, a boarding school in Arden, North Carolina. He graduated with honors from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, too. Our saint made an unusual choice of seminary, given his Anglo-Catholic heritage; he matriculated at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia. In 2005, Henry recalled:
For them anything that Roman Catholics did or said was wrong….In my world, if Rome did it, it was right. In their world, if Rome did it, it must be wrong.
Henry married Jayne “Jan” Northway Arledge on June 14, 1962. The couple eventually had three daughters.
While a seminarian, Henry served at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C. It had become the first racially-integrated Episcopal church in the District of Columbia in the 1950s.
Henry, having graduated from VTS in June 1963, embarked on his ministerial career. His father ordained him a deacon that month. Our saint became a priest on June 25, 1964. He served in three congregations in the Diocese of Georgia:
Trinity Episcopal Church, Statesboro (-1967);
Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta (1967-1994); and
St. James’ Episcopal Church, Quitman (1970-1974).
Henry nearly became a bishop at least twice before winning election as Bishop of Georgia.
Henry was a candidate for Bishop Coadjutor of Georgia in 1983. Henry was a relatively liberal candidate; he favored the ordination of women. Harry Woolston Shipps (1926-1916) won that election on a pledge not to ordain women. Shipps went on to serve as the Bishop Coadjutor (1984-1985) then the Bishop of Georgia (1985-1994). Before Shipps retired, he ordained women.
Henry was also a candidate for Suffragan Bishop of Ohio in 1994. Kenneth Lester Price, Jr., won that election and served, starting that year.
Henry won election as Bishop of Georgia in late 1994. His consecration occurred in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah, on January 21, 1995.
Henry was my priest (1993-1994) then my bishop (1995-2005). Many people knew him longer and better than I did. I wish I had known him better than I did.
Henry was, among other descriptions:
Beloved,
Pastoral,
Down-to-earth, and
Realistic.
Henry had a healthy sense of humor about himself. On his last Sunday at Christ Christ, Valdosta (October 30, 1994), Henry noted the proximity of that day to Halloween. He also recalled that his installation as rector had occurred on April Fool’s Day, 1967.
In the early 2000s, I was a member of another parish in another town in the Diocese of Georgia. One Sunday, when Henry made his episcopal visit, he diplomatically broke bad news: He had spoken to recent former rectors of that parish. Not one missed the parish. This was an evaluation the congregation needed to hear.
Henry was, like most people, I suppose, a mix of progressivism and conservatism.
Henry was a relative liberal in the Diocese of Georgia, especially with regard to The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and the ordination of women. His metaphorical fingerprints were all over the “new Prayer Book;” he was part of its creation. And one daughter became a priest. In the House of Bishops, Henry voted to insist on the ordination of women in all dioceses.
Henry, however, was relatively conservative regarding homosexuality. His voting record on this issue in the House of Bishops moderated the longer he served as a bishop, however. That relative conservatism helped in his effort to maintain diocesan unity in the early 2000s. He was not entirely successful, though; no Bishop of Georgia could have been. Henry strove to maintain the big tent. Some, however, chose to leave that tent and form breakaway congregations.
Henry, as Bishop of Georgia, presided over a rural, far-flung diocese. He worked on solutions regarding ministry in that context. Henry also encouraged the vocational diaconate, founded missions and revitalized congregations.
Henry (Doctor of Divinity, Virginia Theological Seminary, 1993) was also a hagiographer. He wrote Saints of Georgia (1998, 1999, 2004), a mix of national and diocesan saints. One of these saints–Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander (1865?-1947)–eventually received denominational recognition. The Episcopal Church added her to A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations (2016) then to Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry visited her old church, Good Shepherd, Pennick, in January 2018.
I departed for the Diocese of Atlanta in August 2005. Before I did, however, I asked Henry to recommend a parish to attend in Athens. He advised me to join St. Gregory the Great Church. He was correct.
Henry retired on January 23, 2010. He remained in Savannah for years. Eventually, though, he and Jan moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to be close to a daughter.
Henry, aged 82 years, died in Tallahassee on December 23, 2020. He was a gentleman, a scholar, and a prince of the church.
THE FEAST OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
Heavenly Father, Shepherd of your people, we thank you for your servant Henry Irving Louttit, Jr.,
who was faithful in the care and nurture of your flock;
and we pray that, following his example and the teaching of his holy life,
we may by your grace grow into the stature and fullness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 718
Posted August 24, 2021 by neatnik2009 in December 31, Saints of 1940-1949, Saints of 1950-1959, Saints of 1960-1969, Saints of 1970-1979, Saints of 1980-1989, Saints of 1990-1999, Saints of 2000-2009, Saints of 2010-2019, Saints of 2020-2029
Tagged with Anna Ellison Butler Alexander, Donatism, Harry Woolston Shipps, Henry Irving Louttit Jr., Henry Irving Louttit Sr., Kenneth Lester Price Jr.
Feast of St. Zoticus of Constantinople (December 31) 1 comment
Above: Roman Imperial Constantinople
SAINT ZOTICUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE (DIED CIRCA 350)
Priest and Martyr, Circa 350
St. Zoticus of Constantinople comes to this, my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in America.
St. Zoticus cared for the poor and the sick, and became a martyr. He was a wealthy man in the service of Emperor Constantine I “the Great” (reigned 306-337). In 330, when Constantine I moved the imperial capital to Constantinople (the former Byzantium), St. Zoticus also moved to Constantinople. He became a priest and began to take care of poor people and orphans in his home. Thus began a homeless shelter, built and maintained at least partially with imperial funds. St. Zoticus objected to the customary practice by which the military drowned lepers. He rescued the lepers and cared for them at the shelter.
Emperor Constantius II (reigned 337-361), an Arian, crossed theological paths with the orthodox St. Zoticus. The immediate cause of the martyrdom of St. Zoticus, however, was much like that of the martyrdom of St. Laurence of Rome about a century earlier. When Constantius II, assuming that St. Zoticus had used imperial funds to purchase luxury items, tried to claw back the funds. St. Zoticus presented sick and homeless people. Constantius II ordered the execution of our saint, dragged over stones, behind wild mules.
St. Zoticus agreed with St. Laurence, who asserted that the poor are the treasures of the Church.
THE FEAST OF JOHN WYCLIFFE AND JAN HUS, REFORMERS OF THE CHURCH
THE FEAST OF GEORGE DUFFIELD, JR.; AND HIS SON, SAMUEL DUFFIELD, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS AND HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF HENRY THOMAS SMART, ENGLISH ORGANIST
THE FEAST OF OLUF HANSON SMEBY, LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 60
Posted July 6, 2019 by neatnik2009 in December 31, Saints of 350-399
Tagged with Arianism, Constantine I, Constantius II, St. Laurence of Rome, St. Zoticus of Constantinople
Feast of Blessed Giuseppina Nicoli (December 31) 1 comment
Above: Blessed Giuseppina Nicoli
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BLESSED GIUSEPPINA NICOLI (NOVEMBER 18, 1863-DECEMBER 31, 1924)
Italian Roman Catholic Nun and Minister to the Poor
Alternative feast day = February 3
Blessed Giuseppina Nicoli helped those whom civil authorities had dismissed as unimportant and/or beyond help. Our saint, born into a large Roman Catholic family in Casatisma, Pavia, on November 18, 1863, joined the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul at Turin, on September 24, 1883. The order sent her to Sardegna Island in 1885. There she spent most of the rest of her life. She, a supporter of Eucharistic Adoration, became the director of the orphanage in June 1899. She played an active role in the children’s religious education; the taught the rich and poor children alike. Except for 1910-1914, when Nicoli was the provincial administrator and the director of the seminary in Turin, she lived and worked on Sardegna Island. On the island she worked with the Urchins of Mary, orphaned and abandoned children. She taught them basic subjects plus vocational skills and the catechism. Nicoli died, aged 61 years, on December 31, 1924.
Pope Benedict XVI declared her a Venerable then beatified her in 2006.
Posted July 6, 2019 by neatnik2009 in December 31, Saints of 1870-1879, Saints of 1880-1889, Saints of 1890-1899, Saints of 1900-1909, Saints of 1910-1919, Saints of 1920-1929
Tagged with Blessed Giuseppina Nicoli
Feast of Rossiter Worthington Raymond (December 31) 1 comment
Above: Rossiter Worthington Raymond
ROSSITER WORTHINGTON RAYMOND (APRIL 27, 1840-DECEMBER 31, 1918)
U.S. Poet, Novelist, Mining Engineer, Attorney, and Congregationalist Hymn Writer
The purpose of this post is to explain the life of an accomplished man. A full accounting of his life, with all the honors he received and the beneficial deeds he committed would require a lengthy book. (A link to a short one is here.) This post, however, can contain the essential flavor of the life of this great man.
Rossiter Worthington Raymond entered the world at Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 27, 1840. His parents were Robert Raikes Raymond (1817-1888) and Mary Anne Pratt Raymond. Robert, who had been a conductor on the Underground Railroad, went on to edit a newspaper, teach English at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and serve as the Principal of the Boston School of Oratory. His publications included the following:
The Patriotic Speaker: Consisting of Specimens of Modern Eloquence, Together with Poetic Extracts Adapted for Recitation, and Dramatic Pieces for Exhibitions (1864);
The Case of the Rev. E. B. Fairfield; Being an Examination of His “Review of the Case of Henry Ward Beecher,” Together with His “Reply” and a Rejoiner (1874);
Shakespeare for the Young Folk (1881); and
Melody in Speech: A Book of Principle, Precept, and Practice in Inflection and Emphasis (published posthumously and edited by our saint, 1893).
Our saint was a well-educated man. He attended school at Syracuse, New York, before moving on to the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (Class of 1858); the Royal Mining Academy at Freiberg, Saxony; the University of Heidelberg; and the University of Munich. He served in the United States Army as an aide-de-camp to General John C. Fremont during the Civil War. Then our saint really put his education to use.
Raymond was an excellent mining engineer.
He worked as an engineer in private practice for a few years before becoming the editor of the American Journal of Mining in 1867. In that capacity (through 1890) our saint criticized corrupt and inefficient mining corporations.
For eight years (1868-1876) Raymond served as the U.S. Commissioner of Mining Statistics. He wrote excellent reports to Congress. These documents remain essential historical documents.
In the 1860s Raymond helped to found the American Mining Bureau, forerunner of the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME), which he also helped to found. Our saint served the AIME as a Vice President in 1871, 1876, and 1877, as the President in 1872-1875, and a the Secretary from 1884 to 1911. In 1945 the AIME established the Rossiter Worthington Raymond Award for the best paper by a member younger than 33 years old.
Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, awarded Raymond an honorary doctorate in 1868. He was Professor of Ore Deposits there from 1870 to 1882.
Our saint participated in the modernization of Japan for a quarter of a century. Thus, in 1911, the Japanese government made him a Chevalier of the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class, the highest honor it gave foreign commoners.
He was also an expert in mining law, advising the U.S. Supreme Court prior to becoming an attorney in 1898. In 1903 Raymond became a Lecturer on Mining Law at Columbia University, New York, New York.
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, awarded him the Doctor of Laws degree in 1906.
Raymond’s engineering skills extended to areas beyond mining. From 1885 to 1889, for example, he served as one of the New York state commissioners of electrical subways for Brooklyn.
Our saint, for half a century the Sunday School superintendent at Plymouth Congregational Church, Brooklyn, New York, wrote hymns, most of which have fallen out of favor with hymnal committees. I have added one of these texts, “Far Out on the Desolate Billow,” to my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog. Among his other hymns was the following text for the Feast of the Epiphany:
There’s a beautiful star, a beautiful star,
That weary trav’lers have followed afar;
Shining so brightly all the way,
Till it stood o’er the place where the young Child lay.
Star, star, beautiful star!
Pilgrims weary we are;
To Jesus, to Jesus,
We follow thee from afar.
In the land of the East, in the shadows of night,
We saw the glory of thy new light;
Telling to us, in our distant home,
The Lord, our Redeemer, to earth had come!
We have gold for tribute and gifts for prayer,
Sweet incense, myrrh, and spices rare:
All that we have we hither bring,
To lay it with joy at the feet of the King.
Raymond‘s books and other publications in various genres included the following:
The Mines of the West: A Report to the Secretary of the Treasury (1869);
Mineral Resources of the States and Territories West of the Rocky Mountains (1869);
Statistics of Mines and Mining in the States and Territories West of the Rocky Mountains (1870)
Statistics of Mines and Mining in the States and Territories West of the Rocky Mountains (1872);
An Address at the Dedication of Pardee Hall, Lafayette College, October 21, 1873 (1873);
Brave Hearts (1873);
Silver and Gold: An Account of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry of the United States, with Reference Chiefly to the Precious Metals (1873);
The Man in the Moon and Other People (1874);
The Book of Job: Essays and a Metrical Paraphrase (1878);
The Merry-Go-Round (1880);
Camp and Cabin: Sketches of Life and Travel in the West (1880);
A Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms (1881);
The Life of Peter Cooper (1897);
Mining Law in British Columbia, Mexico, and the United States (1897)
Introduction to The New Puritanism (1898);
Biographical notice in The Genesis of Ore Deposits (1902);
The Feast of Lights (1910); and
Christus Consolator, and Other Poems (1916).
Our saint, who completed many tasks in a myriad of contexts with excellence, died of heart failure at Brooklyn on December 31, 1918. He was 78 years old.
THE FEAST OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS
Rossiter Worthington Raymond and others, who have composed hymn texts.
Posted July 31, 2015 by neatnik2009 in December 31, Saints of 1850-1859, Saints of 1860-1869, Saints of 1870-1879, Saints of 1880-1889, Saints of 1890-1899, Saints of 1900-1909, Saints of 1910-1919
Tagged with Rossiter Worthington Raymond
New Year’s Eve (December 31) Leave a comment
Above: New Year’s Eve, Sydney, Australia
Calendars are of human origin, and therefore artificial. Yet they are useful in marking time and providing temporal milestones. December 31 and January 1 are two of the more useful temporal milestones, for they mark the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, respectively. These are excellent times to reflect on what has past and what might follow.
My hope and prayer for everyone is that the year that follows will be better than the one that has expired. My standard for “better” is God: What does God want for you? May you have that. May you come nearer to where you ought to be (in every way) than where you are now.
From Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
Eternal God, you have placed us in a world of space and time, and through the events in our lives you bless us with your love. Grant that in the new year we may know your presence, see your love at work, and live in the light of the event that gives us joy forever–the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Revelation 21:1-6a
Posted September 15, 2009 by neatnik2009 in December 31
Tagged with New Year's Eve
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Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica
Date opened
Limón Province, Costa Rica
9°47′58″N 82°54′54″W / 9.799565°N 82.915112°W / 9.799565; -82.915112
slothsanctuary.com
The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica (Spanish: Santuario de Perezosos de Costa Rica) is a privately owned animal rescue center located near the city of Cahuita. The Sanctuary is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, research, and release of injured or orphaned sloths.[1] Tours of the Sanctuary are offered to the public.
After the 1991 Limon earthquake ended their birding tourism business, Judy Avey-Arroyo and her husband Luis Arroyo built a hotel on their property.[2][1] In 1992, three girls brought the Arroyos an orphaned baby three-toed sloth. At the time, very little was known about sloth biology. By observing what the wild sloths on their property ate, the couple were able to hand-rear the sloth, named Buttercup, who still currently lives in the Sanctuary.[1][2] In 1997, the Sanctuary was officially recognized as a rescue center, becoming Costa Rica's first sloth-only facility.[1]
The lives of the Sanctuary's sloth residents were documented in the 2013 Animal Planet television series, Meet the Sloths.[3] In 2016, two former employees accused the Sanctuary of animal mistreatment, which Avey-Arroyo denied.[4][5]
^ a b c d "ABOUT US". Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ a b Sevcenko, Melanie (17 April 2013). "Sloth sanctuary nurtures animals back to health". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ Fendt, Lindsay (29 November 2013). "Costa Rican Sloth Sanctuary featured on new Animal Planet series". The Tico Times. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ Schelling, Ameena (19 May 2016). "Famous Sloth Sanctuary Is A Nightmare For Animals, Ex-Workers Say". The Dodo. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ Krumholtz, Michael (1 August 2016). "Inside Costa Rica's Sloth Sanctuary: Horror show or a solution to a complicated issue?". The Tico Times. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
This Costa Rica-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sloth_Sanctuary_of_Costa_Rica&oldid=929884344"
Animal reintroduction
Conservation in Costa Rica
Tourist attractions in Limón Province
Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers
Costa Rica stubs
This page was last edited on 8 December 2019, at 21:38 (UTC).
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Brandon Ellingson's father says the family is "getting some justice" after charges filed in the Clive man's drowning.
Brandon Ellingson's father says the family is "getting some justice" after a special prosecutor charged a Missouri state trooper with involuntary manslaughter in the Clive man's drowning.
Trooper Tony Piercy faces involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Ellingson, 20, who drowned May 31, 2014, after being arrested. Piercy was immediately placed on unpaid leave following Friday's announcement, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol news release.
Craig Ellingson, Brandon's father, spoke with The Des Moines Register after the announcement.
"God will take care of the rest," he said. "It’s not for me to punish Piercy, but we do have laws here that we’re supposed to live under.
"We still miss (Brandon) a lot. We always will. It’s hard."
Piercy arrested Brandon Ellingson on the Lake of the Ozarks on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. Piercy handcuffed Ellingson's hands behind his back and placed a life jacket vest around his torso, witnesses said.
Piercy, a highway patrol veteran who was relatively new to working on a lake, reportedly tried to transport Ellingson back to shore in a speedboat, traveling at speeds up to 40 mph. Ellingson went into the water.
Witnesses have reported that Ellingson's arms weren't in the life jacket's arm holes and that the jacket came off. Piercy jumped in the water but couldn't save Ellingson. There was reportedly no video of the incident.
Ellingson's childhood friend Brody Baumann was at the lake that day and said he saw Piercy improperly put the life jacket over Ellingson's arms. Baumann called Friday's involuntary manslaughter charge a "step in the right direction."
"But it's far from being over," he said. "It should have never taken this long to come to this conclusion."
The special prosecutor, William Seay, told reporters in Versailles, Mo., that Piercy's actions were reckless, according to the Associated Press.
"I have reviewed boxes and boxes of reports and records in regard to Mr. Piercy's training and experience and everything that was done in the investigation," he said. "I have charged (Piercy) with recklessly causing his death. … It relates to an unjustifiable risk being taken."
Piercy could not be reached for comment. He turned himself in Friday and was released on $50,000 bond. The maximum penalty for the charge he faces is seven years in prison.
The state patrol did not comment beyond the news release, which said "the charge for which Piercy was arrested is a mere accusation and is not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence."
A Missouri jury decided that Ellingson's death was accidental during a coroner inquest about 15 months ago. A few days later, Osage County prosecutor Amanda Grellner confirmed the jury's decision and declined to press criminal charges against Piercy.
However, in January, Grellner said that she had received new information and was reviewing the case again. In March, she stepped aside from the case because of a conflict of interest and said she had been close to completing her investigation. That's when Seay, who is city attorney in Salem, Mo., took over her role as special prosecutor.
In October, Grellner withdrew a complaint she had filed against Randy Henry, a Missouri State Highway Patrol official who had been demoted after he criticized the agency for its investigation of the death and for its training of new water officers. The specifics of the complaint have not been made public.
Henry is regarded as a whistle-blower regarding how state patrol leadership handled the aftermath of the drowning — he called it a "cover-up."
"My first sense of joy is for Craig and Sherry (Brandon's parents). He didn’t die in vain," Henry said. "Also it 100 percent vindicates me."
Henry, almost a 30-year veteran of the patrol, immediately retired after Grellner removed her complaint, and his lawyer told reporters that Henry wanted "nothing else to do with this organization."
"I knew the cover-up story within the first week; I said no way, I’m not going along with it and I took the plunge," Henry told the Register after news broke Friday of Piercy's arrest. "I’m extremely grateful that the charges have been filed and I don’t think it should stop here. I think there should be an investigation into the people involved in the obstruction of justice."
Grellner's son was questioned — and eventually cleared — by the state patrol in connection with a sexual assault in 2013, but Henry's lawyer has said he has no evidence that the assault case influenced Grellner in any way with regard to Ellingson's case.
Ellingson's family accused the highway patrol of negligence in a federal lawsuit last year. The U.S. Department of Justice is looking into whether any federal laws have been violated.
Edited audio of 911 calls from May 31 show Missouri State troopers begin to be selective about what information they release concerning the drowning of Brandon Ellingson while under trooper custody on the Lake of the Ozarks.
In September, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote to Seay asking for an update on the investigation by Oct. 1. There was no public announcement of whether Seay answered Grassley.
“Along with many other Iowans, I’ve been asking questions about the status of the investigation into Brandon Ellingson’s death," Grassley told the Register on Friday. "With today’s announcement, it’s good to see some of those questions finally answered."
Friends and family have had too many questions left unanswered for far too long, Grassley said.
"As the criminal justice system now moves forward with its process, we’ll be able to learn more about what happened to Brandon on that fateful day last year,” he said.
The case also led to changes in Missouri's state patrol procedures. Legislators during hearings questioned the decision to merge separate water and highway patrols because water troopers were receiving less training. Piercy, at the coroner's inquest in 2014, said he hadn't received proper training to handle what happened the day Ellingson drowned. A special legislative committee was told last month that some of the recommendations it issued after Ellingson's death concerning recruitment and training of water officers had been implemented.
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The welding quality in multi-pass welding is mainly dependent on the pre-heating from previous pass or root-pass welding. In this study, a Mahalanobis Distance and normal distribution method is illustrated and employed to determine whether welding faults have occurred after each pass welding and also to quantify welding quality percentage. To successfully accomplish this objective, sets of multi-pass welding experiment were performed with different welding parameters in each pass; the welded samples of SS400 steel flats adopting the bead-on-plate technique were employed in the experiment. The result of current and voltage for each pass is obtained through the real time mentoring systems. In order to verify the effect of the performance and weld quality of the different weld-pass, Mahalanobis distances for voltage and current values were calculated and used for qualitative and quantitative analysis with comparison to values obtained from the root-pass as reference welds. The results of the experiment and statistical analysis have demonstrated that the weld faults after each weld pass is feasible.
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Hey Oscar Voters, Let Me Explain Why The Lego Movie Is Awesome
By Catarina Cowden published 15 January 15
Apparently, Oscar voters don’t know the definition of 'awesome'. Here, let me help you. It’s an adjective that induces awe, inspires overwhelming feelings of admiration, and just means very impressive. And everything is awesome in The Lego Movie, which was somehow left out of the Oscar nominations for Best Animated Picture. How can this be? Well, let me explain why it shouldn’t be.
The Lego Movie was seriously awesome, and not just because it featured the wonderful Chris Pratt, a whole slew of big Hollywood names, and an equally wonderful song called "Everything Is Awesome", but because it told a touching story of father and son defining what it means to be creative. It was witty, fun and had a powerful message for both children and adult viewers. It has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and has received high critical acclaim on numerous accounts. It also did crazy well at the box office, coming in fourth domestically for the year with a total gross of $257.8 million according to Box Office Mojo. The popularity of the film even led to a shortage of LEGO products because of the high demand. There’s endless proof in the numbers, but beyond that, the film is filled with stunning animation and a heartfelt story that is worthy of a nomination.
Yes, the name LEGO is attached, and toy-to-movie type scenarios aren’t always the most impressive pieces, but this story was different. It follows Emmet Brickowski (voiced by Chris Pratt). Emmet is a rule-follower, he doesn’t stray beyond his everyday monotonous life, and enjoys the simplicity in it. But when he is mistaken as "The Special", a person destined to stop the villain, Lord Business and his super-weapon, "Kragle", Emmet’s whole world starts to change in front of him (literally, LEGO pieces are flying and building into anything/everything). The story is filled with action and comedy, cool explosions and gut-wrenching laughs, but the best part of the film is the message it leaves behind.
The story within the film (spoiler ahead) is created by a real-life boy, Finn who doesn’t like to follow the instructions that come with the set. He uses imagination to make wildly creative ships, cars, buildings, and beyond the physical objects, a story so good a movie was made out of it. But the main villain of the film, Lord Business, is based on young Finn’s father, who uses super glue aka "Kragle" to complete his LEGO sets exactly the way the instructions intend, and does not like Finn touching his rule-abiding creations. It is up to Finn to show his father the power of imagination and creativity, and that there are other ways to see LEGOs (and the world?) then just by following the rules.
The evil of straining a child’s creativity or of telling him not to use the power of his imagination is a strong message to all the parent’s who took their children to see this film. By the end, Finn’s father sees the beauty in being different and in using one’s imagination. By breaking through, the connection between father and son becomes much more whole. It’s a truly inspired and original animated film with brilliant narrative choices as well as animation that somehow went entirely over the Oscar voter's heads.
But don't worry, director of the film, Phil Lord had the perfect response to the snub. Lord's film taught us that being creative with LEGOs is more rewarding than following the instructions, so creating his own award and knowing that the film and message reached millions of people, still proves worthy of an exclamation.
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View from the Marketplace
IoT: The Internet of Tomatoes
ADI hopes its pioneering agricultural experiment will yield juicier, tastier tomatoes.
by MIT Technology Review Insights
On the outside, New England–grown tomatoes look much like tomatoes grown anywhere else. But in terms of flavor, they’re rarely anybody’s first choice. In fact, New England tomatoes are more likely to end up in soup or as ketchup than sliced for sandwiches or drizzled with olive oil and served with basil and mozzarella.
Determined to find out why the region’s tomatoes are comparatively tasteless, Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) started its Internet of Tomatoes project. This precision agriculture experiment uses technologies such as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and sensors to figure out whether environmental monitoring could improve flavor.
The project stems from a 2014 MEMS & Sensors Industry Group conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. There, keynote speaker Francis Gouillart, president of the Experience Co-Creation Partnership, an education and consulting firm, challenged attendees to use technology to improve basic human needs: water, food, energy, health care, education, and freedom. ADI decided to tackle the food factor by examining two facets of tomatoes that could be remedied: temperature measurements and growing-degree days, a heat index used to predict when a crop will reach maturity.
The Hardware of Tomatoes
ADI launched its project in January 2015 with several local farm partners to test technology that could survive in the fields, connect to the cloud to send data gathered from sensors, and deliver information to farmers in real time. Among the initial challenges, the first farm on the project had no usable power or Internet access, which raised the issue of how to transfer data from environmental sensors in the field to the cloud. ADI examined different technologies, but it ultimately chose low-energy wireless Bluetooth sensors that connect to handheld devices hardy enough to survive New England’s unpredictable and often harsh weather. “Choosing the right devices is critical because they have to survive out there. We have to consider the temperature range and the New England weather,” says Rob O’Reilly, a senior technical advisor at ADI who’s been involved with the project since it began.
ADI is currently working on a complete package: temperature sensor, cloud provider, and gateways—the sum of which will be a turnkey solution that farmers could use to grow tastier tomatoes. Meanwhile, it’s still addressing battery life and condensation issues. “Every morning, everything is covered in dew,” O’Reilly notes. “Keeping the sensors dry in the morning dew can be a challenge.”
Leveraging “Growing-Degree Days”
Other analytics useful to farmers include growing-degree days. The average tomato’s growing-degree day cycle is 1,300 days, but, of course, that measurement doesn’t refer to actual days. Instead, it reflects a heat accumulation calculated using the average daily maximum and minimum temperatures in the farm’s location and compared with a base temperature. This formula determines when tomatoes should be harvested, as well as the effectiveness of the integrated pest-management system. Add in the gestation cycle of beetles and other insects that feast on tomato crops, and farmers know not only how long the plants have been growing and maturing, but also when the pests can be expected—all thanks to the data.
Another component of harvesting, knowing exactly when to harvest, has usually been managed by feel rather than science. But the Internet of Tomatoes adds data-gathering sensors and analytics that help farmers determine the optimal time to pluck their ripe tomatoes from the vines.
The Chemistry of Tomatoes
ADI, along with its farm partners, is working toward developing a chemistry profile that helps identify what elements make the tomatoes juicy and delicious. “We’re building a database around it to measure the quality of the tomato—not just individual items, but the taste profile,” O’Reilly says.
These measurements have revealed that the chemistry of New England tomatoes differs from their tastier counterparts from other parts of the world. They don’t have high fructose, glucose, or salt content—which is why when most people grab a New England–grown tomato, they also grab a salt shaker. “When you compare them to an Italian tomato, they’re not even close,” O’Reilly says, noting that from an aesthetic perspective, the New England tomatoes look like any other. But on the inside, the chemistry doesn’t match up, according to ADI’s analysis of thousands of tomatoes.
ADI is also seeking a non-invasive way to test tomatoes for their chemistry profiles without destroying the tomatoes. Currently, testers puree and pipette tomatoes into lenses to test for the different elements: fructose, sucrose, glucose, and salinity. ADI also measures the tomatoes’ Brix during testing—that is, their carbohydrate and mineral levels.
In addition to a tomato’s chemistry, its health is also critical. Lycopene is an antioxidant that affects not only the red color of the tomato, but also its quality. ADI’s goal is to look at acids, sugars, nutrients, and other measurable markers with the same technology as that used for tomato testing to assess the health and overall nutritional value of the tomato. “We have a non-destructive optical approach in the works so we don’t have to destroy the tomatoes we want to test,” O’Reilly says. That approach is a “tomato tricorder”—think of a Star Trek–inspired device to scan the tomatoes, using nearfield infrared technology like what is used in night-vision goggles.
Going Beyond Tastier Tomatoes
Although a precision design kit with some components will be released soon, ADI’s ultimate goal is to develop a kit for farmers to use, one that not only contains temperature and humidity sensors but also the components necessary to set up the system for data-gathering and tomato-scanning. Users will access the gateway and cloud via IOS or Android devices. Optical technology will measure the soil, leaf, and stem lengths and their stress levels.
Ultimately, the data collection will help create models to predict growth, bugs, and the all-important question of when to water. “Overwatering and humidity are the source of tomato crops being wiped out,” O’Reilly notes. “Farmers can lose a lot of tomatoes due to white blight mold and bug infestation.”
O’Reilly and his colleagues at ADI are also investigating other problems, including root stress and vapor pressure deficit (the difference between theoretical pressure and the actual pressure from humidity, which causes leaf stress). Mitigating those issues could lead to better-tasting tomatoes. Much of the data is being crowdsourced from the precision-design kit released last winter.
The potential economic impact to farmers is huge. “Getting the most from every crop is vitally important to them. A very large company can help without a huge amount of effort, and that’s why we’re doing this,” O’Reilly says. “Ultimately, farmers focus on where their tomatoes sit on the quality scale so that when they sell their harvest, it’s not going to the ketchup shelves”—but instead to higher-paying, more prestigious outlets such as supermarkets and restaurants.
In the long term, according to O’Reilly and his project colleagues, ADI’s Internet of Tomatoes project isn’t just about testing tomatoes. Instead, it’s part of a larger Internet of Things (IoT) effort intended to open the door for other optical applications for more crops and even for non-agricultural products.
“We’ve built our own IoT Farm lab at our Wilmington, Massachusetts, campus to further explore additional smart agriculture–sensing opportunities,” notes John Patrick O’Connor, an ADI senior systems application engineer. “Our ambition with smart agriculture is to provide ubiquitous sensing capabilities and easy-to-understand and factual data to growers worldwide,” adds Michael Murray, ADI’s general manager of industrial sensing. “This approach to crowdsourced, accurate, and economical data will help provide better outcomes for growers, higher-quality produce for consumers, and a socially sustainable business for ADI.”
Analog Devices’ technologies form the foundation of groundbreaking IoT solutions by sensing, measuring, and interpreting the world around us to bridge the physical and digital domains. For more information, please visit www.analog.com/IoT.
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What is possible when arranging a funeral?
When a loved one dies, a lot has to be arranged in a short time. To help you with this, we have listed a number of important points so that you can always find this information. In addition, your funeral director will support you during this difficult period.
Before the funeral
Planning in advance and recording your wishes regarding the funeral gives peace of mind. Not only for you, but also for your loved ones. PC Uitvaart has a number of options for this. You can fill in the funeral wishes form or make an appointment with one of our funeral advisers. They work with you on your funeral wishes and record and store them.
Funerals for every religion, background and culture
PC Uitvaart was originally an Amsterdam organization, and as the city has changed since 1931, so have funerals. PC Uitvaart is a specialist in providing funerals for every background, religion and culture.
'"From pastries, chocolates and sandwiches to snacks, cheese plates or even a complete dinner!"' Catering
For catering for a funeral, people usually think of coffee and cake. This is of course a possibility, but much more is also possible. From pastries, chocolates and sandwiches to snacks, cheese plates or even a complete dinner! This allows you to organize the ceremony entirely according to your personal taste, wishes and budget. We are happy to give you some inspiration with a selection from our range. Tip: In addition to this impression, much more is possible, please contact PC Uitvaart.
Check out all possibilities
'"With a coffin you can make the funeral even more personal."' Coffins
The developments around coffins have not stopped. Will you opt for a budget-friendly coffin with oak veneer or an ecological coffin made of FSC wood? Or do you want a painted coffin, perhaps a reed coffin or a shroud? With a coffin you can make the funeral even more personal. The top 6 most-chosen coffins can be found above, let yourself be inspired by the examples. There are many possibilities to finish a coffin according to your personal preference. Please contact your PC Uitvaart for this. Based on your wishes, we will look for the coffin that best suits your needs.
Funeral cards
'"A funeral card is so much more than a formal announcement of death"' Funeral
A funeral card is so much more than a formal announcement of death. How do you make a funeral card that fits a unique life? The card plays a special role, and the design is also becoming increasingly important and personal. Many immediate family members, friends and acquaintances leave the card in sight for some time. We are happy to inspire you with a selection from our range. This is by no means complete, as you can also opt for metallic paper and multiple sizes. Please contact PC Uitvaart for a personal card. We are happy to work with you on a fitting and personal design.
Funeral flowers, funeral bouquets and wreaths set the atmosphere at a funeral. These can be custom made as desired, to suit the deceased. After the ceremony, the next of kin can take the flowers home as a reminder of the day, or they can be placed near the ashes field. Looking for the meaning of a specific funeral flower? Above you will find a number of examples of funeral bouquets. Your funeral director has access to a flower book with beautiful examples. Please contact us for more information about funeral flowers.
Funeral transportation
Funeral transportation of the deceased is traditionally done with a hearse. But did you know that you can also design that last stage differently? For a traditional funeral, PC Uitvaart uses silver-grey Mercedes hearses. The next of kin can use procession vehicles. Hearses are also available in other colours. With a colourfully painted hearse or an old-timer, you can give a personal touch to the transportation of the deceased. Do you think a hearse is a bit too traditional? There are many more possibilities to make the funeral even more personal.
With the funeral bus, you can travel with a larger group of people to the funeral location together with the deceased. Also unique is the funeral lorrie. Many lorry drivers or people working in transport and logistics choose this unique funeral transportation. Fanatic biker? Then take a look at the Mourning Harley. The funeral carriage is particularly stylish. The deceased is transported in a white or black carriage with white and/or black horses.
'"For a funeral, you are free to choose a funeral location."' Locations
For a funeral, you are free to choose a funeral location. You can of course use one of the PC Uitvaart locations, where you have the choice, for example, between an assembly hall for large groups or an intimate family room for a smaller group. The time, length and design of the service is all entirely up to you.
For many people, religion plays an important role in their lives. PC Uitvaart also has a great deal of experience with religious funerals. The service can take place in a house of worship, after which the burial or cremation takes place at one of the PC Uitvaart locations. Afterwards, there is time for condolences in the funeral home.
Around the funeral
Every person is unique, which makes every funeral a unique ceremony. Moreover, a great deal has to be arranged around a funeral. We have listed the most important things for you, such as possibilities and collections in terms of location, coffin, catering, funeral cards, hearse and funeral flowers.
After the funeral
According to Dutch law, the ashes may be released 30 days after the cremation. You can then collect the ashes at the location where the cremation took place. In addition to scattering, it is possible to store the ashes in a decorative urn, or to place them in, for example, an urn niche. It is also possible to process the ashes into ash jewellery. Please contact PC Uitvaart for information about this. We can send you a brochure with urns and ash jewellery. For a burial, there is a choice of all kinds of grave monuments, from stone to glass. You can also contact us about this.
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Aeva Becomes First 4D LiDAR Integrated Into Intempora RTMaps
Integration Accelerates Development and Deployment of Next Generation Automated Driving Solutions
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Intempora, a dSPACE company and pioneer in advanced software solutions for autonomous driving, and Aeva® (NYSE: AEVA), a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, today announced that Aeva’s Aeries™ 4D LiDAR™ sensors, including Aeries II, have been integrated into Intempora’s RTMaps (Real-Time Multisensor applications) software platform. RTMaps allows engineers to accelerate the development and deployment of next generation automated driving solutions including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and fully autonomous vehicles.
“Bringing Aeva’s next generation 4D LiDAR to the RTMaps platform is a significant step forward for developers working on the forefront of automated vehicle technology,” said James Reuther, Vice President of Technology at Aeva. “With this integration, they are now able to take advantage of Aeva’s unique capabilities and 4D data in the integration of ADAS and autonomous vehicle platforms.”
Aeva 4D LiDAR sensors use Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology to deliver unique sensing and perception capabilities not possible with legacy time-of-flight 3D LiDAR sensors to enable the next wave of driver assistance and autonomous vehicle capabilities, including:
Instant Velocity Detection: Directly detect velocity for each point in addition to 3D position to perceive where things are and precisely how fast they are moving.
Ultra Long Range Performance: Detect and track dynamic objects such as oncoming vehicles and other moving objects at distances up to 500 meters.
Ultra Resolution™: A real-time camera-level image providing up to 20 times the resolution of 3D LiDAR sensors.
Semantic Segmentation: Real-time segmentation enables the detection of roadway markings, drivable regions, vegetation, road barriers, as well as detecting road hazards like tire fragments at up to twice the distance of 3D LiDAR sensors.
4D Localization™: Per-point velocity data enables real-time vehicle motion estimation with six degrees of freedom to enable accurate vehicle positioning and navigation without the need for additional sensors, like IMU or GPS.
“Aeva’s 4D LiDAR technology with instant velocity detection allows automated vehicles to detect and classify objects with higher confidence across longer ranges,” said Nicolas du Lac, CEO at Intempora. “We are pleased to enable Aeva on the RTMaps platform and provide our users and customers with access to the next generation of sensing and perception technology.”
RTMaps is a reliable middleware with a complete software stack to develop, test and deploy algorithms and advanced software functions for mobility. Trusted by OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers for over 20 years, RTMaps allows developers to easily develop, test, benchmark and validate multi-sensor applications for ADAS and autonomous vehicles. The software efficiently integrates and manages large amounts of data generated by different sensors such as cameras, radars, lidars, GNSS, and IMU, especially in the field of complex real-time systems like autonomous driving where large amounts of data are collected on the road.
About Intempora
Intempora is a leading software company, pioneer in providing advanced and innovative software tools for autonomous solutions since over 20 years. Founded in 2000, from the research performed at the Center of Robotics of Mines ParisTech and has over two decades of experience in complex real-time systems such as mobile robotics, human machine interfaces, ADAS and AD. Intempora works closely with OEMs and Tier1 all over the world to fit the expectation of the automotive industry. Since 2019, Intempora is a subsidiary company from dSPACE group. Together we provide a seamless end-to-end toolchain for autonomous driving. For more information, visit www.intempora.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Aeva Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: AEVA)
Aeva’s mission is to bring the next wave of perception to a broad range of applications from automated driving to industrial robotics, consumer electronics, consumer health, security and beyond. Aeva is transforming autonomy with its groundbreaking sensing and perception technology that integrates all key LiDAR components onto a silicon photonics chip in a compact module. Aeva 4D LiDAR sensors uniquely detect instant velocity in addition to 3D position, allowing autonomous devices like vehicles and robots to make more intelligent and safe decisions. For more information, visit www.aeva.com, or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Aeva, the Aeva logo, 4D LiDAR, Aeries, Ultra Resolution, 4D Perception, and 4D Localization are trademarks/registered trademarks of Aeva, Inc. All rights reserved. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to material risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements in this press release include our beliefs regarding the benefits anticipated from the integration of Aeva’s technology with Intempora’s RTMaps, Aeva’s product capabilities and possible uses for its technology. For a further discussion of the material risks and other important factors that could affect our financial results, please refer to our filings with the SEC, including our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, which are hereby incorporated by reference. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Aeva assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Aeva does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
Michael Oldenburg
Florian Michel
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namespace bpt = boost::property_tree;
namespace {
void test_tilejson_fetch() {
char cwd[PATH_MAX];
if (getcwd(&cwd[0], PATH_MAX) == NULL) { throw std::runtime_error("getcwd failed"); }
bpt::ptree conf = avecado::tilejson((boost::format("file://%1%/test/tilejson.json") % cwd).str());
test::assert_equal<int>(conf.get<int>("maskLevel"), 8, "maskLevel");
test::assert_equal<int>(conf.get<int>("maxzoom"), 15, "maxzoom");
test::assert_equal<int>(conf.get<int>("minzoom"), 0, "minzoom");
}
// TODO: this is a pretty awful test, and isn't able to dig any deeper than
// the overzoom, not even to inspect it. might need an upgrade to how the
// built-in HTTP server works so that we can do more with these tests...
void test_tilejson_parse() {
using namespace avecado;
char cwd[PATH_MAX];
if (getcwd(&cwd[0], PATH_MAX) == NULL) { throw std::runtime_error("getcwd failed"); }
bpt::ptree conf = tilejson((boost::format("file://%1%/test/tilejson.json") % cwd).str());
std::unique_ptr<fetcher> f = make_tilejson_fetcher(conf);
fetch::overzoom *o = dynamic_cast<fetch::overzoom *>(f.get());
test::assert_equal<bool>(o != nullptr, true, "is overzoom");
}
// utility function to create TileJSON from Mapnik XML.
std::string tile_json_for_xml(const std::string xml) {
using test::make_map;
using avecado::make_tilejson;
char cwd[PATH_MAX];
if (getcwd(&cwd[0], PATH_MAX) == NULL) { throw std::runtime_error("getcwd failed"); }
mapnik::Map map = make_map(xml, 256, 0, 0, 0);
std::string json = make_tilejson(map, (boost::format("file://%1%/") % cwd).str());
return json;
}
// https://github.com/MapQuest/avecado/issues/54
//
// maxzoom, minzoom & metatile (masklevel, presumably, too) are all
// supposed to be numeric, but are being generated as strings.
//
// the 2.1.0 tilejson spec doesn't specify metatile or masklevel,
// but we'll just assume they're supposed to be integers too.
void test_tilejson_generate_numeric() {
using namespace boost::xpressive;
for (auto &xml : {"test/empty_map_file.xml", "test/tilejson_params.xml"}) {
try {
// this test is kinda half-assed, what with the regex and all...
// but it should work to detect the difference between a JSON
// string and a number.
const std::string json = tile_json_for_xml(xml);
for (auto ¶m : {"metatile", "maskLevel", "minzoom", "maxzoom"}) {
// first, need to check if the key is present at all. if not,
// then it doesn't make sense to check that it's a number.
// NOTE: this is /"${param}" *:/
sregex is_present = as_xpr('"') >> param >> '"' >> *space >> as_xpr(':');
if (regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_present)) {
// if present, we check if the value begins with a valid number
// prefix: an optional minus sign and then digits. this might
// match invalid JSON, but the validity of generated JSON is a
// test we'll have to do elsewhere.
sregex is_number = as_xpr('"') >> param >> '"' >> *space >> as_xpr(':')
>> *space >> !as_xpr('-') >> +digit;
if (!regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_number)) {
throw std::runtime_error(
(boost::format("Parameter \"%1%\" should be a number, but is not "
"in TileJSON: %2%") % param % json).str());
}
}
}
// Some params need to be arrays of integers
for (auto ¶m : {"center", "bounds"}) {
// The same check as above for presense
sregex is_present = as_xpr('"') >> param >> '"' >> *space >> as_xpr(':');
if (regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_present)) {
sregex is_array = as_xpr('"') >> param >> '"' >> *space >> as_xpr(':')
>> *space >> as_xpr('[');
if (!regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_array)) {
throw std::runtime_error(
(boost::format("Parameter \"%1%\" should be an array of numbers, but is not "
"in TileJSON: %2%") % param % json).str());
}
}
}
} catch (const std::exception &e) {
std::throw_with_nested(
std::runtime_error(
(boost::format("while processing XML file \"%1%\"") % xml).str()));
}
}
}
// same as the above test, but we force Mapnik to store strings
// in its parameter list so that we have to convert to numeric
// before outputting to JSON.
void test_tilejson_generate_numeric_force() {
using namespace boost::xpressive;
using test::make_map;
using avecado::make_tilejson;
char cwd[PATH_MAX];
if (getcwd(&cwd[0], PATH_MAX) == NULL) { throw std::runtime_error("getcwd failed"); }
mapnik::Map map = make_map("test/empty_map_file.xml", 256, 0, 0, 0);
map.get_extra_parameters().emplace("maxzoom", mapnik::value_holder(std::string("0")));
std::string json = make_tilejson(map, (boost::format("file://%1%/") % cwd).str());
sregex is_present = as_xpr("\"maxzoom\"") >> *space >> as_xpr(':');
if (!regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_present)) {
throw std::runtime_error(
(boost::format("maxzoom key not in generated JSON: %1%") % json).str());
}
sregex is_number = as_xpr("\"maxzoom\"") >> *space >> as_xpr(':')
>> *space >> !as_xpr('-') >> +digit;
if (!regex_search(json.begin(), json.end(), is_number)) {
throw std::runtime_error(
(boost::format("Parameter \"maxzoom\" should be a number, but is not "
"in TileJSON: %1%") % json).str());
}
}
void test_tilejson_generate_masklevel() {
using test::make_map;
using avecado::make_tilejson;
test::temp_dir tmp;
std::string base_url = (boost::format("file://%1%/") % tmp.path().native()).str();
mapnik::Map map = make_map("test/empty_map_file.xml", 256, 0, 0, 0);
for (int maxzoom = 0; maxzoom < 23; ++maxzoom) {
map.get_extra_parameters().erase("maxzoom");
map.get_extra_parameters().emplace("maxzoom", mapnik::value_integer(maxzoom));
const std::string json = make_tilejson(map, base_url);
const std::string json_file = (tmp.path() / "tile.json").native();
std::ofstream out(json_file);
out.write(json.data(), json.size());
out.close();
bpt::ptree conf = avecado::tilejson((boost::format("%1%tile.json") % base_url).str());
test::assert_equal<mapnik::value_integer>(
map.get_extra_parameters().find("maxzoom")->second.get<mapnik::value_integer>(),
mapnik::value_integer(maxzoom), "maxzoom parameter");
test::assert_equal<size_t>(map.get_extra_parameters().count("maskLevel"), 0,
"maskLevel presence in original parameters");
test::assert_equal<int>(conf.get<int>("maxzoom"), maxzoom, "maxzoom");
test::assert_equal<int>(conf.get<int>("maskLevel"), maxzoom, "maskLevel");
}
}
} // anonymous namespace
int main() {
int tests_failed = 0;
std::cout << "== Testing TileJSON parsing ==" << std::endl << std::endl;
#define RUN_TEST(x) { tests_failed += test::run(#x, &(x)); }
RUN_TEST(test_tilejson_fetch);
RUN_TEST(test_tilejson_parse);
RUN_TEST(test_tilejson_generate_numeric);
RUN_TEST(test_tilejson_generate_numeric_force);
RUN_TEST(test_tilejson_generate_masklevel);
std::cout << " >> Tests failed: " << tests_failed << std::endl << std::endl;
return (tests_failed > 0) ? 1 : 0;
}
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Overweight and obese women -- defined as having a BMI (body mass index) over 25 -- have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight, especially after menopause. Being overweight also can increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back (recurrence) in women who have had the disease. This higher risk is because fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body, and estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers develop and grow.
Diet is thought to be partly responsible for about 30% to 40% of all cancers. No food or diet can prevent you from getting breast cancer. But some foods can make your body the healthiest it can be and help keep your risk for breast cancer as low as possible. Research has shown that getting nutrients from a variety of foods, especially fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, can make you feel your best and give your body the energy it needs. Eating food grown without pesticides may protect against unhealthy cell changes associated with pesticide use in animal studies.
Research shows a link between exercising regularly at a moderate or intense level for 4 to 7 hours per week and a lower risk of breast cancer. Exercise consumes and controls blood sugar and limits blood levels of insulin growth factor, a hormone that can affect how breast cells grow and behave. People who exercise regularly tend to be healthier and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
Compared to women who don't drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer. Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink a woman regularly has each day. Research consistently shows that drinking alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Alcohol also may increase breast cancer risk by damaging DNA in cells.
Check out the Breastcancer.org Lower Your Risk section for more information on breast cancer risk factors.
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Shock and Awe 2
successor to Shock and Awe whose feed no longer seems to be working properly - original blog + archive remains here: http://shockandawesimonreynolds.blogspot.com/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the blog of the Simon Reynolds book about glam and artpop of the 1970s and its aftershocks and reflections to this day
"Send in the clowns" - antitheatricality + politics - the Comeback!
A not-wholly unexpected resurgence of anti-theatrical tropesm with special emphasis on the circus, has erupted within political commentary, triggered by last week's GOP clown show of the House Speaker selection process in Congress, which occasioned much talk of how the new breed of MAGA congresspersons are "performance artists" as opposed to people interested in legislation or policy, and whose only concern is to appear on right-wing TV.
For instance here is a bit from The Atlantic's newsletter:
The Ringmaster
Now controlled by its most unhinged members, the Republican Party has returned to power in the People’s House. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the ringmaster of this circus, is happily paying off his debts by engaging in petty payback, conjuring up inane committees, threatening to crash the U.S. economy, and protecting a walking monument to fraud named George Santos, who may or may not actually be named “George Santos.”
In the enduring words of Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends….
Kevin McCarthy will be fine with all of it, as long as he gets to wear the top hat and red tails while indulging in the fantasy that he is in control of the clowns and wild animals, and not the other way around.
Or this column from the Washington Post by Dana Milbank which invokes the "bread and circuses" idea
“Speaker McCarthy needs to stop ‘bread and circuses’ in Congress and start governing for a change,” [Republican Victoria] Spartz said in a statement objecting to the “charade” of kicking members off their committees.
It was an apt invocation of the Roman writer Juvenal’s lament 2,000 years ago that the people had abdicated their duties as citizens of the Republic in favor of “bread and circuses” provided by their imperial rulers.
... In truth, the new majority doesn’t have much bread to dole out (aside from the free doughnuts and Chick-fil-A that Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) offered reporters this week in lieu of answers about his fabricated life story). But it has more clown acts than could fill the Circus Maximus....
[spare you the details on the nonsense and chaos, stuff about Republican congresstwats shoehorning
Taylor Swift and Marvin Gaye lyrics into speeches etc etc]
"With so many committees overloaded with loons, it’s but a matter of time until things blow up. In an embrace of mayhem, the National Republican Campaign Committee adopted as its new slogan “bring the tiger,” Politico’s Olivia Beavers reports. That’s a reference to a mock lip-reading video of McCarthy’s famous fight on the House floor this month with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in which McCarthy says “I brought the tiger.”
Yep. He brought the tiger, and now he must ride it. This is life in the circus."
One question is when this "theatrical turn" started its rot within the GOP in particular and politics in general.
Charles M. Blow, in the New York Times, traces it back to Sarah Palin
"Palin exposed a dangerous reality about the Republican base: that it was starving for disruption and spectacle, that it would cheer for anyone who annoyed liberals, that performance was far more important than competence."
Later Republicans "learned a lesson born during the Palin years: Spectacle produced fame, which produced power, which produced influence and possibly control...."
The person who exploited the new situation to the utmost was the person who already thought like Palin, who understood the power of image and projection instinctively: Trump.
Then came the mini-Trumps.
"During the Trump era, the Marjorie Taylor Greenes of the party became rock stars among the base, even if they were jokes among their colleagues."
Talking of politicians as rock stars...
In a bit of a reach, National Review's Jim Geraghty pens an op-ed for Washington Post, blaming it all on MTV's Rock the Vote campaign and its promotion of the notion that politicians needed to be "cool" and entertaining.
"Everyone has a theory about why American politics today is so awful.
"I blame MTV.
"More specifically, I blame the music channel’s “Rock the Vote” campaign in the early 1990s. That’s the moment when the tastemakers of popular culture decided the widespread perception that politics isn’t cool was a problem to be solved. Politics had to be made cool. And therefore not boring.
"Call today’s politics whatever you like, but it isn’t boring. I can hear the defenses of “Rock the Vote”: That’s unfair! Politics and entertainment have long overlapped — even Richard M. Nixon was on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” in 1968 saying “Sock it to me?”
"But there’s a difference between politicians trying to be entertaining and politicians seeing their role as primarily being an entertainer."
"... It wasn’t hard to discern MTV’s preference among the presidential options of the 68-year-old World War II vet incumbent, the nutty billionaire Texan with the charts, and the cool guy in dark sunglasses who played the saxophone on “The Arsenio Hall Show.”
"A few years later, John F. Kennedy Jr. came along with George magazine, “a lifestyle magazine with politics at its core,” giving political figures (Gerald Ford, Madeleine Albright, Pat Schroeder) the Hollywood treatment — when it wasn’t doing the same for actual celebrities (Kate Moss, George Clooney, Madonna — her again). Almost every page and profile and article screamed at readers: Hey, Americans! We know you think politics is boring, but look how cool and fashionable and fascinating these people are!
"With celebrities dressed up on the cover as Betsy Ross (Barbra Streisand) or Abraham Lincoln (Harrison Ford), and the inside relatively devoid of discussions of government policy, George offered a version of politics for Americans who weren’t that interested in politics. Lots of sweet frosting, almost no cake."
Despite closing in 2001, "from today’s perspective, George was just ahead of its time."
He says people expect instant gratification and total satisfaction from their political-consumer choices in the way that they do from their entertainment-consumer choices.
"Legislation isn’t like that. You’re going to have to compromise and get a bunch of stuff you don’t want. This hard fact of life is very much at odds with our on-demand consumer culture. Your music playlist, online reading list and video streaming options can be completely customized to your tastes, shaped by an algorithm. Legislation passed for the entire country or an entire state can’t."
And to keep people engaged, everything has to be dramatic, in both the eye-catching, shape-throwing (or shit-throwing) sense and the "all is doomed / all is saved" hype senses.
"Maintaining people’s interest in politics week after week, month after month, requires convincing them that the stakes are always huge, inescapable and irreversible: This is the most important election of our lifetime! If we get this one wrong, there’s no coming back!
"The circus of politics means there’s never a shortage of doom-scrolling material on your phone. There’s always some new outrageous comment, some idiot state legislator you’ve never heard of proposing something ridiculous and blatantly unconstitutional. Every day, you can find some evidence to convince yourself that the inmates are now running the asylum, and that you, commonsense-blessed citizen, are an endangered minority."
Biden tried to go back to normal - a President who doesn't need to be in the people's faces all the time. (Only to get complaints that he was keeping too low a profile, wasn't communicating enough with the electorate).
"The implicit promise of Joe Biden’s presidential run was that he’d work to make politics boring again, as he had for half a century. Didn’t happen. But that was the right idea."
"... This isn’t a call for not voting, for not paying attention during times of crises such as the Great Recession or the pandemic — or for yawning and shrugging off bad behavior by elected leaders or candidates for public office. This is just a plea — for politicians and the electorate — to stop regarding the federal government and 50 state governments as a stage for a giant, inescapable, never-ending reality show."
Forgotten what inspired this Molly Jong-Fast tweet, but it seems indicative:
I saw the best (ish) minds of my generation destroyed by main character syndrome, starving hysterical naked, whatever ….
The concept of "main character syndrome" or "main character energy" - and related theatrical-ish tropes ("hero ingredient" as heard on the British Bake-off show) seem related to this creeping cos-play superhero / videogame-atizing thing that seems to be at work with a lot of contemporary stuff (conspiracy theory that puts you in the role of code-breaker, investigator, researcher.... the yearning to be a figure of destiny, a savior, a rebel against the Dark Forces). C.f. Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death and the lure of "hero projects" as a refusal to come to terms with one's insignificance.
Rounding things up, an opinion piece at WaPo by David Von Drehle that argues that the Biden-secret-papers-in-the-garage embarrassment-induced collapse of the Classified Papers at Mar-A-Lago potential indictment of Trump would actually be a good thing, depriving the attention-craving ex-Prez of the media prominence he needs to recharge his dwindled reelection prospects by amping up his presence on the national stage.
"But it can’t be noted often enough: Only one person has occupied both the Oval Office and the world wrestling hall of fame. He got there by turning conflict into celebrity and celebrity into votes. Rather than reboot the old show as a courtroom drama, we must call off the conflict that feeds the beast."
Labels: ANTITHEATRICALITY, CIRCUS, CLOWN SHOW, CLOWNS, GOP, POLITICS, POLITICS AS SHOWBIZ, RINGMASTER, TRUMP
Matt M January 22, 2023 at 3:44 PM
Well actually, I think you can track back the current theatricality of Reps to the end of the Cold War. The modern, fusionist conservative movement came into being in opposition to Communism. Once the Soviet Union fell, it kinda lost its way (it was briefly revived by the threat of Islamic terror). Whilst Reagan was a literal former actor, he had an actual, external enemy to posture against. Newt Gingrich was really the first of the post-Cold War performatively conservative politicians. Geraghty is right on the timing but wrong on the cause. He also neglects the fact that Clinton wasn't just a dude in sunglasses but was also a total policy wonk.
Some good reflections here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-right-wing-media-ate-the-republican-party/id1548604447?i=1000595640513
A not-wholly unexpected resurgence of anti-theatrical tropesm with special emphasis on the circus, has erupted within political commentary, ...
Sparks and American Rock Critics - a Hate Story
One star review and skin-crawly loathing from an early '90s edition of Rolling Stone Albums Guide - not sure who M.C. is (Mark Colem...
Anti-theatricality + politics - Grand Finale!
The revelation that Trump is an obsessive fan of Sunset Boulevard almost buggers belief. From Olivia Nuzzi 's New York magazine glimp...
Wizzo and chops
Well! Despite having written an encompassing history of glam rock I somehow failed to notice that in 1975 following the disintegration of Wi...
Dreams, Built By Hand - experimental animation and weird short films
Blissblog - the Reynolds hub
Energy Flash - a blog where it's the 1990s still
FAVES / UNFAVES - my end of year, end of decade lists, and other nonsense from a habitual and compulsive ranker
Hardly Baked 2 - my drivel blog
Retromania - anything and everything spinning off the zones covered in Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction To Its Own Past
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AMERICAN RECEPTION OF GLAM
AMERICAN ROCK CRITICS
ANTHONY NEWLEY
ANTI-FASHION
ANTI-GLAM
ANTITHEATRICALITY
CLOWN SHOW
CULTURAL TERRORISM
DAVID ROTHKOPF
ELECTRIC WARRIOR
HYSERIA
NORMA DESMOND
POLITICS AS SHOWBIZ
POPERA
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ZOMBIE ARTFORMS
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Quiz: What % Cynical Are You?: HowStuffWorks
What % Cynical Are You?
By: Brian Whitney
Image: PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images
When it comes right down to it, what sort of attitude do you have toward life? Do you think that good things will happen to you and your loved ones and that people are inherently good? Or do you think that people will just let you down in the end? If you chose the latter, then you're definitely cynical.
Being cynical doesn't mean things aren't going to work out for you, but it does have a lot to do with how you look at life. Let's say, for example, you just met someone that you really like, and you've started to date them. If you think that this person might just be the love of your life you probably are not cynical. But if you believe that this person doesn't really like you a whole lot, is probably cheating on you right off the bat, and is only dating you for your money or your looks, then you might just be a tad bit cynical.
Take this quiz, and we'll tell you what % cynical you are. That is, if you think it's worth it and not a total waste of your time. These things are never right anyway.
Your friend is volunteering at a soup kitchen, what do you think about that?
They're just doing it to brag about it later.
They just feel guilty about their privilege.
They probably won't like it.
That's super nice of them.
What do you think of people in happy relationships?
They're probably secretly cheating on each other.
They won't last.
It's too bad I can't find that.
How nice for them.
Someone asked you to go out with them, what do you do?
Say no, it will never work out.
Say no, they're just going to cancel on me.
Say yes, but get super nervous about it.
Say yes, how fun!
You just had a really great day, how do you feel?
Wary
Your boss asked you to take on a project, how do you feel about that?
Worried
Someone cut you off in traffic--what is your first thought?
That jerk is going to kill someone.
I'm lucky I wasn't killed.
Some people really should be more careful.
He must not have noticed me.
Do you think people need to earn your trust?
Most of the time I do.
No, I trust most people.
No, I trust just about everyone.
On your way to work you stepped in dog poop, how do you react?
I get totally angry because these things always happen to me.
I get irritated that people would be so thoughtless.
I get a little upset.
Who cares? These things happen.
Do you often wonder why people just won't shut up?
With quite a few people I do.
Not that often
No, I don't think I ever think that.
How many times a day do you sigh?
I sigh all day long.
Quite a bit
I don't think I sigh at all.
Someone just wrote you a romantic poem, how do you feel about that?
Seriously? How lame.
That's super creepy.
Well, it's kind of sweet.
What a nice thing to do.
Do you doubt what you hear until you do your own research?
Yes, pretty much always
Usually, I do.
It depends on the source.
No, I believe most things I hear.
Someone in the restaurant you're eating at is proposing; what are your thoughts?
It's totally lame.
I don't really care.
It's kind of sweet.
How romantic!
You see two people making out on the beach; what do you think?
Get a room.
It's kind of cute.
That's so nice.
Do you think that if people work hard they can achieve anything?
Well, not really
In some situations
I sure do.
Do you worry a lot about being alone when you're old?
Sometimes I do.
I never do.
Someone just told you that you look nice, what is your first thought?
What do they want from me?
Leave me alone.
That's nice, but I feel awkward.
So nice of them to say that.
Your best friend has decided to pursue art as a career; do you think it will work out?
That isn't smart.
That's brave of them.
How wonderful for them
Can you enjoy a book if you don't like the main protagonist?
Sure, I prefer that.
I can if I am in the mood.
No, that isn't really my thing.
No, I hate that.
Your friend told a story about their recent trip to Europe, are you interested?
No, what a showoff
No, it was dull.
It's kind of interesting.
I was so happy to hear it.
Do you tend to hate things that are popular?
I pretty much always do. Trends are lame.
I do quite often for some reason.
I don't know, I just like what I like.
No, I love popular things.
What do you think of Russel Brand?
I hate him.
He's OK.
I love him.
Are you an optimist, a pessimist or a realist?
I am not sure.
What are your views on marriage?
It's a total joke.
It almost never works out.
It can be okay.
It's the most romantic thing ever.
Do you think your partner would ever cheat on you?
I am sure they would.
They might.
They would never.
Do you trust your government is telling you the truth?
Are you kidding? No.
Not always, I am sure.
I think they usually do.
Do you think your best friend keeps your secrets?
I'm sure they don't.
Yes, for sure
How often do you say "psh"?
Would you say that you have a sarcastic sense of humor?
I can sometimes.
No, I don't even get sarcasm.
What do you think of humanity?
People are awful.
People are either bad or good.
Everyone is mostly good with some bad.
People are good.
How Cynical Are You?
What % Antisocial Are You?
What % Outgoing Are You?
Can We Guess Your Age by Your Taste in Fast Food?
What Life Stage Are You in Psychologically?
Take This Word Association Test and We'll Guess How Empathetic You Are
Can We Guess Your Age Based on Your Life Skills?
Can We Guess Where You’ll Be Six Months From Now?
Can We Guess If You're More Masculine or Feminine?
Are You a Natural Healer?
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Tensta is a culturally-enrich suburb of Stockholm. On Wednesday night, “teenagers” went on a rampage in Tensta, throwing rocks at police, burning cars, and setting fire to a school. More than thirty were said to be involved in the disturbances, but only eight were arrested.
In other news, Spain has fallen back into recession as worries over the future of the euro intensify. Following the example of Greece, Spanish depositors have rushed to withdraw more than €1 billion from banks in Spain. Meanwhile, Moody’s downgraded Greek bonds again.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, JP, RR, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
The new Oslo film
- NY Times promotion
Former Norwegian top model with husband are modelling campaign for the "Oslo, August 31st"
Film in Norway, is a matter of state funding, so what is this film about? Is this some post Utøya project?
Could it be on the Stoltenberg propaganda budget?
The film was made before 22 July, so it has nothing to do with Utøya. It may, however, have an extra dimension about it after 22 July, as it takes place in Oslo, and talks about a young man who in his life finds no resonance around him.
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Synthetic Cancer Indicator: An Artificial Mole As An Early Warning System
April 20, 2018 By ETH Zurich
Alongside cardiovascular disease, cancer has become the top cause of death in industrialised countries. Many of those affected are diagnosed only after the tumour has developed extensively. This often reduces the chance of recovery significantly: the cure rate for prostate cancer is 32 percent and only 11 percent for colon cancer. The ability to detect such tumours reliably and early would not only save lives, but also reduce the need for expensive, stressful treatment.
Researchers working with Martin Fussenegger, Professor at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel, have now presented a possible solution for this problem: a synthetic gene network that serves as an early warning system. It recognises the four most common types of cancer — prostate, lung, colon and breast cancer — at a very early stage, namely when the level of calcium in the blood is elevated due to the developing tumour.
The early warning system comprises a genetic network that biotechnologists integrate into human body cells, which in turn are inserted into an implant. This encapsulated gene network is then implanted under the skin where it constantly monitors the blood calcium level.
As soon as the calcium level exceeds a particular threshold value over a longer period of time, a signal cascade is triggered that initiates production of the body’s tanning pigment melanin in the genetically modified cells. The skin then forms a brown mole that is visible to the naked eye.
The mole appears long before the cancer becomes detectable through conventional diagnosis. “An implant carrier should then see a doctor for further evaluation after the mole appears,” explains Fussenegger. It is no reason to panic. “The mole does not mean that the person is likely to die soon,” stresses the ETH professor. It simply means that clarification and if necessary treatment are needed.
The researchers used calcium as the indicator of the development of the four types of cancer, as it is regulated strongly in the body. Bones serve as a buffer that can balance out concentration differences. However, when too much calcium is detected in the blood, this may serve as a sign for one of the four cancers.
“Early detection increases the chance of survival significantly,” says Fussenegger. For example, if breast cancer is detected early, the chance of recovery is 98 percent; however, if the tumour is diagnosed too late, only one in four women has a good chance of recovery. “Nowadays, people generally go to the doctor only when the tumour begins to cause problems. Unfortunately, by that point it is often too late.”
The implant also has an additional advantage: “It is intended primarily for self-monitoring, making it very cost effective,” explains the ETH professor. However, for those who would prefer not to deal with the constant stress, an implant can also be used that develops a mark visible only under a red light. “This regular check could be carried out by their doctor.”
The disadvantage is that the service life of such an implant is limited, as Fussenegger has found in literature. “Encapsulated living cells last for about a year, according to other studies. After that, they must be inactivated and replaced.”
So far, this early warning implant is a prototype; the associated work recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine is a feasibility study. The researchers have tested their early warning system in a mouse model and on pig skin. It functioned reliably during these tests. Moles developed only when the calcium concentration reached a high level.
The Basel-based scientists still have a long way to go before human testing can begin. “Continued development and clinical trials in particular are laborious and expensive, which we as a research group cannot afford,” says the ETH professor. However, he would like to promote the translation of his developments, so that one day they will lead to applicable products. He estimates that bringing such a cancer diagnosis implant to market maturity will take at least ten years of research and development.
The concept of the “biomedical tattoo,” as Fussenegger describes this new finding, would also be applicable to other gradually developing illnesses, such as neurodegenerative diseases and hormonal disorders. In principle, the researchers could replace the molecular sensor to measure biomarkers other than calcium.
Feature Photo Credit: As soon as the calcium level exceeds a particular threshold over a longer period of time, an implant inserted under the skin triggers the production of melanin. This causes a mole to form. (Simulated montage)
Credit: ETH Zurich
Withings plans launch for Body Scan smart scale platform
Time recognizes Abbott offerings among this year’s 100 best inventions
Koya Medical reports positive early results in Dayspring lymphedema trial
The 18 most innovative medical devices of 2021
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It’s Monday! Are you ready for another week?
Today’s Mount Hermon Youth “Beyond the 28 Day Challenge” Bible passages are 1 Kings 6 and Ephesians 3. Feel free to share what God is teaching you in the comment section below or on our facebook page.
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of the Past
Do you own or know of other works by artists/artisans relating to Chester and area or have information on the artist/artisan that you feel is important? If you are willing to share this information in order to help us catalogue these individuals and their work for future generations, we invite you to contact us.
Heitland, Wilmot Emerton
Other Name: W. Emerton Heitland
Birth Date/Place: 1893, Superior, Wisconsin
Death Date/Place: 1969, St. Petersburg, Florida
Biographical Links:
www.illustration-house.com/bios/heitland_bio.htmlIllustration
www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/artist/Heitland,+Wilmot+Emerton
www.americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=2154
Heitland studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and attended the Colarossi School in Paris. He also took classes at the Arts Students League (NY). His career as an illustrator for popular magazines (Collier's, Cosmopolitan, McCall's, Woman's Home Companion, Delineator, etc.) refelected the ascendence of the Art Deco movement in the 1920s and '30s. He was also an accomplished watercolorist and his work is held by several major museums including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum and the Philadelphia Museum School of Art.
Heitland accompanied Charles Hanson Towne (writer, editor and NY celebrity) to Nova Scotia ca.1921 or 1922 to wander through Acadia, the land of Evangeline. Among other places, they visited 'Charming Chester,' where Heitland made at least three sketches of village streetscapes (published in "Ambling Through Acadia"). He also produced a watercolour of a home by the road on what is now called Pigloop Road, see image from the Art Institute of Chicago (www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/artist/Heitman,+Wilmot+Emerton).
Work Images | Click images below for a larger view
Copyright © 2016Chester Municipal Heritage Society
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Federal Election - Development Industry Conference
UDIA National Conference
Housing and Infrastructure Policies on the Agenda of National Housing Development Conference in March.
Tony De Domenico Executive Director
UDIA (VIC)
The announcement yesterday of the Federal Election date of 14 September 2013 by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has heightened the importance of all parties to articulate their policies on housing and infrastructure funding, one of the major areas of job creation, the Urban Development Institute of Australia (Victoria) said today.
Tony De Domenico, Executive Director, UDIA (VIC) said, "A National Conference to be held by the UDIA in Melbourne in March, titled 'Population Vision for a Nation,' will provide a major platform to explore the potential policies being put forward by major parties as Australia heads to one of its most important elections of modern times."
The Federal Minister for Housing, Brendan O'Connor, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Federal Shadow Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Greg Hunt, Victorian Minister for Planning Matthew Guy, and Queensland Planning Reform Minister Ian Walker will be keynote speakers.
Mr De Domenico said, "Australia is facing a battle on three fronts to provide for the forecast expansion of its population by 2050 to 35.9 million*. There is a massive backlog of infrastructure which is leaving capital cities in gridlock. The cost of the great Australian dream has moved beyond an increasing number of people".
"With the development industry in Australia representing in excess of 12% of the country's economic development and recognised as a major key to economic recovery as the mining industry slows, this National Conference is timely for a debate on the issue of Australia's rapidly growing population."
Julie Katz, National President of the UDIA said, "The Conference will profile views of Government, Industry and the Community to open up a national Public Conversation on the pressing issues of population growth which impacts on every Australian".
"We see the National Conference as being an important and critical event to review the current and proposed future policies on housing affordability, the development of robust and sustainable planning policies, the development of sustainable employment and skills retention and the provision of funding for urgently needed infrastructure as key issues."
Source: * Treasury modelling contained in the third Intergenerational Report forecast a population of 35.9 million by 2050.
Ron Smith, Corporate Media Communications, UDIA (VIC) Mobile: 0417 329 201
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Æsc is an exhibition which examines time through a dialogue between a ceramicist and poet. A poem and a vessel can capture a fleeting moment - timeless yet of the now. In the exhibition, porcelain vessels and poems sit quietly in an ancient chapel, the delicate fragility of the ceramics contrasting with the roughly dressed interior of stone and plaster.
The ceramicist creates the vessel to embody the words or phrase of a poem and the poet responds to a vessel thrown by the ceramicist. Poems and vessels often have much in common - they both can hold things, be containers for thoughts and feelings and have a rhythm and a movement - both require the use of fingers in their making.
Æsc is an exhibition by Held Projects - Suna Imre and Hugh Greasley - running between the 7th and 10th of September 2017 at St Mary’s church in Ashley SO20 6RJ.
'Writing Poetry from Art and the Landscape'. A workshop to develop poetry in response to the artworks, the church and the rolling chalk landscape around Ashley.
Medieval Religion, Ritual and the Senses- an exploration of how religious ideas were communicated and experienced through the human senses. The lecture will investigate how the hearing of the litany, the seeing of a symbolic and mythical world and the sensory movement through ritual practice and gesture contributed to a rich and vibrant religious life of the medieval churchgoer.
The Journey of a Language - This presentation by Christopher Mulvery , co-author of 'A History of the English Language in 100 Places' will explore the language the builders of Ashley church would have used in the twelfth century and how it gradually evolved into the language that we use today - and of course the language of the poetry used in this exhibition.
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Theory III Listening Assignment – Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
Posted September 10th, 2010 by William Johnston & filed under Music Theory Assignments.
The French composer Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was one of the earliest composers following Beethoven to typify the romantic era. As a young man, he played several instruments and wanted to be a composer. However, his parents insisted that he study medicine. He hated medical school and eventually left it for the Conservatoire in Paris. He characterized a new school of composing, pushing the boundaries of harmony and chromaticism at a time when most composers were still using classical styles.
The Symphonie Fantastique (1830) is Berlioz’s best known work. A programmatic symphony, it described “various episodes in the life of an artist.” The underlying theme is love unrequited, represented by a melody which recurs throughout the symphony termed the idée fixe.
The beginning of the symphony recalls the symphonies of Haydn and early Beethoven, but the resemblance is fleeting; by the second bar, the mood changes. Throughout the first movement, Berlioz shifts from light, quick sections to darker sections portraying the artist’s passion. To quote Berlioz, “The transitions from this state of dreamy melancholy, interrupted by occasional upsurges of aimless joy, to delirious passion, with its outbursts of fury and jealousy, its returns of tenderness, its tears, its religious consolations – all this forms the subject of the first movement.” Through all of this, the idée fixe appears, first in the middle of the movement, 12 bars after rehearsal mark 5, but again later in various guises.
The second movement is dominated by a ball through which the artist’s thoughts keep drifting back to his beloved. The waltz music is repeatedly interrupted by the idée fixe but returns stronger after each interruption, as if the artist throws himself into the festivities to drown her out.
The third movement is the turning point where the artist, hopeful of a happy end to his romance, begins to have doubts. The music portrays a countryside where two shepherds play a duet. The music is calm and cheerful, but darkens as he questions whether she returns his love.
The fourth movement is a drugged dream in which he has murdered his beloved and is marching to the scaffold. The music is a march, and becomes increasingly frantic as the scaffold approaches. Finally at its peak, everything falls silent as the idée fixe appears one last time in its original form; his last thought of love. The guillotine falls.
The final movement starts eerily as the artist sees himself amidst a “hideous gathering of shades, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral.” He suddenly realizes that his beloved is coming, however the idée fixe is now a grotesque dance tune; she is a witch. The church bell tolls amidst a parody of the Dies Irae. The witches join in a round dance later underscored by the Dies Irae, driving the work to a raucous conclusion.
Austin, Michel. Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique. 2001. 9 September 2010 <http://www.hberlioz.com/Scores/fantas.htm>.
Berlioz, Hector. “Symphonie fantastique, H 48 (Berlioz, Hector).” 1907. IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library. 9 September 2010 <http://imslp.org/wiki/Symphonie_fantastique,_H_48_%28Berlioz,_Hector%29>.
Grout, Donald Jay, J. Peter Burkholder, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music, 8th Edition. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2010.
Macdonald, Hugh. “Berlioz, Hector.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. n.d. 9 September 2010 <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/51424pg2>.
Tags: Class Papers, My Compositions/Arrangements, Writing
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George Lucas' $625,000 Panavision camera: the second most expensive Star Wars item in the galaxy!
By James Artaius
There's only one piece of Star Wars memorabilia that's pricier than the camera George Lucas used to film Episode IV…
(Image credit: shotonwhat.com)
Happy Star Wars Day! As well as greeting fellow fans with the customary "May the fourth be with you," we thought we'd share a bit of trivia with you: did you know that the second most expensive piece of Star Wars memorabilia ever sold is none other than the Panavision camera used by George Lucas to shoot the very first film, Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope?
George Lucas’ Panavision PSR-200 35mm camera was used to shoot the original Star Wars back in 1976 (before it had a the chapter and subtitle added to it). Some 35 years later, it was sold at an auction in Beverly Hills by Profiles in History (opens in new tab) fetching a cool $625,000 (£474,360 / AU$918,774) in 2011 (thanks, Robb Report (opens in new tab)).
Aside from the unique distinction of this particular camera, the Panavision PSR-200 was quite an exclusive camera in its own right, as only 29 of them were manufactured. Even a standard, non-Star Wars-related outfit (including Super Panazoom lens, tripod with gear head, magazine, matte box and motor) still commands $150,000 online (opens in new tab) (£113,846 / AU$220,506).
Still, despite its $625,000 price tag, somehow the actual camera used to film one of the most culturally significant movies of all time is only the second most expensive piece of Star Wars memorabilia. And the most expensive? That honor goes to the most famous Dark Lord of the Sith himself.
Only 29 Panavision PSR-200s were made – and this one shot the original Star Wars! (Image credit: Profiles in History)
While the PSR-200 enabled you to see through the same lens that filmed Star Wars, that's not nearly as cool as seeing through the actual helmet of Darth Vader. Which is why Darth Vader's helmet, from Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the most expensive Star Wars item ever sold, at a star-destroying $900,000 (£683,071 / AU$1,322,723).
In fact, with auction fees, it is believed that the helmet (worn by Darth Vader performer David Prowse) actually fetched over a million bucks when all was said and done in its iCollector listing (opens in new tab).
If you would like to own (or gift) your own Star Wars camera, albeit one that wasn't used by George Lucas, you should check out the Mandalorian Polaroid Now (opens in new tab) camera and film. It may not have shot Episode IV, but it's a much more affordable Star Wars collectible!
And of course, it's worth pointing out that you can watch A New Hope – along with The Mandalorian, and 7 Marvel movies shot on Canon cameras (opens in new tab) – on the Disney Plus (opens in new tab) streaming service.
Christmas gift guides:
• Photography lover gifts for Christmas: Quirky & unusual Christmas camera gifts (opens in new tab)
• The 47 best Christmas gifts for photographers (opens in new tab)
• The best stocking stuffers for photographers (opens in new tab)
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James Artaius
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a magazine and web journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients as diverse as Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photographic and lighting tutorials, as well as industry analysis, news and rumors for publications such as Digital Camera Magazine (opens in new tab), PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine (opens in new tab), N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine (opens in new tab), Digital Photographer (opens in new tab) and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and demonstrations at The Photography Show (opens in new tab). An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
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Home Celebrity Entertainment Meet Aisha Tisha Mohammed, Nollywood Screen Sensation, From Modeling To Movie Set
Meet Aisha Tisha Mohammed, Nollywood Screen Sensation, From Modeling To Movie Set
at December 23, 2022 Celebrity, Entertainment,
She needs no introduction. She is a screen sensation of sort as she has in a short while in Nigeria's movie industry, Nollywood rose to pinnacle through hard work and resilience.
She is Aisha Tisha Mohammed. Born in Nasarawa State, but bred in Benue State Nigeria, she is also a movie producer and director.
She is a polyglot and proficient in Tiv, Hausa and English Languages. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
She is a model and beauty queen who as far back as 2007, against the odds emerged the well-deserved "Face of Nasarawa", a step that provided her the opportunity represent her state in 2008 at the Miss Tourism Nigeria. There, she made it to the Top 10, capping a nice outing with the award of "Best swimsuit ".
That was not all. During her NYSC days emerged Miss NYSC Taraba in 2013, and later went on to contest in Miss Nigeria 2013, finishing Top 10.
That however became her last romance with beauty pageantry as she went back to the movie set, having featured in a soap opera in 2012 before taking a break to pursue her academics.
She had always had a burning passion for entertainment right from her tender age. While she grew, the desire blossomed. She participated actively in her school dance and drama activities. Despite several odds, her love for art of entertainment never dwindled.
Between 2012 till date, she has featured in a number of movies, including Let Karma, My name is Kadi, Colours of deceit, The Wedding, Believer, The Pendulum, The Rishantes 2, Almost Perfect, Personal Revenge, Bittersweet, A deadman’s souvenir, A place called regret and Sincerity
At her spare time, she enjoys reading and traveling. She has remained an epitome of consistency in the last nine years she has been in the industry.
She owns a lingerie brand called Tish Milli and currently working on a cervical cancer project
Instagram account: aishamohammedtn
Celebrity, Entertainment
Celebrity Entertainment
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Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work
April 6, 2011 3:30AM EDT
West Bank/Gaza: Stop Harassing Journalists
Rise in Attacks, Detentions by Palestinian Security Services
A Palestinian man sells newspapers in front of his shop in the Gaza strip in 2007. Hamas has since banned the Al-Ayyam daily, pictured on the lower rack.
© 2007 Reuters
(Ramallah) - Severe harassment by Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces targeting Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza has had a pronounced chilling effect on freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. In a new report, Human Rights Watch called on Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza to hold their security forces to account for systematic, severe abuses and urged foreign donors to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to condition aid to security forces on concrete accountability measures.
The 35-page report, "No News is Good News: Abuses Against Journalists by Palestinian Security Forces," documents cases in which security forces tortured, beat, and arbitrarily detained journalists, confiscated their equipment, and barred them from leaving the West Bank and Gaza.
"Palestinian security forces are becoming notorious for assaulting and intimidating journalists who are just trying to do their jobs," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Both the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza need to end these blatant attacks on free expression."
In the West Bank, reported incidents of official harassment of journalists by PA security services temporarily spiked during Israel's offensive in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, but the overall trend has continued to worsen. According to one rights group, the Center for Development and Media Freedoms, the number of physical attacks, arrests, detentions, arbitrary confiscations of equipment, and other violations of journalists' rights by Palestinian security forces increased in both Gaza and the West Bank in 2010 by 45 percent over the previous year.
The report, based on interviews with Palestinian journalists, journalist syndicate representatives, and PA officials, focuses on seven cases of journalists who were abused by PA security forces, and documents two cases of abuse by Hamas internal security forces in Gaza, where the situation for journalists is also dire. Abuses by Hamas in Gaza as well as by Israeli military forces throughout the occupied Palestinian territories will be the focus of future reporting, Human Rights Watch said.
In recent days, Hamas internal security services have repeatedly violated the rights of journalists covering popular demonstrations in Gaza against the political split between Hamas and the Fatah-led PA, Human Rights Watch said. For example, journalists told Human Rights Watch that on March 19, 2011, around 15 Hamas plainclothes security forces raided the offices of the Reuters news agency bureau in Gaza, smashed computers, and beat journalists, after pointing a gun at one of them and threatening to throw another out of a window. In another case, a reporter for the Al Quds radio station told Human Rights Watch that on March 27 Hamas police threatened, insulted, and detained him for more than an hour immediately after he had broadcast a report criticizing Hamas health officials. Security forces accosted him in a morgue where he had reported on a man, supposedly killed by an Israeli military attack, who was discovered still to be alive.
Since Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, the majority of abuses against journalists in both the West Bank and Gaza have been related to tensions between the PA and Hamas, the report found. In the West Bank, the primary targets are journalists whom PA security services suspected of working for television, radio, websites, and newspapers seen as favoring Hamas or other Islamist groups such as Islamic Jihad, or are otherwise critical of the PA.
In one case documented in the report, a PA military court in the city of Jenin sentenced television journalist Tariq Abu Zeid, 34, to a year-and-a-half in prison despite two civilian court rulings ordering his release. Abu Zeid was the northern West Bank correspondent for the Al Aqsa television station, and had worked for the Gaza-based Al-Risala newspaper, both of which are considered to be pro-Hamas.
PA security services have also targeted independent journalists suspected of working on reports that might be critical of the PA. Security officials from the PA detained Muhannad Salahat, a freelance journalist and filmmaker, for 14 days in March and April 2010 without charging or notifying him of the reason for his arrest. Security officials interrogated him for days about whether he was preparing a documentary on the PA for Al Jazeera, the satellite television channel which had been critical of the PA and which the PA saw as pro-Hamas. PA security services detained Salahat for another 10 days in May 2010, and Jordanian intelligence officers later prevented him from traveling from the West Bank to Jordan, saying that he required special clearance from the PA before he could travel.
The majority of abuses documented by Human Rights Watch and reported by local rights groups involved the PA's Preventive Security agency and General Intelligence Services, and the detention of civilian journalists by the PA's military judiciary. In a positive recent development, the military judiciary has said it would stop exercising jurisdiction over civilians, although many civilians are still detained by the military.
Overall, the increasing number of alleged abuses against journalists takes place in the context of virtual impunity for serious human rights violations generally by PA security service officials, Human Rights Watch said. In total, Palestinian rights groups reported more than 200 allegations of torture by PA security agencies in 2010 - up from 164 complaints in 2009 - yet the courts have criminally prosecuted security officers for abusing detainees in only one case; a military court acquitted all five of the accused in July 2010.
Human Rights Watch cannot point to instructions from PA leaders to the security services directing them to commit these violations, but the utter failure of the PA leadership to address the prevailing culture of impunity for such abuses suggests that they reflect government policy.
The United States provided $350 million to the PA for security and program assistance in 2010, in addition to $150 million in direct budgetary support, while the European Union gave the PA more than €230 million ($315 million), including for security assistance. Human Rights Watch called on the US and the EU to condition support for all PA security agencies on the PA taking effective steps to investigate, prosecute, and punish security officers responsible for serious abuses.
In Gaza, Hamas internal security agents have summoned critical journalists for questioning, which the journalists interpreted as a form of intimidation, and government officials called some journalists to warn them that their coverage was "slanted" or "biased." In one case, Hamas security services harassed a Gaza-based journalist for the pro-Fatah Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper, repeatedly visiting her home and threatening her over the course of three months in 2010. In another case, the Hamas Ministry of Interior summoned a journalist who published an article on torture by Hamas authorities in secret detention facilities, threatened to take legal action against him if he did not publish an apology for the article, and warned him to correct his "biased" reporting.
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The history of Asia can be seen as the collective history of central Asia as well as its peripheral coastal regions, including East Asia, South Asia, and Middle East due to its connection with mainland Asia via the Eurasian steppe. Asian history examines Asia’s unique cultural, political, and socio-economic development throughout time and the continent’s contributions in matters of global affairs. The field also provides a broad overview of key moments and trends throughout various countries within the Asian continent, with a primary focus on China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia.
Asian history focuses in particular how the populace and its myriad interrelated socio-cultural affirmations were reshaped and altered in the wake of nationalism, modernization, and imperial practices. The field aims to provide historians and others with a solid foundation upon which to consider the evolution of Asian politics and religion, its various cultural identities, ideologies of imperialism, and concepts of state and society in pre-colonial times all the way to the modern area.
At Homework Help USA, our experts use a comparative approach to explore key themes in Asian development, focusing on areas such as the impact of imperialism and colonialism, the effects of revolution and developments born of social upheavals, human rights movements, democratization, and more. They are capable of writing comprehensive and culturally inquisitive essays that provide solid interdisciplinary connections between various fields of Asian historical and political frameworks, and also form important complements to Asian language studies. Trust the experts at Homework Help USA – get a quote now!
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The Solo 111 Extension Pole is to be used to extend the height of the Solo 110 telescopic access pole. The maximum working height using Solo 110 & Solo 111 poles is 4.5 metres for Solo and Testifire. This is achieved using 1 x Solo 110 telescopic pole and a maximum of 3 x Solo 111 extension poles. It is recommended to stand directly under the detector. No more than 3 x Solo 111 extension poles should be used at the same time.
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Athletics brand New Balance is to launch a range of fashion sport shoes, its first dedicated fashion line. The PF Flyer brand will be launched in April in the UK, Italy, France and Japan.
The brand will launch with low-cut and high-cut styles in two or three colours. A leather range will follow in August. The line will include replicas of original PF Flyer shoes, which were available in the US during the Thirties.
The shoes, which will be priced between &£35 and &£100, will be available from independent retailers as well as footwear chain Office, which will stock them in four London stores.
Martin Jouanneau, brand manager for PF Flyer, says the shoes are being launched as a casual brand rather than as performance shoes. A range of clothing is expected to follow by 2005.
New Balance has already relaunched PF Flyer in the US, where the brand has been dormant for the past ten years. The brand, owned by BF Goodrich, was originally launched as an orthopaedic sports shoe. Goodrich was bought by Converse in 1971 but it was forced to sell PF Flyer to settle a complaint from the Department of Justice that it was monopolising the sports shoe market.
PF Flyer was owned by footwear supplier LJO between 1991 and 2001. It was bought by New Balance, which also has an orthopaedic background, in February 2001.
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“To food, friends, and freedom.” My traditional toast at dinner is usually readily echoed, whoever happens to be at our table. Yet if I were to substitute Freedom for a more specific word that historically has had much of the same meaning – salvation – then many of our guests might choke on their brussel sprouts.
Over the last century, the West has rightly pursued the ideal of freedom from external constraint, whether legal, social or political. The effect has thankfully given greater liberty (if not yet equality) to individuals, and particularly women, and minorities. Yet, we now face a host of social challenges from having forgotten the second kind of freedom: freedom from internal obstacles; salvation from ourselves and from our fathomless ability to screw things up. The notion of salvation promises freedom from the less beautiful chambers of our hearts; but sounds alien to modern ears because we too easily forget our own human frailties.
In an age where almost everything is permitted, our leaders and commentators have lost the moral courage to articulate how we can be saved from our instinctive choices. Poor diets have created an epidemic of diabetes. Poor financial discipline contributes to debt. Lack of community commitment has led to epic levels of loneliness. How many couples get help to navigate the useful constraints of marriage? How many of us feel confident to justify our own conception of virtue in an age of cultural relativism? Collectively, an excess of freedom has left us floundering.
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Choctaw Casino Resort - Grant offers gaming, dining, live entertainment and more – all in one convenient Southeastern Oklahoma location. The property prides itself on its modern décor, friendly staff and popular dining options. Perfect for a quick getaway or staycation, the resort is located just a short drive from Dallas and Tyler, Texas. Enjoy 60 well-appointed rooms, a pool, The River Bar & Grill, Firehouse Buffet and an exciting gaming floor; and be sure to check out the headliner entertainment at the Grant Event Center. For more information, visit www.choctawcasinos.com.
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Steph Curry Talkin' 'Bout Practice, Giannis Antetokounmpo At NBA All-Star Game
By: Victor Chi
Giannis Antetokounmpo has earned a reputation for his work ethic, and he brought it to NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles even if he didn't need to. Stephen Curry was impressed enough to needle the young Buck about it.
The two All-Star teams held practices Saturday, but the sessions were more about photo opps than legit basketball work.
"He was getting his stretch in and doing some core work," Curry said. "Getting a little soft-tissue rubdown and all that kind of stuff. Coach D'Antoni walked up and is like, 'hey, does he know we're actually not really practicing?' So I like that about him. He takes everything he does seriously, and that's cool."
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2018 NBA All-Star Game, Basketball, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, NBA All-Star Game, Stephen Curry
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Home Local People Featured Resident Zen Master Joshu Sasaki Roshi
Zen Master Joshu Sasaki Roshi
Category: Featured Resident
Written by Dianne Lawrence
Celebrates 105th Birthday & 50 Years of Teaching in America
On July 21st, The Rinzai-Ji Zen Temple celebrated the 105th birthday of the temple’s spiritual founder and leader, Zen Master Joshu Sasaki.
They commemorated the 50th anniversary of his arrival in the USA. Festivities began at the Rinzai-Ji Temple at 2505 Cimarron Street (and Adams) and continued onto the opulent grounds of the UCLA Clark Library.
Joshu Sasaki Roshi was born near Sendai Japan in April 1907. At 14 years he began his life as a Zen student, at 21 he was ordained an Osho (priest) and at 40 became a Roshi (title given to a zen master). On July 21, 1962, at age 55 he arrived in the United States with an English translation book and a vision of establishing a Rinzai zen practice in America. By 1968 and with 200 students he celebrated the opening of the Temple on the Cimarron property, establishing the first of several Rinzai Zen Centers in America. Between then and the present the temple has hosted many zen retreats and offers meditation instruction. Even at his age of 105 Roshi Sasaki remains the abbott and inspirational leader of the Rinzai-Ji Zen Center.
Guests at the event numbered approximately 240 and included a delegation of zen monks and lay people from Japan as well as a large number of zen monks and priests, ordained by Roshi Sasaki.
Also several of the guests were lay people from around the world and the local community.
To everyone’s delight and pleasure Roshi Sasaki gave a special dharma talk at the morning ceremony and pleased his students by promising to live to 120. Roshi thanked everyone for coming to honor his efforts to bring his style of Zen teaching to the United States.
Rinzai-ji Zen Center is open to the public for morning and evening meditations during the week and a Sunday meeting. Meditations are in a formal setting and a brief orientation for new comers is also provided. For more information contact Genshin at 323-732.2263. The Rinzai-Ji web page is www.rinzaiji.org.
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Things to do in Kanchanaburi | Top 13 Attractions
Home >> River Kwai >> Things to do in Kanchanaburi | Top 13 Attractions
On March 10, 2016, Posted by SERENATA Hotels , In River Kwai, With Comments Off on Things to do in Kanchanaburi | Top 13 Attractions
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, locally known as the Don-Rak War Cemetery
This war cemetery is located on the main road, Saeng Chuto Road. Designed by Colin St Clair Oakes and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this war cemetery contains the remains of 6982 POW’s (Prisoners of War), most of them are Australian, British and Dutch, and they all died during the construction of the ‘Death Railway’. The quietness reminds the people who visit this place of the war, its violence and its effects.
Thailand-Burma Railway Museum
This interactive museum is located near the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (Don-Rak War Cemetery). It was privately funded and is run by Rod Beattie, an Australian expert in the history of this railway. The museum provides an exhibition of the history of this railway, regarding the construction, its geography, how it was to live in the POW camps, the deaths, the operation and the end of the railway. The museum is daily opened from 9AM till 5PM. Admission fee is 60B for adults and 30B for children <12.
Kanchanaburi City Gate
This ancient city gate to Kanchanaburi is located in the heart of the city and was built in 1831 during the time when King Rama III reigned. It has become an interesting attraction near the Kwai Yai and Kwai Noi rivers.
Bridge on the River Kwai
During World War II this bridge was built by British, American, Australian, Dutch and New Zealand Prisoners of War and by a large number of Asian slave laborers, under the supervision of the Japanese Army. It was part of the strategic plan to link Thailand with Burma by the use of a railway. It is a part of the Death Railway. Thousands of people lost their lives during this period, mainly because of the difficult terrain, the violence of the war and diseases and starvation. Nowadays this bridge is a tourist attraction. The track is developed into a walkway with side platforms. This allows crossing the railway bridge on foot. These platforms are useful as viewpoints and for avoiding trains. A small tourist train runs back and forth across the bridge.
Also known as the Burma Railway, the Burma-Siam Railway or the Thailand-Burma Railway was a 415 kilometers long railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma. It was built by Prisoners of War and Asian slave laborers, under the supervision of Japan in 1943 to support the Burma campaign of World War II. Thousands of people lost their lives during the construction of this railway. The Death Railway is a reminder of the cruel war and its painstaking construction. It runs through a scenic landscape, especially the area of Tham Krasae where it skirts the cliff overlooking the River Kwai. The railway currently ends at Ban Tha Sao or Namtok Station, a distance of approximately 77 kilometers from Kanchanaburi Station. A special train running from Bangkok to Namtok Station is available on weekends and national holidays. The construction of the railway has been the subject of a novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan and an award-winning film named The Bridge on the River Kwai.
JEATH War Museum, locally known as Wat Tai War Museum
This museum is located approximately 300 meters from the main road, Saeng Chuto Road. JEATH stands for the primary nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japanese, English, Australian, American, Thai and Holland. The museum is divided into two sections, one representing the construction of the Death Railway which is meant to recreate the quarters used by the POWs, and the other consisting of reconstructed bamboo huts containing an exhibition of a collection of photographs, paintings, drawings, articles about the living conditions of the POW’s, weapons, tools, and maps. The museum is daily opened from 8AM till 6PM. The admission fee is 30B.
Wat Thant Mangkon Thong
This temple was built in 1904 and is named after the dragon staircase of 95 steps leading up to a small cave on top of the hill. Mangkon Thong can be translated as ‘golden dragon’. The temple is famous for the ‘floating nun’, who floats on the water while meditating. The admission fee, also seen as a donation is only 10B.
How to get here? Turn left off the main road, Saeng Chuto Road when you are in front of the City Hall, after approximately 1,5 kilometer you cross a bridge over the Mae Klong River and the temple can be seen.
Mueang Sing Historical Park
Mueang Sing is a historical park. It contains the remains of two Khmer temples from the 13th and 14th centuries. Mueang Sing was declared as a historical park in 1987. The temples are built in the Bayon-style and date to the Khmer Kingdom under the lead of King Jayavarman VII (1180 to 1219). The Park is daily opened from 8AM till 4.30PM. The admission fee is 40B.
How to get here? Take Highway 323 (Kanchanaburi – Sai Yok), turn left after 15 kilometers, and continue for another 7 kilometers to Prasat Mueang Sing.
Krasae Cave
The cave once provided a place for the POW’s to rest during the construction of the Death Railway as it is located right next to it. The Krasae Cave consists of a sacred Buddha image and provides a stunning view of the River Kwai. Due to this it is now a popular spot for visitors who take a walk on the railway and would stop to rest or to pray towards the Buddha in the cave.
Namtok Sai Yok Noi Waterfall
This waterfall is located within the Sai Yok National Park, about 2 kilometers away from Nam Tok Train Station and about 60 kilometers from Kanchanaburi on highway 323 to Sangkhlaburi. The locals use the waterfall for having a picknick or to have a rest at. It is one of the several picturesque waterfalls in Kanchanaburi, which is especially beautiful during the rainy season (July – October).
Sai Yok National Park
This park was declared as a national historical park in 1987. This large national park is home to many limestone mountains, waterfalls and caves. It is easy to explore this park independently since there are well-marked and maintained trails throughout the park. The most popular attraction is Nam Tok Sai Yok Yai, the Sai Yok Yai Waterfall, where a stream makes a drop into the Mae Nam River Kwai Noi River. This waterfall and many more, are really beautiful of how they flow out of the forest. Other interesting points are the natural springs, riverside viewpoints and old Japanese soldiers’ stoves. This national park is also home to the world’s smallest bat, the khun Kitti bat, it was first spotted in this park in 1973. Another animal species discovered here is the red, white and blue Rachinee crab, but you will probably not be ablo to see it. This one is discovered in 1983. The admission fee is 300B for adults and 200B for children. The park is daily opened from 9AM till 6PM.
Lawa Cave
Explore Kanchanaburi’s largest and most famous cave located in Saiyok National Park. The cave is very spacious and is beautifully designed by breathtaking, sparkling stalactites and stalagmites in many unique formations. The Lawa Cave consists of chambers inside. Each chamber has its own stunning stalactites and stalagmites. Also the khun Kitti bat, world’s smallest bat, is living in the cave.
Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
This museum is established by the Australian Government. It consists of information regarding the World War II and the origin of the Hellfire Pass. The museum contains a collection of data, photographs, equipment and utensils used during the construction of the Death Railway. There is a nature trail leading to Hell Fire Pass, this was realized by the POW’s who drilled manually through the mountain. The museum is daily opened from 9AM till 4PM and the admission fee is free.
Living without electricity and internet in the present world →
bridge bridge on the river kwai kanchanaburi river kwai
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Sai Yok National Park in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Thailand-Burma Railway Museum | Interactive museum in Kanchanaburi
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Hellfire Pass, a place which will leave you speechless
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Philippe Decrauzat: For the Birds
Installation shots from Philippe Decrauzat’s self-titled exhibition. Images courtesy of Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York.
For his first show at Elizabeth Dee Gallery, Swiss artist Philippe Decrauzat has created a hypnotic environment where painting and sculpture collapse into a treacherous nightmare. Entering the gallery the viewer confronts a group of brooding matte black monochromes arranged in a swastika formation, which is inspired by a 1929 design for a bench by László Moholy-Nagy. Turning the corner you face a six-picture series of guillotine blade-shaped canvases, lined up on opposite walls like soldiers before the clash of armed conflict. A group of portentous black bars are haphazardly propped against the gallery’s walls in random places. At the conclusion of the exhibition’s opening night one of these large “thermolacquered” steel bars came crashing to the floor. No one was hurt. The cacophony confirmed for everyone that they had not just experienced a pure fiction.
The standout piece is a 16-mm film of digitally edited footage from the title sequence of Hitchcock’s classic film The Birds, an eyes tickling adventure in black silhouettes. It’s a four-minute précis on the simplicity of Hitchcockian horror in which an ordinary and seemingly harmless scene of flying birds rapidly evolves into a feverish swarm, and a high-frequency attack on the visual cortex. Much of Decrauzat work references the path that light and sound take as they travel in waves through space. He fashions his art in a slick, superficial style better known to Russian Constructivism or Op Art, but Decrauzat is selective when preying on their conceptual strategies. There is an indescribable sort of beauty when consonance meets dissonance, whether in music (a Steve Reich score for example) or in visual art (the disorientation of staring deep into a Bridget Riley painting) and when that moment arrives, Decrauzat’s work dazzles.
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From luxury outfitters such as Abercrombie & Kent to firms that put basic hotel and airfare deals together, tour operators do the work for you. You can go with a group or on your own, travel by motor.
tour operator Avanti Destinations is expanding its product offerings to six more Asian countries. Avanti launched fully independent traveler (FIT) tours booked exclusively through travel agents in Dec.
Cruise and Land Travel Specialists! Helene & Ira Kaplan. Who plans your vacation really does make a difference. When you choose Cruise Holidays of Marlboro, you’ll feel your vacation is the only one we’re working on because for you, it’s the only one that matters.
The ministry detailed the hours of humiliation faced by Avanti Jadhav and Chetankul Jadhav. according to PTI news agency. SP leader courts controversy on Kulbhushan Jadhav issue, BJP calls it ‘betr.
Harry Dalgaard, CEO of Avanti Destinations Role of the Travel Agent Dalgaard says he has been pleased to see how the role of the travel agent has evolved over the years.
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Britain’s national tourism agency. Paul Barry, Avanti Destinations; Jeremy Palmer, Tauck; Zine Belhonchet (represented by.
Avanti Travel Insurance has teamed up with Send My Bag, meaning that customers can now have their luggage sent to and from their destinations at an unbeatable price. While Avanti is already one of the.
Popular destinations from Venice to Barcelona to. by as much as two-thirds to protect the Unesco World Heritage site. Agents advise their clients Lynda Phillippi of Renaissance Travel and Events sa.
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Avanti Destinations makes it easy for you to plan customized travel experiences for your clients and their family and friends. We’ve been inspiring independent travelers with innovative and authentic vacations for 36 years.
Our travel agent David Gillespie of Gillespie Travel, suggested using Avanti, based on our preference for concierge service. We had several tours booked, travel arrangements, guides, drivers, transportation and.
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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Looking to "train" more retailers to sell European rail travel. debuted improved and integrated agent-only booking sites for its Destination Europe Resources (DER) air consoli.
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According to Harry Dalgaard, continued consumer confidence and a healthy stock market contribute to achieving successful sales. Find out more.
Listings New Used New & Used Make Acura Alfa Romeo AMC Aston Martin Audi Avanti Bentley BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet. Even.
Avanti Destinations, formed in 1981, is the premier FIT tour operator. For 36 years, Avanti Destinations has specialized in independent travel focused on providing authentic travel experiences backed by our expert knowledge for travel agents and their clients.
WINTER 2018 AMBASSADOR ADVANTAGE. Full of details on what’s new in travel, the hottest vacation trends and destinations, amazing DEALS for 2018, as well as personal stories and recommendations you won’t want to miss.
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Senior Partner. Linda’s practice covers a broad range of commercial and professional liability matters, with a focus on securities litigation, class proceedings, regulatory and criminal liability issues. She has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, and in connection with investigations and proceedings by the Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia Securities Commissions, SEC, CFTC, IIROC, MFDA, and Competition Bureau. Linda also represents corporations and individuals with respect to internal investigations. She recently provided assistance to a client in relation to a threatened Interpol red alert. Linda has been recognized by Benchmark as one of Canada’s Top 25 Women in Litigation and for her work in securities litigation by Best Lawyers and Lexpert®. She is appointed to the Ontario Securities Commission to the Securities Proceedings Advisory Committee, and served as a member of the CBA’s National Class Action Task Force relating to the management of multijurisdictional class actions.
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Caregiving can be a rewarding and bonding experience within a family, yet in even the best situations, the responsibility and ongoing routine can be stressful and tiring—especially when balanced with a job or caring for children; this is where respite care comes in.
When family caregivers are emotionally drained, they are likely less effective at playing this critical role. Comfort Keepers® can provide respite care, or temporary relief, to those who care for family members in Pensacola, FL.
Your mental and physical health should not be overlooked. You can schedule for one of our providers to come as little or as much as possible. Additionally, around-the-clock care can be arranged if your circumstances change. Contact Comfort Keepers today at (850) 359-5916 and we will pair your senior with the perfect at home caregiver based on your loved ones needs and personality. Give yourself the much needed break you deserve and your senior the best care possible.
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Microsoft's latest Windows 10 Build 18894 fixes a big problem with the May 2019 Update
Let's hope that File Explorer becomes as fast as Windows Search.
Mark Hachman (PC World (US online))
Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Build 18894 looks like it will at least partially address one of the issues we found within the May 2019 Update: the slow, legacy File Explorer search option.
Windows 10 Build 18894, part of next year’s 20H1 release, contains a File Explorer search experience powered by Windows Search. Microsoft said File Explorer will now automatically suggest frequently-used files as you begin typing in the drop-down box.
Microsoft set out to revamp search within the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, separating the traditional search box from the Cortana digital assistant. While our review of the May 2019 Update questioned whether that was a step forward, there’s one improvement we cheered: It’s fast. In part, that’s because of a new Windows Search indexer that maps your hard drive in the background, then surfaces results almost instantly.
Microsoft’s build notes call out the new File Explorer search function’s integration with OneDrive, and don’t explicitly call out the speed of the experience. (We haven’t yet downloaded the new build, so we can’t vouch for how quickly search results are surfaced.) Still, it’s a positive step forward, even if you may not see it right away. The new Search experience will be pushed to a small percentage of users who download Build 18894, and expanded later on.
Microsoft noted that downloading this build will disable the Your Phone app because of an OS bug. Microsoft also has yet to fix an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software, which can crash your PC. Both are bugs that Microsoft’s still working to fix.
What this means for you: If you’re an old-school PC user, you probably use File Explorer to search for files. (And if you’re like me, you use the search box to launch apps.) File Explorer, however, is dog-slow. Any improvements will be welcomed.
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Despite the usefullness of resources like FreeCycle for extending the functional lives of our stuff, we think garage sales are still the kings of the hidden bargain, and a great way to find stuff you need but don't have, without buying something brand-new; they also help keep stuff out of the waste stream and are usually a great way to find gently-used stuff on the cheap. One caveat: they can be hard to find, or if you happen to stumble upon one in your neighborhood, all the good waffle irons might be gone.
To help connect the people with the sales, a new Google mash-up has been created; all you do is type in your address, and the map does the rest: all registered garage sales happening around you pop up. Get directions, add your own garage sale, and chat about your experience (and all the great stuff you saved from the landfill) in the forums.
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