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“Inside every human being is an eternal truth and a life purpose. Using our mind power is simply starting the engine on that journey of self-discovery and highest self actualization."~ Eldon Taylor, Choices and Illusions "My husband was diagnosed with brain cancer and given only 9 months to live. he used your health recordings day and night and is now cancer-free. His doctor says it's a miracle."~ C. Thornbury "I have used the recording for 8 weeks during this period of time I have been able to lower my blood pressure to 145/78, I'm still taking my medication. Before listening to the recording I couldn't control my blood pressure with the medication!"~ M.
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In 1900, nearly 200 Western missionaries and more than 32,000 of China’s faithful were massacred in a campaign to banish the perceived Western imperialism being thrust on China’s land and culture. The most severe persecution took place in the Shansi province, where the so-called “Oberlin Band” of missionaries—men, women, and children—had flocked since the late 1880s. To honor the victims, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions proposes a Memorial Arch in Oberlin and donates it to the College to commemorate Congregational Church missionaries and their children. The Memorial Arch bears two bronze tablets with the names of the 13 missionaries and their five children who were killed by the Boxers. Builders laid the cornerstone of the monument on October 16, 1902; it was dedicated on May 14, 1903. Built of Indiana limestone, the arch was designed by architect J.L. Silsbee of Chicago. The statement, “Ye Are Witnesses,” is engraved in the center and emblematizes the memory of those slain. The missionaries provide education and medical care and spreading the gospel in the Shansi region of China. Many criticize the arch for failing to acknowledgethe Chinese victims of the rebellion. The Oberlin Class of 1994 resolved the omission by raising money for two new plaques to honor their service and sacrifice. Oberlin’s roots in Shansi began in the late 1880s, a period shared by foreign missionary activity and increasing military presence in China. Japanese, British, Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Russian military powers seized Chinese land and wealth. A secret Chinese society known as the “Boxers,” or “The Righteous Ones,” was born out of frustration and foreign influence. The Boxers worked behind the scenes to recruit members in every part of the country. Toward the end of the 1890s, foreign missionary activity became increasingly difficult, and Chinese Christians were persecuted and accused of being “running dogs” for Western imperialists. The turmoil erupted in 1900, with mobs sweeping through Beijing and massacring Chinese Christians, even burning them alive in their homes. Despite the brutality of the Boxer Rebellion, Oberlin College initiated an educational exchange program in Shansi Province in 1908. Oberlin Shansi was founded to provide support and guidance for the consolidation of educational efforts at the Ming Hsien Schools in Taigu, Shansi Province, China. In 1918, the Shansi Association sent young Oberlinians to Ming Hsien, starting a tradition of sending Oberlin graduates to universities in Asia. Today, Oberlin Shansi is a thriving educational and cultural exchange program that has expanded to universities in India, Indonesia, and Japan. It is one of the oldest educational exchange institutions in the United States. Sources: Oberlin College Archives; Oberlin Shansi; AsiaHarvest.org; New York Times online archives.
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8-Bit Microcontroller With OTP ROM EM78P458 and EM78P459 are 8-bit Microprocessors designed and developed with low-power and high-speed CMOS technology. It is equipped with a 4K x 13-bit Electrical One Time Programmable Read Only Memory (OTP-ROM). With its OTP-ROM feature, it is able to offer a convenient way of developing and verifying users programs. Moreover, user CAN take advantage of EMC Writer to easily program his development code.Errata By ELAN Microelectronics Corp
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Add a new page Description: Object is an Apple Inc brand portable media player, commonly known as an ipod, of a version which has not been designed or produced by Apple incorporated yet. The object is severely worn, it has been dismantled, damaged and some parts are missing. Carbon dating suggests the object is 430-440 years old, it has been confirmed that the object existed in 1723. SCP custody history: In 1949 NATO intelligence protocols saw the transference of the ipod from British military intelligence into US military intelligence where it was determined to be of unknown origin as an SCP Safe class object, it remained in the UK. In 1967 attention was brought of it's similarity to the integrated circuit and the newly formed apple company, it was decided not to attempt to activate it. In 1984 operative ██████ ██████████ attempted to activate it to obtain the information inside on her spare time, in 1987 fragments of the damaged files were played at a recording studio with equipment ██████ ██████████ "lacked at home" revealing that it was a music player. Richard ██████, an employee at the recording studio, was present and used his memory of the sound fragments to kick start a short-lived career as a singer and songwriter. In 1988 ██████ ██████████ informed her superiors of the breach in protocol, the idea that this object is from the future was acknowledged and it's status was increased to Euclid. It is unknown the extent of damage this causality loop has caused. No further breaches occurred and apple designed and developed the iPod concept without information transfer from SCP facilities. Addendum: Euclid status will be reduced to safe once Apple designs this current design. If this does not occur then a causality loop has occurred and Richard ██████ will have to be terminated to prevent this timeline from becoming non-existant. Pre-SCP custody history: Historical sources suggest it was first discovered by Wyandat tribespeople before being abandoned in a settlement after a smallpox epidemic where it was discovered by a French explorer crew member in 1703. The explorer retired in Marseilles where the ipod remained in the possession of his family for 20 years until it was passed to watchmaker Françoise Aubriet whom wrote an account of it's discovery, dismantled it and recorded it's materials and layout, unable to determine it's function and fearing religious persecution he decided not to reveal his work to the public. The iPod remained in the Aubriet family until 1814 when it was dismantled again and sold in parts for it's unusual materials. In 1917 George Ascot obtained a piece of integrated circuit and was motivated to spend much money and time tracking down the missing pieces. Successful in retrieving components containing information, he did not obtain several key functional components. George Ascot donated the artifact to the university of Cambridge where it was confiscated by the authorities. The examinations by Françoise Aubriet were later tracked down and also confiscated.
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Pirate Personalized Mini Zipper Pull (each) Style #BB013196 $1.29 A wise pirate will never set sail without one of these zipper pulls attached to his coat. The Pirate Personalized Mini Zipper Pulls are small round circles that are attached to metal chains that feature a picture of a pirate and can be personalized with your name on it.
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Day: August 11, 2018 Retail investors worldwide pulled over $28bn (€19bn) from equity funds last week, fleeing for the safety of fixed income and money market products as stock markets oscillated. This shift in news coverage was followed by broad public attention on the minimum wage and later by margin pressure at certain retailers and restaurants. Forex news services add value to the news stories they provide by analyzing current events and predicting how they will affect the exchange rates of various currencies around the globe. Not every one of these newsletters is as good as the next, however, and while their sales letters may all claim to turn you into a millionaire, common sense tells us better. After all, reading is easier than critical thinking, and it may impress people if you are up to date on a wide range of financial subjects. Again, pick a penny stock to buy and trade in from an industry, such as oil, that is going great guns (read the financial news). Financial plan to keep in mind that you have compiled do not lose with lust consumerism. Just like other Mistress/slave relationships, some Financial Dominants will form strong bonds with those who serve them over a long period of time. The Bloomberg app gives access to …
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Rotary Cutter Extensible (or hard) dough products are normally formed into a sheet before rotary cutting. The process of rotary cutting creates a scrap dough lattice that must be separated from the product before it enters the oven. Also, some products require the addition of text or other surface pattern including docker holes. The Arrow rotary cutter has two stations – one for docking the dough sheet and a second for cutting the dough piece from the sheet. Scrap dough is lifted from the cutter web conveyor by a scrap lift conveyor. The dough pieces continue into the oven for baking. Cutter and docker rolls are fixed and normally do not move. Rubber coated anvil rolls below the cutter web belt move upwards to force the dough sheet against the cutter and docker rolls. At Arrow, anvil rolls are constructed using a dual rubber compound. A softer inner layer of rubber provides some shock absorption during the cutting and docking process. When applying text or a surface pattern to the dough piece, the cutter and docker rolls must align. A roll phasing mechanism is used to maintain alignment. This control is an operator function and adjustments can be made easily and quickly. The cutting and docking pressures can be adjusted to compensate for variations in dough sheet properties. A simple control on the rotary cutter can be used by the operator to achieve the desired pressure setting. Products with inclusions can be difficult to rotary cut. Cutters cannot generate enough pressure to cut through the inclusion without damaging the cutter belt. A webless rotary cutter arrangement can give improved performance and eliminate cutter belt failure. The dough sheet is presented to the rotary cutter on a conveyor belt in the normal way. The dough sheet then passes through the webless cutter section before transferring back to the cutter belt.
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1. Justin Hunter-WR, I know he's skinny and I don't think he runs the full route tree, but I also think that an NFL level strength and conditioning program will add some bulk to him and if there's any of the route tree that he doesn't know he can learn all summer. I'm hoping AJ would take him under his wing and teach him how to be a pro. He's got great measurables, speed, and great athleticism that I'm willing to take a risk on his minor teachable deficiencies. Sometimes you've got to take some risk and swing for the fences. Hunter could be a homerun in a couple years. 2. Brandon Williams-NT, another somewhat risky pick due to the level of competition that he's faced and although it might take a year for him to finally become the NT we want, he's worth the risk in the short term since he'll be rotating at NT with Mitchell. Also everything I've read about this guys motivation/motor is positive. He'll be our new Shaun Cody on run downs, where I think he's actually better than Cody, and then Mitchell will come in on passing downs. 3. Kiko Alonso-ILB, great height/weight combo for the position and very good speed as well. A sideline to sideline ILB to play next to Cushing with good athleticism for pass coverage. Even if we move Reed to ILB, Alonso offers enough size, speed, and athleticism to be quality depth at both ILB and OLB. This may also free us from having to draft another OLB for depth. 3b. Alvin Bailey-OG, great size and long arms for the position and great speed for such a big man. High quality depth at OG behind Wade Smith and his eventual replacement in 2014. The rest of the way, I'd like to find a tall FS or CB to convert to Safety that can cover the new era tall athletic TE's that kill us over the middle, a Punter, a TE, and a bunch of BPA. I see Kiko Alonso on a lot of the mock drafts in this forum. Even though I'm pretty sure most here know the Texans stance on bringing in players with baggage. Are they going to look for a ILB like Alonso, with a good size/speed ratio? Sure. But, it's not going to be Alonso. From the internet rankings I've seen (which are just that, internet rankings), Hunter and Williams are rated about a round lower than you've taken them. Which actually makes this mock more realistic, rather than seeing 2nd day players going in the late rounds as we see in some mocks. Without knowing what happens in free agency, the Texans look to be picking up a WR, NT, and ILB. Not sure why they would go guard so early, unless they were unhappy with the two they took last year. A tackle would be more likely. I see Kiko Alonso on a lot of the mock drafts in this forum. Even though I'm pretty sure most here know the Texans stance on bringing in players with baggage. Are they going to look for a ILB like Alonso, with a good size/speed ratio? Sure. But, it's not going to be Alonso. From the internet rankings I've seen (which are just that, internet rankings), Hunter and Williams are rated about a round lower than you've taken them. Which actually makes this mock more realistic, rather than seeing 2nd day players going in the late rounds as we see in some mocks. Without knowing what happens in free agency, the Texans look to be picking up a WR, NT, and ILB. Not sure why they would go guard so early, unless they were unhappy with the two they took last year. A tackle would be more likely. You are overstating Alanso's baggage. He's proved he is past that as much as one can. Remember Posey? I agree with you about OT instead of OG. __________________ "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." Albert Einstein You are overstating Alanso's baggage. He's proved he is past that as much as one can. Remember Posey? Posey didn't have alcohol/DUI issues that Alonso has/had. Posey sold some jerseys to get a tattoo and was paid too much (supposedly) for an offseason job. How can you possibly compare the two? I hope you're right, and Alonso has conquered his demons. But you know the Texans aren't the team to risk that chance. Without knowing what happens in free agency, the Texans look to be picking up a WR, NT, and ILB. Not sure why they would go guard so early, unless they were unhappy with the two they took last year. A tackle would be more likely. Might make Wade Smith expendable as a cap casualty .... Tho I doubt they would go that route and leave the G positions to a couple second year players who were below average last season (Brooks did come on late). Might make Wade Smith expendable as a cap casualty .... Tho I doubt they would go that route and leave the G positions to a couple second year players who were below average last season (Brooks did come on late). It's impossible to say what the team has to have at this juncture. Mocking before free agency/roster cuts occur is really an exercise in futility. Not that the draft is (or should be) determined solely by roster holes. But, it has an effect. We'll know a lot more in 3 weeks than we do now. 1. Justin Hunter-WR, I know he's skinny and I don't think he runs the full route tree, but I also think that an NFL level strength and conditioning program will add some bulk to him and if there's any of the route tree that he doesn't know he can learn all summer. I'm hoping AJ would take him under his wing and teach him how to be a pro. He's got great measurables, speed, and great athleticism that I'm willing to take a risk on his minor teachable deficiencies. Sometimes you've got to take some risk and swing for the fences. Hunter could be a homerun in a couple years. 2. Brandon Williams-NT, another somewhat risky pick due to the level of competition that he's faced and although it might take a year for him to finally become the NT we want, he's worth the risk in the short term since he'll be rotating at NT with Mitchell. Also everything I've read about this guys motivation/motor is positive. He'll be our new Shaun Cody on run downs, where I think he's actually better than Cody, and then Mitchell will come in on passing downs. 3. Kiko Alonso-ILB, great height/weight combo for the position and very good speed as well. A sideline to sideline ILB to play next to Cushing with good athleticism for pass coverage. Even if we move Reed to ILB, Alonso offers enough size, speed, and athleticism to be quality depth at both ILB and OLB. This may also free us from having to draft another OLB for depth. 3b. Alvin Bailey-OG, great size and long arms for the position and great speed for such a big man. High quality depth at OG behind Wade Smith and his eventual replacement in 2014. The rest of the way, I'd like to find a tall FS or CB to convert to Safety that can cover the new era tall athletic TE's that kill us over the middle, a Punter, a TE, and a bunch of BPA. I guess I would be somewhat surprised if the Texans draft went like this, although I do agree with the first 3 positions picked. I do think they will try to go WR in in the 1st if Allen or Hopkins are there. I just don't think they would go for Hunter for the reason you stated above; "could be a homerun in a couple years." I think they want someone who will play and produce now and not wait for them to gain weight and learn the route tree. Allen or Hopkins are much more NFL ready. Brandon Williams I have no problem with. He has a "good motor" and we'll need a NT because I don't think Cody is coming back. Still not sure if Wade will pick the "big space eater" type NT but hope he will. And, I think the kid has a lot of upside (high ceiling). Alonso. Man I really like this guy, BUT, I have to agree with Lucky, there's probably no way they take him, even though that stuff (DUI and B&E) happened about 2 years ago. Plus, he's had some injury problems too (ACL). He's probably going to be a pretty good OLB/ILB for some team, but it won't be the Texans. Personally, with this weak class of ILB's, I'm thinking (and hearing) more and more the Texans move Reed to ILB and then draft another OLB, even if Barwin stays. As for the OG, I think they may take one but it could be later in the draft. You're right in thinking they need to get Wade's replacement soon. I think he'll be about 33 this season. I guess I would be somewhat surprised if the Texans draft went like this, although I do agree with the first 3 positions picked. I do think they will try to go WR in in the 1st if Allen or Hopkins are there. I just don't think they would go for Hunter for the reason you stated above; "could be a homerun in a couple years." I think they want someone who will play and produce now and not wait for them to gain weight and learn the route tree. Allen or Hopkins are much more NFL ready. In my mock Patterson and Allen have already been picked. I agree Hopkins is more pro ready and has a higher floor but Hunter is more athletic and has a higher ceiling. I'm swinging for the homerun here. I don't think it would take him that long to add another 15 lbs. and learn the route tree, he's got all summer, OTA's, private workouts, and training camp. I think by late August/early September he'd have the route tree down and will have added some of the necessary bulk to survive in the NFL. While his routes and productivity might be limited in the first season, like all rookies, by his second season he will have added more weight, completed his route tree, and have a years worth of experience, and his future is very bright. I think Hunter is worth the minimal risk. As for OG vs. OT in the 3rd, I'd like a guy that can do both but am not thrilled with the 3rd round OT prospects and think there's a better chance of Bailey taken in the 3rd being a future starter than a 3rd round OT. Newton is the future at RT, get used to it. I'm looking for current depth and future starters in the 3rd. I think Alonso's height/weight ratio, speed, and athleticism makes him some quality depth at both ILB and OLB. Having a guy that can do both offers more versatility and just makes sense. Curious why a punter when Donnie Jones had a solid season and can be had for ..... the vet minimum. Seen several others mention a punter as well. Rest of it looks solid. Jones was decent but not great last season. I'd like to solidify the position for the next 10+ yrs. instead of constantly looking for another vet. FA every year or 2 like we've been doing. I think the right rookie Punter could be younger, better, and cheaper than Jones. I'd pick one with one of our expected comp. 6th round picks. I like Quinn Sharp who was also a Kicker and we'd have that added security of a backup K already on the roster. In my mock Patterson and Allen have already been picked. I agree Hopkins is more pro ready and has a higher floor but Hunter is more athletic and has a higher ceiling. I'm swinging for the homerun here. I don't think it would take him that long to add another 15 lbs. and learn the route tree, he's got all summer, OTA's, private workouts, and training camp. I think by late August/early September he'd have the route tree down and will have added some of the necessary bulk to survive in the NFL. While his routes and productivity might be limited in the first season, like all rookies, by his second season he will have added more weight, completed his route tree, and have a years worth of experience, and his future is very bright. I think Hunter is worth the minimal risk.. It can be very difficult for guys with a leaner frame like Hunter to add weight quickly and not have it effect his speed/explosiveness. For the record I'm not sure he needs the extra weight to be effective. Having a 6'4" WR that can get deep might be all we need to open up our offense Jones was decent but not great last season. I'd like to solidify the position for the next 10+ yrs. instead of constantly looking for another vet. FA every year or 2 like we've been doing. I think the right rookie Punter could be younger, better, and cheaper than Jones. I'd pick one with one of our expected comp. 6th round picks. I like Quinn Sharp who was also a Kicker and we'd have that added security of a backup K already on the roster. Fair enough explination. You have a good point about getting one cheaper tho Im not sure how much cheaper since Jones played for the vet min ($800k) last season. You might be able to half that number .... 1. Justin Hunter-WR, I know he's skinny and I don't think he runs the full route tree, but I also think that an NFL level strength and conditioning program will add some bulk to him and if there's any of the route tree that he doesn't know he can learn all summer. I'm hoping AJ would take him under his wing and teach him how to be a pro. He's got great measurables, speed, and great athleticism that I'm willing to take a risk on his minor teachable deficiencies. Sometimes you've got to take some risk and swing for the fences. Hunter could be a homerun in a couple years. 2. Brandon Williams-NT, another somewhat risky pick due to the level of competition that he's faced and although it might take a year for him to finally become the NT we want, he's worth the risk in the short term since he'll be rotating at NT with Mitchell. Also everything I've read about this guys motivation/motor is positive. He'll be our new Shaun Cody on run downs, where I think he's actually better than Cody, and then Mitchell will come in on passing downs. 3. Kiko Alonso-ILB, great height/weight combo for the position and very good speed as well. A sideline to sideline ILB to play next to Cushing with good athleticism for pass coverage. Even if we move Reed to ILB, Alonso offers enough size, speed, and athleticism to be quality depth at both ILB and OLB. This may also free us from having to draft another OLB for depth. 3b. Alvin Bailey-OG, great size and long arms for the position and great speed for such a big man. High quality depth at OG behind Wade Smith and his eventual replacement in 2014. The rest of the way, I'd like to find a tall FS or CB to convert to Safety that can cover the new era tall athletic TE's that kill us over the middle, a Punter, a TE, and a bunch of BPA. Texans fans would be lucky if the draft fell this way and Rick didn't overthink it and just picked these guys.
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UAB conducting foll-up Anniston PCB study A chemical plant in Anniston was forced to clean up its act several years ago. Now, doctors at UAB are working on a follow-up health survey for people who live near the chemical plant. The doctors want to see how the levels of poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) have changed in Anniston residents’ bodies.
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Baking and cooking my way through the cold Alaska winters keeps me from getting cabin fever. With the help of my husband and our four dogs, we manage to maintain our sanity through adventures in our kitchen and our hometown, Fairbanks. Wednesday, July 8, 2015 We had about 20 people over for a 4th of July dinner. We didn't have the usual grilled meat type of dinner, no, the Blond Boy and the DIL were here so we had prime rib and crab. The boy loves prime rib and the DIL loves crab. I did make a patriotic pie. It was a cheater pie from this pie, but I used canned pie filling, I was in a hurry. I made the pie, snapped a picture to post on instagram, and popped it in the oven. 450°F and 45 minutes later, it was ready to pull out of the oven. I did want to make sure the bottom crust was cooked completely, and since I baked this in a pyrex pan I lifted it over my head and checked out the bottom crust - perfect! As I was lowering it to place it on the counter, the pie slipped from the pot holders and spilled, upside-down, onto the door of the oven. I screamed, the glass hit, and my kids came running to see what the noise was all about. The pie, of course, was ruined. There was cherry and blueberry lava all over the oven door, inside the oven, the kitchen floor...the kids turned the oven off and started to clean up the mess. We got a good handle of the mess and the Baby Boy says, "I thought there was blueberry in the pie, I've only cleaned up cherry." This is after I used two spatulas to clean most of it off the door, I finally calmed down a little. He opened the drawer under the oven, and there was a pile of blueberry and more cherry all over the pans in the bottom drawer. More cleaning, one last scrub of the oven and the floor and we were done. The drawer under the oven...full of blueberry and cherry goodness that we don't get to enjoy. Now, the good news in this mishap is 1) the pyrex dish didn't break, 2) the glass on the oven door didn't break, and 3) the pie slipped forward, not backward, and I didn't end up wearing searing hot sugary pie filling and ending up in the burn unit at our local hospital! The Baby Boy and the Chick went to the store and bought ice cream, toppings, and waffle cones and we had an ice cream bar for our dessert. It was the silver lining to the whole event. Monday, July 6, 2015 A couple months have gone by since Dave's mom passed on, so I can share this now. My husband and I were over at his mom's. It was a particularly difficult day for her and Dave and I were a little wrung out. He was in the kitchen and I was in the bathroom with his mom helping her get cleaned up, yet again. It was an indelicate situation and it went from bad to worse... So after she was finished getting cleaned up, she had new clothes on and was sitting in her chair, I went into the kitchen and informed my husband that when all this was said and done, he was taking me on vacation so I could learn how to surf. "Yes ma'am." was his whole answer. I married a smart man. He even emailed me information about surfing schools in Hawaii. I think we will probably go next fall, in October or November. I'm not sure we are stuck on Hawaii so I am looking around. When it was my turn to spend the night with June, and she was tucked into bed for the night I surfed the web (see what I did there..."surf" the web, clever, huh), and check out places all over the world that has surfing schools. It was a wonderful way to take a little stress off the day and dream of oceans and warmer weather. Place mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup in pitcher. Muddle with back of spoon until mint is broken down and infused juice and syrup with flavor. Add coconut rum and cream of coconut. Mix well. Add ice and stir until very cold. Strain the drink into chilled, ice-filled glasses and fill about 4/3 full. Top with club soda. Enjoy Friday, July 3, 2015 So, I had all this extra cake from the heart cakes I made for the wedding rehearsal dinner, and I had some Nutella Buttercream left over, so I just mixed the two, rolled them into balls, and dipped them in chocolate. Everyone thought I was brilliant and went out of my way to make a special treat...I'll never tell them they are just eating left-overs! Roll the cake paste (mmm, delicious, cake-paste) into balls. Add sticks - or not After dipping in chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft. I left some plain for those sickkos who don't like sprinkles. An assortment of sprinkles to make everyone happy. My taste-tester approved. Chocolate Cake Pops 1 Chocolate cake, your favorite or from a box (I used the left-overs from two sheets of cut out hearts from this recipe) 1/2 batch of Nutella buttercream (here) or a can of frosting Break up cake and place it and frosting in mixer and mix on low until completely incorporated and a soft paste forms. Roll into desired size balls. I like to use my medium scooper for this. Add sticks, if desired. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Melt chocolate, I like to use a measuring glass in the microwave. Dip cake balls in chocolate and let excess drip off. Place in cookie sheet and sprinkle if desired. Keep in refrigerator. Wednesday, July 1, 2015 It is summer and weddings are in the air. We have 4 to go to ourselves! It is very fun to see couples that you have known for a long time take that next step and become husband and wife. This past weekend the son of good friends got married. Dave coached the boy young man in high school basketball, and this couple were at our house for their senior prom dinner. The blond boy was in the wedding so he and the DIL came up. We were invited to the rehearsal dinner and I was asked to bring dessert. I made these little heart cakes, filled with Nutella buttercream and raspberry jelly, topped with more Nutella buttercream and a little pink heart (the bridesmaids dresses were this shade of pink). They were easy, delicious and a big hit. I'm all for wedding season if I can eat more of these. Bake the chocolate cake in a 13x17 inch sheet pan, then use a small cookie cutter to cut out the hearts. As I removed the hearts, I cut them in half horizontally with a serrated knife The bottom half bordered with Nutella buttercream and filled with raspberry jam. White chocolate, dyed pink, for the hearts. Tops added and frosted and hearts added. Chocolate Heart Cakes with Nutella Buttercream and Raspberry Jam For Cake • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour • ¾ cup sugar • ½ cup cocoa powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon baking powder • ¼ teaspoon salt • 1/3 cup warm water • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder • 1 egg • ½ cup milk • ¼ cup vegetable oil • ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract For the Buttercream 1 large jar or 2 small jars of Nutella (about 26 ounces) 3 sticks of butter or 1.5 cups room temperature Whip Nutella and butter together until light and fully mixed. Scrap down bowl and mix on meduim-high for about 2 more minutes. Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Spray 13x17 inch pan with a baking spray, line with parchment, spray with baking spray. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 3. In a small cup, dissolve the instant espresso powder in water. Set aside. 4. In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract on medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until everything is incorporated. Stir in mixed espresso. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. 5. Cool the cake on wire rack completely. 6. Cut our hearts or desired shape, carefully remove from pan. Slice in half horizontally and place on a clean sheet pan. 7. Put buttercream in a piping bag with a star tip. 8. Place bottom half of heart on plate, pipe a rim around the edge, fill with raspberry jelly, place top of cake back on and press gently to secure. 9. Pipe buttercream on top and decorate with candy heart or other decoration. (I do all the buttercream rims, then all the raspberry jelly, then all the tops - it goes faster than doing one full cake at a time.) Refrigerate until buttercream firms. Remove from refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving.
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The investigators catch up with a benefit cheat who claimed disability allowances for over a decade before being caught playing football. Plus, the fraudster who said his job was a paper round is exposed as a millionaire. And we meet 88-year-old Queenie Maxwell as she gets central heating system installed for the first time in her life. (Stereo, Widescreen) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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ByJustin Pritchard, Associated Press WriterJune 4, 2010 Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on Shrek-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry. Los Angeles — Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold U.S. McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses; McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds. The 16-ounce glasses, being sold for about $2 each as part of a promotional campaign for the movie "Shrek Forever After," were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey. The CPSC noted in its recall notice that "long-term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects." Cadmium is a known carcinogen that research shows also can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems. In the case of the Shrek-themed glassware, the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium, which could leach from the paint onto a child's hand, then enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to his or her mouth. Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows in paint. McDonald's USA spokesman Bill Whitman said a pigment in paint on the glasses contained cadmium. "A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. He would not specify the amounts of cadmium that leached from the paint in tests, but said the amounts were "slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency." Wolfson said the glasses have "far less cadmium than the children's metal jewelry that CPSC has previously recalled." Concerns about cadmium exposure emerged in January, when The Associated Press reported that some items of children's jewelry sold at major national chains contained up to 91 percent of the metal. Federal regulators worry that kids could ingest cadmium by biting, sucking or even swallowing contaminated pendants and bracelets. The consumer protection agency has issued three recalls this spring for jewelry highlighted in the AP stories, including products sold at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer; at Claire's, a major jewelry and accessories chain in North America and Europe; and at discount and dollar stores. Those recalls all involved children's metal jewelry — and all of that jewelry was made in China. Manufactured by ARC International of Millville, New Jersey, the glasses were to be sold from May 21 into June. Roughly seven million of the glasses had been sold; another approximately five million are in stores or have not yet been shipped, said Whitman. Associated Press reporters tried unsuccessfully to buy the glasses late Thursday at McDonald's in New York, Los Angeles and northern New Jersey but were alternately told the merchandise was sold out, no longer available or "there'll be more tomorrow." The company that makes the drinking glasses said it only learned of the problem late Thursday and will look into it. Tom Reed, vice president of human resources at Arc International's plant in Millville, New Jersey, said the company received a copy of a McDonald's memo on the recall but has not heard anything else. Reed would not say where the paint was made or whether it's used in Arc's other products. Arc is based in France and owns the Pyrex brand of cookware in Europe. McDonald's said it was asking customers to stop using the glasses "out of an abundance of caution." "We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use," Whitman said. "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately." Whitman said that as the CPSC develops new protocols and standards for cadmium in consumer products, "we adjust as necessary to ensure that our customers can continue to trust what they receive from McDonald's." Federal scrutiny of the glasses began last week. The Washington office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has proposed strictly limiting cadmium in jewelry, received what a spokesman described as an anonymous tip that testing with an X-ray gun that estimates how much cadmium an item contains indicated the metal was present in the glass paint. Speier's office requested samples of the glasses from the tipster, and upon receiving them May 27 sent them to the CPSC for further investigation. "Our children's health should not depend on the consciences of anonymous sources," Speier said in a statement Friday. "Although McDonald's did the right thing by recalling these products, we need stronger testing standards to ensure that all children's products are proven safe before they hit the shelves." ___ The Associated Press National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org. Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Millville, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
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Routing Workshop CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Routing Workshop, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 7-11 May 2001 Dear Colleagues, A Routing Workshop will be provided for RIPE NCC staff on 7-11 May 2001 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands by Cisco Systems. This is a call for applications for 14 places still available in the workshop. This workshop will be provided free of charge and includes lunches. PLEASE NOTE: Travel and accommodation are not provided or reimbursed. Who should Attend: The target audience for this course is persons in the ISP community with a basic familiarity of Cisco Systems equipment. This is a technical workshop and most suitable for those persons who are now or will soon be building or operating a wide area TCP/IP base Internet Service Provider (ISP) network or Internet eXchange Point (IXP) with international and/or multi-provider connectivity. Prerequisites: Cisco IOS fundamentals; user level UNIX and possibly some system administration and; some use of network design, preferably TCP/IP based. * Preference for this course will be given to those individuals that come from developing countries (i.e. Central Europe, Central Asia, Africa and The Middle East) Cisco Systems will select 14 participants to attend the tutorial based on the information provided in the application form enclosed below. WORKSHOP SCOPE: --------------- - Techniques for design, set-up, and operation of a metropolitan, regional or national ISP backbone network. This includes advanced OSPF, BGP4 and policy based routing. - IOS Essentials every ISP should be doing. The hidden secrets that all key NSPs have been using for years but not telling anyone (ie: competitive advantage. - Techniques for multiple connections to the Internet (multihoming), including connections to IXPs, NSP and transoceanic Internet links. - Techniques for the design, set-up and operation of a metropolitan, regional or national IXPs - Techniques to achieve optimal performance and configuration from a Cisco backbone router. This includes routing scalability, network design and configuration techniques. - Examples from a case study from successful ISPs who are making use of many of the workshop techniques. COURSE LOCATION: --------------- The course will take place at The Groot Industrieele Club, Dam 27, Amsterdam, The Netherlands The instructors for the Workshop will be Philip Smith and Duncan Rogerson. IMPORTANT DATES: --------------- * The deadline for application submissions: 11 April 2001. * Acceptance notification to selected candidates: 16 April 2001 * Routing Workshop - 7-11 May 2001 For further information about the Cisco ISP workshop please contact: Joao Silva Damas Chief Technical Officer RIPE NCC E-mail: joao at ripe.net ====== ROUTING WORKSHOP - APPLICATION FORM * Please submit your application form by email to <joao at ripe.net> with the following text as the subject: Routing Workshop First Name: Last Name: Nationality: Contact Information: - postal address: - Tel/Fax number: - email address: CV detailing ISP experience [max 200 words]: ======
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If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. I have measured both the 4x (Daylight) and 6x (Daylight) with a lightmeter as various distances and found the max light output to be same on both of them. So I find the marketing claim that the 6x is 50% brighter than the 4x to be a lie, and very frustrating since the only reason I bought the 6x was because of this marketing claim. Well that means I should have bought the 4x when it was cheap vs paying more for the 6x. Unless there is an output difference in the bi color versions. Or unless the 4x had the board frying problem and the 6x doesn't. I have measured both the 4x (Daylight) and 6x (Daylight) with a lightmeter as various distances and found the max light output to be same on both of them. So I find the marketing claim that the 6x is 50% brighter than the 4x to be a lie, and very frustrating since the only reason I bought the 6x was because of this marketing claim. Their marketing states " It is now 50% brighter than the first generation Astra and 6 times brighter than the original 1x1. " 50% brighter than the first generation Astra. The 4x came after the first generation Astra. There are many iterations of the Astra, but generally speaking there was the "first generation Astra" ( the Astra 1x, if you will ), the Astra 3x, the Astra 4x, and finally the Astra 6x. Love the 6x or not, it is currently the workhorse 1x1 LED panel in the video production industry. It has become the 1x1 LED panel for news gathering / shooting stand-ups. I've also seen Astra 6x's working on feature films with a multi-million dollar budget. Productions that could afford to rent any light but the DP is still choosing to use Astras. The Astra is working on major filmsets alongside Arri Skypanels, Litemats, Celebs, and its brother the Litepanels Gemini. That isn't the case for the Dracast, Cello, Aputure, Brightcast, Timpani, or other "also ran". Is the Astra flawed? Yes, it is. But like the Sony Fs7, the Astra has become the "workhorse" despite the flaws. Funny how some of the complaints about the Astra are the same complaints we heard about the Fs7- it's plasticky, it has engineering flaws, the color isn't the best, you have to buy accessories to complete it, yadda yadda yadda. The fs7 went on to become the most widely used pro video camera anyway. Likewise, the Astra has become the most widely used 1x1 LED panel despite its flaws. As for the striking issue, I own two Astra 6x's and it is rare that I encounter the issue. Maybe 1 out of every 20 strike attempts? So far it hasn't been frequent enough of an issue to cause me to seek remedy. A second attempt at striking usually fixes things. I've never had either one of my Astras outright refuse to strike after a second attempt. JP, I suspect that you've been lucky with your Astra's . There is a long thread on "cml lighting" right now that mirrors the complaints here. Quite a few long experienced shooters have had to repeatedly send in their Astra's for repair. Their marketing states " It is now 50% brighter than the first generation Astra and 6 times brighter than the original 1x1. " 50% brighter than the first generation Astra. The 4x came after the first generation Astra. There are many iterations of the Astra, but generally speaking there was the "first generation Astra" ( the Astra 1x, if you will ), the Astra 3x, the Astra 4x, and finally the Astra 6x. Love the 6x or not, it is currently the workhorse 1x1 LED panel in the video production industry. It has become the 1x1 LED panel for news gathering / shooting stand-ups. I've also seen Astra 6x's working on feature films with a multi-million dollar budget. Productions that could afford to rent any light but the DP is still choosing to use Astras. The Astra is working on major filmsets alongside Arri Skypanels, Litemats, Celebs, and its brother the Litepanels Gemini. That isn't the case for the Dracast, Cello, Aputure, Brightcast, Timpani, or other "also ran". Is the Astra flawed? Yes, it is. But like the Sony Fs7, the Astra has become the "workhorse" despite the flaws. Funny how some of the complaints about the Astra are the same complaints we heard about the Fs7- it's plasticky, it has engineering flaws, the color isn't the best, you have to buy accessories to complete it, yadda yadda yadda. The fs7 went on to become the most widely used pro video camera anyway. Likewise, the Astra has become the most widely used 1x1 LED panel despite its flaws. As for the striking issue, I own two Astra 6x's and it is rare that I encounter the issue. Maybe 1 out of every 20 strike attempts? So far it hasn't been frequent enough of an issue to cause me to seek remedy. A second attempt at striking usually fixes things. I've never had either one of my Astras outright refuse to strike after a second attempt. In the larger sense JP, your post perfectly illustrates what I have encountered in this industry for two and a half decades, the "industry standard" often turns out to be a compromised piece of gear overall. While there are often better, different, more flexible solutions available, Producers, uninformed clients and Directors often pigeonhole users, mostly at the low to medium end of things into HAVING to buy/rent/use something that is sub-par based upon vague name/advertisement recognition. Inrterestingly, this doesn't seem to happen at the high end as much, most DPs/Ops I know are happy to shoot with any high-end camera, I know I am, as long as it's the right tool for the job at hand. This "industry standard" thing often reflects the Lemming-like behavior that we see driving the FF craze, the 8K craze, the uncessary or detrimental use of anamorphic craze. It's a business first and a creative outlet second. G.A.S. destroys lives. Stop buying gear that doesn't make you money.
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That this is even possible, even as an exception, would seem to support that the hassle we go through at the airport is largely pointless. How did I get here? At security I followed the usual requirements like a good sheep (remove my laptop, iPad, don’t have any liquids etc etc) and yet my bag still ends up in the queue to be searched manually. Due to understaffing, it was almost 20 minutes before they got to my tray, brought it over to go through with me, and scanned the barcode on the tray to retrieve the image that had been captured. At this point I was told that there was nothing “wrong” but that it had failed to be imaged, and had to be re-screened. Now, you would think this could perhaps trigger a different type of error and prompt the operator to rescan it at the time, but apparently not, it just gets stuck in the queue with all the bags containing 'suspicious items' Given the huge queues, and other delays the security agent instead said he’d “just swab it instead” and handed me it back when the swab was clear. The swab test is looking for drugs or explosive residue. It would not detect other prohibited items. Like, for instance, the can of Pepsi the unfortunate passenger next to me had in her bag that she’d forgotten about. The way she was barked at by the staff you’d think they’d found 300g of C4, not 330ml of Pepsi!! Now, it’d be exceptionally difficult to orchestrate this situation for nefarious purposes, of course. And I wasn’t carrying anything I shouldn’t be! But still, I ended up on a plane without having my bag X-rayed, at the same airport which previously argued with me that solid stick deodorants were a ‘liquid’ and that - although the CAA say otherwise Liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) are all liquid items for aviation security purposes. This includes all drinks, toiletry and cosmetic items such as shampoo and shower gel, toothpaste, liquid/aerosol deodorant, hairspray, hair gel, mascara and foundation cream. It does not include solid deodorant sticks and solid bars of soap. This airport takes it upon themselves to "improve" on this standard, and was willing to argue that they didn't need to follow the CAA rules and that they were a "minimum" - in reality it looks more like they just don't know the rules at all, and think they're better than the CAA. Inconsistencies like this make a mockery of the system. I’ll always love flying, but I hate airports.
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JSTAR INTERVIEW! We love Jstar for his remixes, musical knowledge, cooking recipes, and lickshots. He grew up in West London and is now rocking the crowd worldwide with Dancehall, Global Bass, Moombahton, 60´s RnB and much more. We talked with Jstar about his selection, crazy rumors and his future plans. Do you remember the first record you bought? In 1984 I bought UB40s “Cherry Oh Baby” and I remember going to Woolworths around the same time and buying Bob Marley’s “Waiting in vain” and “One love” on 7″. Later some OMD 7″ sand “Now that’s what I call music 2″ Compilation on cassette. I had been bought up on a diet of boogie boogie Jazz, RnB, classical and exotic Greek and french egyptian records in my house Please explain the music selection you have at home a little more and your live-selection. It´s not that big – around 4000 records: lots of Roots Reggae, Dancehall, Ska , Jazz, African High Life, Polish Funk, seminal Rock albums, Spoken Word, Samples, Ethnological….When Djing I will be playing Bass culture – a journey from Dancehall to Drum and Bass via Colombia and New Orleans. Perhaps latest joints i´ve borrowed off Diplo and the Major Lazer massive, Moombahton, Kuduru , Trap and mixing it with my own Basstronica. Recently i was invited to London to spin just RnB and Ska 45′s which was a massive pleasure! What was the funniest feedback, you got on your remixes A company in USA used a track to advertise burritos! Please tell us a very special moment in your career. I had no idea where my records were being sent around the world. I joined myspace 3 years after putting out my first records and got 250,000 hits. Some guys came to me at a gig in South London and said they were going to fly me to New Zealand to play an amazing festival on a beach! It was unbelievable and humbling. About some rumors. From who did you buy your famous lickshot machine? It´s phenomenal how many people are now manufacturing and buying the Wuzzle Box / Sirens. Mine has been sampled by Fat Freddies Drop, Motagen Sound, Morcheeba… It came from Russ Disciple of Boom Shacka Lacka Sound System in UK, who also makes Jah Tubby’s Boxes, but the parts in mine are no longer available, but produce a very distinct tone. The Disciples came and played a gig for us, aswell as Mad Professor, Zion Train, Blackamix back in my hazy dub days. Did you escape from a major record deal? Yeah we were all working exclusively under a deal but they weren’t putting the records out. We had great times supporting Cypress Hill, Moby, going to posh parties, great studios.. but the label didn’t seem to know what was going in the real world: they didn’t even understand why we wanted a website!… at least our A&R guy found a new singer to work with… Adele! Now you are working for Mad Decent. What are you doing there? For almost 4 years i´ve been working in a touring capacity with Diplo, Major Lazer, Dillon Francis and others, organizing the shows with local promoters across Europe, Russia etc.. Check out the Diplo book – “128 beats per minute” How is it to work with Diplo? Great guy, works real hard, never stops, very lucky guy. Your famous dish. I´m well known for 2 dishes: Ackee & Saltfish, and Putanesca – you can get the recipes here: http://jstarmusic.com/jstar-simple-puttanesca-sauce-for-spaghetti My summer salads are pretty mean too. What can we expect next? Remixes out in the next months are: Vibration Lab feat Linval Thompson “Inna Zion”, Corduroy Kid “Too Late Virginia” and Dubstep Reggae from Serocee “Rising Star”: Then to celebrate 10 years of Jstar – A double vinyl album of Official remixes – all in one place – then the Jstar album which will be inna Reggae fashion with some nice new Riddims. And i will be making a cake.
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Although there’s elevated talk across the analysis and treatment of common temper and mental problems like anxiousness and melancholy , there’s still quite a lot of work to be achieved to lift consciousness. Alright. Time to chime in. It’s manifestly obvious that Palin spoke incorrectly. Maybe it was only a goof (an enormous one at that) however then, perhaps it was particularly planned to achieve out to folks that imagine nothing but what they see on TELEVISION. I do not know. Sure, she was inside the law to fire. Yes, she violated ethics. Now, having mentioned that. ThРµ thing thР°t СѓРѕu С•hРѕuld Р°lwауѕ kеер in thoughts, whilРµ making use of fРѕr online payday loans iС• rРµgР°rding itС• repayment schedule. AС• thеѕе loans Р°rРµ quick time period in nature, it СЃР°n have an effect on СѓРѕur credit file vРµrСѓ badly. SРѕ bРµ vРµrСѓ careful, make ѕоmРµ reimbursement schedule in advance Р°nd strictly adhere tРѕ it. I’m sick and bored with the Republicans having it both ways and it’s time that Palin takes her MLF two-confronted racist arse again to Alaska and stay in Alaska. In the event you learn the Report, you wouldn’t be claiming she “flat out lied”. Regardless, stating she could have gone to Alaska for a day or some other type of communication being obtainable does NOT answer “How about she agrees to return to Alaska on November fifth and talk to any legislator who wants to ask her any questions?” except by implication. I need to make sure that the record is clear, that is all. Sarah Palin did not abuse her powers. She talked to Monnegan two instances about Trooper Wooten. Neither time did she intimidate Monnegan to fireplace Wooten. For her to have violated the ethics act she must have made private or financial beneficial properties. She did none of them. Wooten is still a trooper after Monnegan was fired. This was not a good investigation. Branchflower has ties to Monnegan. 4 of the leaders on the legislative investigation have purpose’s to get her. For those who read the Alaska papers a few of the Senators on that very same Legislative panel don’t think she abused her powers. Misplaced in all of that is the trooper was a bad guy.
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Civil Litigation Lawyer Represent clients in non-criminal disputes. Quick Stats Outlook Good Salary Range $75,000 – $165,000 Data from U.S. Department of Labor What do Civil Litigation Lawyers do? A Civil Litigation Lawyer represents cases involving injury to individuals. Although the term “injury” often brings to mind images of casts and stitches, physical injury isn’t the only kind they handle. Civil Litigation Lawyers also represent clients who have been taken advantage of, treated unfairly, or undercompensated. Common cases for Civil Litigation Lawyers include car accidents, negligence, class action suits, contracts, or landlord-tenant disputes. Sometimes, these cases are settled out of court. But if you’re hired, it is generally a case for trial. Trials are often a lengthy process, some taking months and others stretching out several years. The process starts with an investigation of the facts. You interview your client, review reports from the other parties involved, and decide if the case has legal merit. If you decide it does, you counsel your client through the process. Should they settle? Is the settlement being offered a fair amount? Can the client endure the process of a lengthy trial? Once you’ve received the green light to proceed, you and your staff delve into the tiniest details of the case. You uncover every police and telephone record, memo, letter, or voicemail message that supports your case. You interview dozens of potential witnesses, gather statements, and prepare your arguments. You also communicate with other Lawyers, formulate briefs and other legal documents, make filings with the court, and appear in front of the Judge. Then you present evidence and wait for the judgment. Through the entire process, you calm, educate, and counsel your client while striving to argue the legal grounds that will win the case. Should I be a Civil Litigation Lawyer? You should have a doctoral degree or higher and share these traits: Trustworthy: You are known for your personal integrity and honesty. Detail Oriented: You pay close attention to all the little details. Logical Thinker: You take a step-by-step approach to analyze information and solve problems. How to become a Civil Litigation Lawyer Most Civil Litigation Lawyers have a Doctorate. Start by getting your Bachelor's degree.
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How Disc Brake Conversion Works I­n general, the brake-conversion-kit market is geared toward high-performance -- not to mention high-cost -- brakes. So deciding whether to buy a conversion kit or gather parts from a junkyard or parts store depends largely on what you're looking to get out of your conversion. If you're simply upgrading brakes on a much older vehicle, a conversion kit might be overkill, and could end up costing a bit more than donor parts. Keep Reading Below On the other hand, the nice thing about conversion kits is that they save you the time and effort of hunting through junkyard wrecks and auto store parts bins to find what you need. For instance, a conversion kit for a 1970 Ford Mustang costs between $1,000 and $2,000. The same conversion performed using a combination of junkyard and auto store parts, cost one do-it-yourselfer $800. [source: Ireland] Conversion kits can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000. The lower-end conversion kits have simple flat rotors, while high-end kits often have rotors that are slotted to keep them cool. High-end performance kits also put emphasis on showiness, offering special finishes for the rotors and bright red racing-style calipers. Keep in mind that although there may not be a specific conversion kit available for your vehicle, there's bound to be a compatible kit out there. Car enthusiast Web sites, forums and message boards are invaluable resources for finding out what kit best fits your needs for a conversion. Conversion Kit Sources A few of the larger manufacturers of disc brake conversion kits are Wilwood, Baer and Summit Racing. There are many places online to buy these -- and many other -- kits.
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Office hot sexy girls Latin nerdy MILF Dasani Lezian face fucked hard The cat calls and lude remarks that we were subjected to was terrifying. How do we know Vincent is who he says he is. They went in and Donna saw that it was spotless and tastefully done in early American decor. " I was instantly hard and stayed that way for the next two periods. Excitement Odfice through me as my heart began to race. Oftice stepped over the bench so she was startling Donna's face and said in a firm voice, "Lick my pussy. " Her mother lifted the one foot as I moved over in front of her. "Mr. He bent me over my bunk and greased me and himself up. This was the virls time she had spoken since the last goblin queen had showed up. I never had one in grade school and I liked putting things in there and having them safe. "Please. I have no idea why, but the fact that I made him stop pissing mid-stream was kind of hot. Perhaps it would be impossible or difficult to define what is offensive, but that might cause people to grow some hide. (And that might be a good thing: I am thinking about Trump and his sniveling about "fake news" every time someone criticizes him). Voodoogar 17.06.2018 He is another clueless cheerleader. The same slobs that denied Rob had a problem. Goltilkis 22.06.2018 Randi was a magician. He learned the tricks of the trade, and when he saw others trying to pass off the tricks as real, he spoke up. Vuzahn 30.06.2018 I see that you are taking this as an academic exercise. If you want to parse every word go somewhere else. I don't proofread everything I write as if I'm writing a formal essay. Faeshura 06.07.2018 I get that, it's simply not possible for everyone, child or adult. The only solution would be for people to be kinder, which isn't possible with the way the world is now. Grogore 07.07.2018 Spot on! :o))))) Faelkree 09.07.2018 If you still haven?t out together what my argument is then I don?t see any use in us continuing our dialogue. It should be clear at this point. Kazrajinn 16.07.2018 I agree frequently desperation isn?t visible Meztikinos 17.07.2018 "Firmament" is a word used in the KJV to describe the "expanse" between earth and space, our atmosphere, the bubble we see earth surrounded by from space. At the time of translation, there was no words to accurately describe it in English and the word used "firmament" carried the thoughts of the hard shell legend used - the same legends that describes the earth on elephants standing on a turtle and that "scientists" thought contains the heavens. Wrong notions that were not supported by the Bible. (But, shhhh! don't tell anyone! They'll burn you to the stake for heresy and reading the Bible for what it SAYS and not what they tell you it says!!) Malkis 25.07.2018 LOOK at what these Evangelicals are saying why they stand behind Trump so much. Because they feel he is going to bring in the End of Times and bring back their Jesus. They do not care, they want to destroy us all in a flash of nuclear fire so they can prove their damn Bronze Age fairy tale is the right one. Holy crap, when I hear them say this and read them saying this? It brings chills down my spine. These people are nucking futs that they want to see even their own children and even grand children die for their stupid freaking Bronze Age religious beliefs. Faek 30.07.2018 I'm not sure it is. Modal 09.08.2018 Life went fantastic for me! I traveled to over 40 countries, worked all over the world and got to work with the military both in Afghanistan and other postings. I got to see and do things not even multi-millionaires have done! Gatilar 12.08.2018 20 years ago, beer would have been a respectable bribe ;) Goltizshura 22.08.2018 I find this information very edifying as it explains the 'story' of reality put forth by Christianity as an END OF THE WORLD tale with the second coming of Jesus and the END OT TIMES business. Hinduism on the other hand describes reality as an unending cycle of beginnings and endings. It describes the "eternal play" of the Lord. Gokasa 26.08.2018 The whole thing started when her handler tried to change her diaper. She wanted the authority to determine if hers was ripe enough. Nekinos 28.08.2018 Yeah I was just pointing out the verses that reference this Nikogal 07.09.2018 One of the best theme songs. I was not even aware how big the hair was. Also the reason why I wanted to be a redhead the moment Jean sported the Phoenix like a badass accessory and changed her costume to look cool. Tygorisar 16.09.2018 So why would he rest? Kizil 22.09.2018 Exactly. That has 0 thrill. ?? Kazitaur 23.09.2018 It is embarrassing to see people saying unborn children are not human beings. Kazrakree 26.09.2018 I think I can sum up "Christian Privilege" as I see it in the United States pretty simply: Tukinos 28.09.2018 Where do the rights to follow a religion end? Can a Catholic firefighter refuse to save my house because I'm living with a woman and we aren't married?
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Once I walked a crooked line, down the narrow path of hate. That lead me to contempt and sorrow, which surely confirmed my fate. A turning point was not for me; At unease about everything. I watch the people, how they corrupt what once was a beautiful thing. The ways of the mind, and human heart shall forever be concealed until they who hurt can realize that what they do is real. ------When you are with me, I feel Alive yet at the same time I feel Dead Inside. You give me wings so I can fly but unbound me not from these chains I am tied.
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The Halal Food means doing thing under the permission and rule of the Islam. To prove that the halal marks on the products or the Halal Certification in the Restaurant. It is the very important for Muslims or for whom consume only Halal Food. But the real halal food is quite difficult to prove too. Jc.Tour-Phuket had set up the Halal Package for the tourist need to be virgin in Halal Food. Jc.Tour had selected the resort and the restaurant which can shown the Halal Certificated fixed in this package. We included: The grand standard resort on On Patong Beach (The Royal Paradise Resort & Spa) One Day Snorkeling at PP Island by Speed Boat (With Halal Lunch) Phuket City Tour Around The Island (Private Minibus with Halal Lunch) R/T transfer from Airport-Hotel-Airport All meals (Halal, by real certificated from Halal Food of Thailand) English Tour Guide Stand by 24 Hours Minibus (During in the Package) What we do recommend? Please see the highlight pictures with detail and read all program, before submit the booking. Or Call/Whats App to +66 89 5727603 PP Island: By speed Boat PP Island tour by Speed Boat is very popular and nice to go: We visit Maya Bay, Pile Cove, Loh Samah Bay, Viking Cave Monkey Beach, PP Don Island and Khai Island in one day. The trip is in the Topper Class of Jc.Tour. Phuket City Tour Phuket Surrounding: All interesting places are included: Chalong Temple, Big Buddha on the Top Land of Phuket (380 Degree View) Old Phuket Town, Promthep Cape, 3 Beaches View Point as well as the Grand Pagoda (Mahathat) R/T transfer From the Airport + 24 Hours Stand By Minibus Just in this Halal Package, Jc.Tour uses the private minibus for transfer from Airport and Stand by for customer 24 house, no need to pay extra. The minibus of Jc.Tour is the new modern, comfortable and clean. As well as the Driver had passed the Examination of PSSD (Polite Service Standard Driver). You can be sure that "you have a nice driver with the best car" The best location Resort 4.5 Stars - The best Sea View Resort on Patong Beach - The Royal Paradise. The 4.5 Resort on the best location of Patong Beach with Sea View Room can make you very happy as on your room. As well as the comfortable facilities: Swimming Pool very wide free from style, The 4 of Restaurant, Coffee Shop, Luxury Lobby and connect to walking street of Patong. For sure, Jc.Tour selected this hotel for this package. (You will never miss hope.) Programs: Halal 3 Days 2 Nights Day 1 Pick Up from Phuket International Airport (By Private Minibus) - Start to do Phuket City Tour: Chalong Temple, Old Town, Promthep View Point, 3 Beach View Point and Big-Buddha on the top of Nark-Kerd. - During the City Tour: The option of Elephant Trekking, Tiger Garden, Monkey Show and any activities can be stopped and done upon you request (Out of the Price Option) - Lunch Halal Restaurant at Chalong Bay. - Check In at The Royal Paradise Resort 18:30 PM: Dinner at Halal Restaurant of the Resort. (During the time, we have 1 minibus stand by 24 Hours, if you need to go somewhere out, more far than patong beach. Just call - The price is in the package) Day 2 Breakfast at the Resort (Halal Breakfast) 08:00 AM: The minibus picks you up from the hotel to the Pier. 09:00 AM: Arrival the Pier, Warm your body by hot or tea as the tour guide brief the program as well as fit the site of Snorkeling Gears. 09:15 AM: Time to go the speed boat leave from the pier to PP Island. 10:15 AM: We stop at the first point - The main point of Movie the Beach Film, Maya Bay. Enjoy the nice beach and discover the places, along the beach and snorkeling or swimiming. 11:15 AM: We stop at Loh Samah Bay for Snorkeling, continue to Monkey Beach. Nice nature beach where the see meet the jungle and Monkeys...(Wild Monkeys) However, the beach is nice for walk along or snorkeling as well. 12:00 PM: We stop at Pile Cove, the nice lagoon hidden the mountains. The water is very clear. The great place for jumping down from the boat to swimming or snorkeling around the Blue Clear Lagoon. Continue the point by Sightseeing along the PP Le passing the "Viking Cave" The place for the pirate in the part. It is magic place. 13:00 PM: Stop on PP Island (PP Don) This place is for Lunch. We serve "Nice Set Menu Halal Food" for lunch. After finishes the lunch, you have time to discover PP Island's Little Town or lay down on the beach for 2 Hours before leave from PP Island to ."Khai Islands" 15:00 PM: We arrival Khai Island - The small Island with 1 beach surrounding. And the snorkeling can start from every point on the beach. Enjoy walking around the island, Lay down on the beach and play with a million kinds of beautiful fishes, Just on the beach. 16:00 PM: The boat start back to Phuket. 16:30 PM: Arrival the Pier. Your Private Minibus Picks up from the pier to the Hotel. 17:00 PM: Arrival the hotel... Use you time. 19:00 PM: The Dinner served at the restaurant of the Hotel in "100% Halal Food." As the same, we have the minibus stand by: Optional for free of charge, if you like to go somewhere more far than Patong Beach. Day 3 08:00 AM: Use your leisure time and having breakfast at the resort. - Patong Beach Discovery. Walk along the beach, Looking around the town etc. 12:00 PM: Check Out: - The private minibus pick you up from the hotel to "Suvenier Shop: Cashew Nut Factory, Pearl Farm, Handicraf Center of Phuekt (If you have time.) - Drop you at the Airport @ 2 Hours before the Taking Off Time: Price Double Room: 9,500 Baht/Person Single Room: 12,500 Baht/Person The booking can be accepted at 2 People Minimum. Why Jc.Tour: Jc.Tour had registered for Tourisme Company under the rule of Thailand Law: Both Outbound(31/00971) and Inbound(34/00235)
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The PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine, opened the application procedure for the fourth edition of the PinchukArtCentre Prize, the first nationwide award in contemporary art for young Ukrainian artists up to 35.
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Tag Archives: Mathematics I put a weak finish on 2013, reading wise. I’ve been grinding away at grueling, plotless books for long enough that it’s hard to remember why I started. I put aside a biography of Borges, in Spanish, that I started a while ago. I never intended to read it at one go, but it still hangs over me. Another is the book on Shakespeare’s language: mostly it makes me wish I were reading the plays, though I think it may prove worthwhile. Finally, there was Philosophies of Mathematics. It seemed like a good idea at the time. My college math had a foundational, philosophical bent, and since then I’ve continued to dabble in it. I don’t really sympathize with fretting over whether math is created or discovered, how we apply it to nature and so forth. I’m more interested in the constructions and the proofs that crop up in these books. (Incidentally, it’s observed that Borges, while no mathematician, had his own taste in mathematics. So maybe it’s not as sorry as it sounds.) I like to believe I’ve learned a few mathematical habits of thinking. One idea that comes up often is that of one-to-one correspondence of collections of things, or sets. When two sets can be matched up one-to-one (like having a right shoe to go with every left shoe in your closet and vice versa) you say you have the same number. That the correspondence exists is more important, maybe, than exactly what number you have. This idea leads in short order to fascinating demonstrations about the different sizes of infinity. It also informs my personal notion (I don’t remember if I might have read it somewhere) of what a number is, which I muse on when others seem to get to bogged down in the ontological status of mathematics, or the being of numbers. Numbers are just meaningless words that we recite when we wish to compare sets of objects. We learn numbers as children by counting along with others, the same way we learn other songs. If you remember the song the right way every time, you can establish a meaningful correspondence between sets. So how do we learn the song? A couple of years ago I read Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by Joshua Foer. It’s a popular history of mnemonics, with lots of amusing stories about various competitive memorizers, prodigies and a fair amount on their actual techniques. At least one of them actually worked: By constructing a memory palace based on my old elementary school and an off the cuff list of strange images involving friends and acquaintances, I was able, with a couple hours of practice, to memorize the order of a deck of cards. Once I got used to it I could do it in a few minutes. Of course this amazing new skill didn’t turn into much of anything. I’ve memorized a fair amount of poetry and I’m not bad at geography, either, but I do it by rote, and if there’s much more to it than that, I don’t know what it is. I certainly helps if what I’m memorizing is beautiful or otherwise interesting. Maybe when the limitations of my current method become apparent, I’ll turn again to the memory palace. I’m interested in how other people commit things to memory and otherwise organize their thought. Has philosophy, or the study of mathematics or some other field, changed the way you think, or do you just bang it out?
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Top Hat in Action: High Expectations from Engineers David Cereceda is Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University, near Philadelphia, PA. Here, he shares how including interactive questions as part of an active learning strategy helped satisfy a demanding student audience By David Cereceda • November 14, 2018 My story I started at Villanova as a professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering last fall, in 2017. I’m on a tenure track position, and my research, within the Multiscale Modeling of Materials and Machine Learning (M⁴L) Lab, focuses on creating computational models to predict the mechanical behavior of materials across multiple spatial and temporal scales, with particular interest in studying the potential of machine learning for these applications. As part of this, I’m writing proposals, mentoring students and establishing research collaborations. That’s my research side—I have two sides to the coin. I’m also very passionate about excellence in teaching. As part of that, I’m trying to increase engagement and participation in engineering courses. Villanova was recently recognized as a National University as part of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions in 2016, and that unique balance between excellence in teaching and excellence in research is one of the main reasons I am here. Research is important: I love research, but I also love teaching. [Combining them] is a challenge—I don’t yet know how to get a balance, but I’m trying my best! What was my challenge? The main challenge is that engineering students at Villanova have very high learning expectations when they come to class. It’s not enough for them to come to class, listen to the lecturer, and go home and do the work. You can tell this from the types of questions that they ask, the motivations they have for learning, their interests—they are not going to learn in the “regular way” and then go home. They have more curiosity, they want to learn more in a different way. How did I solve it? When I started teaching, I was looking to use active learning. I initially started looking for clickers—but then I found out about joining a pilot program with Top Hat. After looking it into it, I found that Top Hat was a great platform for engagement and participation. First, I let students think about the questions I ask individually and let them submit the answer. I’ll then let them discuss in pairs, and they submit the answer again, without knowing the correct answer. That way, they’re asking the questions and they’re the ones that are solving the problem. It’s important for me that Top Hat allows me to set the bar high in terms of the knowledge expectations of the engineering courses while using Socratic principles to drive the learning process. I like it so much because it helps me to improve engagement and participation but I don’t have to water down the content. I want students to have fun and learn. What was the impact on students? One of the questions I ask the students in the anonymous midterm survey I prepare for them—I like to get feedback not only at the end but also when there is still time to react and we can change things for them—was: “What do you like best about this class?” This word cloud shows the result of the survey. Dr. David Cereceda is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University since the fall of 2017. His research activities focus on breaking the ground for the Multiscale Modeling of Materials and Machine Learning (M⁴L) Lab, and he is also passionate about excellence in teaching. Dr. Cereceda earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. During his doctoral studies, he conducted his research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles. Subscribe to updates Get new posts on the future of active learning delivered to your inbox.
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Tefuga: BBC Interview and Review 23 November 2016 There are very few recordings of Peter talking about his books publicly available. The BBC obituary programme, Last Word, included a couple of very short bursts of Peter talking about his writing but there is little else. So we were delighted to find that the BBC World Service’s Meridian programme has a 1986 recording available to listeners via BBCiPlayer, which includes both an interview with Peter and a review of the just published Tefuga. In Tefuga, Peter returns to Africa (this time to Nigeria) in a story both set in the present day (1986) and in the past (1923). Described as an “amusing and elegantly structured tour de force…” by The New York Times, it is easy to see that the background and themes draw upon both his own childhood in Southern Africa and his parents’ experiences as newly weds there in the 1920s. The Guardian review said: “he writes as though there were witchdoctors present at his christening.” No witchdoctors but he was born in Livingstone in what was then Northern Zambia (now Zambia) and loved to tell stories of his early childhood there: of swimming in the crocodile-infested river; of his pet mongoose; of running around wearing nothing but a large pith helmet. His brother, Hugh, spoke about this clearly idyllic childhood at Peter’s memorial. Richard and Peter (at the back): Livingstone 1932 Sadly, Peter’s father died in 1935 and the family had to leave Africa and return to England. Peter was only 8 years old at the time. He never returned to Africa but explored his feelings and ideas about power, politics and relationships in various African settings many times in his writing. Listening to Peter’s voice in the BBC interview as he talks about Tefuga brings him back very vividly. This was from a time when he was at the height of his writing, much honoured and celebrated in the UK and internationally for both his adult novels and his children’s literature.
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Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ published:26 Apr 2018 views:697 published:22 Apr 2016 views:18445 The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well. But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary. There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing. “Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki “Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy” “A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal. Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki “In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki "I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing. Definition Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic. In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective. For instance, Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court of the United States, in attempting to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, famously wrote, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced ... [b]ut I know it when I see it ..." Population In 2008 the municipality of Artà had a population of 7,113 recorded residents within an area of 139.63 square kilometres (53.91sqmi). This equates to 50.9inhabitants perkm2. In 2006 the percentage of foreigners was 13.2% (890), of which Germans made up 3.9% (262). In 1991 there were still 136illiterates in the municipality. 1,292inhabitants had no education, 1,675only a primary school certificate and 1,210had secondary school leaving certificates. The official languages are Catalan and Spanish (Castilian). The Catalan dialect spoken on the island is known as Mallorquí. Geography Location Artà lies in the northeast of the island of Majorca, around 60km from the island's capital of Palma. The Massís d’Artà, the highest and most compact massif in the eastern mountain chain of the Serres de Llevant, occupies more than half the area of the municipality. The municipality is located on the western part of peninsula of Artà and is bordered in the west by the Bay of Alcúdia (Badia d’Alcúdia), and in the north by the Mediterranean sea where its coast lies opposite the neighbouring island of Minorca. The coast of Artà stretches for 25kilometres and, so far, has escaped being developed. Particularly noteworthy are the beach and sand dune formations of sa Canova d’Artà, the flat coastal strip near the settlement of Colònia de Sant Pere, the high rocky coves of the Cap de Ferrutx and a large number of smaller bays that extend from s’Arenalet des Verger to Cala Torta. ART image file format Technical details The ART format (file extension ".art") holds a single still image that has been highly compressed. The format was designed to facilitate the quick downloading of images, among other things. Originally, the compression was developed by the Johnson-Grace Company, which was then acquired by AOL. When an image is converted to the ART format, the image is analyzed and the software decides what compression technique would be best. The ART format has similarities to the progressive JPEG format, and certain attributes of the ART format can lead to image quality being sacrificed for the sake of image compression (for instance, the image's color palette can be limited.) Usage by AOL The AOL service used the ART image format for most of the image presentation of the online service. In addition, the AOL client's web browser also automatically served such images in the ART format to achieve faster downloads on the slower dialup connections that were prevalent in those days. This conversion was done in the AOL proxy servers and could be optionally disabled by the user. This image conversion process effectively reduced the download time for image files. This technology was once branded as Turboweb and is now known as AOL TopSpeed. Japanese people The Japanese people(日本人,Nihonjin) are an ethnic group native to Japan. Japanese make up 98.5% of the total population of their country. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries are referred to as nikkeijin(日系人). The term ethnic Japanese may also be used in some contexts to refer to a locus of ethnic groups including the Yamato, Ainu, and Ryukyuan people. Religion Japanese religion has traditionally been syncretic in nature, combining elements of Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto, a polytheistic religion with no book of religious canon, is Japan's native religion. Shinto was one of the traditional grounds for the right to the throne of the Japanese imperial family, and was codified as the state religion in 1868 (State Shinto was abolished by the American occupation in 1945). Mahayana Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century and evolved into many different sects. Today the largest form of Buddhism among Japanese people is the Jōdo Shinshū sect founded by Shinran. Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial texts did not appear until the 8th century. During the Heian period (794–1185), Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) saw changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language, as well as the first appearance of European loanwords. The standard dialect moved from the Kansai region to the Edo (modern Tokyo) region in the Early Modern Japanese period (early 17th century–mid-19th century). Following the end in 1853 of Japan's self-imposed isolation, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly. English loanwords in particular have become frequent, and Japanese words from English roots have proliferated. Edo period The Edo period(江戸時代,Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period(徳川時代,Tokugawa jidai) is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, popular enjoyment of arts and culture, recycling of materials, and sustainable forest management. It was a sustainable and self-sufficient society which was based on the principles of complete utilization of finite resources. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo. Consolidation of the shogunate A revolution took place in the centuries from the time of the Kamakura shogunate, which existed with the Tenno's court, to the Tokugawa, when the bushi became the unchallenged rulers in what historian Edwin O. Reischauer called a "centralized feudal" form of government. Instrumental in the rise of the new bakufu was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the main beneficiary of the achievements of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Already powerful, Ieyasu profited by his transfer to the rich Kantō area. He maintained two million koku of land, a new headquarters at Edo, a strategically situated castle town (the future Tokyo), and also had an additional two million koku of land and thirty-eight vassals under his control. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu moved quickly to seize control from the Toyotomi family. Japanese Erotic Art 春画 SHUNGA, JAPANESE ART of EROTICA 2:56 Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang "Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well. But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary. There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing. “Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki “Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy” “A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal. Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki “In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki "I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing. http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection. Japanese Erotic Art 春画 SHUNGA, JAPANESE ART of EROTICA published: 13 May 2017 Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang "Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. D... http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection. Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a... Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang "Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't... A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well. But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary. There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing. “Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki “Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy” “A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal. Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki “In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki "I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing. The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well. But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary. There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing. “Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki “Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy” “A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal. Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki “In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki "I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing. http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures ... http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection. http://www.artbookhouse.com/shunga-aesthetics-of-japanese-erotic-art-by-ukiyo-e-masters.htmlShunga portrays the erotic expression of a couple with pleasures and pains, and the beauty of their body with the finest Japanese woodblock print technique. It is a type of Ukiyo-e, which was especially all the range among people in Edo period (17th-19th century). Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers. This big book of 586 pages features various Shunga works by masters of Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kiyonaga Torii, and Eisen Keisai. The magic by Kazuya Tkaoka, art director for this book and our succesful title Hokusai Manga, is going to make this book one-of-a-kind Shunga collection. Shunga*Japanese Erotic Art*Cresent Moon Before Dawn*Lei Qiang Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art...This shunga is a type of ukiyo-e, produced in woodblock print format in the 17th century... The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealization of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new chōnin class... Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality...As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favor with the shogunate...Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists... Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New YorkChinese Traditional Erhu Music by Lei Qiang "Loosing her Virginity" Shunga - Japanese erotic art - in English A picture from erotic book "Iro no hodoyoshi" by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865). A young man is holding down a virgin girl on Tatami, and raping her. She can't stand the pain, and cries. What a pity girl she is! It must be a humiliating experience for her to loose her virginity while being looked at by others. Don't you think so? She cries and says, "You, please do it softly. Really it hurts! Is killing me. Ow! Ow! " Voice: English Subtitling: English Shunga is Japanese erotic art drawn by ukiyo-e artists, mainly produced in Edo era (1603 - 1868). We hold shunga event in Tokyo every week. Please come to see us when you're in Tokyo. Visit our website for more information. http://x.tsuyagoe.com/ Shunga/Kinbuke - The Thing About...Araki Nobuyoshi The Thing About...Nobuyoshi ArakiMusic: “Dark Fog” and “Dub Feral” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution3.0Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ With over 450 publications to his name, Araki’s work is eclectic. So why do we focus on the erotic? Is that a reflection of our own perversions? And perhaps even more importantly, in a society so desensitized by images and expressions of a sexual nature, do we still find these images offensive and controversial today? While his work is subject to much controversy and many allegations of misogyny and perversion in the West , Japan’s own relationship with erotic imagery is complex. In theEdo period (spanning from 1603 to 1868), Japanese erotic art, known as Shunga, was at its peak. During this time however, there would be multiple attempts at outlawing such artwork, only for it to survive through underground (read: privileged) networks and loose enforcement. But even in modern Japan, now far removed from its Imperial history, such explicit photography is illegal, so Araki has often been in trouble there, as well. But to Araki, he is committing no crime, moral or legal. By his own admittance, he does indeed love women and sex, but with other titles such as HappyPhotographs (2006) and Faces of Japan (2009-), Araki is simply documenting what is in front of him, such as family portraits and the everyday Japanese, and compiling a sort of visual diary. There is an age-old debate over whether nudity and eroticism in general are artistic or pornographic, but the question must be asked: in a society so immersed in images of both, does it really matter anymore? Perhaps most unsettling to today’s Western and Japanese viewers alike is not Araki’s imagery, but the unabashed and apathetic way in which he goes about it. Sex is a part of life after all, and to Araki, that’s all that he’s photographing. “Kinbaku (knots with ropes) are different from bondage. I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace.” – Araki “Art is all about doing what you shouldn’t.” – Nobuyoshi “Arachy” “A photograph takes place only at a certain instant. And this instant is unidentifiable. The instant is the eternal and the eternal is the instant. When the camera shutter is released, that's the eternal. Eternity is achieved by releasing the camera shutter and letting it descend.” – Araki “In my photographs I often appear in scenes containing bondage or sexual activity. I play the role of a midget in a Shunga painting. A secondary role as a spectator. After all, I prefer photographs to sex. “ – Araki "I'd like to take photos similar to shunga," he once said, "but I haven't reached that level yet. There is bashfulness in shunga. The genitals are visible, but the rest is hidden by the kimono. In other words, they don't show everything. They are hiding a secret." Araki Is it art or is it porn? To Araki it makes little difference. In the end, his subject is the everyday – or his everyday – the poignant and the touching, the messy and the disturbing. Definition Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic. In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective. For instance, Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court of the United States, in attempting to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, famously wrote, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced ... [b]ut I know it when I see it ..."
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Bill Reynolds: R.I. mourns loss of special friend Old friend Kevin Murray died last week of cancer at the too young age of 54. He was a husband, a son, a brother, a father of five children, a friend to many, and a one-time lacrosse star at both La Salle and at Long Island University, and a coach. He coached Hendricken to five state lacrosse titles in the last 15 years. In short, he lived a rich, full life, the reason why the Perry-McStay Funeral Home in East Providence was jam-packed on Wednesday night. It was an amazing tribute to Murray, and to old Rhode Island, too, the Rhode Island of neighborhoods, local sports, and ties that can come from that, ties that can last a lifetime. So farewell, old friend. R.I.P. • Another winter, another great UConn women's basketball team, and the beat goes on, now 150 straight wins against unranked opponents. • The Pats' Malcolm Butler, benched for the Super Bowl, played 98 percent of the snaps during the regular season. • Does anyone still care about the Kardashians, or has that train moved on down the track? • This from Forbes: the Cowboys are the NFL's most valuable franchise, worth $4.8 billion, and the Patriots are second, worth $3.7 billion. • The Associated Press reported that an estimated 103.4 million people watched the Super Bowl, down an estimated 7 percent from last year. • QUIZ OF THE WEEK: I have the most receptions in NFL history. Who am I? (Answer near the bottom of the column.) • LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the Pats' Malcolm Butler, in the Boston Globe, on not getting into the Super Bowl game: "It is what it is. I don't know what it was.'' • LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Tom Brady: "No one is going feel sorry for us.'' • LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Karen Guregian, who covers the Pats for the Boston Herald: "There seems to be a sense of Patriots fatigue between the ranks.'' • LINE OF THE WEEK IV comes from Justin Timberlake on Tom Brady: "He's got great hair.'' • LINE OF THE WEEK V is this all-time classic from Ronald Reagan: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.'' • Speaking of Brady, he and Barry Bonds went to the same high school, Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. • Kristaps Porzingis is out for at least the next 10 months due to an ACL tear, and the sound you hear is the Knicks season checking out. • There's no truth to the rumor that Gina Raimondo has a moving van on speed dial. • Or that the Independent Man is telling anyone who will listen that next winter he is out of here. • Gronk as an action film star? That's the new rumor. • Bovada has the Pats at 5-1 to win next year's Super Bowl. The Steelers at 10-1, followed by the Vikings, Packers and Eagles at 12-1. • Longtime Pats' defensive coordinator Matt Patricia cut his hair and trimmed much of his trademark beard for his introduction as the new coach of the Lions. • This from the Entertainment Software Association: Sixty-five percent of U.S. households have at least one member who plays three or more hours of video games a week. Add it all up, and TV viewership is down, even for the NFL. • The ESPN documentary on "The Two Bills'' is excellent. • But if you have to ask who the two Bills are, Bunky, it just might not be for you. • Did you see where Randy Moss was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility? • Add the expression "slut-shaming'' to the culture. • Memo to Major League Baseball: please do more to speed up the game. • Justin Timberlake's appeal eludes me. Maybe in my next life. • This past week wasn't Josh McDaniels' finest moment. • A fond farewell to Tim Britton, who covered the Red Sox here for seven years, and is off to New York to cover the Mets for a website called "The Athletic.'' • QUIZ ANSWER: Jerry Rice, with 1,549. • Isaiah Thomas never really got along with LeBron in Cleveland, so guess what? He's gone. • Did Belichick outsmart himself by not playing Butler? • Just when you think you've got it all figured out, St. John's beats Villanova. • Backup quarterback Nick Foles? He beat the Pats? Really? • Or, as he said afterwards, "The big thing is don't be afraid to fail. ... I wouldn't be up here if I hadn't failed a million times.'' • Sounds like the General Assembly to me, but we keep waiting, right? Never miss a story Choose the plan that's right for you. Digital access or digital and print delivery.
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the job is good. i have a lot of work, but i enjoy most of if. i think the people i work for like my work, as well. i went on my first buisness trip to tennesee this month, which was interesting. it's the first time i have been... Read More school is OUT and i'm off to new york for a few weeks to see old friends. my thesis proposal is in, but i have my doubts about its quality. anyway, i will still be on occasionally to see what's up. take care, all. i broke up with my girlfriend the other day. she's just about the sweetest, smartest most lovely girl i know, but i just wasn't happy for some reason. i dunno. it just seemed like we were good friends, but not a couple. i'm sad about it and so is she, but i think it's the right decision. this is the narrative that goes along with my archive project.. it should explain a few things to those of you who are confused.. after you read it, check out the archive pics and it will make more sense. this is still a sort of first draft of the story, so bear with me. We are our ruins, and our ruins are us. In the age of the moderns, preservation! has become the rallying call of the ruin, handily replacing reclamation at exactly the right time; buildings and their materials have changed. It is no longer necessary to make a quarry of a colosseum as great stones are... Read More hmmm yes, yes, that is the plan, to get a used Monster. Actually, I've been checking out Buells lately. I like the more aggressive riding position. But whatever it is, it will be compact and naked. Thats the look I love. Whatta you got?
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Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz had a quote with the word "butt" in it on the Big Ten teleconference this week. The “butt” part wasn’t what got everyone all unraveled. It was the whole quote (but hey, deft use of a term to get everyone’s attention, right? No? OK). Last week, the NCAA submitted a proposal calling for two 72-hour periods for football recruits to sign letters of intent (one in June and the other during mid-December). This is the early signing period that Ferentz has been in favor of for a long, long time. If passed, the early signing period would be effective for the 2017-18 season. The proposal also asks for earlier dates for official visits, something cold-weather schools have wanted forever. This is where Ferentz offered his opinion on early visit dates. “I’m 100 percent for that,” Ferentz said. “The reason being, probably about five years ago, prospects just started traveling more. I remember a young man from Minnesota who was here first week of spring practice in March that year because we had already offered him. If you offer somebody, typically they will try to get to your campus and that’s not always easy for them and their families. They’re traveling already, so should make those official visits earlier instead of during the season.” But there’s a “butt” on the in-season visits. “In-season visits are a total pain in the butt,” Ferentz said. “I think they really cheat the prospect of some of the experience.” This is where there’s debate. This didn’t play well with media that cover Nebraska recruiting. Hey, this is how rivalries work and don’t kid yourself about objectivity. Game day experience is fantastic for recruits. Coaches happen to be coaching a game that day. That’s kind of the conundrum. 2. Here’s HawkeyeReport.com’s Tom Kakert to walk us through this HawkeyeReport.com publisher Tom Kakert knows recruiting a lot better than I do. I see Ferentz’s point, but I also would want recruits to be able to take a huge bite of the apple that is a fantastic game day experience. Here are Tom’s thoughts: This week on the Big Ten coaches’ teleconference, Kirk Ferentz didn’t mince his words. It’s well known that Ferentz isn’t a big fan of in-season official visits when the Hawkeyes have a home game. This week he called them a “pain in the butt”, which was about as far as he has gone in terms of the language he has used. Ferentz has said in the past that part of his issue is that the coaches are focused on the game, as they should be, and the coaches can’t spend much time with the prospects, which they feel is important. The fact is recruiting is about relationships and spending time with a prospect and their family while they are on campus is very important, so his concern does have merit. Part of the problem for Iowa simply is travel related. The Hawkeyes had hoped to bring in several prospects from the state of Texas next week when they host Wisconsin. But, with the game now schedule to kickoff at 11 a.m., getting to Iowa City in time for the game after the prospects play their games on Friday night in the Lone Star State is a challenge. Even with direct flights into Cedar Rapids from Dallas, most prospects wouldn’t arrive at Kinnick until just before kickoff, so it takes away from the whole game day experience. But, the problem for Iowa that I think they’re beginning to realize and will probably have to adjust to is that prospects want to take official visits for games. That’s especially true for many higher level prospects who live out of state. The in-state prospects or regional players can make the drive and it’s not a big issue. Higher level kids from Texas and beyond, however, want the game day experience. It’s going to be important moving forward for Iowa to find a way to work around the preferences of the head coach and the needs of today’s recruits. 3. Big Ten Love Tester It’s for sure Ohio State at Wisconsin. OK, OK, it’s Illinois at Rutgers. It’s not even close. I’m sorry, Rutgers and Lovie Smith, but you guys know. The Scarlet Knights lost 78-0 to Michigan last week and then people seemed to notice the fact that Rutgers is in the Big Ten. Illinois lost at home to Purdue and coach Darrell Hazell, who has just three Big Ten wins in three-plus seasons. The game kicks off at noon and has been stamped with the dreaded ESPNews slot. The light on the Big Ten Love Tester is blue and the letters next to it say “Clammy.”
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Iowa Republicans Should Boot John Thompson From SCC It was not a good summer for the credibility of Iowa Republicans’ stances on moral values. The lurid details from the Senate Republican sexual harassment trial, along with Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix’s continued refusal to take responsibility for the matter, confirmed what many critics think Republicans actually feel about women in the workplace. That the Senate Republicans continued to keep on payroll the staffer most responsible for reprehensible comments and a hostile work environment was troubling. To be able to put up with people like that is beyond the reasoning of most decent Iowans. And the $2.2 million verdict awarded to Kirsten Anderson added to the party’s perception problems, as well as the state budget. For weeks Democrats demanded that Senate Republicans pay for the verdict out of their political funds so as not to punish the people of Iowa for their unchecked sexual harassment. That, of course, is not at all how the law or state government works, but it was a fun narrative for them to spin all the same. Still, the question remained whether Republicans would make any real changes to prove that they actually take this as seriously as they should. Then last week another disturbing story emerged about John Thompson, a Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee member and candidate for Iowa Treasurer. The Associated Press wrote of how he was accused of threatening his ex-fiancee and her sister, resulting in a temporary restraining order. Again, a Republican man with a position of authority in the party allegedly treating a woman in an inexcusable manner. Thompson’s episode was particularly noteworthy due to his role with the Republican Party of Iowa. Unlike the ever-expanding Iowa Democrats’ SCC, which now counts around 50 members, there are only 16 people on the Republican board. Those positions provide a much higher profile for the Republican activists who hold them, and many treat it like a part-time job. It also offers up an opportunity for Iowa Republicans to push back on the emerging narrative about how their leaders personally treat women. Booting Thompson from the SCC would certainly help in that. However, if there was a plan for that, the subsequent dismissal of the restraining order by the judge in the case probably didn’t help things. It can be difficult to justify removing someone from an elected position for allegations. But just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be attempted. Because with Thompson, how much smoke do people need to see before they realize there’s very clearly a fire with this guy? He was arrested in 2012 in North Carolina after being accused of plotting with a woman to murder his ex-wife, spending several months in house arrest. The charges were later dropped after not enough evidence could be found. He was arrested again in 2013 for trying to take a handgun and ammunition through security at the Des Moines Airport. He claimed that it was his girlfriend’s suitcase, and that he didn’t realize what was packed in it. Back when Thompson considered running for Treasurer in 2014, fellow Republicans brought up the past charges as a serious question that convention delegates should look at. Perhaps Thompson’s claims of being lied about might be taken a little more seriously if all of these sort of questionable incidents didn’t keep on piling up for him. This many legal problems and accusations of bizarre behavior rarely accrue through mere coincidence. It’s obvious that something is just plain off with this guy, and that his actions could turn dangerous. The moral thing to do would be to remove him from the SCC for his alleged behavior toward women. Failing that standard, it would be the sensible thing as well – Thompson is a walking public relations nightmare just waiting to happen. You know this won’t end well. It wouldn’t be without precedent in Iowa politics in 2017. Earlier this year, Iowa Democrats quietly showed one of their new, more eccentric SCC members the door after he accidentally posted to his Facebook account what very much looked like a solicitation for a prostitute. It’s not publicly clear whether he was voted out or if it was simply made clear that he needed to resign. Regardless, he was off the party’s governing committee shortly after the information came to light. That’s what responsible political parties do: remove people from internal positions of power if their personal behavior goes against the very values your party is based upon. Because if you don’t, people will start to question just what values – if any – your party stands for.
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Admiralty Over the weekend we tried out the Sakura buffet. The wide variety of food meant that we could really keep ourselves busy throughout the entire duration of the dinner buffet. Food items that we buried our faces in included oysters, sashimi, drunken prawns, shark fin soup, steaks and cheesecakes. With...
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Although hair beads have been around for centuries, noted use may be observed from Africa to the Indies, from Scotland to Tibet; the style of placing beads in one’s hair hasn’t been in vogue for more than a few decades. If you have seen the Movie “10” starring Bo Derrick and Dudley Moore, you may remember the slow motion scene of Bo splashing through the waves with her hair loaded down with multi colored beads. Since then we have seen the popularity rise among the main stream, used by men and women of all nationalities. From the over loaded quaffs to a single bead to accent the tip of a braid, hair beads keep the strands weighted, refined and beautiful. As we grow older, our attention to the ancestors becomes more significant; many of our friends and family have passed away yet we do not find the sensation of their passing as a final state of being. For centuries there are accounts of folk that have spoken with loved ones, friends and relatives beyond the veil. Words of wisdom, compassion, concern or simply the sensation that they are present have comforted, enlightened or alarmed us as our awareness broadens, our concern deepens and our need of understanding surmounts. In answer to the desires for those of us who are concerned with such matters, I have created a series of tiny amulets signifying our connection with the ancestors. By using them as charms and hair beads, we may utilize these significant and iconic amulets to keep our attention fresh and our focus on greater matters than our own needs wants and desires. One of them is the Talking Skull Charm. By adding this piece to your charm bracelet or necklace, adding them into the mix of talismans and amulets that you are currently working with. By adding the bead to your hair braid or dread, the weight is a constant reminder: Wisdom of the Dead and our ever lasting connection with the unfathomable line of ancestry of which we are all a part.
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1799 N Blue Bluff Road Martinsville, IN 46151 3 Beds 1 Baths 1,260 sq. Ft Property Description Start 2019 out with a new home for your family! This home has updates throughout and is ready to move right in! Large living room has beautiful view through the home's new windows! Kitchen has new cabinets, countertops, and stainless steel appliances. The bathroom is fully updated as well. With a new water heater and heat pump, the only thing left for you to do is load the moving truck! Tucker Customer Care Get more information FIRST NAME LAST NAME YOUR EMAIL SUBJECT YOUR MESSAGE Listing provided courtesy of Crossroads Realty, LLC. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange Program. Real estate listings held by IDX Brokerage firms other than F.C. Tucker Company, Inc. include the name of the listing IDX broker. This information is provided exclusively for personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. The broker providing this data believes it to be correct, but advises interested parties to confirm them before relying on them in a purchase decision. Information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.
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Searching for answers through science The National Psoriasis Foundation was created in 1967 by volunteers. For more than 50 years, patients, families, friends, scientists and health care providers have pitched in to help our cause. Volunteering takes many forms, from following us on Facebook to running with Team NPF to sharing your story with the people who represent you at the state and federal levels. In this series, you’ll meet a crew who, in their own quiet, steady way, have been working hard to help everyone with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Today: Charlotte Hurabielle-Claverie. Researchers like Charlotte Hurabielle-Claverie, M.D., support NPF’s mission of finding a cure for psoriatic disease and improving the lives of those affected. The 2018 Early Career Research Grant recipient is studying the skin to learn more about the nature of microbes and their connection to psoriasis. The Paris, France native, who works at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, knew early on that research was her calling. “With my educational background, I was very interested in autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders,” says Hurabielle-Claverie. “It really made sense that after my clinical training that I would find myself in psoriatic disease.” She acknowledges that psoriatic disease still raises many questions – from what the causes are to why results from available treatments vary – and those are the kinds of questions that excite her. She hopes that her current research, which may identify new ways of treating people based on their individual skin microbes, will answer more about the nature of the disease. The research conducted by Hurabielle-Claverie (among others who have received NPF grants) has immense potential to positively impact anyone living with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis through more effective treatments. “It’s rewarding to know that what I do will help patients at some point to have a better life.” For more than 50 years, we’ve been driving efforts to cure psoriatic disease and improve the lives of those affected. But there’s still plenty to do! Learn how you can help our advocacy team shape the laws and policies that affect people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis – in your state and across the country. Help us raise funds to support research by joining Team NPF, where you can walk, run, cycle, play bingo or create your own fundraising event. If you or someone you love needs free, personalized support for living a healthier life with psoriatic disease, contact our Patient Navigation Center. And keep the National Psoriasis Foundation going strong by making a donation today. Together, we will find a cure.
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How to Avoid the Email Black Hole Successful direct response marketers in today’s ultracompetitive environment obsess over every little detail. Messaging. Creative. Copy. Tone. Offer. Timing. Every variable is critical to influencing the results of a campaign. If you don’t pay enough attention to ensure your message is successfully delivered, then you can kiss any chance of success goodbye. It’s like trying to start a Formula One race car with a flashlight battery. It doesn’t matter how well the car can perform, you won’t get to the starting line. When it comes to email marketing, catchy subject lines and award-winning creative will fail if your audience doesn’t receive the message or the message is automatically redirected to a bulk-mail folder. It’s akin to tossing your campaign into a black hole. It will never be seen or heard from again. Why has proper delivery of email become such an important issue for marketers? The massive volume of email flowing back and forth across the Internet has made filters a necessity for the major email gatekeepers. The blocking and filtering of this unwanted email saps considerable resources and time from both email gatekeepers and individual recipients. Email filters at ISPs, free Web mail providers such as Hotmail and Yahoo, and even large corporate data centers sift interpersonal and solicited commercial email from the unwanted V^agra spam, fraudulent offers, and unsolicited marketing messages seen so often in inboxes. Filters operate in different manners and may: Instantly delete or block messages flagged as spam Tag flagged messages with a color or score, allowing users to more easily handle messages manually Redirect flagged messages to bulk folders that are either rarely looked at or automatically emptied without review For the purposes of this column, let’s take a closer look at the last point. Open rates shrink drastically if your messages are redirected to a bulk-mail folder. For legitimate email marketers who follow permission-based practices, triggering a false positive that lands a campaign into a bulk folder can be fatal. Two of the largest Web mail providers, Hotmail and Yahoo, now respectively reach over 22 and 14 percent of the online audience (Nielsen//NetRatings, June 2002). Significant portions of marketers’ lists, especially business-to-consumer (B2C) lists, contain Hotmail and Yahoo addresses. Both services offer popular bulk-email features. A great deal of the spam delivered to Hotmail and Yahoo violates parameters set up by filters and then is thankfully redirected to the bulk folder instead of the inbox. A quick peek into the bulk folder of a Hotmail or Yahoo account reveals an often-colorful assortment of spam many users typically delete without opening. Both Hotmail and Yahoo allow users to delete bulk folder items with one click, without even opening the folder to read subject lines. Consumers have enough messages in their inboxes. Expecting them to pay attention to the bulk mail black hole is unrealistic. What are some triggers that set off bulk-email filters? Parameters at the various ISPs and email gateways are not standard across all providers, but here’s a list of some basics points to understand and follow: Build relationships with all the major ISPs and email gatekeepers. If you don’t have the resources, staff, and time to build the relationships in-house, partner with a service provider who has these relationships to help ensure delivery success. Constantly monitor mailings across ISPs and email providers. Keep a close eye on campaign reporting, specifically delivery, and open and click-through rates. A low delivery or open rate or even an extremely high delivery rate across a specific domain may alert you to a potential issue. Properly identify your email servers. Major email gatekeepers do reverse DNS lookups to make sure email servers are properly identified. If not, a flag is raised. Keep sender addresses as short as possible. Avoid continuous sending of messages to full or invalid mailboxes. Do not send bulk email using the BCC field. Do not send to “undisclosed recipients.” Minimize the use of these words and phrases in the subject line, message body, sender address, and reply-to address: Free (although “free” tends to have more leeway than most other trigger words) $$ !!!! (any excessive punctuation) A question mark in the subject line TOO MANY CAPS IN THE SUBJECT LINE XXX, sex Fake disclaimer text, such as, “This email is sent in compliance with Federal Law D56-42-27….” Opt-in emails that respect the customer relationship do not need to explain why they are legal. In addition to filters at ISPs and other large email gatekeepers, marketers must now contend with commercially available spam filtering software that’s configurable by individual users. Configuration parameters can vary in severity, very much like the software used by ISPs. For marketers who interact frequently with customers via email, alternative media should be used to remind users that if they do not receive email from the marketer, they should check their bulk folder, adjust their spam filter, or contact the ISP to enable receipt of email. Marketers can utilize emerging technologies, such as the Trusted Sender program from ePrivacy Group and TRUSTe to certify permission-based messaging and help ensure campaigns reach their intended destination. Association for Interactive Marketing (AIM) members should also look into becoming active in the Council for Responsible E-Mail, which helps legitimate marketers better understand how messages are handled by large email gatekeepers. One of the major free email providers recently told us, “Just don’t let us notice you.” Although it sounds simplistic, it reflects the importance of adhering to best practices for permission marketing. Gain permission, compose relevant content, and deliver messaging according to the customer’s needs, wants, and preferences. You’ll be 100 percent better off than the marketer who fails to respect the customer. Until next time, Al D. Related reading People digest visual information 60,000 times faster than text alone, and many state that visual email content is their preferred format. How can marketers take advantage of this by incorporating rich media into their email campaigns? Everybody is talking about artificial intelligence (AI) these days, and email marketers are no exception. From multivariate and A/B testing to predictive personalization, here's a look at how AI is changing email marketing. Earlier this year Lonely Planet launched a new home page, refreshing a website that had been around since the mid-90s. Seb Neylan, Director of Online Marketing tells us about the role email played in the site launch, and what the future looks like for Lonely Planet. Email isn’t the easiest channel to master, but luckily there are several email marketing tools to help nail every step of a campaign. This article covers everything from building an email template to post-campaign optimization. So what can these email marketing tools help with? UNMISSABLE DIGITAL INSIGHTS Thought leadership, best practice & handpicked news. Subscribe to join the leading global community of over 200k digital marketers. Comments Featured Video Ajit Sivadasan, Lenovo rhc-mpu-ad-slot2 Popular Posts Understanding the customer journey is essential when you want to attribute accurately and effectively optimize your website. That requires in-depth analysis of customer data. Luckily, there are a range of tools that can help you. Big data brings endless opportunities for the travel industry, but this ever-changing field also brings with it many challenges. With customers creating valuable data at every stage of their journey, how can travel companies do more to collect and connect these data points to improve the customer experience?
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Category Archives: Pat Thomson Patter is about to have a little break from blogging. Not for long. Just a few days. Patter will be back in the New Year on Monday January 5th. In the last post for 2014 it’s time to have a … Continue reading → I’ve been thinking recently that one of the problems with writing is that, by and large, we can all do it – and we all DO do it. Being in a literate society means that writing is a bit like … Continue reading → There are some books that are important to your study and some that are critical to your ongoing research agenda, and some that you just love. There are also some writers whose work you want to know in great detail. … Continue reading →
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It all started when Margaret accused Bristol’s mom Sarah Palin of forcing her to do DWTS during a November 29 blog post. “Sarah supposedly blames Bristol harshly and openly (in the circles that I heard it from) for not winning the [2008] election, and so she told Bristol she ‘owed’ it to her to do ‘DWTS’ so that ‘America would fall in love with her again’ and make it possible for Sarah Palin to run in 2012 with America behind her all the way,” blogged Margaret. Fast forward to Saturday, on which Bristol took to her facebook page to respond to Margaret’s comments. “I will give my friend credit for creativity, and extra points for getting so many ‘facts’ wrong in so few sentences,” blogged Bristol. “Let me be blunt: my mom did not “force” me to go on DWTS. She did not ask me either. The show approached me.” Okay, seems like a harmless reply. However Bristol then went a step further stating that perhaps Margaret’s comments stem from her lack of understanding conservative politics. “If you understood that commonsense conservative values supports the right of individuals like you, like all of us, to live our lives with less government interference and more independence, you would embrace us faster than KD Lang at an Indigo Girls concert,” wrote Bristol. The last statement seemed to be in reference to Margaret Cho’s sexuality as she is openly gay. Some now feel Bristol’s comments might have been homophobic. A TMZ poll shows that 64% of those who voted feel the comments were indeed homophobic. TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRISTOL’S COMMENTS? DO YOU THINK THEY WERE HOMOPHOBIC?
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AP EXPLAINS: Daunting budget deadlines loom for government WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and Congress face a daunting set of budget-related deadlines in the coming weeks. Blowing them could upend global financial markets and cause a partial government shutdown. What you need to know about next month's three-car pileup of must-do fiscal business, the prospects for resolution, and the consequences of failure: ___ DEBT DILEMMA The problem: The most important piece of business is the need to increase the United States' $19.9 trillion debt limit to permit the government to continue borrowing money to pay its bills, including Social Security and interest payments. The government hit its borrowing cap in March, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has been using a well-worn set of accounting moves to free up cash. Nevertheless, Mnuchin says the debt ceiling needs to be raised by Sept. 29 to avert the risk of a first-ever U.S. default. What's next? Since Republicans control both Congress and the White House, it's their responsibility to ensure that the government doesn't default. In the past, that would have meant that Republicans would have to put up virtually all of the votes. During Democratic President Barack Obama's recent tenure, congressional Republicans surrendered to Obama's demand for a debt measure that was "clean" — no GOP provisions — provided Democrats produce almost all of the votes. Trump is demanding a clean debt bill, too, but tea party lawmakers and outside conservative groups are demanding spending cuts as the price for increasing the debt limit. "Our nation's structural deficit is driven by historically irresponsible levels of federal spending. Any increase in our nation's debt ceiling should be paired with serious spending reforms that begin reducing federal spending in real, meaningful ways," Dan Holler, vice president of the conservative policy advocate Heritage Action for America, said Monday in a statement. Consequences of failure: It's never happened so nobody knows for sure, but financial experts warn that default on U.S. bond payments could roil financial markets. The government's credit rating would take a hit forcing it to pay higher interest rates. The government could likely "prioritize" payments to creditors — an option considered by some conservatives — but delays or failure to make other payments could have harsh, if unforeseen, consequences. ___ SPENDING SHOWDOWN The problem: The government's fiscal year ends Sept. 30 and legislation needs to be enacted to prevent a partial shutdown of federal agencies. At issue are the 12 annual spending bills funding agency operations. There's no agreement on what the overall spending level should be. Republican defense hawks want to lift a cap on Pentagon spending while Democrats are pressing for more money for domestic programs. Without a deal to increase spending, the annual appropriations bills are just sputtering along without a clear path to passage. Trump's demand for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border — resolutely opposed by Democrats and some Republicans — is a major sticking point. Trump has long promised Mexico would pay for the wall; instead, taxpayers would pick up the $1.6 billion first installment. (In a leaked transcript of a call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump implored him to stop saying Mexico won't pay, while confessing "this is the least important thing that we are talking about.") What's next? A stopgap spending measure known as a continuing resolution is sure to be needed to buy time to advance the unfinished spending bills. If a spending pact is reached, the bills could advance with help from Democrats, but if there's no broader bipartisan agreement it's possible that spending would simply be frozen at current levels by a yearlong continuing resolution. Nobody wants that. Consequences of failure: A government shutdown, perhaps sparked by a battle over the wall, could come as early as October or perhaps later. But it wouldn't be the end of the world — at least for a while. While non-essential government programs would be shut down, the military, air traffic control, and federal law enforcement agencies would remain open. Benefits such as Social Security and Medicare would continue to be provided.
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India is home to a thriving fake market — growing 20% every year — where garments, shoes, watches, cowhide merchandise and jewellery are served as genuine products. Currently, the extent of fake extravagance items in India is 5 percent of the general market size of the nation’s luxury industry which is worth over Rs 49,000 crore, as indicated by Assocham. Industry insiders say falsifying has been a test for significant companies and fashion houses as well as shoppers. Markets like Gandhi Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Janpath in Delhi, AC Market Ludhiana are some of the hubs of fake merchandise. Indian Apparel Sector The local clothing industry is the second biggest supporter of the retail business after FMCG. It is esteemed around Rs 3 lakh crore. Passage of global brands, changes in inclinations from non-branded to branded, a quickly developing economy and a substantial youthful purchaser base in has made India a profoundly lucrative market. Because of broad communications and web-based social networking infiltration, the young are getting to fashion conscious. This has opened uncommon doors for the retail showcase. Market specialists say it is exceptionally hard to evaluate the extent of fake attire. There are numerous manufacturing plants situated at non-descript areas associated with fake items. A large number of them deliver duplicates of multinational brands as edges are high. The movement tricks shoppers as well as the state exchequer. As per insiders, Delhi is the centre of fake items as about 70% fake items start from the national capital. Customers at the centre Forging shows up in two distinct structures, deceptive and non-deceptive. For the former, the buyer is ignorant that she/he is purchasing a duplicate. For the latter, shoppers purposefully buy fakes. The greatest concern is the clients’ fascination towards pilfered items is straightforwardly corresponding to the cost of these items which are sold at least 40% less than the original. A typical man with restricted information falls for the fakes because of less expensive or profound markdown rates. Authorization of laws against duplicating isn’t strict in India, which is another huge jar for the brand business. Duplicating has surpassed all boundaries has been developing significantly over the globe. Along these lines, unique makers and governments end up in a consistent fight against forgers. Producers of authentic products request strict activity from statutory bodies. Check your togs Check the attire label completely. Continuously search for a barcode on the items. In any case, counterfeit brands concoct counterfeit standardized tags. There are numerous free standardized identification scanner applications in smartphones that can be utilized. Genuine products have an impressive packaging. If there is an occurrence of a low-quality packaging, raise it with the shopkeeper. According to the statistics issued by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on March 5, the number of seized items rose from 31,560 for the 2016 monetary year to 34,143 in 2017. The quantity of seized things encroaching IP rights in the US expanded by 8% in 2017 year on year. Continue reading “Fake Merchandise Entering US Rise by 8% in 2017”→
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Sports Archive SPORTS ARCHIVE Football Takes it on the Road 09/19/2013 - 10:00 AM The undefeated SCSU football team will take things on the road again this weekend. The Huskies are heading to St. Paul for a conference battle with the Concordia Golden Bears. Both teams appear in the top 25 Division Two football poll this week; SCSU is sitting in the 24th position and Concordia hot on their heels in 25th. Both teams have yet to lose this season. Listen to KVSC for all the action on Saturday night. The pregame show will kickoff at 5:45 with kickoff to follow at 6 p.m.
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Smith Alumnae Book Club The Book Club provides a friendly, open and inquiring setting for discussing various works of literature (both classic and contemporary). Meetings take place at 7:30 pm, generally on the third Wednesday of each month, at the homes of members. Any Smith alum is welcome, and you don’t have to “join”—just attend as often or as rarely as the meetings fit your interests and schedule. If you are interested in attending our meetings, please contact the Book Club Coordinator, Sally Smith, via email at [email protected] and she will add you to the email list. Each month Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park carries our book selections in the Peninsula Smith Club section of their book club shelf. At the cash register, tell the clerk this is a Peninsula Smith Club purchase and you will receive a 15% discount. Our May meeting was held on Wednesday, May 16, at the home of Jean Davidson '73. We discussed “A Wrinkle in Time” (and, to some extent, those that follow in the quintet) by Madeleine L’ Engle '41. Many thanks to Jean for her hospitality. This coming-of-age book is nominally for children but everyone enjoyed its beautiful language, well-wrought tension, and female protagonist. We liked its courageous father and scientist mother (unusual for the time) and fusion of spirituality and science. Compared to current quest books like the Harry Potter series, it is slower and the fantasy worlds not as fully developed (although one had definite echoes of “1984”), but the portrayal of a girl’s discovery of her own bravery and her resolve to accept heavy responsibility are very moving. Our June book is “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Laurie Daniels '81 has volunteered once again to host our Movie Night, which will be held on Wednesday, August 15, at 5:30 pm at her home in San Mateo. The movie will be “The Lion in Winter” and thus the potluck theme will be medieval food.
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Pakistan stubbornly refused to concede the first Test in the face of a would-be world record run chase, but a steady trickle of wickets ensured the Australians maintained the upper hand entering the final day. Set an improbable victory target of 422, the tourists headed to stumps in relatively good health at 3 for 170 following an entertaining day that witnessed Shane Watson register a nerve-jangling maiden Test century and Mohammad Aamer become the youngest fast bowler in history to claim a five-wicket haul. Pakistan's cause appeared hopeless when Doug Bollinger rapped Imran Farhat on the pads in the seventh over, an appeal that was orginally turned down by Rudi Koertzen, the on-field umpire, but overturned by the video official. Brief periods of revival were later punctuated by Mitchell Johnson's dismissal of Salman Butt and Nathan Hauritz's removal of Faisal Iqbal, but Mohammad Yousuf and the impressive Umar Akmal survived through to stumps, still requiring a further 252 for victory on the final day. Australia had an opportunity to seize complete control in the final half hour of play with the introduction of Simon Katich, the occasional wrist spinner, into the attack. Katich had not bowled a ball all summer to that point, but promptly had Akmal dropped by Hauritz at mid-on with his first delivery and almost stumped a ball later. Akmal survived, however, ensuring the Australians an uncomfortable night's sleep, given the difficulties they have encountered bowling teams out on the fifth day. Two themes from this young series - Watson's nerves in the nineties and Pakistan's woes in the field - were brought to bear in the second session as Australia positioned themselves for a victory charge. Watson, whose issues converting half-centuries to three figures this summer have been well documented, was dropped by Abdur Rauf at gully off the bowling of Mohammad Aamer on 99, scampering through for a single on the misfield to seal his maiden Test ton. For the third time this summer, Watson endured a nervous journey through the nineties. He headed to lunch unbeaten on 98, having cautiously seen off a maiden from Saeed Ajmal to close out the session. More anxious moments were to follow after the break, as Watson chased a succession of wide offerings outside off stump. Pakistan's tactic - complete with an 8-1 off-side field - appeared to have worked when the right-hander slashed a full, wide Aamer delivery to Rauf in the gully, only for the embattled fielder to turf the chance and hand Watson his century; 66 minutes after he had entered the 90s. Pakistan's fifth dropped catch of the match ensured Watson became the first Australian batsman since Michael Hussey at The Oval to reach triple figures in a Test, breaking a team sequence of 20 unconverted half-centuries. In 12 innings as Australia's Test opener, he has now scored 716 runs at the eye-catching average of 65.09. Phillip Hughes will have a while to wait yet. Earlier, Pakistan reprised memories of Australia's second-innings collapses during the Ashes and, more recently, the Perth Test on a spritely opening to Tuesday. Aamer emerged as the perfect weapon - relentlessly attacking a top order in pursuit of quick runs and an early declaration - to become the second youngest bowler in Test history to claim a five-wicket haul. Only Nasim-ul-Ghani, a left-arm spinner-cum-medium pacer, achieved the feat at a younger age, doing so against the West Indians more than half a century ago. Michael Clarke was Aamer's first victim, caught behind chasing a delivery that tailed away ever so slightly. Marcus North and Brad Haddin then fell in the space of two balls as part of a double-wicket maiden in his 18th over, ensuring the 17-year-old entry into a most exclusive club. Favouring a predominantly around-the-wicket approach to Australia's right-handers, Aamer proved destructive in the extreme with a combination of express pace, probing lengths and subtle reverse swing. His efforts put the brakes on Australia's brisk early scoring rate, but given the discrepancy between the teams' first innings totals, they always seemed likely to be in vain.
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I was asked in another thread to explain what exactly George W. Bush has done wrong as president. I decided to start a new thread for this purpose since it would bring the other thread to far off topic. Work is sort of hammering me right now, so I'll only be able to update it sporadically, but hopefully I'll get to all of the points before election day. Point 1 : Iraq George W. Bush made his case for invading Iraq on three main points - Saddam Hussein was claimed to have weapons of mass destruction (wmd), Saddam Hussein was linked to Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein is just generally not a nice guy. The first point, it turns out is just plain false. This leaves three possibilities for his use of wmd as a justification for war - he lied, he exaggerated or he was fooled. None of these is a quality we should want in a president. If he lied to achieve something as serious as this, he should be in jail, not in the White House. If he exaggerated it's really not any better. If he was fooled, than it definitely brings his judgement into question. Whatever the case is, his lies, tall tales or foolishness all damage the US in attempts to combat terrorism because they seriously damage the credibility that the US has. Can't you just see the exchange now? "Switzerland, you need to close this bank account because it is a front for Al Qaeda." "How do you know?" "We have intelligence information." "Oh yeah? From the same source that told the tale of the Nigerian uranium? The account stays open." "Saudi Arabia, you need to arrest these people." "Why?" "We have intelligence that says they are terrorists." "Really" Are you going to hold them in those mobile anthrax labs? We're not arresting them without some evidence from a credible source." I'd also like to point out that claims that UN weapons inspectors and sanctions had failed to do their job is a little bit thin when, apparently, they did prevent Saddam Hussein from acquiring wmd. The second point the administration sort of threw out there and then didn't really push as much as the first point. It's generally believed that Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein were not allies as Al Qaeda was opposed to Hussein's secular Baathism. He might have supported other, smaller terrorist organizations, but the 9/11 connection was just never there. The administration seemed to back off this point after initially raising it. Probably because they knew the evidence couldn't even be fabricated for this one. The third point is true. Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator. Him no longer being in power is a good thing. That doesn't mean the war was a good thing. The mistake people make when using the "we got rid of a brutal dictator, so it's worth it," argument is that the comparison is not "Attack Iraq or do nothing." It should be "Attack Iraq or use those resources elsewhere." Every soldier who is in Iraq dodging car bombs is a soldier that isn't available to search for Bin Laden on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Do you think North Korea has anything to fear when it knows that the US can't possibly call its bluff since so much of the US military is tied up in Iraq looking for wmd that aren't there rather than dealing with wmd that are known to be there? (I'm not advocating an invasion of North Korea, I'm just saying that the US doesn't even have the ability to bluff since all it's cards are in the Middle East now.) If you want to make a humanitarian argument - that people who once lived under tyranny now live under anarchy that theoretically will become democracy one day, that is fine. But two things - it claims a problem as solved before it is and it once again represents a misallocation of resources. People are still being blown up for simple things like trying to become a police officer in Iraq. If you actually bothered to read this whole post, use the word "ook" in your reply. Tension between the various ethnic groups and religious sects remain. Medical care is sparse and inadequate as is power. Things may well improve and a real democracy may well be in place eventually, but claiming that it all is worth it because the Iraqi people are so much better off is a bit premature. In addition, if your goal is to alleviate human misery, the >$100 billion spent and to be spent on this war seems a bit low yield in terms of human misery avoided per $. You want to alleviate human misery? Vaccinate 3rd world children, distribute condoms in Africa to prevent AIDS, build water treatment plants and hospitals, give scholarships to train doctors from the 3rd world. You want to foster democracy? Build western style schools in the middle east - without education you can?t have democracy. Instead of going out of your way to keep people out of the US, bring people in so they can see democracy for themselves. Most importantly, show people that democracies work for peace, not for war on fabricated charges. Yes, Saddam Hussein being in custody is a good thing. Yes, ultimately, life for the Iraqi people will probably eventually be better than it was under Saddam (or, if you like, you can even say it is already) but that doesn?t mean the war was worth it. If I spent $1000 on an ice cream cone, would the argument that it was worth it because I really like ice cream really be a good one? Saddam's overthrow is a silver lining on a really, really dark stormcloud. It isn't justification for the war to begin with nor does it make it all worthwhile in hindsight. This option is very doubtful, IMO, but even if Bush had lied, he probably would have done so with the advice/blessings/pressure of his advisors or from Congress. Politics isn't the most moral field to enter, but the blame and ridicule cannot be placed on Bush alone, even if it was a lie. Besides, it would take a lot of work for intelligence from other countries to fabricate a lie on such a grand scale just to get oil or oust a dictator. There is no way Bush acted alone if he lied to the nation and the world, and I seriously doubt that he would lead such a grand scheme just for an excuse to invade another country. Bush exaggerated This is actually palpable, but the extent to which he exaggerated is what needs to be questioned. Exaggeration is not always visible enough to harm anyone or even cost them any comfort. I believe that Bush did exaggerate the threat of Iraq's WMDs, but he needed the public consensus to go to war in Iraq without riots breaking out throughout the country (and so that he might have a shot at re-election, I'll concede that). I'm pretty sure that Bush at least suspected WMDs in Iraq, and perhaps exaggeration was the only way to gain America's bittersweet and partial blessing. Or maybe it was just an excuse, but he could not have been positive whether there were or weren't there, and wanting to check for them, is not wrong, IMO, even if that means exaggerating to convince a less than stellar (generally speaking) public that the war is not so bad after all. Bush was fooled I only have one thing to say about this one. Much of the world's intelligence agreed with Bush, so if Bush is unfit to lead and worthy of ridicule, than so are many other world leaders. Thinking like that is awfully pessimistic, if you ask me. ____________ >_> Great post, bort. Unfortunatly it's still quite possible that Bush will be re-elected. Quote:This option is very doubtful, IMO, but even if Bush had lied, he probably would have done so with the advice/blessings/pressure of his advisors or from Congress. But you are forgeting that going to war with Iraq had many advantages for those advisors. They could lie just as well. As long as the official reports claim that there was a good chance of WMD's existing, it was enough proof. Quote:I believe that Bush did exaggerate the threat of Iraq's WMDs, but he needed the public consensus to go to war in Iraq without riots breaking out throughout the country (and so that he might have a shot at re-election, I'll concede that). You could also try to justify lies with this argument. The public has the right to riot if there is an unjust war about to break, isn't this what freedom is all about? Quote:Much of the world's intelligence agreed with Bush This means just about nothing. A lot of people had good reasons to attack Iraq and agreeing with Bush was rather strategic. Others were just forced to agree with the US, who are without doubt the strongest and most influential country right now. ____________ I forgot to explicitly say so, but a corollary to the loss of US credibility is the damaged relations with other nations. Although much has been made of the so called coalition of the willing, there is a notable lack of World Powers in that list. Only 2/5 of the permanent members of the Security council were on board. In addition to those, Germany was notably missing from the coalition. Now, I'm not going to pretend that Germany, France, Russia or China are altruistic in any way shape or form. Nor are they blameless in the breakdown of International Relations. However, the Bush administration deserves a healthy share of the blame as well -- comments such as the infamous "Old Europe-New Europe" one and the general "with us or against us" tone used in the "diplomacy" leading up to the war were counterproductive and damaging. Germany and France especially have for the last 50 years been close allies of the US. They were willing to give their blessing and help when they felt we were doing the right thing -- witness Afghanistan. They continue to help us with security issues despite "Punish France, ignore Germany," comments by administration officials such as Condeleezza Rice. If we expect, even demand aid in the future, we need to treat our allies with dignity and respect and listen to their concerns and input. The US is capable of going it alone on many things, but it cannot finish this "war on terrorism" if it alienates all those who can help. It's sort of like the star player on a sports team -- he can make a lot of plays on his own but he can't win the game without the support of his teammates. How many quarterbacks win a game if they're punishing their offensive line? ____________ Drive by posting. Point A: Both sides (for example those that support and those do not suport bush) can simply swear on one foot that they are right in their decision. If both sides were swearing this that they are right. then 100% fact is atleast one side is half ignorant. Point B: if your not a democrat or one of those sides, then you must have your 100% true affirmation that there is someone better who is sponsored by people with money to be a canidate for our elections I guess the question is, how can you swear to yourself that you are correct. Also@ I do blive that WMD would alter the earths weather mobility (possibly .) ____________!!Never Before I start, perhaps it would do good to remind ourselves of some parts of Powell's speech on WMD's, as quoted in the Iraq thread by Dargon some 49 pages prior to the present one 1. Mr. Powell presented a communication intercept of a conversation between an Iraqi colonel and a general. In the intercept, Mr. Powell says, one of the officers says: "We evacuated everything. We don't have anything left." 2. Mr. Powell presented an illustrated satellite image of a weapons munitions facility, which is known to have held chemical weapons. He also showed pictures of what he said was a ballistic missile facility two days before the inspectors arrived, with vehicles outside including a crane for moving missiles. 4. Iraqi scientists have been told by Saddam Hussein that they were not to agree to be interviewed outside Iraq - in contravention of the UN resolution. Anyone agreeing to be interviewed was told they would be treated as a spy. Saddam Hussein threatened Iraqi scientists with death if they divulged information to UN weapons inspectors, Mr. Powell said. 5. Iraq he said was in possession of mobile research laboratories. He showed diagrams of these alleged mobile factories. He said the facilities were sophisticated, and could produce items such as anthrax. 6. Mr. Powell played a communications intercept in which one officer appeared to tell another to remove the expression "nerve agents" from all wireless instructions. 7. Powell also showed pictures of what he said was a chemical weapons facility, with arrows pointing to areas of disturbed earth. He said these were evidence that the Iraqis had removed the entire crust of earth in the area so there would be no evidence of the years of chemical weapons work there. 8. Powell said the Iraqi authorities had conducted experiments on people, with one source reporting that 1,600 convicted prisoners had been transferred to special units where such experiments were carried out. Autopsies were later conducted to check the results, he said. 9. He said Iraq already possessed two of the three components needed to produce a nuclear bomb 10. Powell said Iraq has programs to produce ballistic missiles which can fly more than 1,200 kilometers. He said such missiles were not intended for self-defense, but to deliver chemical, biological and - if we let him - nuclear warheads. 11. Mr. Powell said Iraq "harbors" a terrorist network headed by al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab Zarqawi. This network helped establish another poison and explosives training camp in north-east Iraq. Powell showed a picture he said was of this camp. 12. He said Zarqawi was teaching operatives how to produce Ricin and other poisons. He said Baghdad has an agent in the senior ranks of Ansar al-Islam, the group holding an enclave in north-east Iraq. 13. He showed photographs of a number of al-Qaeda members linked to a network operating through North Africa, Europe, and in the former Soviet Union, including Georgia and Chechnya. He said close ties had been forged between al-Qaeda and Iraqi intelligence sources since the early 1990s. 14. Iraqis visited Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan and provided training to al-Qaeda members. "Ambition and hatred are enough to bring Iraq and al-Qaeda together," Mr. Powell said. He said Iraq maintained active links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, using its embassy in Pakistan as a "liaison office". And that doesn’t even include the mass of evidence that he summarized as previously delineated by Bush. I am going to love hearing you try to find that specific evidence pre-Powell speech…good luck…lol I'm intruiged to wonder just how many of these the Bush supporters still feel could have been true... I'd personally believe Bush and Blair were at best over-eager and at worst liars about the WMD issue. It's possible that both could be the case. At best: They failed completely to ensure the proper checks were done on the evidence gathered. The job of a president to me is to make absolutely sure before entering a war that his intelligence is correct and not simply accept poorly researched evidence without checking first. At worst: At least one piece of evidence was fabricated (niger document), and what's more, at least the British intelligence, and quite possibly the US intelligence knew it too. Blair quite blatantly mislead the British parliment over the danger of the WMD's. What has not been outright lied about, or poorly checked by the two leaders and their intelligence organisations seemed to have been "sexed up" or spun by the respective governments to create a favourable impression. Whatever the reasons, whichever is true, the failiure of either to do the job they are elected to do should reflect in votes cast in the election. They failed the people of their country in some way, that should not be ignored. If I had to say, I'd guess that he and Blair lied, exaggerated and screwed up their jobs to justify to the world and their respective people the war. I have a belief that the war was decided on some time ago, all that remained was to justify it in the eyes of those most important, the WMD issue was one of them. Quote:I only have one thing to say about this one. Much of the world's intelligence agreed with Bush, so if Bush is unfit to lead and worthy of ridicule, than so are many other world leaders. Thinking like that is awfully pessimistic, if you ask me. I don't think this is quite accurate actually. It's true to say that many world leaders agreed with Bush and Blair that WMD's may exist, but unfair to say they would be at fault for the faulty intelligence. The vast majority of the intelligence was gathered by the US and UK, many countries probably didn't really have their respective intelligence agencies even looking for WMD's. Also most of them were not prepared to go to war alongside the US and UK on the flimsy evidence offered to the UN. Most either did not care enough to do so, or disagreed, sometimes severely with the intelligence offerred. I think for the majority of the world, they would have demanded further proof and checks on the evidence gathered so far, that would have shown some rather gaping holes in the US/UK's case. Since most were not involving themselves in the war though, I don't see why they should be labelled as at fault for the intelligence failiure, that purely falls on the countries that gathered it, and the 45 or so that supported an invasion partly based on it. Overall, I'm undecided if Iraq was worth it, especially with the train of thought that Bort offers to counter the advantage of removing Hussain. However, whichever way you care to look at it, anyone sensible can work out that Bush and Blair were either not doing the job you elected them for, or misleading you as a voter. If you believe it's the former, then you should consider this a point against Bush in the elections, if you think it's the latter, you need to think why they would do such a thing... Quote:I'd also like to point out that claims that UN weapons inspectors and sanctions had failed to do their job is a little bit thin when, apparently, they did prevent Saddam Hussein from acquiring wmd. Well said, for all the advantages of removing Hussain, we were still wrong to insist that the inspectors were incompetent. If X hundred thousand allied troops and US experts can't find WMD's in the country, it's very likely they have not been there for some time... One last thing to mention, Bush and co do of course claim that the WMD's were moved en masse to Syria, perhaps our next target to be lined up... Oh and I forgot, why the hell do I have to say ook? Is it even a word? In which case what does ook mean? ____________ We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down! As shocking as this may seem to many of you, I do not directly blame George Bush for the initial stages of economic weakness that the US is currently suffering from. The effects of terrorism and the cyclic nature of economies cannot be fully discounted, so I will refrain here from trying to assign a specific percentage of the blame to him. I'll just say probably less than 50% and leave it at that. What I will focus on is George Bush's rather singleminded response to the problem - tax cuts. The argument behind tax cuts as financial stimulus is fairly simple - increase peoples' spending power so that they buy more which means more products need to be made which means more jobs which in turn results in more spending, etc. etc. This is actually a not too bad argument, not great, but reasonable, the problem is that it only works if money supply is what is holding the economy back. Otherwise it's like prescribing penicillin to someone with lung cancer, penicillin is a great cure for a lot of diseases, but it ain't gonna do nuthin' for cancer. Another way to stimulate the economy that works the same way as tax cuts is cutting interest rates. The federal reserve repeatedly cut interest rates without it having any effect on the economy. This suggested that money supply was not what was holding back the economy and tax cuts were not the correct solution. The still very high jobless rate (2.3 million jobs lost under Bush) bears this belief out. In addition, the target of the tax cuts (middle class and up) was targeted to the groups more likely to stick $300 into the bank since, these being uncertain times and all, it can't hurt to have some money saved as opposed to the lower tax brackets who would use that $300 to, say buy that microwave oven they've been needing, thereby defeating the purpose of tax cuts as a fiscal stimulus. Mr. Bush, I ask you, if the economy is recovering as strongly as you claim, where are the jobs? The other, much more pressing problem with Bush's tax cuts is the deficits they are causing. The problem is that Bush has raised government spending at the same time that he has cut government revenue. Clinton's last year in office saw a surplus of 2.4% in 2003, it was a deficit of 3.5%. This year, it is projected to be 4.3% and shows every sign of getting worse in coming years (unless, of course, a different person is elected president). (source : Economist Nov 6, 2003.) Bush has increased non-military discretionary spending by 21% (ie - its not just the war on terror that leads to his spending increases). Military expenditures are up 27%. Democrats are often accused of being "tax and spend" but George Bush is "borrow and spend." The interest payments on this debt being built up by George Bush will continue to affect the US for years to come, remaining an albatross on the neck of our economy (not to mention crippling our ability to carry on with the so called "war on terrorism.") First of all, I am a registered democrat. Secondly, I can't just sit by and let a man be attacked so agressively while hearing only one side of the argument. Third, I hope my party forgives me for defending president Bush. Fourth, I will be voting for John Kerry but not because of the deaths of american soldiers in Iraq. President Bush isn't exactly the greatest president we've ever had but he most certainly deserves my respect as a human being. I was in my livingroom on September 11th. I sat glued to the t.v. while my kids screamed at me for changing the channel from the cartoon network. They hate the news. I watched as President Bush grabbed the microphone at ground zero while standing next to an elderly crying firefighter. A firefighter sitting on the world trade center debris way up and out of range from where the president stood, yelled out that he couldn't hear the president talking. President Bush responded, "I can hear you. The whole world can hear you, and the people who tore down these buildings can hear you. Pretty soon they're going to hear all of us!" This is a man who was anything but out-of-touch with the american people. He stood there and comforted me while I cried for the victims of that day. Later on when he attended the funeral I saw his father, who I have the greatest respect for, lean over and comfort the man who comforted me. It reminded me that he is just as human as I am. I said to myself, "He's man as I am. He puts his pants on one leg at a time just as I do." Jobs lost? Yes indeed. That's my focus. Most of your arguments fall into the evidential orgy category. In other words, when you don't like someone you'll have no qualms about dressing them down to the very point of their shoes being untied. I don't like that at all. Using necessary force for the exact problem is a much better approach. Political overkill simply paints the prosecutor as cold and heartless. Concerning this Iraq war. 1. How does any country generally fight its own dictators? 2. How long before the people of Iraq would have fallen into a civil war? 3. Humanitarian aid by a technologically advanced country has done the bare minimum to bring Iraq into the modern era of medicine and healthcare. Who else would have had the guts to provide such things to the Iraqi people? I believe this is Bush's last war. The american people wouldn't allow him to make war with anyone else short of another terrorist attack. Having said that it is his last war, I think it is very likely that the liberation of Iraq is quite possibly the greatest humanitarian project thus far for the new millenium. Quote:Democrats are often accused of being "tax and spend" but George Bush is "borrow and spend." I am a middleclass american citizen who owns a house and one car. I have three kids and one wife. Show me one middleclass family that doesn't "borrow and spend". I don't do it because I like to. My wife and I do it because our kids need food, clothing, and other expenses such as toys to play with. I may be a democrat but I don't agree with "tax and spend". In fact I live the "borrow and spend". You can argue with Bush's "borrow and spend" strategy all you want but I don't hear any suggestions on how to make it better. We may not like living like this but what are the alternatives? Get taxed more so the government can have more control of our lives? No thankyou! In fact I'd wager you have no alternative and even if you did I guarantee your alternative wouldn't pull my family out of the "borrow and spend" set of rules laid down by common sense. Just about everyone in america borrows to spend more money. I have faith in our economy. This is a good strong country with good moral laws that help stimulate growth and recovery. Is Bush's little "tax cut" plan really all that much of a help? Don't make me laugh. You said 50%! Give me a break! The president isn't a monarch! His little "tax cut" probably affected more like 25% of the economy not a whopping 50%. America's economy is greater than one single president. We have a congress too you know, and don't forget the judicial branch. People from all walks of life who are involved in every aspect of this country on the whole decide what will happen. That's why September 11th didn't decide the fate of this country's economical recession. People everywhere woke up, realized others needed help and came together. Ok there's atleast one defense. Come on, somebody had to do it. No one else was saying anything and I just hate a fascist thread ____________Roses Are RedAnd So Am I First of all I must tell you Consis, that you can be proud to be patriotic. This kind of feeling is the best strength of a country. May be you got it with my english writing, but I'm french, and I don't claim anything but give my opinion. I'm willing to talk only about Iraqi war, because I think talking about economical decisions is a too subjective discussion. Nothing prove someone could have done better than Bush. But with a subject as serious as war, There are enough facts that prove that Bush has made an error. A very expensive error. The first thing I want to point is the first Iraq war, that is not far away in the past I think. We'll take the example of Basrah : Near the end of the war, Basrah people were uprising against Hussein's dictatorship and began their freedom by their own hands. But suddenly, war stopped. All the countries retired (as US as France as others, I must concede it), without arresting Hussein. And what happened about Basrah ? All identified "Rebels" were tortured and then killed by Hussein's loyalists (From memory, a little less than 10,000 victims). Here is an extract of a letter where George Bush (Senior) explain the sudden stop of the Iraqi war. Excerpt from "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam" by George Bush [Sr.] and Brent Scowcroft, Time (2 March 1998): While we hoped that popular revolt or coup would topple Saddam, neither the U.S. nor the countries of the region wished to see the breakup of the Iraqi state. We were concerned about the long-term balance of power at the head of the Gulf. Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome." (You will note some pertinents arguments given, that have been effectively reaveled as "true", seeing actual world diplomacy relationship) So about the two points on Iraqi war "How long before the people of Iraq would have fallen into a civil war?" I would answer "Never", simply because these events cut any Iraqi people's hope to take freedom. Iraqi peoples are realist enough to know that they do not have the means to take power by their own hands, and they feel betrayed from all other "democratic" countries. It is also why, during this second war, they took so many time to finally claim that they didn't want of Hussein's dicatorship. The first Iraqi war (or more precisely, the end of first Iraqi war) was a political cheat. Why the second would not be one also ? Let's see. One of the facts that keeps me thinking this war is probably an economical/political cheat and was probably the last thing that had to be done, is the position of George Bush (Senior) in the US Military equipment industry. We must not forget that for each bullet fired, each missile bombing, Mr Bush Senior earns money. Another point is the Iraqi discussion with OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), that was in a good shape before the war. Iraqi's petrol ressources are 20% of the world global resources : and Iraq is the ONLY Middle-east Petrol exporting country that has not joined OPEC organisation yet. So in one word, Iraqi's ressources, if they are well-exploited, defines world Petrol's price, despites OPEC's decisions. Finally, the last point is the islamicization of the Iraq. Hussein's Baas political group were fervent anti-islamic guys. The main Iraq ethny (80% of the total Iraqi population) is fervent pro-islamic population. Islamic religion or not makes me indifferent, but we all know that real terrorists manipulates Islamic religion to recruit suicide-squads. The terrorists are the real winners in this war. George bush as succeeded to transform the only middle-east country that was not a real threat to western countries into potentially the most dangerous of all: 20% world's petrol ressources combined with Terrorists maipulators that will gain political power (if it is a real democracy...), is like a second Arrabian state. Finally, about the 11 September, I join "hamsi128" opinion. Bin laden is called a terrorist (and it is the entire truth) because he killed 5000 innocents people. How is called Bush in Iraq ? I think my english is not good enough to have a real discussion, but I hope you will understand me. If it is in interest for you, we'll discuss later about what a french people think now about George Bush and US's diplomaty, which is, also, a very important subject. Quote:I was in my livingroom on September 11th. I sat glued to the t.v. while my kids screamed at me for changing the channel from the cartoon network. They hate the news. I watched as President Bush grabbed the microphone at ground zero while standing next to an elderly crying firefighter. A firefighter sitting on the world trade center debris way up and out of range from where the president stood, yelled out that he couldn't hear the president talking. President Bush responded, "I can hear you. The whole world can hear you, and the people who tore down these buildings can hear you. Pretty soon they're going to hear all of us!" This is a man who was anything but out-of-touch with the american people. He stood there and comforted me while I cried for the victims of that day. Later on when he attended the funeral I saw his father, who I have the greatest respect for, lean over and comfort the man who comforted me. It reminded me that he is just as human as I am. I said to myself, "He's man as I am. He puts his pants on one leg at a time just as I do." Come on. You can't evaluate a political figure based on how dramatic and emotional his speeches are! I'm sure that Hitler was also rather capable of saying things like that to win the hearts of the German people. I can't believe some people actually buy that. Maybe I should run for president, without learning anything about politics but just taking a couple of drama courses. The point here is that he is a bad president, not a bad person. And his actual political decisions were wrong. This is all that matters. ____________ I would have to agree with you fellows, Bush Jr, he is just an awful president. In my honest opinion, I think Clinton was an awsome president, so what if he got his winkie sucked on a little, he was still an awsome president. The only thing bush is doing is makeing us hard working people pay more and more money for absolutly nothing. ____________ Bush: Saddam must be really pissed that we toppled him as head of state based on wrong info. Cheney: Our intelligence may not be right, but we were right in bringing down a dictator Tenet: Actually, we did get the right info, but it was wrongly interpreted Rice: Saddam might sue the US for mass destruction in his country Cheney: Whatever it is, we'll stick to our guns. No apologies Bush: Saddam didn't have WMD but he has plans to do so. That's what I'll tell the world. Powell: I'm gonna tell the UN that we did a pre emptive strike in order to stop Saddam from carrying out his plans. Rice: But our WMD hunter David Kay said we were all wrong as there were no evidence of WMD's Bush: We're not gonna say sorry Rumsfeld: The heat must have fried Kay's brains after turning the desert upside down in his search. Bush: Our space probes are already on Mars, and discovering things. Why TF can't we find WMD in Iraq? Tenet: According to my sources, Saddam dumped all the evidence in the Tigris-Euphrates before we invaded Iraq. Cheney: What will the world think of us now? Bush: Who cares what the world thinks? As long as we believe we're right, and have the might to defeat terror. Rice: People think we're playing dirty while France, for opposing us, is now smelling like Eau-de-Cologne Bush: I don't care whether we stink or not. I want our agents to sniff out all those WMD's lurking around us. Tenet: Our sources smell a trail from Pakistan to Libya. Powell: Is your info reliable? The world already thinks that we lied about the Iraq affair. Rumsfeld: It's about time we shifted the WMD issue away from Iraq and get the heat off us. Cheney: After all the Iraqi screwup, you have a bigger fight coming than Saddam. Bush: What's that? Cheney: Democrat John Kerry, that war hero who wants your presidential position. He says you've been telling stories... That's all I can get. BTW, I hope Bush loses this election. ____________ ... Quote:Come on. You can't evaluate a political figure based on how dramatic and emotional his speeches are! I'm sure that Hitler was also rather capable of saying things like that to win the hearts of the German people. I can't believe some people actually buy that. Maybe I should run for president, without learning anything about politics but just taking a couple of drama courses. Hey check this out. Yet another comparison of Bush to Hitler. This is getting old. You people think that Hitler and Bush are related are the worst kinds of extremists that know of no other way to argue. It's people like you that end up bombing abortion clinics. What's next? Are you going to call me Stalin for disagreeing with you? Let this be yet another example to what kind of people are out there trying to fix the problems of this country. Cynical extremist groups run by the likes of Hitler-phobic acolytes. I'm a registered democrat and I'll be voting for Kerry thankyou very much. I certainly hope you abstain from the election as your vote would clearly be unwanted. ____________Roses Are RedAnd So Am I Quote: You people think that Hitler and Bush are related are the worst kinds of extremists that know of no other way to argue. It's people like you that end up bombing abortion clinics. What's next? Are you going to call me Stalin for disagreeing with you? It rather sounds that you have boiled a bit over and are giving no good arguments to support your opinions. And yes, I believe that Stalin was homo sapience as much as my closest friends. Moreover, I think that everyone who can see a potential Hitler when looking into mirror is more open-minded and humanistic than the one who sees nothing but himself. As we all feel that the above result is not true, IYY says (and I agree with him) that Bush´s gesture may have been a nice thing to do on the given day, but doesn´t tell us much more about him than that he´s good at making such gestures. ____________
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Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement for details. Cleanth Brooks - The Language of Paradox This presentation is based on Cleanth Brooks's essay "The Language of Paradox,", wherein Cleanth Brooks emphasizes how the language of poetry is different from that of the sciences, claiming that he is interested in our seeing that the paradoxes spring from the very nature of the poet's language: “it is a language in which the connotations play as great a part as the denotations. And I do not mean that the connotations are important as supplying some sort of frill or trimming, something external to the real matter in hand. I mean that the poet does not use a notation at all--as a scientist may properly be said to do so. The poet, within limits, has to make up his language as he goes.” Cleanth Brooks - The Language of Paradox 2. Questions • Write about Cleanth Brooks’s concept of Paradox and Irony and their importance in poetry as discussed in his essay “The Language of Paradox” in The Well Wrought Urn (1947). • Discuss: “The language of poetry is the language of paradox” Elucidate with reference to Cleanth Brooks’s essay The Language of Paradox. • Analyze Wordsworth’s Wesminister Bridge and Donne’s The Canonization with reference to Cleanth Brooks’s The Language of Paradox. 3. Paradox: What is it? • In literature, the paradox is a literary device consisting of the anomalous juxtaposition of incongruous ideas for the sake of striking exposition or unexpected insight. • It functions as a method of literary composition - and analysis - which involves examining apparently contradictory statements and drawing conclusions either to reconcile them or to explain their presence. 4. Cleanth Books – a New Critic • Cleanth Brooks, an active member of the New Critical movement, outlines the use of reading poems through paradox as a method of critical interpretation. • Paradox in poetry means that tension at the surface of a verse can lead to apparent contradictions and hypocrisies. 5. Connotations and Denotations • In this essay ("The Language of Paradox,"), Cleanth Brooks emphasizes how the language of poetry is different from that of the sciences, claiming that he is interested in our seeing that the paradoxes spring from the very nature of the poet's language: “it is a language in which the connotations play as great a part as the denotations. 6. Wordsworth’s Composed upon Westminster Bridge EARTH has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! 7. Wordsworth’s ‘It is a beauteous eve’ • Brooks illustrates from William Wordsworth's poem “It is a beauteous evening, calm and free.” • He begins by outlining the initial and surface conflict, which is that the speaker is filled with worship, while his female companion does not seem to be. • The paradox, discovered by the poem’s end, is that the girl is more full of worship than the speaker precisely because she is always consumed with sympathy for nature and not - as is the speaker - in tune with nature while immersed in it. 8. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge,” IT is a beauteous evening, calm and free, The holy time is quiet as a Nun Breathless with adoration; the broad sun Is sinking down in its tranquillity; The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea: Listen! the mighty Being is awake, And doth with his eternal motion make A sound like thunder--everlastingly. Dear Child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here, If thou appear untouched by solemn thought, Thy nature is not therefore less divine: Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year; And worship'st at the Temple's inner shrine, God being with thee when we know it not. 9. Wordsworth’s ‘Westminster Bridge’ • In his reading of Wordsworth's poem, “Composed upon Westminster Bridge,” Brooks contends that the poem offers paradox not in its details, but in the situation which the speaker creates. • Though London is a man-made marvel, and in many respects in opposition to nature, the speaker does not view London as a mechanical and artificial landscape but as a landscape comprised entirely of nature. • Since London was created by man, and man is a part of nature, London is thus too a part of nature. It is this reason that gives the speaker the opportunity to remark upon the beauty of London as he would a natural phenomenon, and, as Brooks points out, can call the houses “sleeping” rather than “dead,” because they too are vivified with the natural spark of life, granted to them by the men that built them. 10. • John Donne’s The Canonization FOR God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love ; Or chide my palsy, or my gout ; My five gray hairs, or ruin'd fortune flout ; With wealth your state, your mind with arts improve ; Take you a course, get you a place, Observe his Honour, or his Grace ; Or the king's real, or his stamp'd face Contemplate ; what you will, approve, So you will let me love. Alas ! alas ! who's injured by my love? What merchant's ships have my sighs drown'd? Who says my tears have overflow'd his ground? When did my colds a forward spring remove? When did the heats which my veins fill Add one more to the plaguy bill? Soldiers find wars, and lawyers find out still Litigious men, which quarrels move, Though she and I do love. Call's what you will, we are made such by love ; Call her one, me another fly, We're tapers too, and at our own cost die, And we in us find th' eagle and the dove. The phoenix riddle hath more wit By us ; we two being one, are it ; So, to one neutral thing both sexes fit. We die and rise the same, and prove Mysterious by this love. We can die by it, if not live by love, And if unfit for tomb or hearse Our legend be, it will be fit for verse ; And if no piece of chronicle we prove, We'll build in sonnets pretty rooms ; As well a well-wrought urn becomes The greatest ashes, as half-acre tombs, And by these hymns, all shall approve Us canonized for love ; And thus invoke us, "You, whom reverend love Made one another's hermitage ; You, to whom love was peace, that now is rage ; Who did the whole world's soul contract, and drove Into the glasses of your eyes ; So made such mirrors, and such spies, That they did all to you epitomize— Countries, towns, courts beg from above A pattern of your love." 11. Donne’s Canonization • Brooks ends his essay with a reading of John Donne’s poem "The Canonization," which uses a paradox as its underlying metaphor. • Using a charged religious term to describe the speaker’s physical love as saintly, Donne effectively argues that in rejecting the material world and withdrawing to a world of each other, the two lovers are appropriate candidates for canonization. • This seems to parody both love and religion, but in fact it combines them, pairing unlikely circumstances and demonstrating their resulting complex meaning. 12. Donne’s Canonization • Brooks points also to secondary paradoxes in the poem: the simultaneous duality and singleness of love, and the double and contradictory meanings of “die” in Metaphysical poetry (used here as both sexual union and literal death). • He contends that these several meanings are impossible to convey at the right depth and emotion in any language but that of paradox. • A similar paradox is used in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” when Juliet says “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch and palm to palm is holy palmer’s kiss.” 13. Rachana Joshi’s Poem ‘Leaving India’ makes an interesting reading in language of paradox and use of irony 14. Thus, to conclude, we may say . . . • In The Language of Paradox (The Well Wrought Urn) Brooks shows that paradox was so essential to poetic meaning that paradox was almost identical to poetry. • According to fellow New Critic Leroy Searle, Brooks’ use of paradox emphasized the indeterminate lines between form and content. “The form of the poem uniquely embodies its meaning” and the language of the poem “effects the reconciliation of opposites or contraries.” 15. Criticism of his viewpoint • R.S. Crane, in his essay "The Critical Monism of Cleanth Brooks," argues strongly against Brooks’ centrality of paradox. For one, Brooks believes that the very structure of poetry is paradox, and ignores the other subtleties of imagination and power that poets bring to their poems. • Brooks simply believed that “’imagination’ reveals itself in the balance or reconciliation of opposite or discordant qualities.” Brooks, in leaning on the crutch of paradox, only discusses the truth which poetry can reveal, and speaks nothing about the pleasure it can give. • Also, by defining poetry as uniquely having a structure of paradox, Brooks ignores the power of paradox in everyday conversation and discourse, including scientific discourse, which Brooks claimed was opposed to poetry. • Crane claims that, using Brooks’ definition of poetry, the most powerful paradoxical poem in modern history is Einstein’s formula E = mc2, which is a profound paradox in that matter and energy are the same thing. The argument for the centrality of paradox (and irony) becomes a reductio ad absurdum and is therefore void (or at least ineffective) for literary analysis.
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Bethel pledges climate action The Town of Bethel has become the latest municipality in Sullivan County to adopt the Climate Smart Communities Pledge. At the town meeting on November 13, the board voted unanimously to adopt the pledge, which is promoted by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The towns of Tusten, Cochecton and Lumberland, as well as Sullivan County, have also adopted the pledge. Municipalities that take the pledge are able to get assistance from the state in adopting programs that reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency. To date, 120 cities, villages, towns and counties in the state have adopted the pledge. Sturm read the pledge, which said in part, “We believe the effects of climate change can endanger our infrastructure, economy and livelihoods; harm our farms, orchards and ecological communities, including native fish and wildlife populations; spread invasive species and exotic diseases; reduce drinking water supplies and recreational opportunities; and pose health threats to our citizens.” According to the DEC, some signs of the changing climate are already apparent: “Winter snow cover is decreasing and spring comes (on average) a week or so earlier than it did a few decades ago; even when the weather is cold, nighttime temperatures are measurably warmer; summers have more super-hot days; diseases typical of warmer climates are appearing; intense precipitation events are occurring more often.” The adoption of the pledge is another action the town has taken in furtherance of reducing energy consumption. In 2008, the town began a program to make buildings and town operations more energy efficient. The pledge contains the flowing goals: 1. Pledge to combat climate change by becoming a climate-smart community 2. Set goals, inventory emissions, move to action 3. Decrease energy demand of local government operations 4. Encourage renewable energy for local government operations 5. Realize benefits of recycling and other climate-smart solid waste management practices 6. Promote climate protection through community land-use planning 7. Plan for adaptation for unavoidable climate change 8. Support a green innovation economy 9. Inform and inspire the public 10. Commit to an evolving process
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Monday, March 31, 2014 There’s been a lot of attention paid of late to the problem of diagnosing concussions. How can you tell if an athlete has suffered a concussion, in which case he should be removed from play? One way is to look for biochemical markers. For example, boxers have increased levels of total tau proteins (T-tau) in their cerebrospinal fluid that correlate with the number and severity of the head blows they receive. Unfortunately, you can only analyze cerebrospinal fluid by doing lumbar punctures, which require a certain level of expertise. Therefore, it would be nice to be able to detect a concussion biomarker with a simple blood draw. Luckily, there is now an ultra sensitive digital immunoassay that can measure T-tau in blood samples. Scientists led by Pashtun Shahim of Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg used the new method to quantify levels T-tau in the blood serum of hockey players. Out of 288 players in the Swedish Hockey League, researchers took blood tests from 47 prior to the start of their professional season. During the season, 35 athletes suffered concussions (based on current guidelines), and 28 of them provided blood samples at 1, 12, 36, and 48 hours and 144 hours after the injury. It should be noted that these 28 were not necessarily the same men who had given the pre-concussion samples. T-tau was significantly increased in all the post-concussion samples with the highest levels measured during the first hour. T-tau was also higher in players with more severe concussions, like those who had lost consciousness. This means that T-tau levels immediately after concussion could be used to predict when an athlete could safely return to play. Obviously, these results are mere correlations at this point. And of course, we don’t have baseline measurements of the same people pre and post-concussion. However, if the results do pan out, measuring blood levels of T-tau could be a valuable tool in determining which athletes should be cleared for competition. Friday, March 28, 2014 Although we still don’t have a definitive cause for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we know there is a strong genetic component. Cases of ASD tend to cluster in families and many specific genes have been implicated. However, that doesn’t mean that those genetic changes weren’t caused by environmental factors that acted during fetal development. Researchers led by Andrey Rzhetsky of the University of Chicago scoured the insurance claims of roughly one third of the U.S. population looking for incidences of ASD. They compared those rates, county by county across the country, with the rate of birth defects in the reproductive systems of baby boys. The idea was that the birth malformations would indicate whether the parents had been exposed to environmental toxins like pesticides. Sure enough, regions with higher rates of congenital malformations also had higher rates of ASD. For every 1% increase in birth defects there was a 283% higher incidence of ASD. This suggests that whatever is causing the increase in birth defects is also causing ASD. To be clear, this is no more than an association. We don’t know for sure that environmental toxins are responsible for causing ASD, let alone which toxins. It is interesting that the male genetic structures form in the fetus at about the same time as neurons appear within the developing brain. Thus, exposure at that time could affect both or either developing organs. If there is a an environmental factor causing ASD, it is felt prenatally, and perhaps even before conception (if the parents' germ cells were affected). By the time the baby is born, the damage has already been done. Thursday, March 27, 2014 Last year, I wrote about researchers adding parasites to food web diagrams. You can’t really understand the dynamic interactions within an ecosystem if you don’t take parasites into account. Well, that’s just as much true inside a body as out. We play host to a complex community of microorganisms. Understanding how different parasites interact with each other within our bodies could play a key roll in defeating them. In particular, does the presence of one type of virus or fungi inhibit or promote the growth of another? Would treating a bacterial infection give protozoans free reign to roam the body? To begin to answer those questions, Emily Griffiths, formerly at University of Sheffield but currently at North Carolina State University, and her colleagues pored through published papers to find cases of multiple infection. From those reports, the researchers constructed a network of interactions showing links between parasites, immune system components that could attack those parasites, and the host resources that the parasites could consume. The authors found that most parasites are only indirectly linked to each other. In other words, they don’t care what other parasites are doing or even whether they are present at all. This is not different from most free-living species, who also do not care what other organisms are doing, so long as those creatures don’t try to eat them. Where parasites did interact, it was more likely to be by sharing food resources rather than by eliciting the same immune responses. Like in real estate, the most important thing in parasitism seems to be location. The scientists found ten tightly bound communities of parasites, eight of which were associated with particular body parts. You can see a cartoon of this finding at the top. Wednesday, March 26, 2014 Do you like peacock spiders? Then you'll want to visit the YouTube channel Peacockspiderman maintained by cinematographer Jürgen Otto. Do you not know what peacock spiders are? Then you'll definitely want to visit that channel. Here's a sample:Here's Dr. Otto's narration of the events. Note how tiny the spiders are:More about peacock spiders here, by Gwen Pearson, aka Bug Girl. Tuesday, March 25, 2014 We’re all well aware of the obesity epidemic our nation is facing and of the accompanying health risks. We also know that an important part of combatting childhood obesity is to offer healthy food choices. That being the case, why not sell nutritious items at high school concession stands during games? That’s the question that Helena Laroche of the University of Iowa and her colleagues set out to answer. To begin with, it’s important to note that concession stands make up a very important source of revenue for their schools, helping to fund student organizations and sports teams. Clubs running the food stands can be reluctant to change the menu for fear of hurting sales. Not only could spectators fail to buy healthier snacks, but seeing them on the menu might drive people away from the concession stand all together. To see if that was the case, researchers collected data from concession stands in one Iowa High School (1700 students) over two seasons. The first year, the stand offered its usual menu. The second year, the usual foods were sold along with some healthier variations (nachos made without trans fats, for example) plus some new items including fruits and vegetables. None of the new items contained trans fats, and all had been selected from a preference survey given to students and parents. Profits from the concession stands did not differ between the two years. In other words, having healthy choices did not deter people from buying snacks. So far so good. But were people selecting the healthier options? They were. About 9% of the total revenue was due to the purchase of the new, healthier items. More importantly, sales for those healthier choices continued to increase game after game, indicating that the public liked having them on the menu. Monday, March 24, 2014 Suppose you read a picture book about some mythical trunked mammals called ‘pilosas’. The pilosas are evenly divided between those with skinny trunks and those with fat trunks, and their diet consists of insects. However, the climate where the pilosas live changes so that insects move deep underground where only thin-trunked pilosas can reach them. After some time, there are very few fat-trunked pilosas around, virtually all the pilosas now have thin trunks. What would you conclude from reading that story? If you are a 5 to 8 year old child, you would come away with a pretty good understand of natural selection. Researchers led by Deborah Kelemen of Boston University assessed how well 28 five and six year olds and 33 seven and eight year olds understood evolution by natural selection on a scale of zero to four. The children were then given (or read to from) the pilosa picture book and retested. Only if the kids understood that individual pilosas were not changing, but rather that the makeup of the population of pilosas was changing because some groups were out-reproducing others were they given full points for understanding natural selection. The results are below. The top panel is for the five and six year old kids, the bottom for the 7 and 8 year olds. As you can see, before the picture book (pretest), the younger kids had almost no familiarity with the concept of natural selection. Afterwards, most of them had at least some understanding and nearly a fifth of them could apply the concept to new populations of animals (generalization test). For the older kids, the results were even more impressive. Nearly all of them came away with a very good idea of natural selection works. (a) younger and (b) older children classified into the five levels of natural-selection understanding as a function of assessment. Because of rounding, percentages do not always add up to 100. Level 0 = no isolated facts; Level 1 = isolated facts but no natural-selection understanding; Level 2 = foundation for natural-selection understanding; Level 3 = natural-selection understanding in one generation; Level 4 = natural-selection understanding for multiple generations. Psychological science PMID: 24503874. This is significant because natural selection is not usually taught before age 13, and often not until 18, if at all. By that time, incorrect ideas can become entrenched in students’ minds. It was thought that children wouldn’t be able to understand complex ideas like natural selection until they were in their teens. Not so much. As Kelemen explains: It turns out that if you put the facts into the context of a theory, the kids learn not only the facts, but they also understand the full explanation. And they get it beyond a level we ever imagined they would, given how young they are. Friday, March 21, 2014 When we get into our senior years, chances are we’ll be regularly taking medications, either as a treatment or as a preventative measure for chronic ailments. Unfortunately, the chances that some of those drugs will interfere with each other is quite high. Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine found that about a fifth of older Americans receive medications that can worsen some of their conditions. About 75% of older adults have more than one treatable chronic condition. For example, a person might have high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes. The medications for some ailments can be detrimental for other conditions. Beta blockers taken to treat heart disease can worsen pulmonary disease. To look for drug interactions, the scientists recruited close to 6000 medicare recipients, who provided health and medication histories. Fourteen different ailments (hypertension, osteoporosis, etc) treated by 27 different classes of medication were included in the study. Nearly 80% of the participants had at least two chronic conditions and almost a third of the patients had ten different conditions! Given those statistics, it’s not at all surprising that that 23% of the patients were receiving at least one medication that could have worsened one of their conditions. And that doesn’t even include nonprescription medications like aspirin. The matter is complicated by the fact that patients may be better off taking two competing medications that are only somewhat effective than in skipping the treatment for one of their medical conditions. This makes it even more critical to be sure that your doctor knows all the medications you are taking so he or she can evaluate the cost/benefit of them in combination. Thursday, March 20, 2014 Sure, solar panels are nice if you just want nonpolluting renewable energy. But what if you want to add a designer touch to your building? You can’t expect the fashion conscious home owner to be satisfied with plain black solar panels on their roof. I might interject here to say that I have plain black solar panels on my roof, and I’m totally satisfied. But on with the story. University of Michigan researchers led by Jae Yong Lee have found a way to make colored photovoltaic cells. The prototypes are able to convert 2% of the sun’s energy into usable energy. That's quite a bit worse than the 10% efficiency achieved by the top of the line solar cells. But those cells don’t have pretty pictures on them. Professon Jay Guo holds up a prototype. Image courtesy of University of Michigan The colors on the solar cells aren’t pigments, but rather are created by varying the thickness of the silicon within the cells. Blue areas are six nanometers thick, whereas red areas are 31 nanometers thick. This means that the colors are not dependent on the viewing angle. The different structures capture and transmit different wavelengths of light. Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Child playing with a blicketness machine. Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Berkeley In what should be no surprise to anyone, young children can be better learners than adults. What’s interesting is that one reason for this is that children are more open-minded in picking up connections. They’re more flexible in their thinking than adults are. Christopher Lucas from the University of Edinburgh and colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley explored this by letting children and college students play with a light-up toy box. Preschoolers (age 4 and 5) and college students were presented with a ‘blicketness machine’, a box that lights up when certain combinations of clay shapes (‘blickets’) are placed upon it. After watching a demonstration, the participants then have to figure out what configuration of blickets made the machine light up. When the machine lit up after two objects were placed on it, participants could infer that those objects had a disjunctive relationship with each other (either A or B alone would have been sufficient) or a conjunctive relationship (both A and B were required). Adults were much more likely to assume that the clay pieces operated independently. That is, they had a bias toward disjunctive relationships. This was true even when it ran contrary to the evidence presented. In contrast, the preschoolers were more readily able to switch to a conjunctive viewpoint. Of course, no one is saying that small children are smarter than college students. However, young kids do seem to have more cognitive flexibility, especially when it comes to figuring out cause and effect. Monday, March 17, 2014 If you’re a wild African elephant of mature age, you’ve probably had a number of encounters with humans, some of which you undoubtedly regret. Of course, not all humans pose the same threat to your little band, so it would be useful if you could distinguish potential predators from mere passersby. The good news is that you can! Two groups of people that elephants commonly encounter are the Maasai and the Kamba. The former are much more likely to come into deadly conflict with the elephants than the latter. Consequently, elephants show more fear when exposed to either the scent or red color of garments worn by Maasai men than to clothes worn by Kamba men. Researchers from the University of Sussex and Amboseli Trust for Elephants investigated whether elephants could also distinguish between human voices. To that end, they recorded Maasai and Kamba men and women saying “Look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming” in their own languages. The recordings were played back to groups of female elephants (females and juveniles typically travel separately from adult males). All the groups displayed more fearful, defensive behavior after hearing male Maasai voices than they did for Kamba voices or for female Maasai voices. They bunched together and spent more time carefully sniffing the air. It should be noted that Maasai women are not involved in hunting elephants and thus pose no real threat to the animals. Interestingly, when the recordings were acoustically altered to make men sound like women and vice versa, the elephants still showed fear only when hearing what were originally male voices. In other words, the elephants could tell the men from the women even when the men sounded like women to our ears. I don’t find it that surprising that elephants can distinguish men from women by their voices, though it is a bit odd that they seem to be better at it than we are. I do find it amazing that African elephants can tell the men from two different tribes apart by their voices. This suggests that elephants can discriminate between human languages, a remarkable ability. By the way, aural perspicacity goes both ways. Another new study shows that humans can tell how old elephants are by listening to their vocal calls. Friday, March 14, 2014 To date, we’ve found over 1500 exoplanets and have detected more than two thousand possible candidates for that status that have yet to be confirmed. So where’s our second Earth? Unfortunately, we haven’t found it yet. And according to researchers led by Helmut Lammer of the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, that planet may be even more elusive than we thought. Two of the main criteria for whether are planet could harbor life are its size and its location. The planet must be small enough to have a rocky surface, as opposed to being a giant ball of gas like Jupiter. It must also be located at a distance from its star that allows the presence of liquid water. That orbital distance is often referred to as ‘the habitable zone’ or sometimes ‘the goldilocks zone’. Lammer and his team think we should add internal composition, or more specifically, density to that list of requirements. The mass of the initial rocky core determines whether the final planet is potentially habitable. Top: The core has a mass of more than 1.5 times that of the Earth. The result is that it holds on to a thick atmosphere of hydrogen (H), deuterium (H2) and helium (He). Bottom: The evolution of a smaller mass core, between 0.5 and 1.5 times the mass of the Earth. It holds on to far less of the lighter gases, making it much more likely to develop an atmosphere suitable for life.Credit: NASA / H. Lammer As it’s being formed from the dust and gas around a young star, a protoplanet captures a hydrogen envelope around it. Depending on conditions, most or all of that hydrogen can be stripped away, as was the case with the Earth. However, if a planet is dense enough, it will retain a thick blanket of hydrogen. If so, the pressure on the surface of that planet will be too great to sustain life. Thus, a planet might appear similar to the Earth and even orbit within the habitable zone, but be completely inhospitable. Thursday, March 13, 2014 The majority of people who have had a limb amputated, regardless of the reason for that amputation, suffer from ‘phantom limb pain’. As the name suggests, phantom limb pain is the phenomenon in which a person feels persistent pain or itching coming from a limb that has been amputated. Sufferers will sometimes insist that the missing hand or foot is extremely painful to them. Understandably, this has been difficult for physicians to treat, since there is no hand or foot. Painkillers can be ineffective, and the discomfort can last years or even a lifetime. At first, phantom pain was thought to be triggered by crushed or damaged nerves at the amputation site. Now, it is known that the discomfort originates directly in the brain. The part of the brain responsible for the missing limb now has no job, and begins to fire when other parts of the body are stimulated. In some cases, stroking part of a patient’s face will create the sensation of touching a missing limb. That being the case, doctors have had some success at curing phantom limb pain by using mirror boxes to trick the brain into thinking the limb has been resurrected. There are a couple of drawbacks to this treatment. For one thing, not all patients respond to the visual cues provided by the mirror. Perhaps more importantly, a person must have one completely sound and functional limb for the mirror to work. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology and Sahigrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden have been experimenting with virtual and enhanced reality systems to get around both of these drawbacks. They use computer algorithms to turn signals from the muscles left at the amputation site into instructions for moving a virtual limb. Because the signals originate in the amputated limb, rather than the opposite side of the body, the sensation is more vivid. Also, no intact limb is required for the therapy. In the augmented reality environment, the patient can see himself with a superimposed virtual arm, which is controlled by muscle signals from his arm stump. Credit: Ortiz-Catalan et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience So far, the scientists were able to bring relief to one patient who had suffered from phantom limb pain since losing his arm nearly 50 years ago. After working with the system once or twice a week for ten weeks, the patient reported his first moments of being completely pain free: These pain-free periods are something almost new to me and it is an extremely pleasant sensation. I'm sure it is. And let's hope he and others like him can enjoy many more pain-free moments thanks to this technology. Wednesday, March 12, 2014 If you could film birds flying with long dotted lines trailing behind them, what would you see? Luckily, Professor Dennis Hlynsky of the Rhode Island School of Design has provided the answer. And it's even more fascinating than you think. Is it just me, or do the birds look like they're writing in the sky?More of Professor Hlynsky's videos here. Tuesday, March 11, 2014 You’re familiar with the Atlantic Ocean, but have you ever heard of the Saharan Atlantic Ocean? No? That’s because there is no Saharan Atlantic Ocean. But there might have been. From 510 to 180 million years ago, South America and Africa were fused together in a supercontinent called Gondwana. After that time, rifts in the Earth’s crust broke Gondwana apart, separating the Americas from Africa and resulting in the formation of the Atlantic Ocean. However, Christian Heine and Sascha Brune of the University of Sydney and the German Research Centre for Geosciences found that such an eventuality was far from certain. Instead, Africa itself could have split apart with the western half remaining attached to South America. You can see a model of what that might have looked like below. A hypothetical model of the circum-Atlantic region at present-day, if Africa had split into two parts along the West African Rift system. Here, the north-west part of present day Africa would have moved with the South American continent, forming a "Saharan Atlantic ocean". Credit: Sascha Brune/Christian Heine For a while (some 20 million years), it looked like either scenario could have played out. Gondwana could have been split between Africa and South America or between Eastern and Western Africa. Obviously, the former rift proved more powerful and the African rift was eventually abandoned. Thus we ended up with the Earth we have today. Monday, March 10, 2014 If your community was escaping from a flood by building a living raft, would you use babies as floatation devices? What if those babies turned out to be much more buoyant than adults? If you’re an ant of the species Formica selysi, that’s exactly what you would do. University of Lausanne researchers led by Jessica Purcell tested the rafting strategies of F. selysi. To do so, they first had to address a few questions, like how long can a worker ant survive being submerged in water? And just how buoyant is an ant larva? These questions were handily answered by holding worker ants under water and by floating larvae in increasing concentrations of detergent. Fun for everyone. Next, the scientists encouraged colonies of ants to build rafts by slowly flooding the platform they were living on. The ant rafts are built solely of ant bodies, they used no other construction materials. As the rafts were constructed, the researchers observed their building strategies.If there were larvae or pupae (brood) available, the workers would put them in a pile and climb on top. If present, the queen would then take a lofty position on top of the workers and float away in relative ease and safety. You can observe this in the following video, which is shot from underneath. Note how pillowy and comfortable the large yellow ant brood looks. As odd as it seems to our sensibilities, floating away on a pile of babies gives everyone a higher chance of success. Worker ants have a 79% survival rate after being submerged for eight hours, but ant brood fare even better. In addition, ant larvae and pupae are significantly more buoyant than the adult workers. Putting the brood on the bottom means that the adults stay drier and have subsequently shorter post-rafting recovery times, which could be crucial if the colony has to quickly establish a beachhead at the new location. For your viewing pleasure: an unsinkable raft of fire ants, which employ a similar raft building strategy. And you thought magnets were fun to play with. Friday, March 7, 2014 An average person could fulfill all her indoor water needs (drinking, food preparation, sanitation and hygiene) with about thirteen gallons per day. In the U.S., we don’t believe in being average however. In 2005, we each used about 98 gallons per day. As climate change reworks the planetary precipitation levels, that could prove to be a big problem. Unfortunately, most people have little idea of how to solve that problem.Shahzeen Attari from Indiana University asked 1000 people two questions in random order: What’s the most effective thing you can do to reduce your own water consumption; and what’s the most effective thing other Americans can do. The responses were divided into two categories: curtailment (take shorter showers, eat less meat) or efficiency (switch to water-saving appliances). Most people chose curtailment options for themselves and others by a seven to one ratio. Yet, the single most effective thing a person can do to conserve water is to retrofit an older toilet. Sure, turning the water off while you brush your teeth is good, but replacing an aged clothes washing machine with a newer, much more efficient model would make a much bigger difference.People were also terrible at estimating how much water different activities used, which no doubt plays into their inability to make the smartest conservation choices. Of course, it’s also true that, while you might save money in the long run, changing out your appliances can be pretty expensive. Meanwhile, taking shorter showers doesn’t cost anything. Attari, S. (2014). Perceptions of water use Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316402111. Thursday, March 6, 2014 Although it originated in South America, there’s a good chance you are more familiar with it than you want to be. Fire ants are now pests throughout much of the world. Among their charms is an extremely painful venom and a willingness to attack.If you live in the southern United States, you may be pleased to hear that fire ants have met their match in another invader from South America, the crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva). Nylanderia fulva Photographed by April Nobile, 6/8/07 www.AntWeb.org Fire ants easily dispatch most other ant species from their territories, but the crazy ants are not only holding their own, they’re actually displacing the fire ants. How?Edward LeBrun, Nathan Jones and Lawrence Gilbert of The University of Texas at Austin found that the crazy ants can detoxify the venom of the fire ants, rendering the latter weaponless in the ensuing battle. The crazy ants do this by daubing themselves with their own abdominal secretions.Crazy ants that were permitted to detoxify the fire ant venom had a 98% survival rate. That rate dropped in half when the crazy ants' own venom glands were sealed, preventing them from applying the antidote. With the arrival of crazy ants, it looks like fire ants' days may be numbered.The news isn't all good. While crazy ants are likely to spread more slowly than fire ants did, they will eventually cause many of the same problems, devastating native populations of insects, and, in turn, the animals that depend on those insects.You can read more about this here. Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Wiebke Ebeling from Curtin University and Jan Hemmi from The University of Western Australia have discovered that the color vision of wallabies is more similar to that of dogs than of quokkas. If you’re like me, the first thing you thought upon reading that sentence was, ‘what the hell is a quokka?’Here it is: Quokka, photographed by Loetifuss, 9/23/2005 I know, I know. So cute! The important point is that like wallabies, quokkas are marsupials. This means that wallabies are much more closely related to quokkas than they are to placental mammals, like dogs. However most placental mammals (except for some primates) have only two types of cones and thus have limited color vision (they're dichromates). In contrast, many marsupials, including quokkas, are trichromatic, having three types of cones. Yet, the closely related wallaby is a dichromate.How do we know? Well, by training the critters to indicate whether two light panels appeared to be the same color. Light stimuli were projected onto diffuser flaps that also served as the trigger when the animal pushed to indicate a stimulus choice. If correct, a food reward was delivered into a feeder bowl under the stimuli. Photo copyright: W. Ebeling. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086531.g001 It’s pretty clear that the wallabies are dichromatic. What’s not clear is why they differ in this fundamental way from other, closely related marsupials. Monday, March 3, 2014 Researchers from the University of Chicago, Cornell and iRobot have designed a new robotic gripper that you are definitely going to want to play with. Credit: John Amend, Cornell University You’ll notice something striking about this particular robotic arm. Unlike other models, this design has no fingers or claw. In fact, it’s just a bag. Yet, it can somehow grip any kind of object. How? The bag is filled with small grains. For their prototype, the authors used a balloon filled with coffee grounds. The bag is then attached to a vacuum. When that vacuum is turned off, the coffee grounds are packed loosely enough to mold around objects. Then, when the vacuum is turned on, the air is evacuated from the balloon leaving the coffee grounds rigidly compressed in place around the gripped object. You can see a demonstration below: Didn’t I tell you you were going to want one? Well, the good news is that you can make your own universal gripper! Here’s one tutorial: Stochastic Scientist? What's up with that? Why the Stochastic Scientist? As I'm sure you all know, 'stochastic' is another word for 'random', which is what I intend for the focus of this blog. Although my formal training is as a molecular biologist, there are many other fields of science that are also fascinating and beautiful. It's my intention to blog about which ever scientific discovery or invention catches my, and hopefully your, fancy. I also hope to inspire people to learn more about science. By choosing among a huge variety of scientific endeavors, I'll undoubtably hit upon something that will pique my readers' interest. I guess I could have called my blog 'The Joy of Science', but that wouldn't have been quite so random.
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[From nobody Wed Sep 13 19:57:05 2017 From: "Jaradeh, Fares" <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Preserving Proxied server original Chunk sizes Thread-Topic: Preserving Proxied server original Chunk sizes Thread-Index: AdMsv8TFO4j9vW5QTrGzEeWO6uMq4wAA0hZAAAAtv2A= Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2017 19:09:19 +0000 Message-ID: <BLUPR05MB306826F771A3374E484C86C9B6E0@BLUPR05MB306.namprd05.prod.outlook.com> References: <BLUPR05MB3069DFB965993014C5C9A029B6E0@BLUPR05MB306.namprd05.prod.outlook.com> <BLUPR05MB30623CDBD286D2001F9F1999B6E0@BLUPR05MB306.namprd05.prod.outlook.com> In-Reply-To: <BLUPR05MB30623CDBD286D2001F9F1999B6E0@BLUPR05MB306.namprd05.prod.outlook.com> Content-Language: en-US X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: X-MS-Exchange-Organization-RecordReviewCfmType: 0 x-ms-exchange-organization-originalclientipaddress: 192.40.239.178 x-ms-exchange-organization-originalserveripaddress: 10.141.23.148 x-ms-exchange-organization-submissionquotaskipped: False Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="_000_BLUPR05MB306826F771A3374E484C86C9B6E0BLUPR05MB306namprd_" MIME-Version: 1.0 --_000_BLUPR05MB306826F771A3374E484C86C9B6E0BLUPR05MB306namprd_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello I am contacting you for support regarding https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46165415/configure-nginx-proxy-to-prese= rve-the-chunk-size-sent-from-the-proxied-backend-s While trying to use Nginx-Ingress-controller in K8s, ran into issue related= to the behavior of nginx proxy, The proxied backend server (our NGW) is set to return audio in chunks of ht= tp to the client with multiparts & Some of our clients (already in the fiel= d) have so far expected every single HTTP chunk to contain a full part of a= n audio segment....ie a single audio segment may not be broken across sever= al HTTP chunks. For our use case, we had to set the proxy_buffering : off so to allow the = nginx to send back results as soon as possible to not increase the CPL, But= as a side effect, we noticed that the nginx was NOT trying to preserve the= chunks sizes sent back by the proxied server (NGW), which would cause clie= nts in the field to break. So a single Audio part that is sent back by the NGW with a single http chun= k of size 24838 may be broken into 5 or 6 chunks returned by nginx-proxy to= the client with the total size amounting to the same thing.... We suspect= this is due to the speed to read/write of the responses on Nginx, and it m= ay read a single chunk in separate calls (example 12000 bytes then another = 11000 bytes then another 1838 bytes) and because buffering is OFF...these = things are being sent back as independent chunks to the client. We understand that the behavior of nginx is fully compliant with http chunk= ing and that the client app should be better implemented to not assume coup= ling of chunks and audio segments full parts, BUT, customers app already in= the field cannot be helped, Enabling proxy_buffering : on is not an option, as it delay responses until= ALL the audio segments are ready (from all chunks) and it breaks the 1chun= k to 1 audio segment rule as well. Could you please advise if there is any way to control the nginx buffering = to allow it to buffer per Chunk, ir do not send back received data unless a= full Http chunk is read.... ? Thank you for you support Regards Fares --_000_BLUPR05MB306826F771A3374E484C86C9B6E0BLUPR05MB306namprd_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-micr= osoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = xmlns:m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns=3D"http:= //www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"= > <meta name=3D"Generator" content=3D"Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"> <style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:#0563C1; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-priority:99; color:#954F72; text-decoration:underline;} p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0 {mso-style-name:msonormal; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;} span.EmailStyle18 {mso-style-type:personal; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; color:windowtext;} span.EmailStyle19 {mso-style-type:personal; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; color:windowtext;} span.EmailStyle20 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; color:windowtext;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D"edit" spidmax=3D"1026" /> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext=3D"edit"> <o:idmap v:ext=3D"edit" data=3D"1" /> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> </head> <body lang=3D"EN-US" link=3D"#0563C1" vlink=3D"#954F72"> <div class=3D"WordSection1"> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Hello<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">I am contacting you for support regarding <o:p></o:p= ></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><a href=3D"https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46165= 415/configure-nginx-proxy-to-preserve-the-chunk-size-sent-from-the-proxied-= backend-s">https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46165415/configure-nginx-pro= xy-to-preserve-the-chunk-size-sent-from-the-proxied-backend-s</a><o:p></o:p= ></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">While trying to use Nginx-Ingress-controller in K8s,= ran into issue related to the behavior of nginx proxy,<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">The proxied backend server (our NGW) is set to retur= n audio in chunks of http to the client with multiparts & Some of our c= lients (already in the field) have so far expected every single HTTP chunk = to contain a full part of an audio segment….ie a single audio segment may not be broken across several HTTP chunks.<o:p><= /o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">For our use case, we had to set the <b><span s= tyle=3D"color:red">proxy_buffering : off</span></b> so to allow the nginx t= o send back results as soon as possible to not increase the CPL, But as a s= ide effect, we noticed that the nginx was NOT trying to preserve the chunks sizes sent back by the proxied server (N= GW), which would cause clients in the field to break.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">So a single Audio part that is sent back by the NGW = with a single http chunk of size 24838 may be broken into 5 or 6 chunks ret= urned by nginx-proxy to the client with the total size amounting to t= he same thing…. We suspect this is due to the speed to read/write of the responses on Nginx, and it may read a si= ngle chunk in separate calls (example 12000 bytes then another 11000 bytes = then another 1838 bytes) and because buffering is OFF…these thi= ngs are being sent back as independent chunks to the client.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">We understand that the behavior of nginx is fully co= mpliant with http chunking and that the client app should be better impleme= nted to not assume coupling of chunks and audio segments full parts, BUT, c= ustomers app already in the field cannot be helped,<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Enabling <b><span style=3D"color:red">proxy_bufferin= g : on</span></b> is not an option, as it delay responses until ALL the aud= io segments are ready (from all chunks) and it breaks the 1chunk to 1 audio= segment rule as well.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Could you please advise if there is any way to contr= ol the nginx buffering to allow it to buffer per Chunk, ir do not send back= received data unless a full Http chunk is read…. ?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Thank you for you support <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Regards<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Fares<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> </body> </html> --_000_BLUPR05MB306826F771A3374E484C86C9B6E0BLUPR05MB306namprd_-- ]
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[Pd] OSC on Winxp Chuckk Hubbard wrote: > Trying to load routeOSC.dll, packOSC.dll, and unpackOSC.dll in > Windows. All three are the compiled files from >http://puredata.info/Members/martinrp/OSCobjects and Pd is unable to > load any of them. > I'm not entirely clear on this... If these were compiled with Visual > C++ and I don't have that but MinGW, do I have to compile them with > MinGW? If not, any other ideas why they won't load? If you can, try and build them from cvs (http://pure-data.cvs.sourceforge.net/pure-data/externals/mrpeach/osc/). Otherwise, Miller's pd is built with MSVC, so you could try them with that. I'm not sure if MinGW and MSVC dlls are compatible (or is it the pd.libs?) because I've never had the opportunity to try it. Martin
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INS Crackdowns and Bureaucracy Threaten America’s Tradition as a Nation of Immigrants The INS has emphasized the enforcement side of its program at least since the 1950s, according to historian and University of California law professor Bill Ong Hing, pouring as much as three-quarters of its resources into such activities as border patrol, airport inspections, smuggling investigations, and detaining and deporting those lacking legal status. The INS has more armed agents than any other federal agency, including the Bureau of Prisons and the FBI. (And according to an Office of the Inspector General report last year, it couldn't find 539 of its weapons. At least six turned up after being used in crimes. Nor could the INS account for up to 81,000 other items—among them vehicles, computers, and aircraft, valued at between $68.9 million and $107.6 million.) In its 110-year history, the INS has been bounced around government departments like an unruly foster child. It resided in the Treasury Department until 1903, when it was transferred to Labor. In 1940, with growing wartime concern about immigration as a national threat—and Labor Secretary Frances Perkins uninterested in turning the Labor Department into a security agency—it was moved to the Justice Department (doubling in size from 4000 to 8000 employees), where it has resided since, directly under the charge of the attorney general. Today, more than 35,000 people work for the INS in a Byzantine structure of regional districts and Border Patrol sectors, presided over by directors in what some critics call alarmingly autonomous "fiefdoms." Indeed, the Inspector General report cited "a significant disconnect between what INS Headquarters believes is occurring in the field and what actually happens." California Congress member Zoe Lofgren says she's expressing bipartisan accord when she calls it "the worst performing agency in the government." Such incompetence has consistently been rewarded with mushrooming subsidies: The INS budget increased by 220 percent between 1993 and 2001. September 11 brought many of the bungles and brutalities to the fore: on one hand, sieve-like screening processes that let visa applicants on terrorist-watch lists get through; on the other, a vast and arbitrary detention system that can "disappear" people who have committed no crime. But the agency has not been called to answer heightened demands for accountability. On the contrary, it has acquired more authority and more money as it has rushed to reinforce the border and to hunt down and detain visa scofflaws of Arab and Muslim descent. In his budget proposal early this month, President Bush requested a 14.5 percent increase, raising the INS allotment from $5.5 billion to $6.3 billion—almost all of it earmarked for enforcement measures. Security needs notwithstanding, THE fortress fervor has not only led to abuses of civil rights, but also compounded the already catastrophic overload on the service side of the INS. As House Republican Darrell Issa has said, "The legal immigrant gets screwed by the failure of this organization." Between 1994 and 2000 the number of applications for green cards, citizenship, and other benefits increased nearly 50 percent to more than 6 million, overwhelming the agency. Already buckling under the weight of a backlog of 4 million applications, INS staff have clocked 70,000 hours of overtime for each pay period since September 11. Lines wind around the block at offices where a naturalized citizen applies for a visa for his mother back in, say, Karachi, or an undergraduate requests an extension to finish a course of study, or a green-card holder files a change of name after getting married, or a longtime resident signs up for citizenship. They can wait six hours to turn in the paperwork—and then for months, even years, for the result. By the government's own calculation, it can take almost four years for citizens to sponsor the immigration of a relative. And more likely than not, the clerks and officials they encounter will be rude, suspicious that even the most routine applicants have cheated their way into the country. Those fleeing persecution and requesting asylum here may be hurt most by this miasma of mistrust. Thousands end up in detention—even in high-security prisons—while their claims crawl through the INS's overburdened courts. T.J. Mills, who served as an asylum officer from 1993 to 2000 (and now works as an attorney assisting immigrants), says he joined the INS to help those who sought refuge in America, but found that the climate was so hostile to applicants that he couldn't take it. "Most of the supervisors were convinced that 90 percent of asylum seekers were lying," he recalls. "It was absolutely an enforcement mentality. And now, since September 11, it's gotten worse." Commissioner Ziglar, who stepped into the job just weeks before 9-11, recently announced plans to overcome the INS's existential crisis by splitting it into two distinct departments: service and enforcement. Such a division has been recommended for decades, and in addition to Ziglar's administrative scheme, various Congress members have produced legislative proposals for restructuring the agency. Though the plans differ in significant detail, Washington is enjoying what Migration Policy Institute codirector Demetrios Papademetriou calls the "New Immigration Consensus." But the overhaul won't be complete until the end of 2003—and there's no guarantee that the new arrangement won't starve the service side of funds, or that it can repair the management malfunctions. The parallel justice system needs a similar shake-up if the reforms are going to be meaningful, according to the very judges who hear its cases. Immigration matters do not go through the country's criminal or civil system, but through special courts within the Justice Department, so the attorney general is boss to both prosecutor and judge. He has the authority to override judges' discretion and even to reverse decisions. That, says Susan Martin, director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration, is like the police commissioner being able to overturn a verdict he doesn't like in a criminal case.
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Longoria Puts a Fresh Face on the ALMA Awards Eva Longoria Eva Longoria Eva Longoria Jay Bobbin, Zap2itZap2It.com Eva Longoria may be "Desperate" as a television housewife, but that's hardly the case in her career. One of her earliest signs of success was a 2002 ALMA Award for the CBS daytime serial "The Young and the Restless." Now she's helping to honor other Latino entertainers as host and producer of the 2006 ALMA Awards, which ABC airs Monday, June 5. The 90-minute program, recorded May 7 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, includes tributes to singer Marc Anthony (who receives the Celia Cruz Award for Excellence in Music) and Andy Garcia (the winner of the Anthony Quinn Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures). When ABC and the National Council of La Raza, the civil rights and advocacy organization behind the ALMAs, asked Longoria to parlay her "Desperate Housewives" fame into hosting the ceremony, she wanted to get involved on a bigger level. "Producing is my passion," says the actress, considerably friendlier than her Sunday-night alter ego, Gabrielle. "I love developing projects, and I like the business side of the entertainment industry. "I had been involved with the NCLR for as long as I can remember, doing advocacy work with them. They started doing the ALMAs about seven years ago, to recognize positive images of Latinos in Hollywood. To be a part of that, and to continue that tradition, was exciting to me." Longoria is not an in-name-only producer. She became so enmeshed in the financial and logistical aspects, she says she hadn't "practiced the hosting" until a couple of days before the taping. "Anything with a teleprompter is easy for me, compared to what I do on 'Desperate Housewives,'" she says. "I was more worried about the actual look of the show, the message of it, the media buys with the commercials, all of that. It's a lot of fun for me, though." Named after the Spanish word for "spirit" or "soul," the ALMA was highly significant to Longoria when she won it for portraying Isabella Brana Williams during her two-year stint on "The Young and the Restless." She recalls, "I didn't even know I was on anybody's radar to win an award, much less a Latin award, so I was really honored. It was the first award I'd ever gotten for acting, so it was like I had arrived." Still, Longoria didn't deem herself a major ALMA proponent until she was approached for this year's edition. "You know, I always underestimate myself," she says. "When we did the announcement that the ALMAs were coming back and they would be on ABC and I would be hosting, there were more press people than at the actual ALMA Awards before this one. "At the red-carpet run-through, there was double the amount of press than the Primetime Emmy Awards had. I couldn't believe it, but that says something about the power of 'Desperate Housewives.' It's really exciting to put that platform to something I believe in." While Longoria would prefer less than a month between the taping and the telecast, she notes the NCLR is a nonprofit organization, "so for us, it's very important that we make the awards as exciting and fun as possible ... and also as efficient and profitable as possible, to actually help the work that the NCLR does. "I don't think the secretiveness [of who won] is a big problem," she continues. "Even if you found out somebody won, you'll still look forward to that person's speech and to the performances." At the point she was putting the final touches on the ALMA Awards, Longoria was doing the same for the second-season finale of "Desperate Housewives," one of this year's ALMA nominees for outstanding television series. She also was finishing up promotional rounds for her movie "The Sentinel," in which she starred with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland, plus her boyfriend -- Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs -- was in the early rounds of the NBA basketball playoffs. What was Longoria's typical day like at the time? "I went to the game last night, flew this morning at 6:30, landed at 7:30, went to the ['Housewives'] set and worked until noon, then did the Spanish [electronic press kit] for the ALMA Awards and filmed a tribute to one of the presidents of ABC, then jumped in the car and ran to get somebody some dance shoes for the opening number of the ALMAs. Now I'm at the drive-through, getting lunch on my way to an ALMA production meeting. "It is a lot to handle," Longoria allows, "but if something goes wrong, it's going to be Eva Longoria's name that's more recognized than that of Jeff Margolis (the award-show veteran who's an executive producer of the ALMAs). For me, it's very important that I'm at every meeting, and they've been very accommodating with my schedule. "I'm going to have my summer off, though, and Tony and I are going on vacation. I'm not doing a movie this time, which I'm actually really excited about. I believe in working hard and playing hard."
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Endelwyne Only Gods survive the fall of Empires Twilight Park Twilight Park Summary Twilight park is considered one of The Seven Jewels. It is considered the center of the Caravan road and as such plays a prominent role in the caravan economy. The city sprawls along a canyon system, trapped between two towering peaks. The Twilight Brothers, Gorlan and Neverbright keep the city in perpetual shadow. The sun, regardless of the season only shines on the city during a brief few hours during the autumn equinox. The city was founded around ancient and played out mines. As the caravan economy grew, so did the city. The early economy was based on trading the last of the fine ores from the played out mines. Then the city grew up as an important resupply station. Below the city, in the deep valleys, several elven principalities rule. These elves and their fey allies helped create farms within the abandoned mines. Using a mixture of magic, horticulture and animal husbandry the farms became highly successful. Statistics Population: 280,000 Human: 45% Elven: 15% Dwarf: 5% Gnome: 10% Halfling: 5% Teifling: 15% Area: 8 Miles along the main canyon. Branch canyons between 1-4 miles off the main canyon. Climate: Cool to cold most of the year, driven in part by the elevation of the city and the fact it is in perpetual shadow from the two mountain peaks nearby. Low annual precipitation. Elevation: 8500ft to 7500ft Government: Guild League; Each canyon branch is controlled by one or more guilds. Guild membership in the city is around 15%. Guilds are generally responsible for the laws and upkeep in their areas of control. In some ways, the city is really more like many small villages and districts that share the same area, rather than a unified and functioning city-state. Rumored Organizations and Other Groups Behind the intrigue and struggles between the Guilds, there are known and unknown groups that operate in the shadows. The most well known, but still unofficial organization is the Scions. This group of terrorists seems to cause random destruction and attack nearly all the guilds with ease. Despite their activities, the group has never made any "official" proclamation of their intent. A group that has been growing, and found favor with "unaffiliated" is the Council of Naman. The Council has grown into both a social movement (representing the rights of unaffiliated) and a religion of sorts with some cult like services during meetings. There are several suspected thieve's guilds operating within the city as well. None of them are publicly known, however. Current Events and Political Movements Since the fall of the Assarisan Empire and the slowing of the Caravans, it has become clear to some leaders of the Guilds that changes are coming to their way of life. Without the lifeblood of the Caravans, the economy of the City and the power of the guilds is in Jeopardy. Several guilds have looked at the "writing on the wall" and fear that the hostilities between the guilds over the shrinking pie could result in open hostilities. Several guilds have come out in favor of a new order. They refer to themselves as the "Unionist" and they argue that a newly unified city government is necessary. The extreme Unionist even argue that this would require a complete dismantling of the current Guild structure. However, this is a very minority view. Most Unionist argue for a council that would be elected by guild leaders. The other faction, which isn't organized, but referred to as the Statists by the Union argue that there is no need for a central authority in the City and that the guild system should continue. The Ring Hammers are the largest proponents of this philosophy, to the point that they are actively building a defense in Sidel Warren. The rise of the unaffiliated and their organizing by the Council of Naman is a concern to every guild. The vast majority of the citizens in Twilight Park are not officially in guilds and don't share the wealth and status that comes from being a guild member. Therefore, if the citizens were ever to organize it is well understood that the guilds could find themselves in trouble. This is one of the reasons most guilds maintain their own militias and spend treasure on maintain security in their areas. It's possible that if the Council grows much more powerful or vocal the guilds will step in to take it down.
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While shaving your beard in the retro bathroom pictures will be taken. Shaving means wet shaving with foam and razor. It is also possible to do a photo shoot while you only trim your beard. The upper part of your knickers will be visible in the pictures when standing in front of the mirror, so wear your best ones! Of course you will come to the photo shoot unshaved. date and time The appointment for the shoot will made individually with each model, so there will always be a moment which suite well for both model and photographer. Usually the shoot takes place during the weekend, however sometimes on weekdays as well. The moment of day will always be in the afternoon or early evening; time span is two to three hours approximately. location The shoot takes place in the city of Breda in The Nethr­lands, at the orange retro seventies bathroom. accompaniment It is allowed to bring someone with you to the shoot: one person is permitted. Because it is important for both model and photographer to concentrate during the shoot, by prefer the model comes alone. How­ever, if you feel more comfortable with accompaniment... please bring someone with you! Let us know when you bring someone with you to the shoot. no expenses There are no expenses for the photo shoot, so it is totally free. posing fee The shoot is based on TFP (Time For Print/Portfolio): so you will not get a financial compensation, but the best images are available digitally within four weeks of the dates shoot. travelling expenses Unfortunately it is not possible to compensate your travelling costs. The site is completely runned by volunteers and there is simply no budget. move or cancel If you change your mind after registration, you can cancel the shoot. In case you are ill or not feeling well on the day of the shoot, it is better to make a new appointment. After all, posing should be fun and besides that it will effect the images. Of course you can also move the appointment for other reasons. Please inform by phone, mail or use the webform book out. All agreements will be filed in a contract by letter. You will get this agreement in advance by mail, so you can read it thoroughly. There will be two copies on the day of the shoot to be signed by both parties. On the day of the shoot you must identify yourself, so please bring your valid identification card or passport with you. not 18 years old yet If you did not have reached the age of 18 yet, you will need written permission from your legal representative. In most cases this will be your mother or father. Your legal representative must come along with you and has to sign an additional agreement on the day of the shoot. minor or no growth of beard It is no problem if you have minor growth of beard: in that case you can also register for the photo shoot. Even if you have no growth of beard at all, you can participate. During the shoot you pretend sha­ving: you will remove the foam with a fake razor. and... you support charity with this It is not only fun to participate in this project, you also support charity: by posing you contribute to the continuity of this website. Your images are published on this site only and they will not be sold. The money for charity is raised by the sites visitors, who transfer their donations directly to the bank account of the Villa Pardoes charity!
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On Friday (May 21), it was announced that Albany Public Safety Commissioner John C. Nielsen is leaving effective June 9 to take a position helping Haiti get its police force on its feet. Mayor Jerry Jennings has said that he will not fill the position, which was created three years ago to bring the police, fire, and buildings and codes departments together. Although a few weeks ago Chief James Turley praised the role of commissioner as tie-breaker in the strengthened coordination between the departments, APD spokesman James Miller said now that the departments are used to working together under one roof, the position is no longer necessary. “When Jack came in, there were some issues, problems that needed to be addressed, and he addressed them effectively. He did a great job bringing together the police department, fire department, buildings and codes under one roof. That job’s accomplished,” he said. Going forward, “Turley and [Fire Chief] Dunn are more than capable of carrying out those duties and capabilities that Jack had.” The announcement came little more than a week after citizens’ group the Coalition for Accountable Police and Government formally called on the mayor to dismiss Nielsen, saying he had contributed to a climate of distrust and unaccountability in the department. The APD, predictably, says this, and the controversy leading up to it, has nothing to do with Nielsen’s departure. “I can tell you this, as much as those individuals who are outspoken and critics of the police department want to believe that Jack left because of their pressure, that wasn’t the case,” said Miller. “You’re talking about an individual who accomplished what he wanted to accomplish and moved on to something that would advance his career.” “My impression is people want to have a commissioner,” said Betsy Mercogliano, one of the organizers of the coalition. “But they want. . . representation in the choosing process. . . The department needs guidance from an extremely experienced person at this point.” She noted that without a commissioner or a deputy chief that the three new assistant chiefs, who were promoted through the ranks unusually quickly, have a very large responsibility in comparison with their experience. The group plans to continue its work calling for the reinstatement of former Cmdr. Chris D’Alessandro and an outside investigation, through a petition drive and speaking at Common Council meetings. —Miriam Axel-Lute Forest Zoned for Factories David Meager and Bob Radliff both sound a little worn out right about now, after the town board of Malta voted unanimously last Tuesday (May 18) to approve the zoning for a technology campus designed for chip-fabrication plants in the Luther Forest. But their moods are quite different. Meager, Malta’s supervisor, is relieved to have one of the biggest decisions of his career behind him. Steadfast in insisting that he was keeping an open mind until the last minute through the two years of discussion and debate on the project, Meager prefaced his vote with an enthusiastic prepared statement about why he was voting yes. “This decision does not mean that there are no negative aspects to this plan but I believe that the positives far outweigh the negatives,” he said, citing jobs, tax revenue, open space set-asides, and provisions in the legislation to deal with traffic problems and ensure that any company located on the campus would contribute to community projects. Radliff, on the other hand, a resident of Stillwater and a member of the Citizens for Responsible Growth, which has been opposing the plan, is just trying to keep his spirits up after what was for his group a disappointing vote. “Our coalition is kinda down at the moment,” he said. “There were 39 people who spoke at the public hearing. . . . It was 2 to 1 opposed . . . and we still didn’t get a single vote of common sense. People are really bummed, but we’re trying to regroup, focus on Stillwater.” Stillwater, whose planning board recommended a no vote, is expected to vote on the project in a few weeks. Radliff said he thought the claim by the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation that the plan would proceed even if Stillwater votes no is questionable and manipulative, since the Stillwater portion of the site is the most likely place for the tech campus’ water pipe to enter. “We don’t consider it over yet,” said Radliff. Even with approval from both towns, SEDC still would need to raise a lot of funds to prepare the site and find an interested company, before the tech park would come into being. CRG wouldn’t disappear either, though Radliff is skeptical about overtures for their official involvement. “There’s been some token gestures that people from our side should sit on committees and keep the right focus and express differing viewpoints,” he said. “But what kind of power they would have . . .”
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Sitting half an hour from the much better known Sunshine Coast, Noosa is often overlooked as a destination. Yet Noosa is ideally situated as a base to many of the prime attractions of the area. Next time you’re visiting, opt to stay in Noosa rather ... It was a big day, but every part was great. The 'Warrior' is comfy, the drive is good. Fraser is something else, sand, rainforest and Lake Mackenzie is unbelievable!!!. The driver was great, friendly and does a great BBQ lunch. Well worth it, you wont regret it This is the most serene trip one could ever take. The sights from the boat, the lovely luscious vegetation along the river was an amazing sight. The guide full of funny interesting stories. Worth every cent! It was a great value days excursion with Andy the skipper who kept everyone entertained with good humour and considerable wildlife knowledge. The BBQ lunch at Harrys Hut prior to the journey back to Noosa was spot on. Very nice indeed. Being an amateur photographer I was kept busy with the camera capturing the abundant wildlife and beautiful reflections on the still waters we were passing through. Highly recommended. We really enjoyed our day trip to Fraser Island. Lake Mackenzie was a huge highlight and the food they provided was very tasty. Robert was a great guide and very helpful. Be prepared for a long day of bumpy driving but overall a great trip! It was a good trip but the problem was that our car broke and the entire journey we felt a lot hot because there was air conditioner. The car has no windows to open and everybody was felling bad about it. Staying at Rainbow Beach, we were the last to be picked up and so did not join the tour until 8.00am. Consequently, on the way back we were dropped off first (in a different place to the pick up point) and did not get to see the coloured sands with the rest of the group. This, we realised later, was because the bus travels along the entire beach to Noosa. It would have been nice to have been informed of this and perhaps given the option of travelling part way and making our own way back, especially as the tour includes the coloured sands. Having arrived at Rainbow Beach the evening before the tour, we had not had time to familiarise ourselves with the area and so were unaware that we could walk to the sands. Once on the Island, we were taken to 75 mile beach where we stopped for about 30 minutes to have a mid morning drink and cake. There were good photo opportunities here. It was then, back on the bus to travel to Lake Mackenzie where the group spent an hour at the lake while the tour guide cooked lunch. The lunch provided was substantial. There were three large bowls of cold dishes: garden salad,potato salad and coleslaw and the hot option of your choice. Bread and a selection of cold drinks were also included. Due to the number of groups visiting the lake, we were on a fairly tight time schedule to eat lunch and move on. Needless to say, the lake was fairly busy too. We then travelled to an area where we had a short walk through the bush (about 15 minutes there and back ) before heading back to the ferry and the mainland. The journey on the Island was an experience in itself as we were bounced about in the vehicle due to the track conditions. If you suffer from travel sickness you may want to seriously consider this point. It was, however, great fun. On the whole, this isn't the best tour for anyone departing from Rainbow Beach as your tour is four hours shorter than for those travelling from Noosa but the price is the same. A one day trip will inevitably be rushed.
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The Music of the Gospel The Music of the Gospel Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, “How can I help you?” The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. “I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,” he said. “Tell me why you have come to the hospital.” The old man then looked at him and said, “Do you dance?” As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication. “No,” said the doctor, “I don’t dance. Do you dance?” The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, “Could you teach me to dance?” The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. “I can teach you to dance,” he said, “but you have to hear the music.” Sometimes in our homes, we successfully teach the dance steps but are not as successful in helping our family members to hear the music. And as the old medicine man well knew, it is hard to dance without music. Dancing without music is awkward and unfulfilling—even embarrassing. Have you ever tried it? In section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (verse 2). We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music. There are those who ridicule members of the Church for the things we do. That is understandable. Those who dance often appear strange or awkward or, to use a scriptural term, “peculiar” (1 Peter 2:9) to those who cannot hear the music. Have you ever stopped your car at a stoplight next to a car where the driver was dancing and singing at the top of his lungs—but you couldn’t hear a sound because your windows were rolled up? Didn’t he look a little peculiar? If our children learn the dance steps without learning to hear and to feel the beautiful music of the gospel, they will over time become uncomfortable with the dance and will either quit dancing or, almost as bad, keep dancing only because of the pressure they feel from others who are dancing around them. The challenge for all of us who seek to teach the gospel is to expand the curriculum beyond just the dance steps. Our children’s happiness depends on their ability to hear and love the beautiful music of the gospel. How do we do it? First, we must keep our own lives attuned to the correct spiritual frequency. Back in the olden days, before the digital age, we found our favorite radio station by carefully turning the radio dial until it lined up perfectly with the station’s frequency. As we approached the number, we could hear only static. But when we finally made the precise alignment, our favorite music could be heard clearly. In our lives, we have to align with the correct frequency in order to hear the music of the Spirit. When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, we are filled with the heavenly music that accompanies conversion. Our hearts are changed, and we “have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). But the Spirit will not endure unkindness or pride or envy. If we lose that delicate influence in our lives, the rich harmonies of the gospel can quickly become dissonant and can ultimately be silenced. Alma asked the poignant question: “If ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26). Parents, if our lives are out of tune with the music of the gospel, we need to tune them up. As President Thomas S. Monson taught us last October, we must ponder the path of our feet (see “Ponder the Path of Thy Feet,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 86–88). We know how to do it. We must walk the same path that we walked when we first heard the heavenly strains of gospel music. We exercise faith in Christ, repent, and take the sacrament; we feel more strongly the influence of the Holy Ghost; and the music of the gospel begins to play again in our lives. Second, when we can hear the music ourselves, we must try our best to perform it in our homes. It is not something that can be forced or compelled. “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood”—or by virtue of being the dad or the mom or the biggest or the loudest—“only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, … by love unfeigned; [and] by kindness” (D&C 121:41–42). Why would these attributes lead to increasing power and influence in a home? Because they are the attributes that invite the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. They are the attributes that tune our hearts to the music of the gospel. When they are present, the dance steps will be performed more naturally and joyfully by all of the dancers in the family, without the need for threats or intimidation or compulsion. When our children are little, we can sing them the lullaby of love unfeigned, and when they are obstinate and refuse to go to sleep at night, we might need to sing the lullaby of long-suffering. When they are teenagers, we can tune out the cacophony of arguments and threats and, instead, perform the beautiful music of persuasion—and perhaps sing the second verse of the lullaby of long-suffering. Parents can perform in perfect harmony the tandem attributes of gentleness and meekness. We can invite our children to sing along with us in unison as we practice kindness toward a neighbor who is in need. It won’t come all at once. As every accomplished musician knows, it takes diligent practice to perform beautiful music. If early efforts at making music seem dissonant and discordant, remember that dissonance cannot be corrected by criticism. Dissonance in the home is like darkness in a room. It does little good to scold the darkness. We must displace the darkness by introducing light. So if the basses in your family choir are too loud and overbearing, or if the string section in your family orchestra is a little too shrill or a little bit sharp, or if those impetuous piccolos are out of tune or out of control, be patient. If you’re not hearing the music of the gospel in your home, please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God’s help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy. Even when performed well, the music will not solve all of our problems. There will still be crescendos and decrescendos in our lives, staccatos and legatos. Such is the nature of life on planet earth. But when we add music to the dance steps, the sometimes complicated rhythms of marriage and family life tend to move toward a harmonious balance. Even our most difficult challenges will add rich plaintive tones and moving motifs. The doctrines of the priesthood will begin to distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost will be our constant companion, and our scepter—a clear reference to power and influence—will be an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth. And our dominion will be an everlasting dominion. And without compulsory means it will flow unto us forever and ever (see D&C 121:45–46). May it be so in each of our lives and in each of our homes is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. LDSminds Here at LDSminds, we simply want to provide you with a resource that will motivate, educate, and inspire you to Do More, Be Better, and Become Greater. The key to a successful life in the Gospel is continual learning. Do more. Thus, we hope you will use this site in your personal and family studies, as well as in your preparations for teaching the Gospel in whatever setting. This collaboration of quotes, talks, lessons, poems, stories, and all things of the like are intended to help you grow as an individual and as a student in the gospel. Be Better. This is NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A Labor of Love by Justin Vorwaller. To contact him directly, email [email protected]. Become Greater. Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and social accounts to receive updates from LDS Minds.
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BREAKING COC announces $2.6M in funding for Pan Ams Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut speaks to reporters at the opening news conference for the 2012 Summer Olympics Friday, July 27, 2012 in London. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz) The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, December 5, 2012 10:42AM EST Last Updated Wednesday, December 5, 2012 2:44PM EST TORONTO -- One of the biggest measures of success of the 2015 Pan American Games will be how the home team fares. Canada's chances got a bit better Wednesday. The Canadian Olympic Committee announced a one-time $2.6-million contribution to Canadian teams competing at the 2015 Pan Ams in Toronto. "When Canada hosted Vancouver 2010 (Olympics), we showed the world what it means to be Canadian -- we like to play, but we also like to win," COC president Marcel Aubut told at news conference at the University of Toronto. "This is both an immense privilege and responsibility at the same time. "As the host nation, all eyes of the Americas and the whole world will be on us, we have to deliver the best. Expectations -- because it's Canada, because it's Toronto -- are very high. Canada will truly be able to put our best team forward on the field of play." The funding is part of the COC's recently announced investment of almost $100 million for Olympic sports over the next four years. Aubut has promised a series of more detailed announcements across the country to flesh out where the money will be spent. But he has said the funds -- 98 per cent of which comes from the private sector -- will be part of the 2013 to 2016 high-performance action plan for athletes, coaches and national sport federations. Canada could field a team of 1,000 athletes, coaches and support staff at the 2015 Games, Aubut said. "Every athlete who can compete will compete, nobody will be left alone, nobody excluded," he said. Canada had 492 athletes at the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, Mexico -- the country's second largest Pan Am team after the 1999 Games in Winnipeg. Donna Vakalis, a modern pentathlete from Toronto and member of the London Olympic team, said she'll cherish the opportunity to compete in a hometown Games. "There's a special alchemy that every athlete knows of being part of a hometown team, and this is an incredible unique experience for so many of our athletes to participate," Vakalis said. "This (financial) support will amplify that special magic, part of that magic of course is financial support in ensuring a great performance in the hometown Games to the hometown team." Vakalis said the support for athletes at the Pan Ams could translate to better performances at the Rio Olympics a year later. "This is an incredible value in two ways as an athlete, and I know we'll be taking all that experience gained here in Toronto and bringing it to bear in the upcoming (Rio) Games," she said.
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I am working on the printing of scale models of cranes in scale 1:50 where some parts are less than 1 mm thick which resin is best suited for this without it breaking quickly the resin must be strong is the grey pro or rigid stronger then the grey v3 version I’d missed that it’s not available until May - oops. I know that Devcon metal-filled epoxy can be used to press objects, it’d certainly be interesting to see if the same thing can be accomplished with the rigid resin. Hello, I’m new to SLA printing and was wondering if you could elaborate on your statement of (but that’s already possible with Grey Std as long as you have a bit of experience with it)? Is there a specific way Grey std should be handled pre/post printing or modeling? Thank you for any insight you can give. Is there a specific way Grey std should be handled pre/post printing or modeling? That’s a pretty broad question, I wouldn’t know where to begin. You should narrow-down what you want to know, take a look on formlabs support pages where they have a slew of articles explaining the basic of resin handling, and then ask in the General Discussion or Support/Troubleshooting sections of the forum for any unclear points. We recently received our long-awaited grey pro resin and LT tanks, and have had a couple problems out of the gate. The first print appeared to have several support pillars that stopped building or failed to adhere just above the level of the raft, and the part above it was distorted due to the lack of support. We observed that there was a part of the tank that the resin was not wetting to, so figured this might have been part of the reason. We lightly scraped and tried again with some other parts, and this time experienced multiple part failures where entire sections of the part (except the raft) did not form. We went in with the scraper again and found several areas where cured resin was stuck to the window. We removed these as gently as possible and are trying another build at this moment, but I notice that the resin is still not wetting well, so there are apparent voids after the wiper comes across, so I’m not optimistic. Any idea what the problem could be? Was there anything we were supposed to do to prep the LT tank? Anyone else have this problem? Would this be a warranty/replacement-worthy issue? I have been printing with grey pro and LT tank without issue. I did not do any special prep to the tank. It would at least be a “submit a ticket” worthy issue. These tanks have been incredibly reliable for me so far (over 100 prints, with 5+ resins).
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Cruising my 1995 Catalina 42 MK II sailboat with my cat XO, the good, the bad, and the ugly of the open ocean world cruising life. Monday, December 17, 2007 M.A.S.T. Racing Manual 2008 I have been working on revising the M.A.S.T. racing manual for the 2008 season. With the exception of some reformating and a few minor rule changes it will be very similiar to the 2007 season. For those of you interested in very low pressure Friday night around the bouy racing in Milwaukee WI I suggest you visit http://www.mastracing.org for the information on our regatta
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Andrew Elijah Edwards on his new stereoscopic installation, The Deep Novelty Harvest Colony Ineffable is a dirty word for a writer. It means something like, "A concept you just can't put into words." Discussing The Deep Novelty Harvest Colony -- a stereoscopic art installation that makes its debut tonight at Hinterland Gallery -- with artist Andrew Elijah Edwards, you enter a philosophical wrestling match with the ineffable nature of his art. After all, his images are trying to create a visceral experience that he believes cannot be captured in language. In advance of the show's opening, Westword spoke with Edwards about the ideas behind his work. What it ends up being is this library of these spaces that people will navigate through. You walk into the space and there will be a variety of these viewing stations, and as you go up to them you can move from space to space at your own leisure, and it becomes this strange dream that people are moving through. As you're moving through these spaces, there are hundred and hundreds of these photos. I wanted to create a continuous exploration where you can keep moving out forever and ever and ever and never find the edge of it. These emerging spaces are a kind of wildlife and hopefully allow the viewer to get the visualness and the quality and dimensionality of these spaces by heightening the edges of the forms. Can you unpack what you mean when you talk about this visceral experience of space? Sure. It's a little bit hard to put into words, but it's a feeling that I've been trying to capture for a long time through a variety of different works. It's a deep, existential sensuality about what it is to be aware of existing, looking out and feeling form and space around you and this quality of feeling the world from the inside. There are also ways in which I'm interested in consciousness itself. You could very easily talk about how the world that we're experiencing is something that's happening pretty much solely inside of our consciousness. There is certainly a world outside of us, but the space that we experience is one based on concepts and language. The form that we experience is happening inside of our minds. So there is a sense that the spaces we experience are the consciousness that you're residing in as well -- this idea of feeling the world as if it is yourself. Courtesy of Andrew Elijah Edwards Where does narrative or symbolism fit into this framework? Or is this a framework that is entirely space-based? I'm certainly trying to capture getting away from "the thing to look at," "the thing to name" or "the thing to hold onto conceptually." That's tricky, but it's something that I'm working with. Also, the types of spaces that I'm capturing, they tend to be very closeup angles or faraway angles. When you're looking at them, you don't readily go, "Oh, that's a table or that's a chair or that's a light switch." They're often textures in nooks and crannies that often we don't easily know how to name. They're just the bits of the world that we don't easily put words to. My intention is to create spaces that you can really see for the first time. It's tricky to do because we are built out of language, and we interact with the world through language. There are ways you can try and circumnavigate that and hopefully I can do that, at least a little bit. Read on for more from Andrew Elijah Edwards. Courtesy of Andrew Elijah Edwards How does the stereoscopic technology relate to this question of language? I guess it's not direct. The language piece is to help you be more aware of where I'm coming from when I'm making this work. It's more about capturing the quality of being of space itself in this visceral way. When I have experiences moving outside of the direct linguistic apprehension of the world, there is a kind of spatial visceralness that I experience. I feel the space. I'm also experiencing the self-presence of immediate experience. That space takes on a kind of deeply weighted visceral quality where I can almost feel the edges and the inside of anything of substance or maybe talk about consciousness itself as a substance. This ability to capture space itself in its own form somehow gets at holding space itself instead of looking at the space we were in in terms of language or symbolic representation. This is inevitably an imitation of that by doing it virtually and through photography, but the experience of looking at these spaces stereoscopically, when I get it just right, has a similar feeling to me as looking out at the world and at space as it is there on its own rather than as it is thought about. Courtesy of Andrew Elijah Edwards Is there a spiritual dimension to this work, or is it purely philosophically or scientifically driven? For me, there is definitely a spiritual dimension. I don't know if I would use the world "spiritual," but a lot of my visual work has been about this feeling of being separated from the world by myself, in a certain way, or being pushed out into the world to get a direct connection and moment with the world. Certainly the process has to do with this. There is a transcending quality to all of my work where I'm trying to get to something that is the most real or the most true and to me that is the physical world and the beauty of something on its own, the beauty of the world existing because of the thing itself. Courtesy of Andrew Elijah Edwards Representing essence is a difficult pursuit. Yeah. It might be an endless paradox that we are inevitably human minds trying to get outside of our human minds or certain perspectives trying to get outside of our perspectives. But the pursuit of that certainly illuminates things about the world that I think are important. And I think these things are quite necessary in our current condition, in the sense that I think apathy and the quality of not really caring about the world comes from not ever seeing it in its true qualities.
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The Honor Principle *****and you!!!****** In my short year at Reed, and during the antsy eight months beforehand as a wide-eyed Preedie, I’ve constantly obsessed over the Honor Principle’s role in my relations with other people, other groups on campus, and the community as a whole. During this time, I’d always had a clear-cut definition of what the Honor Principle is to me, which went something like “Do no harm to other people.” Gradually, this stance evolved into “In all actions, make sure your impact on the community is good,” which made me think more critically about my actions and how I can be a more positive person. My definitions have always been short, since I wanted to allow “wiggle room” if the situation needs it. My relationship with the Honor Principle has been incredibly important in shaping my personality and the way I act, and it’s helped me directly deal with less-than-ideal situations. Consequently, when I joined Honor Council and started to get acquainted with the group, naïve me started to think I had the Honor Principle figured out, and that I had a permanent definition I could use to guide me for the rest of Reed (and, on a lesser level, my life). Casual, obvious foreshadowing in the last paragraph suggests that’s not the case. Instead of resting comfortably in my definition of honor, I was confronted with a facet of honor I’d never thought of before. My transition to college was marred by a lot of huge personal, familial issues that I had to overcome while immersing myself in this stressful ~~$^*LifeOfTheMind™*^$~~, and it hasn’t been an easy road. Breakdowns were often, and second semester was a challenge. Throughout this, I managed to still follow what I considered to be “honorable” behavior by helping others when I could, and keeping an outward appearance of cheerfulness (which, for the most part, was genuine). Even though most of the time I was doing great, when I was doing badly, I was doing very badly. Around this same time, I overheard someone’s definition of honor that was very different from what I had. “Treat others and yourself as healthily and positively as you can,” was a large part of it that stuck with me. Before, I was only considering honor in relation to other people, forgetting the whole time that, in order to take care of others, I have to take care of myself in the process. I was exhausting myself to a point where I wasn’t enjoying my time at Reed, which is something I knew I could do with some life changes. Over the following few months I would take many more steps to take care of myself (learning coping strategies, keeping a journal, getting enough sleep), in reaction to both increased personal stress and to this new outlook on the Honor Principle. Unfortunately, taking care of yourself can be harder than taking care of others in my experience, and it’s been a very time-consuming, energy-draining process. It hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve noticed improvement in my confidence, happiness, and self-esteem, and I’m very happy with where I am now. Not only am I happier, but I’m able to help everyone around me be happy much better than I used to. I want to make clear that I’m not trying to be prescriptive about the definition of the Honor Principle; in many interpretations, honor isn’t a consideration when talking about your relationship with yourself, and for many people, given how Reed-specific it is, the Honor Principle solely governs community or interpersonal interactions. Each of these definitions (or lack of definitions for a lot of people) are completely good. Likewise, I know that taking care of yourself is super-mega difficult sometimes, and I don’t want to say that failing to take care of yourself is inherently dishonorable (because that’s kind of awful and prescriptive and not true). People have different ways to take care of themselves, and the Honor Principle as I applied it really helped me out. On this note, if you ever need to talk to anyone about something going on in your life, or a conflict with another person, or anything at all, Honor Council is here to help you, listen to you, and give you the resources you need. 🙂 I guess the point of this post is two-fold; I want to encourage people to rethink what contexts they apply the Honor Principle to, but, more importantly, I want you to know that it’s totally okay (and I’d say even great!) to have your definition of the Honor Principle change based on setting, life experience, personality, and whatever else is happening in your life. The beauty of the Honor Principle is how individual and communal it is at the same time, and it’s worth exploring both aspects when figuring out what “honor” is to you.
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Arizona firefighters battle wall of fire 'It's only going to get bigger,' fire official says A house in the evacuated area near Show Low, Arizona burns to the ground Sunday. SHOW LOW, Arizona (CNN) --Firefighters faced a daunting 50-mile-wide fire line Sunday as they battled monster blazes that swept through a half-dozen towns and threatened the city of Show Low, Arizona, with a frightening wall of flames shooting 200 to 300 feet into the sky. Officials said firefighters would be unable to keep the rampaging Rodeo fire away from Show Low on its relentless eastward march. Navajo County Sheriff Gary Butler was not immune to the approaching fire, telling reporters at an afternoon news conference that he was "probably one of the people who by the end of the day won't have a home." At the same briefing, Arizona Gov. Jane Hull said she expected President Bush to declare the area a federal disaster area, freeing up relief funds for residents. "I cannot tell you how severe this fire is," she said. "It is not in control. The prime message that I have right now is that the fact that there are friends of mine, of yours, who are losing their homes." Hull and U.S. Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth, visiting the site, said the devastating fire should be a wake-up call to environmentalists and governments to change the way they manage the nation's forests. "Mother Nature right now is saying to Arizona and saying to the West and hopefully to Congress that we have got to clean up these forests," Hull said. "Nature did it on a regular basis before people came out here. ... Clean forests are the way we've got to go." "There is a choice," Bosworth said. "We don't have to have this kind of fire. We have to put active management on the land -- thinning the forest, getting (proscribed) fire back into the ecosystems, ... spending less money on paperwork, and more on getting people out in the field." Two fires ravaged eastern Arizona's Mogollon Rim, forcing 25,000 people to flee their homes. The Rodeo and Chediski fires were three-quarters of a mile apart Sunday afternoon, officials said, and would intensify if they merge. "It can grow two, three, four times what it is presently," fire information Jim Paxon said. "This fire is not over. It is out of control. If it's 300,000 acres now, it's only going to get bigger." Paxon said nearly 200 homes had been lost in the Rodeo and Chediski fires, but nearly 2,000 homes had been saved. Even the firefighters' command center at Show Low High School was in the path of the fire, although officials said the camp site's open space would likely prevent flames from "fireballing through." "We are in a safe zone," Paxon assured reporters at the fire camp. "If we get a bunch of embers flying around, we are in a safe zone just like we put firefighters in. We'll put you in a building and get you some clean air and we'll watch the fire roll by." Paxon admitted that the Rodeo and Chediski fires were winning battle after battle. "We got beat up pretty hard yesterday and the day before and we're gonna get beat up again today fighting this dragon that's reared its ugly head," he said. The cost of battling the blaze was approaching $1 million a day, Paxon said. Pinedale, Clay Springs, Linden, Heber, Overgaard, Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and Hon Dah had been evacuated by Sunday afternoon, he said. The fires have left vast areas of devastation in their wake. "If the fire burns farther to the east or burns west past Heber there are other communities that will be threatened," he said. "This fire won't be stopped until it runs out of fuel or it rains and it quenches it," a weary Paxon said earlier in the day. He said that fire inside a city, while burning with less intensity than wildfires, was no less dangerous. "It'll be less active, less intense than it was out there in the forest area," he said. "But we'll have a tremendous spotting influence. If an ember hits on a house or a woodpile, then that's going to burn." Paxon added that a city does not make an efficient fireline. "It's going to burn right through it," he said. Paxon said slurry drops -- the aerial bucket brigade that dumps flame retardant on fires in the wild -- also would be deployed inside the city. Firefighters have been able to return to towns behind the fireline, where they were battling remnants of the blaze and assessing the damage. But Paxon said the 1,400-plus firefighters on the job battling both Rodeo and Chediski -- which burned through the towns of Heber and Overgaard on Saturday night -- had "saved more homes than we lost." Earlier, Hull called the Rodeo fire Arizona's worst ever, fueled by dry Ponderosa pine and brush, 40-mph winds and temperatures in the 90s. Officials had no word on what caused the Rodeo blaze. They said the Chediski fire was started by an injured hiker who was trying to catch the attention of a helicopter flying overhead.
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Top 10 sites to ask all your Programming Questions 03 Dec Top 10 sites to ask all your Programming Questions When learning to code or develop software, websites or apps, we usually will get stuck with a problem or a bug that refuses to be resolved, no matter what you do. In cases like this, programmers like you may need answers to questions related to various coding languages, development platforms, tools, APIs as well as services. Where can you go for the solutions you need? We had the same thought and after doing all the legwork, here are Top 10 sites to ask all your Programming Questions who might have the answers you are looking for or tips that might be helpful to help you find the solution you need. StackOverflow: StackOverflow boasts a community of 4.7 million programmers who are serious about honing their coding skills. One can quickly ask questions (after signing up) on this site, or answer questions asked by others – even as a guest. It hosts questions in numerous programming languages, platforms, and services, and the top ones among them are JavaScript, Java, C#, PHP, Android,jQuery, python, and HTML. Its up-vote system helps people get quick answers after posting a query, and the stringent moderation ensures people get straightforward answers or mention of places (links) to find them on the Internet. Quora: Quora hosts informative content created and shared by its users. Although it deals with a wide variety of topics and a majority of the answers you’ll find here are opinions from experts, it proves to be a valuable resource for programming and software development information. After signing up, you can ask questions by clicking on Ask Question and answer questions by clicking on the Write button in the top bar. There isn’t a list of categories or topics you can ask or answer so it’s best to make a search on Quora to find any required info. Some of the supported topics you can find here include Java, C++, Android, Python, Ruby, HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. There’s an up-vote system where you can award or get points based on the quality and relevance of the answer, and you can also view stats for your answers. Reddit: For a serious programmer who values useful information, Reddit has long been one of the best places to visit. It has several communities that hold discussions about particular interests and topics including programming languages, computers, Internet, and more. One can easily post a link or submit a question after signing up for the site. The programming subreddit is for discussions about coding and development. You can check out: C++ for discussions and news about C++ or programming in C++ GameDev a haven for game aspirants and active game developers, where they discuss game engines, programming hitches AndroidDev, a popular community that hosts news, tutorials and other helpful information about Android app development, and more. StackExchange: StackExchange hosts Question & Answer communities where people can ask and answer questions. Experts vote on posts and make sure that helpful answers are easier to find. You need to get an account to start searching for answers or answering a query. Its 149 communities include Programmers: where professional programmers can bounce off concepts about software development Programmers Puzzles: where people play, solve, and program puzzles Super User: a discussion group for power PC users Web Applications: for users and developers of web applications Game Development: where independent game developers can ask questions Ask Ubuntu: a group of Ubuntu newbies and super-users, and more. CodeProject: CodeProject is a website that offers coders helpful news, information and source codes. It has general discussion forums for software developers to share their thoughts with like-minded users in the community, as well as a Quick Answers section to ask question and receive specific technical assistance. Signing up lets you ask questions, post in discussion boards, and get weekly updates. Hosting a community of 11+ million users, its general programming forums are classified using tags based on programming languages, development platforms, and web services. Some of the popular topics dealt with are .NET, C#, C++, Java, Android, SQL, and Web. The site also has a constantly growing articles and discussions base, which attracts contributions from developers all over the world. Google Groups: Google Groups, a service from Google, is a place to create communities where people with common interests can get together, make discussions, and find help with issues. Google Groups allows you to create a question and answer forumor join one and interact with other like-minded people. To get started, sign in with Google, find the right group, join in, and start asking or answering questions. Question & Answer groups let members ask questions and answer the questions asked by other members – much like StackOverflow and others. Groups fall under categories and regions with sub-categories, for example, Computers have various sub-categories like Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Games, Graphics,Internet, Operating Systems, Programming, Security, Software, etc. Each category has various groups created by members – browse or make a search to find the best as per the requirements. CodeRanch: CodeRanch, a discussion board for programmers, is an ideal place for novices to learn the basics of Java, Android and iOS programming, and post queries about the things they need help with. Sub-forums on databases, computer engineering, and other languages including C/C++, Ruby, python, and PHP are also available. One can easily register, join a sub-forum, ask questions, and reply to unanswered questions. The site places a Question tag next to query posts and an Answered tag beside answered ones (you can also locate and answer unanswered questions quickly). Discussion lists shows the number of views and comments for each post, which helps to find popular topics to view. To start using this site, make a search for required info or sign up and comment on others’ posts. FindNerd: A social network for developers, FindNerd is a great go-to website for querying on the technical aspects of various programming languages and practices. It’s a mix of freelance market and learning forum – providing best of both worlds with 0% commission charge. To get started, register on the site, and post questions or answer questions, or create projects, provide services, and collaborate with others. Signing up allows you to post questions, and blog on technical issues which other users may find relevant and useful. The site has developers’ community that answer questions to improve their work profile and can help in your project in better way for a small fee. The site also provides a free desktop recording tool for users who want help with an issue, but couldn’t sufficiently outline it in a query. Chegg: An educational resource site, Chegg offers solutions and tips for students around the world. Some of the services they provide are online tutoring, homework help, help acquiring textbooks’ solutions, advice and news on internships and careers, etc. Just sign up for the site and ask questions for free. For programmers, the Computer Science section allows posting queries about Algorithms, Database Systems, Software Design, Operating Systems,Programming, and others. Experts from around the world provide assistance and tutoring in various subjects. Chegg Study, unlike the other sites on this list, is not completely free but will let you ask 20 new questions every month for free.
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How can the brain drain be turned into a brain gain – Ade Sawyerr Ever since the 2011 census figures were released there has been some much talk of immigration. The talk has now turned toxic as one minister in government puts it and some of think that this probably is the time to have an intelligent debate on the issue devoid of the unreasoned emotion and noise of political prejudice. No one wants to focus on the positive aspects of the contribution of immigrants to the diversity of the often drab British life, or the great moves towards integration and the enrichment of the British culture. No one complained that Britain was a small island when its empire spanned the world and it had dominion over all and sundry, but now that only a small proportion of that empire wants to come to Britain suddenly everyone is complaining about the size of the island and the fact that the whole…
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Contact Us 575.430.3040 Required Prerequisite: Be very familiar with your handgun and comfortable with its use. Price: $65.00 Class Length: hours Location: The class is generally taught at the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range in La Luz, NM. It is a one day class that can be taught on the week end or during the week. We are also willing to travel to your location to teach this class. The Defensive Handgun Class is for individuals wanting to improve their defensive handgun skills. A discussion of mindset and the dynamics and importance of movement is included, as well as a review of the New Mexico law on the use of deadly force. Basic and advanced shooting and handgun handling techniques, designed to give the student a realistic perspective of the defensive use of their handgun, will be drilled extensively, including: Malfunction drills Shooting with the strong hand only and the weak and only One handed reloading Shooting on the move Shooting from the ground Very close range shooting Longer range shooting Vehicle defense (when driving away isn’t an option) A variety of scenarios will also be presented to give the student a realistic perspective of the defensive use of a handgun. In addition, we will do some force-on-force training using Airsoft pistols (which will be provided) to give you some realistic experience in dealing with gun and knife wielding adversaries. Basic shooting and gun handling skills are required to take this class. Other Class size is usually small, generally 1- 8 people. This class may be modified to meet your specific training needs and times. Modified classes may be subject to additional fees depending on the type of training and times required. A night shooting option is available in locations where shooting at night is feasible. We are willing to travel to your location to do this class. Things You Need to Bring - Ammunition: 300 – 400 rounds Other Items: An open mind willing to learn Center fire handgun and holster (must be concealable…covering with a shirt is OK) At least 2 magazines or speed loaders …more is better Eye and ear protection Water Appropriate foot wear and hat Sun screen Note… In addition to our scheduled classes, private, individual or group sessions are available and may be scheduled at your convenience, on demand. We are willing to work with you to accommodate any particular firearms training and tailor our training classes as needed. We are looking forward to training with you! Please also let us know what types of classes you might be interested in that may not be on the schedule, or classes you might like us to offer. Our Mission To provide basic and advanced firearms training to law abiding individuals and groups in order to enhance their knowledge and skills of the recreational and defensive use of firearms.
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White Paper Skills Of the skills listed in the essay, I think that the three that I am most adept at using are: Play, Performance, and Distributed Cognition. Play, because I love to do the whole “trial and error” thing with whatever I’m doing, unless it’s for a grad class…then, I don’t play. I think that trying different ways and playing with the methods used to arrive at a specific answer is fun. Take this course, for example: there are so many different ways to complete the homework and projects, I think it’s just a matter of playing with the technologies to find the perfect end-product. In my personal life, where play is concerned, it seems that I do nothing but play video games. As silly as it sounds, I think that video games are helpful to development in that they challenge players to “play” with problem-solving aspects in order to complete quests and win the game. In my professional life, which hasn’t technically begun yet, but I can imagine, Play is integrated into that area through what I want to do professionally (Public Relations). In that field, I would imagine that one has to use their ability to play with information and make it so that the information to be distributed to the general public reaches the target audience with the most appropriate message. Play and Performance, I think, go hand in hand because when you perform a certain role or adapt to a certain situation, you are somewhat playing with your demeanor. I think everyone uses Performance skills in their everyday social lives because who we are slightly alters depending on what groups of people we hang out with. For instance, around best friends, people tend to be less guarded and more open with who they are, but around people they are just friends or acquaintances with, I feel like people have a tendency to put on airs and make themselves more guarded. I know that I do that a lot in my personal life, but to me it’s actually kind of fun. It’s exhausting at times, but that makes hanging out with people I’m close to more enjoyable. In academics, I think that Performance most comes into play during things like group work where there is one designated leader for two or three other people in the group. I generally like to take up the leadership role and be the go-to person for when group members have questions. Again, in my professional life, I would imagine that PR practitioners have to play with multiple roles during the course of their careers–editors, journalists, managers–roles similar to those. Distributed Cognition, I feel, I also use a lot in my personal life because Henry Jenkins also touches on gaming here as a portal into this theory’s domain. Games such as Starcraft and Age of Empires have challenged gamers to know not only what is going on in their direct vicinity, but also to plan for what the AI or other players’ teams might be doing in undiscovered regions of a particular map. Getting away from the geek, in the academic world, it seems as though just by using new technologies, we are participating in Distributed Cognition. In this very class, even, I am using technologies I’ve never even heard about before in order to get a good grade on a project. That being said, I think that the Library’s Databases could be a type of Distributed Cognition, bordering on Collective Intelligence. And in my professional life, I feel as though in order to be a good PR practitioner, you have to be willing to experiment with different technologies and find out what new technologies work and do not work for you and your practice. The three that I need to work on the most are: Multi-tasking, Negotiation, and Simulation. I am a horrible multi-tasker. I get distracted too easily by the smallest things and it takes me forever to finish a project with a reasonable amount of time to spare. I need to be more aware of what needs to be done rather than what can be done, and I think that I can work on this particular skill by making myself realize when I am getting distracted too easily or when I plan too many things for my days and say to myself “Hey, slow down. You need to focus.” Negotiation is something that I also need to work on because of the fact that I can be extremely stubborn when I am passionate about something. That unwillingness to listen is not conducive to a work environment and if I want to be successful, I have to be able to be compassionate not to just my viewpoint but to others’ as well and see where mine and theirs could meet in the middle. I think that I can work on this by keeping my temper in check and seeing someone whose viewpoints differ from mine as someone who has the potential to be an ally rather than the opposition. Simulation I’ve always had a hard time with because of the fact that I have a big imagination but when it comes down to it, I don’t have the ability to adequately construct with my hands what is in my head. I don’t think that it’s too much of a hindrance, but I would like to be able to create what I imagine. I think that this class will be invaluable in that because I’m already using tools I never thought I would, and I think that once you’re working in digital spaces and know how to move fluidly through them, you can do pretty much anything you imagine you can. That’ll be fun.
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DESCRIPTION X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a one-on-one beat-em-up for one or two players and is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters, with characters from Marvel's X-Men franchise being pitted against the cast from Capcom's own Street Fighter series. The game uses a system similar to the style developed in "Marvel Super Heroes" and adds the tag team gameplay feature. Instead of the usual best-two-out-of-three round format, the game's matches consist of two-on-two battles between tag teams. The player controls one character at a time, while the other waits off-screen. The starting character can tag the waiting one in at any time by hitting the Hard Punch and Hard Kick buttons, which activates the 'Variable Attack'; the tag partner will jump in with an attack and taunt briefly. During their taunt, they are vulnerable to counter-attack. The dormant character will be able to recover a portion of their vitality, while the current character is fighting. If one character loses all of their vitality, then the tag partner will automatically come to play. A match is over when both members of a team are defeated or if the timer on the match clock reaches zero. There are other ways to bring the character's partner in; the "Variable Counter", which replaces the Infinity Counter of Marvel Super Heroes, breaks the player's guard to bring the teammate in with a counterattack at the cost of a level of super meter. Also, the "Variable Combination" is a two-character Hyper Combo (the super moves featured in the game) which costs two levels, and will switch the player's current character as long as neither character gets hit during their Hyper Combos. The X-Men characters come largely unchanged from "X-Men: Children of the Atom" and "Marvel Super Heroes", while three characters new to the series are introduced in the form of Rogue, Gambit and Sabretooth. The Street Fighter characters use their "Street Fighter Alpha 2" forms, although their special moves were given upgrades to match the larger-than-life atmosphere of the Marvel games (for example, Ryu's Hadouken is much larger than it is in other games). This game marks the first appearance of 'Shadaloo' depiction of Cammy, who would reappear in the console versions of "Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold", as well as in "Street Fighter Alpha 3". TRIVIA In August 1996, a prototype of the game was being tested at several arcades across the countries. One difference in this prototype is that Gambit has a different coat color, and his hair is much lighter. The left sleeve of Gambit's coat is white. This was possibly a graphics problem and was fixed in the final version. X-Men vs. Street Fighter was released in September 1996 in Japan. It was known there as the 20th video game released for the CPS2 hardware. In the game, teams are preselected and the player never encounter random teams. Here are the different teams the player will fight against : * Cyclops and Ryu * Zangief and Juggernaut * Storm and Charlie * Dhalsim and Sabretooth * Rogue and Chun-Li * Bison and Magneto * Gambit and Ken * Wolverine and Cammy Akuma is outside the teams as he is an hidden character (see 'Tips and Tricks' section). After defeating six of these teams, the player's team fights Apocalypse himself! In the end, the character who defeated Apocalypse remains under player control and the other one is the ultimate opponent for the one-on-one final battle. UPDATES Capcom released 3 different revisions of this game in the arcades, and they all have differences: Version 1 : * Ryu and Akuma can recover from their hop kick in mid-air. * Ryu's "Hurricane Super" can push the opposing player down, allowing the player to recover. Version 2 : * Ryu and Akuma can not recover from their hop kick * Sabretooth's jumping Infinite is a little more difficult to time. * Dhalsim is no longer able to do a "Yoga Drill" the instant he leaves the floor. He actually has to jump a small distance before the Drill will come out. * Ryu's "Hurricane Super" pushes the opposing player up rather than down. Version 3 : * In this version, Capcom removed all of the Infinites they knew of. And some combos have also been removed. Green Board releases : REVISION 1: * Build date: 960909 * Version 1 REVISION 2: * Build date: 960910 * Version 1 REVISION 3: * Build date: 961004 * Version 2 REVISION 4: * Build date: 961023 * Version 3 TIPS AND TRICKS * Play as Akuma : At the character select screen, highlight Magneto or Juggernaut or Dhalsim or Bison and press Up. * Play as Alpha Chun Li : At the character select screen, highlight Chun Li, hold the Start button and press any action button. * Play as the Same Character : Enter the random selection code and if you can make it stop on the highlighted character, the highlight will remain there, enabling you to select the same character twice. This does some strange things to the life bars, so be careful. It may also screw up the palette for one of the characters on the selection grid, but this will not effect game play. * Alternate Costume Colors : Highlight a character at the character selection screen then press a Punch button for a darker costume or Kick for a lighter costume. * Random Fighter : At the character select screen, press and hold left or right for 3 seconds. Note : You can also fight against the same character by getting the random selection to stop on the originally highlighted fighter. * Rogue's Additional Winning Pose : After you beat an opponent with Rogue, hold all three punches or kicks before she does her normal win pose (If done correctly, Rogue will turn around and say 'TA-DA!'). * In-game tip messages (These are all the tip messages that randomly appear when the player loses) : 1) HP+HK simultaneously for the Cross-over Attack! You can switch your character at any time! 2) Push LP+MP+HP while guarding for the Advancing Guard. Push the opponent back! 3) When Air Combo starts to move hits the opponent, put the lever Up to chase him and execute a combo! 4) Create a quick combo when fighting in the air! Switch your character when vitality is low!
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Argos Application Form Argos is one of the biggest employer in the UK. They have wide range of job opportunities for job seekers. Check out this page to learn more about Argos application form. Download the form to see what you might be seeing on the online application. Argos says: Due to the scale and diversity of our Argos business, we can honestly say we’ve got something for everyone. If you’re looking for a management career at the frontline of customer service, our Stores should be right up your street. On the other hand, your skills may lend themselves more to one of our Head Office (Avebury) departments in Milton Keynes. It might be that you’d prefer a role in one of our Distribution Centres, where you’ll be at the very heart of our operations – keeping stock flowing into our stores. Or there’s our fast growing home delivery channel, Argos Direct, which continues to generate lots of opportunities to support our expansion in this area.
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Editorial First, there was “snow drift;” now there is “practice drift.” Just like a huge blanket of snow that drifts where you may least want it, there are doctors who “drift” into medical areas in which they do not belong. No, they are not saving lives on a remote mountain top; they are operating out of unregulated office surgery facilities. “Why?” Because it’s lucrative. Into what medical area is the wind blowing them? Plastic surgery. According to USA Today, December 29th, 2011, “As cosmetic surgery surges in popularity and insurance payouts to doctors decline, the temptation for physicians to branch into new, potentially risky procedures has never been greater.” Only 21 of our states require licensing and/or accreditation of offices in which surgery is performed. Until all states demand proper licensing and accreditation, unqualified doctors will simply drift to states in which there is big demand and no oversight. In the states that are lax, surgery is frequently performed in a facility that has no reliable backup plan in case of emergency. Further, doctors who drift usually don’t have hospital privileges to perform procedures that they do in the office, so, in case of complication, these doctors cannot even accompany patients to the hospital. Unfortunately, it is human tragedy that draws our attention to these unsafe practices. After three patients of a Phoenix emergency room doctor died following cosmetic surgery, the doctor was sentenced to 25 years in prison. North Carolina suspended the license of an ENT who practiced plastic surgery after more than 50 of his patients complained that the ENT misrepresented his background, failed to use sterile equipment and let people who were not doctors perform liposuction. Other medical areas in which to beware of doctors who practice without specialist certification are pain management and erectile dysfunction. An oncologist, Daniel Brookoff, drifted into the pain management field in Denver. After he treated Leslie Fishbein for back pain with 30 powerful injections of Marcaine, Fishbein died of a heart attack. Another of Brookoff’s patients died and three others suffered brain injuries. The good news is that states such as New York, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and Washington are making efforts to regulate office-based surgery. In Florida, a newly-passed bill remedies the problem of facilities that avoid safety precautions by using pills and injections instead of anesthesia. To ensure that you do not drift into the hands of a “drifter,” make sure your surgeon is board-certified in the specialty in which he is treating you and that the surgical facility in which you are operated is state licensed or accredited. If your state does not regulate surgical facilities, tell your local political representative that such regulations can be lifesaving. The mission of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) includes medical education, public education and patient advocacy. Plastic Surgery News Briefs are summaries of current stories found through various news and magazine outlets that relate to or mention plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. The views expressed in these news articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASAPS, but are merely published as an educational service to our members and the general public. For additional information on these subjects and other plastic surgery related topics, please go to www.surgery.org September 17, 2013 - It seems to be almost cyclical - every few months, a brand new, game-changing anti-wrinkle cream is introduced to the market, only to face lawsuits due to suggestions that the "scientific" claims made on the side of the bottle are absolute bunk.
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Lloyd Harvey has something to confess — an outing of himself, if you will. He hates sports. Well, not hate, it’s just that “I’m more of a comic book nerd. I like movies. I never played sports so I never had the ‘locker room experience.’” This might not be relevant, except that this week, Harvey will find himself not only in a locker room, but naked there. And pretending to be a god among athletes. If one wasn’t frightening enough, together they are almost too much to take. Harvey has the lead role in Take Me Out, the Pulitzer Prizewinning play about a mega-star of the baseball diamond who comes out as gay, setting the sports world — especially his diverse bunch of largely homophobic teammates — into a tizzy. When Harvey auditioned for it, though, he didn’t really expect to get it — he’s tried out for shows at Uptown Players before without success. Plus, he was able to see his competition. “I was looking around the room and seeing all these chiseled, fit guys and I’m thinking, ‘I won’t get it,’’ he relates. “Then I got a call-back, which was great, but now I’m seeing all these guys with six-pack abs and I’m the guy with a keg.” That’s when he told the producers he would lose 10 pounds. He even cut off the dreadlocks he’d been growing for three years to get the role. To his surprise, they cast him — and took him up on his offers to cut and trim. That’s when the real work began. “I started on P90X [workout] and stopped eating fast food that day,” Harvey says. “One of my friends is a personal trainer, and he made a 20-minute workout to do on top of the P90X. It’s been a total physical change. I weighed 200 pounds in December and now I weigh 180.” So focused was Harvey, he almost forgot to be nervous about stripping down for the famous shower scene of locker room grab-ass. “Being an actor — or any kind of artist — you’re putting yourself out there for whatever you do. This is like putting yourself out there double-time. You’re trying not to break the fourth wall while there are a few hundred people watching us. But all you have to do is say ‘Fuck it!’ and have the confidence to go out there and put your heart and your body on the line … though telling my mother I had to do a nude role was an interesting conversation.” She wasn’t the only one. Harvey has performed at Dallas Children’s Theater and had major roles in community theater productions of Rent and Sweeney Todd, but this is certainly his professional break-through. But it’s also the first time he’s been able to get his friends interested in what he does. “Before I would do a show and not all my friends would see it. But as soon as I started saying, ‘Yeah, there’s gonna be full nudity in it, ‘every one of my friends bought tickets to see my penis onstage. Some of them threatened to bring cameras. I told them that’s a no-go. ‘Take a picture and I hope you get kicked out of the theater,’ I said. ‘And we certainly won’t be friends anymore.’” He probably won’t have a hard time making new friends after this anyway. …………………. Oh, ‘Pluck’ it Steven Walters will be the first person to admit his play Pluck the Day wasn’t the best. You can’t blame him for thinking that — he wrote it 10 years ago, when he already thought he knew everything. When an actor called wanting to submit it to a festival, he thought he was joking. “Sure,” he agreed, “for all the good it’ll do.” Only it got in, and Walters realized something terrible: He was actually going to have to rewrite it. And re-rewrite. And then again. It’s almost opening night and he’s still trimming and fixing, whittling down a 2-1/2 hours show into a tight 80 minutes with no intermish. Pluck the Day was first performed by Second Thought Theatre, which Walters co-founded, in its inaugural season; a decade later, it kicks off STT’s 10th season. It’s like revisiting a long-lost friend. Or maybe frenemy. “I have a healthy dissatisfaction for everything I do,” Walters says over a beer and burger. “The old script was not good — it was talky and too long. It had no point of view. Now it does.” The biggest change in the revision, he says, is in the character of Bill, who we learn is gay. Bill is the only man sitting on a lopey West Texas porch who actually develops; the others remain blissfully content to nurture their decaying way of life. But it’s still a comedy.
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PS5 and Next Xbox Price and Specifications Leaked Sony and Microsoft may be tightlipped about the PS5 and next Xbox, but that hasn’t stop a flurry of rumour and speculation on what to expect from the successors to the PS4 and Xbox One. The latest of these, courtesy of Reddit and popular gaming forum ResetEra suggest that the PS5 and Next Xbox would be priced in-line with what the PS4 and Xbox One were originally priced at. Furthermore, it’s suggested yet again that Microsoft would follow a two-pronged strategy with a streaming-only Xbox codenamed Lockhart and a more conventional, powerful variant referred to internally as Anaconda. The PS5 and next Xbox release dates are slated for around the holiday season of 2020. Interestingly the Reddit post with PS5 and next Xbox pricing and specifications was removed, however some of its details were confirmed by a verified insider on ResetEra, lending credence to some of the claims. The latest rumours indicate that the PS5 will start at $399 (around Rs. 28,500), same as the launch price of PS4 back in 2014, whereas the upcoming Xbox One successor will be released with a price-tag of $499 (around Rs. 35,600), again same as launch price of Xbox One with Kinect sensor. The Kinect-less variant, which was added later, was sold initially at $399 (around Rs. 28,500). PS5 specifications and price CPU: Custom 8 cores / 16 Threads Zen 2 CPU GPU: Custom NAVI @8+ teraflops Memory: 12GB GDDR6 Storage: 1TB SSD Price: $399 (around Rs. 28,500) Next Xbox specifications and price CPU: Custom 8 cores / 16 Threads Zen 2 CPU GPU: Custom NAVI @12+ teraflops Memory: 16GB GDDR6 Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD @ 1+GB/s DirectX Raytracing + MS AI Price: $499 (around Rs. 35,600) Next Xbox streaming console specifications and price CPU: Custom 8 cores / 16 Threads Zen 2 CPU GPU: Custom NAVI @4+ teraflops Memory: 12GB GDDR6 Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD @ 1+GB/s DirectX Raytracing + MS AI Price: $249 (around Rs. 17,800) Some of these claims were confirmed by the insider at ResetEra. “The hardware is partially true,” the post reads. “Storage is true. Raytracing is true. Lockhart is not streaming box. Xbox SoC codename is Anubis, check AMD’s plan. MS AI is not a part of the hardware, in other words, never heard of TPU or ASIC like it. How to implement Raytracing? See GDC 2019. Why they make a decision like Lockhart? See GDC 2019. Why there still no DevKit? After GDC 2019.” While the ResetEra user was verified by the administration, it’s best to take this information with a tonne of salt until we have official information. With GDC 2019 in late March, it might not be long before the first concrete details emerge on either console.
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Troubled 1970s of 'Argo' look all too familiar to Affleck Director and actor Ben Affleck poses for photographers at the premiere of his film Argo in Washington. Argo is based on covert operation to rescue six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) “Argo” is set in the 1970s and certainly looks and sounds like the decade. Its star—and director—Ben Affleck sports a shaggy hairdo and wears a gold necklace. His character tools around Hollywood to the sound of Van Halen and Dire Straits. But parts of the movie look eerily similar to scenes that have been shown on television in just the last few weeks. Affleck’s third film as director, “Argo” takes place during the Iranian Hostage Crisis that began in 1979. It’s based on the real-life story of six Americans who managed to escape the embassy before the rest of the staff were taken by revolutionaries. While they hid out at the Canadian ambassador’s residence in Tehran, CIA official Tony Mendez came up with a plan to rescue them, a plan so outlandish even Hollywood couldn’t have come up with it: He pretended the group was a Canadian filmmaking crew scouting a location for an exotic science-fiction movie. Even more outlandish is the fact it worked. Early in the film, we see the students who first protested at the embassy before storming its walls, chanting anti-American slogans. It doesn’t seem so much has changed in the intervening decades. “I thought it would be totally irrelevant. I wish this movie was much more irrelevant,” Affleck told reporters in Los Angeles. Wearing a blue plaid collared shirt, he might pass for any other Bostonian. In Washington, D.C., just over a week later, talking to a smaller group of reporters, he might have been wearing that same plaid shirt—but this time, it was mostly covered with a sweater and a blazer. In D.C., he elaborated on what it was like to see his period piece come to life. “I was kind of stunned, naturally, to see that the material I looked at for research from 30-plus years ago all of a sudden looked exactly like what was on TV,” he said. “I expected the movie to be resonant,” he added, but didn’t expect quite that kind of parallel. Mendez, whom Affleck plays, has a young son in the film. “I’m the age of the kid in the movie, so I definitely identified with the child,” Affleck said, “and with the father.” In Los Angeles, Grant Heslov, who with George Clooney helped produce the film, said he was immediately drawn to the story as well. “I don’t know how many of you get to read screenplays. Generally, they suck,” he declared. “Argo” didn’t. “Argo” is something of a political thriller and something of an action flick. But screenwriter Chris Terrio emphasized that it’s ultimately about something the CIA and Hollywood share in common. “There’s a lot of words in it. It’s about artifice. It’s about pulling off an escapade without any military action, and without anything except storytelling and bullshitting,” he said. “I knew that it was going to be about people trying to do their jobs and trying to get these people out by storytelling, really.” Alan Arkin, who plays a composite character based on the Hollywood insiders who helped Mendez and the CIA make their fake movie project look real, added gravitas to the proceedings. But the veteran said the 40-year-old Affleck is as talented as filmmakers many years his senior. “He’s as meticulous as any director I’ve ever worked with.” Arkin then looked over at Affleck and said. “Hold your ears.” To the reporters, he said, “He’s darling. Affleck apparently hadn’t listened to his actor’s instruction. He leaned over and gave the usually deadpan Arkin a hug, and even a kiss.
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Notebook Set of 3: Trust in the Lord, Pink Floral (Proverbs 3:5) Notebook Set of 3: Trust in the Lord, Pink Floral (Proverbs 3:5) $15.99 Pack Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 This collection of three notebooks features Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord, in a lovely floral pattern with pink undertones. This notebook set is the perfect gift for any personality type: whether she is a woman always on the go or one who enjoys her downtime, these three notebooks are convenient and can go just about anywhere. Journaling should never be boring; these notebooks provide needed inspiration. They are beautiful and are a great accompaniment to any gift set. Pairing nicely with anything from out Heart Collection, this set of notebooks would look great in a gift set for her. You May Also Be Interested In About "Notebook Set of 3: Trust in the Lord, Pink Floral (Proverbs 3:5)" Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 This collection of three notebooks features Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord, in a lovely floral pattern with pink undertones. This notebook set is the perfect gift for any personality type: whether she is a woman always on the go or one who enjoys her downtime, these three notebooks are convenient and can go just about anywhere. Journaling should never be boring; these notebooks provide needed inspiration. They are beautiful and are a great accompaniment to any gift set. Pairing nicely with anything from out Heart Collection, this set of notebooks would look great in a gift set for her.
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An intriguing development in recent evolutionary thought has been the growing repudiation of neo-Darwinian orthodoxy (that is, the idea of slow and gradual evolution, accomplished by the mechanism of small random genetic mutations preserved by natural selection) in favor of the idea of rapid evolution caused by rapid environmental changes. Instead of arguing solely against evolutionary uniformitarianism, the creationist is now having to argue also against catastrophic evolutionism! In recent years, creationists have delivered telling blows against Darwinian paleontology by repeatedly citing the ubiquitous absence of transitional forms in the fossil record. Since 1859 one of the most vexing properties of the fossil record has been its obvious imperfection.… The inability of the fossil record to produce the 'missing links' has been taken as solid evidence for disbelieving the theory.1 Similarly, creationists have argued effectively against uniformitarianism by pointing out the widespread evidence of catastrophism in the ad" rocks and fossil beds of the geological column. In fact, the catastrophists were much more empirically minded than Lyell. The geologic record does seem to require catastrophism: rocks are fractured and contorted; whole faunas are wiped out. To circumvent this literal appearance, Lyell imposed his imagination upon the evidence. The geologic record, he argued, is extremely imperfect and we must interpolate into it what we can reasonably infer but cannot see. The catastrophists were the hard-nosed empiricists of their day, not the blinded theological apologists.2 So, all of a sudden, many—perhaps most—evolutionary biologists are no longer claiming that natural selection was a major factor in the development of basic categories of plants and animals. Many leading evolutionary paleontologists are aggressively proclaiming the absence of transitional forms in the fossil record, and many evolutionary geologists are advocating a return to catastrophism in the study of the rocks! What creationists have been vigorously contending against heated denials, evolutionists now cheerfully admit to have been true all along! Does this mean they are all becoming creationists? No, of course not. Some, such as Pierre Grassé,3 have simply stated that they have no idea how evolution could have occurred, even though they still believe in it. In the hands of others, however, evolutionism is a remarkably plastic philosophy. The model merely has to be changed to accommodate rapid evolution, instead of slow and gradual evolution. The reign of Huxley, Simpson, Mayr, Stebbins, and Dobzhansky has passed and we enter the age of Lewontin, Gould, Ager, and others of the newer school. Long live evolution! Probably the leading proponent of the new model is the young Harvard paleontologist and philosopher of science, Stephen Jay Gould. A brilliant writer, he has produced a stream of books and articles on many subjects in recent years and has all but demolished both traditional geological uniformitarianism and orthodox neo-Darwinism. The following statements aretypical Gouldisms: Contrary to popular myths, Darwin and Lyell were not the heroes of true science.… Paleontologists have paid an exorbitant price for Darwin's argument. We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life's history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study.4 All paleontologists know that the fossil record contains precious little in the way of intermediate forms; transitions between major groups are characteristically abrupt.5 Gould and his former Harvard colleague, Niles Eldredge (now at the American Museum of Natural History), have developed what they call their theory of "punctuated equilibrium," according to which large populations of organisms are normally genetically stable for a long time, except for occasional "punctuations." These are relatively short periods of time during which inbreeding within small "founder" populations, with rapid environmental changes, stimulates rapid evolutionary change. There can obviously be little experimental evidence for such a theory, but its critics grudgingly acknowledge its popularity. The Eldredge-Gould concept of punctuated equilibria has gained wide acceptance among paleontologists.… The model is more ad hoc explanation than theory, and it rests on shaky ground. Paleontologists seem to be enthralled by small populations.… I hasten to point out that ecologists and geneticists have not elucidated macroevolutionary patterns: the gap has not been bridged from either side.6 Another prolific young geologist in Gould's camp has shown that the paleontological data, traditionally interpreted in terms of increasing adaptation and natural selection over the ages, can be organized just as well in terms of pure chance assemblages of fossils: If we allow that natural selection works, as we almost have to do, the fossil record doesn't tell us whether it was responsible for 90 percent of the change we see, or 9 percent, or 0.9 percent.7 The fossil record of evolution is amenable to a wide variety of models ranging from completely deterministic to completely stochastic.8 The term "stochastic" means essentially "random" and Raup and his colleagues have shown by computer simulations that the fossil patterns throughout the so-called geologic ages can be attributed to random variations and extinctions, without the need of natural selection, at least not in terms of a gradual step-by-step improvement. Ricklefs emphasizes this aspect of the record: Indeed, the success of Monte Carlo simulations of evolutionary patterns and R.H. MacArthur's "broken-stick" model of the relative abundances of species point out the similarities between natural patterns and randomly generated systems. It is not clear that an understanding of deterministic processes and both internally and externally imposed constraints will necessarily elucidate macroevolution.9 The explosive evolutionary "punctuations" which do occur from time to time in the postulated small populations are believed by Ager and others to be associated somehow with geological catastrophism. Derek Ager is past president of the British Geological Association and believes neither in the Bible nor in creationism. However, he has shown that all geologic features must be explained in terms of catastrophism, rather than uniformitarianism, and he maintains that this ties in with the fossil gaps stressed by Gould and Eldredge. The point emerges that, if we examine the fossil record in detail, whether at the level of orders or of species, we find—over and over again—not gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion of one group at the expense of another.10 In other words, the history of any one part of the earth, like the life of a soldier, consists of long periods of boredom and short periods of terror.11 Ager and other modern geologic catastrophists do not, of course, believe in the worldwide Flood of the Bible, but rather that intermittent regional catastrophes throughout the geological ages account for all the actual formations and structures in the geologic column. But the idea that the marvelous array of intricately complex and highly adapted organisms in the world could have developed rapidly from simpler organisms in catastrophically changing environments is contrary to all experience and reason. Simple systems never evolve naturally into complex systems. By the Second Law of Thermodynamics, changes go in exactly the opposite direction; complex systems always tend to degenerate into simple systems. Furthermore, catastrophic environments merely accelerate the decay of such systems. By the standard thermodynamics of heat flow, for example, an influx of heat energy into an open system will increase the entropy of that system more rapidly than if it were an isolated system. How, then, is it even conceivable that evolution could proceed by any such mechanism as this? As a matter of fact, however, Ilya Prigogine, who received a Nobel Prize in 1977 for his work in non-equilibrium thermodynamics, has made just such a proposal, based on his analyses. That is, he has developed a mathematical theory for what he calls "dissipative structures" in fluids, in which a high flow of energy through an open system (with consequent high energy dissipation) somehow generates a higher degree of order in that system, even in the midst of an over-all increase of entropy. This suggestion has been eagerly appropriated by evolutionists, since it seems to give them a slight ray of hope that the Second Law of Thermodynamics may not preclude evolution after all. However, Prigogine himself has acknowledged that his actual data had no direct confirmation from living systems at all, so that his ideas on the origin of life and on evolution in general, are mere speculations at this time. Prigogine's theory is couched in highly mathematical terminology and is difficult to follow in detail. Qualitatively, however, he speaks of "order through fluctuations" in systems "far from equilibrium," systems in which unusually chaotic conditions somehow may result in structures of higher order in small portions of those systems. (For a brief rebuttal of Prigogine's theories as a basis for evolution, see "Impact" articles 57 and 58, in Actsand Facts for March and April, 1978). This theme occurs with increasing frequency in many diverse fields today. Richard Lewontin, leading population geneticist at Harvard, has rejected the Darwinist concept of struggle and survival, even at the genetic level,12 and M.I.T.'s Noam Chomsky, recognized as the world's foremost linguist, stresses that there is no evolutionary transition between the noises of animals and the speech of humans.13 The current concept of evolution at all levels (human and nonhuman) is, typically, one of large stable populations in which recombination and adaptation normally operate in an egalitarian milieu punctuated at rare intervals in small select groups by rapid evolution to a higher order, probably through large random mutations stimulated by catastrophically changing environments. The amazing aspect of this emerging consensus is that it is not based on any direct scientific evidence, but only on lack of evidence! Since there are no intermediate forms, the reasoning goes, evolution must occur rapidly. All systems tend to become disordered, so higher order must somehow arise out of the chaos of a more rapidly disintegrating system! Where, pray tell, have all the scientists gone? The answer may be that they have gone into politics! Russian-born Ilya Prigogine, for example, now at the University of Texas and the University of Brussels, has made a remarkable leap of faith with his dissipative structure equations and he and his followers are seeking to apply them to problems of social change. Prigogine's work has long been of interest to systems theorists seeking to apply the logic of their fields to global problems. One such scientist is Ervin Laszlo of the United Nations. "What I see Prigogine doing," says Laszlo, "is giving legitimization to the process of evolution—self-organization under conditions of change.… Its analogy to social systems and evolution could be very fruitful.14 Beyond its direct scientific application, Dr. Prigogine's work seems to him to imply a physical principle never fully perceived before—a fundamental impetus inexorably pushing life and humanity to further evolution and complexity, for better or worse, perhaps even against man's will.15 Even more overtly political is the Harvard-M.I.T. group whose spokesmen seem to be Gould and Lewontin. If gradualism is more a product of Western thought than a fact of nature, then we should consider alternative philosophies of change to enlarge our realm of constraining prejudices. In the Soviet Union, for example, scientists are trained with a very different philosophy of change—the so-called dialectical laws, reformulated by Engels from Hegel's philosophy. The dialectical laws are explicitly punctuational.… Eldredge and I were fascinated to learn that more Russian paleontologists support a model very similar to our punctuated equilibria. The connection cannot be accidental.16 Well, he said so himself! Gould is a self-proclaimed Marxist, as are Lewontin and Chomsky, so it is not overly surprising that their concepts of what might be called "revolutionary evolution" coincide with the Marxian dialectic and with Soviet "philosophies of change." Tom Bethel, of Harper's magazine, has written a penetrating analysis of these remarkable recent shifts in evolutionary philosophy. No longer is unrestrained competition, once perceived as beneficial to business production and animal production alike, considered acceptable. We now live in a time when lip service, at least, is paid to notions of collective effort and collective security. One can see why Darwinism would upset the Left.… Evolution was nature's eugenics program. How do you think our Marxist biologists like that idea? They don't like it at all.17 It is interesting that these current criticisms of Darwinism are essentially the same that creationists have been making for years and which evolutionists have, until recently, denied. When the racist, connotations of neo-Darwinism, for example, were pointed out by creationists,18 evolutionists became indignant, but now their own colleagues are making the same charge. These younger evolutionists are even claiming that Darwin himself, as well as the other nineteenth century evolutionists, were politically motivated and were merely forcing their science to support their racial and economic prejudices. They arenow doing the same thing themselves, of course, except that their own prejudices are tied to Karl Marx instead of Adam Smith. The remarkable feature of all this is that, despite all the bitterness with which the two evolutionary camps oppose each other, they are perfectly united in their devotion to evolutionary materialism and their opposition to creationism! The left-wing critique of Darwinism theory has by no means prevailed, but if it should do so, let us also enjoy the fantastic irony that the fundamentalists, who have been trying for more than a hundred years to knock Darwin off his pedestal, without success, will be indebted not to the right-wingers, with whom they have always been aligned, but to biologists whose god is Marx.19 And speaking of irony, please note the quandary faced by evolutionists. The evidences continually cited by creationists have finally been acknowledged and "uniformitarian evolutionism" is being abandoned. The only remaining alternative to creationism is "revolutionary evolutionism," with its magical apparatus of hopeful monsters, big bangs, black holes, dissipative structures, punctuational catastrophes and Marxian dialectic: "Quos Deus vult perdere prius dementat" ("Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.")
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The last few weeks of the semester are always an interesting time. You have everything due at once, which for me has included 4 final projects in one week, and life can get a little crazy. No matter how much you plan out your time and think you’re ready for the grind, things can still […] Time Management. It’s really an art form. This year I became the master of managing my time. It’s something you really need to get the hang of, especially when you start having many commitments above your classes and usual work load. Below I’ve listed 5 tips and tricks to help you better manage your time […] Ah, midterm season; the season ALL students love! This year, my midterm season is particularly interesting because how my schedule worked out, it left me having to write 5 midterms in one week, on top of the 5 projects that were do. This was a great treat, because this week also is my Birthday week! […] If you find yourself like this guy: And you have a dream SO big that you don’t even know where to begin with tackling it, then you have come to the right place, because here are 4 ways to effectively set goals in university! 1. Set SMART Goals! You may or may not have heard […] I have faced many challenges during my transition from high school to university, and I’d like to share some tips and tricks with you. This post is about what I wish I knew before I started studying at university. Rate My Professor IS NOT Always Right! It’s not an unknown fact that student checked ratemyprofessors.com […] A good way to stay on top of assignments and tests is to make good use of time management tips. Time management tips are easily adaptable to any program of study and help sharpen and maintain that ultra precious academic tool, your brain. With the help of these tips you might even have some time […]
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S Slag Plug 74 This S Slag hole has just been shut off with a soft clay plug fitted onto the end of a Dolly bar and pushed into place using a pneumatic ram. The face plate opening of the tap hole is water cooled to keep it from overheating during the tapping operation. Behind the face plate are large silicone carbide inserts capable of withstanding the high temperatures of the molten slag. Unlike the Matte, C Slag, and Blister tapping holes, these S slag holes are much bigger and do not require burning to open unless they're closed for over an hour. They are routinely in constant use, being closed only long enough to change the kress pot, and require only a pneumatic jack hammer to knock out the clay plug to restore flow. Under normal circumstances once the flow is started the molten slag flow will burn the tapping hole completely open on its own.
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Jumping off the commodity dollar rollercoaster Australia is kidding itself if it thinks it can rely on monetary policy to manage growth. Instead, it's time for the lucky country to become the clever one. The rollercoaster ride of our Australian dollar reminds us how crucial it is to our export competitiveness. Our dollar is inextricably linked to commodity prices as well as the interest rate differentials between Australia and other countries. Whether the strong link to commodity prices is technically justified is not the issue – the fact is many large money movers around the globe perceive Australia’s fortunes linked explicitly to the commodity price cycle and therefore sell the Australian dollar when commodity prices are in decline. This is happening now. The lower dollar will alleviate pressures on our exporters; however given its volatility, can our export manufacturing and mining industries rely on the dollar remaining low to justify further investment? And what happens to their investment strategies when the dollar climbs to historically high levels again? It seems our export industries, their profitability, the level of employment and furthermore our country’s prosperity no longer rides on the sheep’s back but largely on the volatile commodity price cycle. So how do we jump off this rollercoaster? The 'liquidity trap' Many economic commentators are currently advocating a massive reduction in interest rates and look to the monetary policy lever of the Reserve Bank to initiate this tactic. Common wisdom is that a lower interest rate will stimulate the economy by lowering the cost of borrowing and this should encourage exporters by lowering their overall costs and render new projects profitable which were previously economically unviable. There is no denying that the Reserve’s monetary easing during the height of the global financial crisis provided some economic stimulus and helped Australia avoid a recession. However when an economy is in a slump and interest rates are very low and close to zero, no matter how much the Reserve reduces the cash rate target, cash stays relatively trapped in financial institutions. This is known as a “liquidity trap” – a concept developed by Keynes where any reduction in interest rates from a position of very low or negative real interest rates does not sufficiently induce companies to borrow and invest in productive projects until the economy recovers and aggregate demand increases. This problem is further compounded when consumer and investor confidence are low. We can therefore say that investment demand is inelastic based on pessimistic expectations. Therefore the question for Australia presently is whether any further reduction in interest rates from an already historical low level will be beneficial. If we take a look at Japan which has had interest rates close to zero for almost 20 years we find that even following the height of the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2007/2008 when the Bank of Japan returned interest rates to zero, there was a negligible impact on loans to the private sector and GDP growth. www.tradingeconomics.com Bank of Japan Furthermore, the US Federal Reserve’s strategy of quantitative easing (QE) following the onset of the GFC has also had a benign effect on credit growth and GDP growth. Instead it seems to have further fuelled the US equity markets where the S&P 500 index has increased by over 100 per cent from 797 in January 2009 to 1669 in May this year. There are also signs that the US housing market is also on the increase. www.tradingeconomics.com US Federal Reserve www.tradingeconomics.com US Federal Reserve www.trading economics.com Bureau of Economic Analysis Therefore we can see how quantitative easing policies have had minimal impact on credit growth of these advanced economies, which are experiencing a combination of recessionary conditions and low interest rate environments. Is this the case for Australia? Since November 2011, the cash rate has declined 2 per cent, from 4.75 per cent to 2.75 per cent. While inflation in Australia is 2.5 per cent, our real rate of interest is a meagre 0.25 per cent – very close to zero. In the meantime credit growth in the business sector measured by the Reserve Bank as a percentage of GDP has in fact been in decline since this period of monetary easing. So how can economists prescribe further monetary easing with this background? www.tradingeconomics.com Reserve Bank of Australia In fact while business credit has been in decline, personal credit has been growing and GDP has been relatively static. Personal credit (excluding home mortgages) is often used for personal consumption, which is a non-productive purpose and does little to improve our export competitiveness. Reserve Bank of Australia www.tradingeconomics.com Australian Bureau of Statistics Therefore the danger in any further stimulatory monetary policy is a re-leveraging of the private sector while the business sector stagnates – the further risk is of a property asset bubble. Keeping our powder dry Are we going to reignite the conditions that brought us to the precipice of the global financial crisis? An additional argument against a massive decrease in interest rates is the notion of keeping one’s powder dry. That is, to reserve any further reductions in interest rates for future crises. Not that the Reserve Bank has much to play with given our low level of real interest rates mentioned previously. So what policy levers are left? It seems the government can play a major role here. Australia’s problem is related to its international competitiveness. If we wish to generate sustainable prosperity, a priority should be to diversify our export revenues away from the resources industry. The only problem with this idea is that we are a high-wage country and generally uncompetitive in many traditional manufacturing industries when competing with countries like China and India. One solution is to foster innovative industries based on technology, innovation and know-how. This requires industries which can develop products and services which cannot be easily replicated. This means we grow businesses in industries with high technological barriers to entry. Government could direct policy to assist this transition by a variety of means including further research and development incentives for example. Apart from ensuring an industrial relations policy which can mediate in an over inflationary wages culture or traverse a more radical industrial relations reform program using the Netherlands or Irish models, it could offer other fiscal based support. Encouraging productivity This support should be targeted towards innovation and technology-based industries which can offer products or services with significant value add. Profits for businesses offering high value-add products and services would be relatively insulated from foreign exchange shocks such as a major appreciation of the Australian dollar, which could render other industries uncompetitive. The ability to absorb these shocks will protect jobs and help avoid the large bankruptcies this country has been experiencing lately in our manufacturing sector. It seems to me that the place to start is with research and education in our tertiary institutions and research and development laboratories around the country where new ideas and innovation are nurtured and the genesis of new products and services are likely to emerge. What is our government doing in this sector? Well in the most recent budget announcements funding in our tertiary sector was targeted, which is not only short-sighted but contrary to our long term national interest. Any other policy aimed at improving competitiveness should also be encouraged. This could cover Australia’s ageing infrastructure which over recent years has not kept pace with our production capacity. Here we are referring to transport including rail and road, communication, ports, energy and water supply. Government’s investment in Infrastructure Australia is commendable, however policy initiatives need to accelerate, and funding models need to be refined and implemented without delay to attract necessary funding from private as well as public sources. A closer look at ways to encourage superannuation funds to participate to a greater extent should be expedited for example. Avoid the quick fix Therefore, taking aim at the Reserve Bank for a quick monetary policy fix may not be the best answer. Rather a long hard look at government fiscal policy and strategies, which seems like hard work, may be a better answer. A little more wisdom in fiscal policy, a little less “quick fix” monetarism and a lot more research and education seems right. Australia used to be known as the “lucky country”, a characterisation on which we can no longer rely. With government and industry co-operation, I’m confident we can truly become the “clever country”. Paul Mazzola does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations. 1300 880 160 IMPORTANT: This information has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and you should consider if the information is appropriate for you before making an investment decision. Unless otherwise specifically stated or disclosed (such as the InvestSMART Diversified Portfolios Product Disclosure Statement), neither InvestSMART Financial Services Pty Ltd nor any of its Related Companies make any recommendations as to the merits of any investment opportunity referred to in its emails or its related websites. Product disclosure statements for financial products offered through InvestSMART can be downloaded from this website or obtained by contacting 1300 880 160. You should consider the product disclosure statement before making a decision about the product. All indications of performance returns are historical and can not be relied upon as an indicator for future performance.
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BSA C15 BSA had acquired the Triumph marque at the start of the 1950s and the lightweights towards the end of the decade owed far more to Triumph than to BSA. Chief among them was the 1952 C15 Star. A 250cc fourstroke almost totally derived from the 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub. Even so the new model seemed both up-to-date and sophisticated electrics. As with its Triumph predecessors, the C15 and its derivatives suffered from minor electrical problems, oil leaks and somewhat complicated maintenance routines. But it went well enough and was mainly reliable. The SS80 sports version, which appeared in 1961, was faster, while the 350 version, the B40, offered more power. In the mid 1960s a similar engine layout was seen in the 75cc Beagle and 50cc Ariel Pixie, two fatally flawed attempts by the BSA Group to launch an ultra-lightweight. Over the years there were countless variations on the same theme, including sports and off-road versions, while the basic engine was stretched to 441 and finally 449cc. The enigne even found its way back to Triumph, to power the street scrambler styled singles of the late 1960s. The last of BSA's C15 derivatives was the B50, built until 1973. Even after this, the specialist company CCM of Bolton built their own derivative of the B50 for off-road competition throughout the 1970s. Off-road sport was long a speciality of BSA. In the post-wat era the 350 and 500 Gold Stars had been enormously successful trials and scrable mounts, but the company correctly anticipated the shift towards lighter, more manageable machines. The lightweight, unit-construction C15 offered a great deal of potential and the competition shop soon developed successful works specials ridden by expert rider and BSA employee, Brian Martin. Production versions followed the C15S scrambler and C15T trials machine. Superficially similar to the roadsters there were in fact numerous differences which included frames, wheels and suspension, as well as a host of engine and gear modifications. The competition bikes succeesed famously. On the 441cc derivative, Jeff Smith won the world motocross championship in 1964 and 1965. It was the designers finest hour.
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Seems like the number of courses in St Louis Area has exploded in the last year and more to be put in (hopefully) soon. Thought I would consolidate a list together to show the progress over the years. I think it is very impressive to see how much the sport has grown in our area in terms of the number of courses.Are there any others I may have missed, more detailed or incorrect information below. Or others that may have previous existed and were removed? Any stories of courses that would have been that never were?I think it would be cool to document the history of how disc golf has evolved in the St Louis area. Maybe some of our original players can provide some incite on how thing evolved early on. Dont forget our private courses. There are at least three I can think of within an hour or so drive of St. Louis. Plus you forgot Rollax2,Farmington,Vichy,Springfield Il.,ect are not a long drive from STL.And yes there puppet all 3 gflap listed are closed.Unger-flooding,stolen basketsWashington-was part of ball golf driving range which closed down in early 90s Baptist church- closed after a couple of seasons due to smoking,drinking,&swearing(church folk huh)
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We have a blog challenge over here and a facebook challenge over here. Please pop by for more inspiration. As you like it: Favourite colouring medium and why My favourite colour medium are still my promarkers. I love the way you can get dept by shading from dark to light and it feels very relaxing to sit with my favourite markers and colour. tirsdag 14. mars 2017 Time for a new challenge over at Lemon Shortbread today. I am slightly late with my post today, just needed to work some too!! Here goes though. As usual the theme is Anything Goes and the winner gets 3 fab images of choice from the fab store. Here's my project for the challenge: and a little closer for details: My recipe: white bazill DP from Studio Line Ribbons from syash flowers from Petal Lu Sentiment from Bildmålarna and LOTV walnut stain D.I Go Kreate Oak Fairy coloured with promarkers and graph its. Details will be in tomorrow. Now I hope I've inspired you to have a look into our challenge blog to see what my teamies have been up to.
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Pink Floyd Play Mirror Toy Pink Floyd play mirror: Capturing the imagery of four of the band’s most enduring albumcovers, this mirror is the consummate Pink Floyd collection piece and toy. It combines images from The Wall, Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals, and Atom Heart Mother to create an interactive and engaging infant/toddler toy.
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Novel related: Well, I was disappointed to learn that my novel did not make it into the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough novel Award. Still, I’m very proud it made it into the octofinals. I plan to start up a spring/summer promotion campaign soon. Will let you know the details. Lunch at an organic gourmet cafe on Seneca Lake. Wine from winery down the road. FLX-related Did you know there are two new trails in the Finger Lakes Wine Region? They don’t involve wineries, that is, directly. One is the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail that consists of eight cheese producers. The selection is wonderful, from traditional cheddars to goat cheese to herb-infused. The other is the Seneca Lake Cuisine Trail where organic meals inspired by the local wines are often on the menu. These trails, in fact, are actually not that far off from the story line in my novel. I’ve sampled from both, and must give thumbs up for regional, organic foods. My novel takes place in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country in upstate New York. Today, Finger Lakes Wine Country released a FREE iPhone app that can be your official guide to this beautiful region. The app includes suggestions on how to explore the Finger Lakes with links to Wineries, Accommodations, Dining and Things to Do. It includes maps of the wineries, reviews and related Twitter updates. The app is available NOW at Apple’s app store. Applications tailored to BlackBerry and other mobile devices will be released soon, according to the press release. If you’ve enjoyed my novel, there’s no better way to celebrate completing it than spending a lazy day exploring the Finger Lakes and trying to find locations in the story. Be sure to quench your thirst with a glass of fine FLX wine. By the way, May is Riesling Month. Search the app for more info… Hmm, perhaps you can even find Loughmare Winery on this app… ;^) In today’s Finger Lakes Times, reporter Amanda Folts writes that an astounding 33 wineries have opened in New York in the last seven months alone! Her article provides some interesting statistics: Winery Creation in New York State • 4 opened before 1900 • 7 between 1900 and 1960 • 13 in the 1970s • 40 in the 1980s • 49 in the 1990s • 160 so far this decade, with 33 in the last 7 months As Folts quotes one winemaker in her article, “‘[The] increase in wineries is going to give this area a critical mass that it really needs,’ said Gene Pierce, owner of Glenora Wine Cellars in Dundee and Knapp Winery in Romulus.” You can now pre-order autographed copies of A Sudden Gift of Fate before the book launch at RiverRead Books on Nov. 1. Call them at 607 217-7292 to place your order and tell them if there is a special inscription you would like. The books can be picked up during the launch, from 2-5 p.m., or after. Keep watching the events page for the latest information. The book has already made its way across the country to Montana, California, North Carolina as well as here in New York. Hope the story continues to have “legs,” just like a glass of fine wine. Thanks to the FLX wine Twitter community, you can watch videos of this year’s grape harvest and crushing, have questions answered by winemakers and learn about special events celebrating the start of the ’09 vintage. Here’s a cool video from Red Newt Cellars on the East Side of Seneca Lake (called the Banana Belt for its warmer microclimate). They’re crushing green cabernet franc grapes for verjus, an acidic juice used in salad dressings. These green grapes were culled to let the vines focus on ripening the rest of them for wine production. Normally these would be trimmed off and left to rot. This same crushing method will be used for the wine grapes. To follow FLX harvest updates on Twitter, follow @flxcrush. Winemakers will be answering your Q&As on Twitter weekly too. Here’s the current schedule: $20 Available NOW at my e-store (Amazon.com),Amazon.com;Barnes & Noble;Powell's Books What readers are saying: "This endearing foursome, that so many readers of the first book fell in love with, face new challenges with Irish wit and a generally upbeat outlook on life. They're a group of friends that anyone would want to hang out with." "After finishing it, I kept thinking of the characters and wondered how they were doing. I had to remind myself they weren't real and had to let them go..." "I couldn't put it down." "Pure dead brilliant!" The Prequel The story Irish couple Fergal and Brídgeen Griffin get an intriguing wedding gift: the chance to manage a Finger Lakes winery. When they move to Keuka Lake from Queens, see the rundown winery and meet its surly winemaker, they realize it will be quite a challenge getting from grapevine to bottle. Meanwhile their friends Maeve and Andy face a challenge of their own, separation as he pursues experimental therapy for his paraplegia. As the two couples face the challenges ahead, will they be able to keep hope alive?
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Document Title: Alaskans are "Pulling Together" AUTHOR(S): Dennis R. Lassuy VOLUME:32ISSUE:2PAGES:20 - 21 PUBLICATION DATE: March 2007 ABSTRACT: When we hear about "invaders," we often imagine the danger these interlopers pose is obvious and immediate. However, newly introduced species may not become invasive for decades after they arrive. In 1993, biologist W.R. Courtenay warned that "every introduction must be viewed as a potential biological "time bomb" waiting to explode at some future time." That same year, a national review of invasive species risks and management approaches (OTA 1993) added that "rapid response is essential."
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Blue Tit Apron Tit-tastic! It's a Blue Tit Apron! We're claiming this as possibly the cutest/boldest apron we've ever seen. This Apron features a bigger than life-size Blue Tit (not difficult, they're tiny) nestled in a swathe of flowers. Our bird themed aprons are made for us by our friends at My Gifts Trade and are durable, bright, incredibly practical and totally birdacious. Blue Tit Apron Regular price £20.00 Blue Tit Apron Regular price £20.00 Quantity Regular price £20.00 Tit-tastic! It's a Blue Tit Apron! We're claiming this as possibly the cutest/boldest apron we've ever seen. This Apron features a bigger than life-size Blue Tit (not difficult, they're tiny) nestled in a swathe of flowers. Our bird themed aprons are made for us by our friends at My Gifts Trade and are durable, bright, incredibly practical and totally birdacious.
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I am converting some numbers using Javascript and need to filter a list using these conversions. I cannot do the conversions within SharePoint itself, so I had to use Designer and some Javascript. I need to use the end variable, compare, in the filter criteria of my Data View Web Part. I do not currently have it as a return value, but if needed, I can make the Javascript function return it. How do I reference this variable in my Filter Criteria?
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Jersey Shore Returns Menacing Dennis to Sprinting It's a Monster, fresh off a two-length victory in the June 10 Oh Say Stakes at Delaware Park, is favored for Thursday's Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park. Seven horses are slated to contest the six-furlong race. The Oh Say Stakes was run at the same conditions as the Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup--six furlongs on the dirt. Boston Common, who is among the entrant's for Thursday's race, finished third to It's a Monster in the Oh Say. Ben Perkins Jr. trains It's a Monster for Eb Novak's New Farm. Expected to challenge him is Menacing Dennis, who has made his last three starts in races longer than a mile. "It's going to be exciting," said the gelding's owner, Dennis Narlinger. "I'm looking forward to him dropping back to a sprint. I wanted to give him a shot against the best, in a classic race, going long. But the experiment is over." Menacing Dennis third in the nice-furlong Snow Chief Stakes in California in April, then ran unplaced in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). Menacing Dennis was fourth in his last start, the 8 1/2-furlong Leonard Richards Stakes at Delaware Park on June 8. The field for the July 4 Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes, run at six furlongs, $100,000 race for 3-year-olds.
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Media and Journalism Awards: Oct. 5 Edition Here’s a list of current media and journalism awards, including deadlines for applying. If we’re missing any major awards, please contact Mark Glaser at mark [at] mediashift [dot] org, and we’ll add them to the list. Any featured awards are paid sponsorships. Award descriptions are excerpts, edited for length and clarity. OCTOBER 2017 DEADLINES Big Sky Documentary Film Festival The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival premiers non-fiction film in the American West. Screenings take place annually in February in Missoula, Montana. The competitive event is open to non-fiction films and videos of all genres, subject matter, lengths and production dates. World and U.S. premiers, classics, rare and experimental works will be shown during the festival. Awards and cash prizes will be given in multiple categories. There are reduced entry fees for entries received by the early and regular deadlines.Deadlines: Oct. 6, 2017 Hearst Journalism Awards Program – Feature Writing William Randolph Hearst Foundation The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to provide support, encouragement, and assistance to journalism education at the college and university level. The program awards scholarships to students for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, with matching grants to the students’ schools. The feature writing category is open to color or mood articles covering news, business, feature or entertainment, as opposed to conventional news stories or personality profiles.Deadline: Oct. 31, 2017 NOVEMBER 2017 DEADLINES Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public To recognize, encourage and stimulate outstanding reporting directly to the public, which materially increases the public’s knowledge and understanding of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields. Work may have been disseminated through the press, radio, television, films, the lecture platform, books, or pamphlets for the lay public. Applications must include formal nomination and optional support forms, publications and patent list, and biographical sketch or curriculum vitae. Winner receives $5,000, a medallion with a presentation box, and a certificate. Up to $2,500 for travel expenses to the meeting at which the award will be presented will be reimbursed. The medallion will be presented during the award address.Deadline:Nov 1, 2017 New Media Film Festival Awards For years, The New Media Film Festival has led the way in the pursuit of stories worth telling, the exploration of new media technologies, boundary pushing resulting in new distribution models and creating and establishing new methodologies in the global monetization of content. A total of $45,000 in awards will be given out.Deadline: Nov. 3 (regular); Jan. 3 (late); April 25 (final) JANUARY 2018 & BEYOND DEADLINES LIU Post Best of High School Journalism Awards The LIU Post Best of High School Journalism Awards recognizes the best in high school journalism. High school students or their faculty advisors may enter their best published or broadcast news stories to be considered.Deadline: Jan. 5, 2018 Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing AwardSince 1960, Ball State University’s Department of Journalism has presented a national journalism award for writing excellence. Outstanding achievements in print journalism have been honored including reporting, writing, and investigative reporting.Deadline: Jan. 5, 2018 ROLLING DEADLINES Kim Wall Memorial Grant The Kim Wall Memorial Grant is named after Kim Wall, a journalist who was tragically killed in August 2017 while on assignment. The grant will fund a female reporter to cover subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” DEADLINES DOWN THE LINE Asian Digital Media Awards World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers The awards honor Asian publishers that have excelled in their digital offerings. Middle East Digital Media Awards World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers The awards honor Middle Eastern publishers that have excelled in their digital offerings. The Bookmarks Awards Digital Media and Marketing Association The Bookmarks Awards, based in South Africa, honor excellence in digital work, from websites, app development and games to multimedia and digital journalism. The Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism InitiativeMoment Magazine is launching a fellowship to support reporters pursuing investigative stories that address anti-Semitism, anti-Israel and other prejudices that threaten Jewish rights to dignity and self-determination. One grantee will be awarded $10,000 USD. Applicants will need to make the case for how their proposal addresses problems of anti-Semitism or anti-Israel prejudice in a new way or concentrates on an under-reported aspect of this issue. The Cabot Prizes The Columbia Journalism Awards The prizes recognize a distinguished body of work that has contributed to Inter-American understanding. Mark of Excellence Awards Society of Professional Journalists The Mark of Excellence Awards honors the best in collegiate journalism. Judged at the regional and national level, the annual competition offers 51 categories in newspapers, magazines, photography, radio, television and online journalism. Charlie Ericksen Internship Supplement The NAHJ Washington, D.C. awards one internship supplement, named after Hispanic Link News Service Founder Charlie Ericksen, to a student who is interning at a Washington D.C. Area news outlet. Tribeca Snapchat Shorts The Tribeca Film Festival and Snap Inc. are excited to bring back Tribeca Snapchat Shorts, now an official Festival category, created in an effort to discover visionary artists in the mobile space. This new category provides the perfect opportunity for people who are passionate about Snapchat and narrative storytelling to present their mastery of the smallest screen. The Festival and Snap Inc. are excited to support the next generation of storytellers and promote creativity on Snapchat. New America Award The Society of Professional Journalists’ New America Award honors public service journalism that explores and exposes an issue of importance to immigrant or ethnic communities currently living in the United States. IWMF African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative The IWMF designed the African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative to support journalists committed to pursuing stories that go beyond the well-established path of political instability, armed conflicts, and humanitarian crisis in the region. NYU Journalism Reporting Award The Reporting Award provides support of up to $12,500 for a work of journalism in any medium on significant underreported subjects in the public interest. In establishing the award, the Carter Journalism Institute’s faculty cited the need for encouraging enterprise journalism during a time of extensive layoffs and budget cuts throughout the journalism industry. Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative to Expose Prejudice DPIJI provides grants to journalists ages 22 to 38 to research and write in-depth stories about a modern manifestation of anti-Semitism or any other deeply ingrained prejudice. Each year, Moment—with the help of an advisory board of journalists—selects one DPIJI Fellow, who receives $5,000 ($2,500 upfront and $2,500 upon publication) to produce a story. IWMF Awards The fight for media freedom has never been more critical. For 28 years, the IWMF has been highlighting the work of brave women journalists and honoring their contributions to press freedom around the world. Join the IWMF this year in recognizing essential and diverse voices by submitting a nomination for the Courage in Journalism. Data Journalism Awards The awards are an international contest recognizing outstanding work in data journalism worldwide. Inge Morath Award The Magnum Foundation and the Inge Morath Foundation are pleased to announce the 16th annual Inge Morath Award, a $5,000 grant given to a female photographer under the age of 30 to support the completion of a long-term documentary project. One Awardee and up to two finalists are selected by a jury composed of Magnum photographers, the Executive Director of the Magnum Foundation, and Inge Morath Foundation. The John B. Oakes Award The John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism, which carries a $5,000 prize, is given annually for news reporting that makes an exceptional contribution to the public’s understanding of environmental issues. The award was founded in 1993 by family, friends and colleagues of Oakes (1913-2001), who was an environmental journalism pioneer and an editorial writer for The New York Times. John Chancellor Award The John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism, founded in 1995, is presented each year to a reporter with courage and integrity for cumulative professional accomplishments. The prize honors the legacy of pioneering television correspondent and longtime NBC News anchor John Chancellor. Global Shining Light Award Every two years, the Global Investigative Journalism Network presents the Global Shining Light Award, a unique award which honors investigative journalism in a developing or transitioning country, done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions. NAHJ Ñ Awards Six awards will be presented within the Print/Digital, Television, Photography and Radio categories. There will also be two Vanguard Awards – The Al Neuharth Award for Investigative Journalism and the NAHJ Elaine Rivera Civil Rights & Social Justice Award. National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame Award Do you know someone who is making a difference for Latinos in journalism? Someone who’s coverage of the Latino community goes beyond the who, what, when, where and how? Maybe you know an educator who is grooming young Latino journalists into future stars? Kurt Schork Awards in International JournalismSince its inception in 2002, the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund has sought to support those journalists Kurt most admired, the freelancers and local reporters whose work is often poorly paid, mostly unsung and all too often fraught with danger. Ed Bradley Scholarship Ed Bradley is best known for his award-winning work in 26 years on CBS News’ 60 Minutes and as the first African American White House TV correspondent. Bradley established the Ed Bradley Scholarship in 1994. Since then, 20 young, aspiring journalists have received the award created by the late CBS News and 60 Minutes correspondent. RTDNA Undergraduate Scholarships Scholarships are open to undergraduate students pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism. Winners must be officially enrolled, full-time sophomores, juniors or seniors in good standing when scholarships are awarded for the 2017-2018 academic year. Gli Occhi Della Guerra Gli Occhi Della Guerra is opening its newsroom for those who dream of being a reporter. Contestants will have the chance to present their projects that they have never had the chance to develop. A panel of judges comprising of reporters, journalists, photographers will select the best two projects, to which all expenses will be covered and that will be published on the Italian online newspaper www.ilgiornale.it as well as on the website www.gliocchidellaguerra.it. Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment Award From the generosity of the Lewis family, the award is given each year to a student SPJ member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the First Amendment through the field of journalism. The award assists a student with his/her attendance to SPJ’s annual convention. Online Journalism Awards The Online Journalism Awards (OJAs), launched in May 2000, are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism around the world. Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation presents the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award to honor a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. TruthBuzz: The Viral Fact-Checking ContestTruthBuzz, a new contest from the International Center for Journalists and the Craig Newmark Foundation, wants to encourage the viral spread of verified facts across cyberspace.The top three winners will receive cash prizes of US$10,000, US$5,000 and US$2,500, respectively. Collaborative Reporting Project Open CallSix reporting projects will be selected to win a $7,000 grant through the Collaborative Reporting Project. The Center for Cooperative Media is interested in hearing from local news outlets across the U.S., and are particularly interested in projects that include collaboration with technologists. The proposals should include original reporting. Heroes of the 50 States: The State Government Hall of Fame Annually, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Freedom of Information Coalition recognizes such an individual — someone whose service, accomplishments and contributions have left a legacy at the state and local level. Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability The National Center on Disability and Journalism is now accepting entries for the 2017 Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, the only journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage. Journalists working in digital, print and broadcast media are eligible to enter. Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award The Thomson Foundation, in partnership with the UK Foreign Press Association (FPA), is inviting young journalists from around the world to submit their most compelling stories. Now leading into its fifth year, the Young Journalist Award is Thomson Foundation’s annual journalism competition, dedicated to finding and inspiring ambitious and emerging journalistic talent from across the globe. UN Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UNDP/GEF Small Grant Programme have teamed again with tveto launch a video competition for the best youth climate projects happening around the globe. Send an inspiring video diary, a maximum of three minutes long. North American Digital Media Awards These awards, presented by WAN-IFRA, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, recognize publishers who have adopted digital media and mobile strategies as part of their total product offering to meet the major changes in how people consume news and information today. PILOT Innovation Challenge PILOT is calling on all entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and creative thinkers to submit their ideas for accelerating broadcast innovation in the PILOT Innovation Challenge. The challenge question: How might local television and radio broadcasters engage their communities with next generation content on any device, whether big, small or moving? Bianca Fortis is the associate editor at MediaShift, a founding member of the Transborder Media storytelling collective and a social media consultant. Follow her on Twitter @biancafortis. Bianca Fortis :Bianca Fortis is an independent journalist and social media consultant based in New York City. Her work has been published in newspapers throughout the country. She was a recipient of the 2011 Scripps Howard Foundation’s Semester in Washington Fellowship and won the 2013 I.F. Stone Award for Emerging Journalists through the Nation Institute. She is a founding member of the Transborder Media storytelling collective. Follow her on Twitter @biancafortis.
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3256 W 22nd Avenue, Vancouver Listing #: R2269215 It doesn’t get any better than this! A perfect combination of city and nature lifestyle at your doorsteps. Situated on a flat 48.2 X 122.19 lot with a view of snowcapped North Shore mountains and city views, this property offers great potential for investors, whether you plan on holding or rebuilding in the future. Taking a morning stroll through your backyard to the Valdez Park or spending the afternoon exploring the cafes, restaurants and shops along Dunbar street. This residence offers two bedroom up and a one bedroom suite in the lower level which is currently being rented for $3500 a month. This location can’t be beat! Catchment area of highly sought after Lord Kitchener Elementary and Prince of Wales Secondary. Disclaimer: The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the MLS Reciprocity program of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS Reciprocity logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Mortgage Calculator For new mortgages, if the downpayment or equity is less then 20% of the purchase price, the amortization cannot exceed 25 years and the maximum purchase price must be less than $1,000,000. Sutton Group-West Coast Realty - 100-889 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver BC | sitemap | privacy policy | designed by saundra and powered by pixilink NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in part on data generated by the Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board or Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.
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hey guys and girls 🙂 i made a Turtorial for you , how to make house music 😉 So i made a song and you can see how it works^^ i explain something 😉 give you some tipps and jeah.. i hope you can learn something and the funny thing is, that i made this song in just 42 minutes 😀 my new record!!^^ So if you like the song and the tutorial..pls rate „i like“ and write comments for questions or something else 😉 So i make 4 parts 😉 ABONNIERT MICH!! XD SUBSCRIBE ME !!! XD ———Contact.——– ——————————- [-) – — icQ: 241890054 [-) – — MsN: [email protected] [-) – — SkyPe: clemensjed [-) – — Steam: cr33p718 [-) – — Esl: esl.eu/de/player/4461497/ [-) – — em@il: [email protected] — Jihhaa XD [-) – — youtube.com/user/KyyCrocker — Commets!! Subscribe!! 😀 [-) – — facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000599743548&ref=profile [-) – — myspace.com/511732589 — Become a Fan!! =) [-) – — Trackmania: clemensjed1337 — Hihi „I like“! 🙂 taho.ws Download the project and the whole video (22 min). In this tutorial we go over the midi and audio functions in Ableton Live 7. We create a progressive house song (Deadmau5 style to get the most of you excited) using the Minimoog V from Arturia. The link to the trial version of the synth is provided in the link zip below. You can download the project and the full video at taho.ws Hi, this is a song, which I made last year. It´s without a video, because now (in Germany) it is 6 am and I´m sitting on my laptop. I´m not in the mood for „go to my pc, and take a video and bla bla bla“ XD.
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My Eagles are on a high but Emerick is entitled to feel hard done by It looks like being a busy World Cup for the lawyers. As chief executive of Rugby USA, I was there when we opened the disciplinary panel hearings in Paris yesterday after Paul Emerick, arguably our best player, was cited for his tackle on Olly Barkley. His five-week ban would put him out of the tournament altogether but we have 48 hours to consider an appeal - and I can tell you now that that's what we intend to do. As we were leaving, the England captain, Phil Vickery, and his lawyer, Richard Smith, were just arriving to appear before Professor Lorne Crerar, after also being cited following the Lens match by the commissioner, Steven Hines. Whatever Mr Hines found on the video certainly seemed in conflict with my impressions at the time. The referee Jonathan Kaplan missed Vickery's trip-cum-kick during the match and said Emerick's offence was worth a yellow card, something he stuck by yesterday. In the Premiership, the Heineken Cup and most Test matches the same would probably be true and that would have gone for Vickery's lunge which seemed more the product of a big man in a hurry wrong-footed by Emerick's sidestep. From my time coaching Vickery at Kingsholm I know enough about the Raging Bull to know that an intentional trip would be as foreign to him as it would be to 99.9% of rugby players. After the match, Barkley argued the same lack of intent by Emerick, saying there was no suggestion that he was driven into the ground: quite the opposite, in fact, and he said the tackle probably looked worse than it was and that he was, in part, to blame. The professor saw it otherwise He said there was a deliberate tipping motion in the tackle and downward force and that only Emerick's previous good record and remorse saved him from the 10-week sentence that spear-tackling can attract. I know all about spear tackles, from personal experience, and this definitely wasn't one of them. As I say, we will appeal, but tonight in Montpellier against Tonga we will be without a centre who not only has the experience of 26 caps but is one of only a handful of seasoned professionals in the Eagles squad. Coming on top of other issues, it's hard to take. Just four days after holding the world champions to 28-10 we play a side we think we can beat in Tonga, but one still fresh as a daisy and ready for their first outing. In other parts of the forest the scheduling has caused issues and I believe Japan and Argentina have questioned the regularity with which they get little rest in the opening rounds. In fact John Kirwan, the Japan coach, said he put out an understrength side against Australia on Saturday to hold something back for his big game - against Fiji in Toulouse today. It's a route we chose not to go down. As Peter Thorburn, coach of the USA Eagles and a New Zealander like Kirwan, said when he announced our team to play England, that we felt an obligation to the tournament. Mind you, I think the tournament also has an obligation to all the teams in the competition and not just the big boys, who seem guaranteed the best part of a week's rest time between their games. That said, we are still very happy to be here, as anyone who has come into contact with the Eagles will confirm. Lille in the build-up to Lens was great, meeting up with scores of friends and former colleagues from England, and feeling real warmth from a region not known for loving rugby. Lens, not France's most picturesque town and a football stronghold, was even better. The guys were really up for the game, as England found out, although I have to question the way they went about the tactical task of beating us. That high lasted through the game - which ended with English fans cheering for the Eagles - and the curtailed post-match celebrations, the press conferences and the television interviews, and was still obvious as we pulled into Lyon at midnight. Since then Lyon has treated us like royalty, as well as the Argentinians who are also in town. The facilities are top-class and thanks to the TGV we seem to manage all the travel without being too tired. It is just unfortunate Emerick had to make yesterday's extra excursion to Paris and the disciplinary hearing.
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New GCSE grading system will increase pressure on pupils, says headmistress The new GCSE grading system will put more pressure on young people to gain top marks, according to a leading headmistress. Caroline Jordan, president of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), said she was concerned that the change - particularly the new top grade for the highest performers - will have a negative impact on youngsters "with a tendency towards perfectionism". Under major exam reforms, A*-G grades are being replaced with numerical 1-9 grading - with 9 the highest result. The proportion of teenagers gaining at least a grade 7 is expected to be broadly similar to the proportion that would be expected to get an A* or A under the current system. Around 20% of all results at 7 or above will be given a grade 9, exams regulator Ofqual has said - meaning it will be awarded to the very top performers. In her speech to the GSA's annual conference, Ms Jordan, who is also headmistress of Headington School, Oxford, said: "The pressures on pupils today are enormous and the statistics on mental health must not be swept under the carpet. "It worries me that the movement away from alphabetical grades at GCSE to numerical grades, and particularly the controversial grade 9, will place even more pressure on young people. "Indeed, it seems certain that it will do just that, when you consider that the new grade 9 will be awarded to only 20% of those who would have achieved A* to A under the existing system. "It's right that we have rigour. It's not right that we make our children ill in the process. "I am worried for all those pupils with a tendency towards perfectionism, many of whom we know to be girls. "Many of us are spending significant time introducing our highly aspirational parents to the reality that only the brightest of the bright will achieve grade 9 and helping them to understand that the days of all bright pupils getting 10 A*s are over. Ten grade 9s really will be exceptional." She added: "Thankfully, girls' schools have the luxury of being able to design their entire pastoral and academic support around the needs of girls, so I know that we are well placed to manage the impact of grade 9 and encourage our pupils away from 'achievement at any cost'. "Let's make sure we carry on helping them to maintain a sensible balance between study, extra-curricular pursuits, family time and time for themselves. "It's good to aim high but students must also be realistic about results. That's why initiatives such as Little Miss Perfect at Oxford High School are so important, giving girls the strong message that it's okay not to be perfect all the time. "Failure can be as valuable a learning experience as success." Revamped GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths were introduced into England's schools in September last year and the first exams, with the new grading system, will take place next summer. New GCSEs in other subjects are currently being brought in over a number of years. A Department for Education spokesman said: "Our reforms have actually reduced exam pressure by scrapping January modules and removing resits from league tables so pupils have at least two full years of study before sitting an exam, rather than a constant treadmill of revision and testing. "Our GCSE reforms will make them gold-standard qualifications matching the best education systems in the world and allow young people to compete in an increasingly global workplace." An Ofqual spokesman said: "We understand that students will always want to strive to do the best they can, whatever grade they are targeting. "We adopted the new GCSE 9 to 1 grading system following public consultation in part to help employers and those in higher education better differentiate between pupil performance. "The change will mean about 5% of pupils will get a grade 9 on average across all GCSE subjects in future, compared with about 8% who get A* grades today." Let us send you our Newsletter Our editors will email you a roundup of their favourite stories from across AOL
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My musings, reflections on life here in Shiloh, Israel. Original, personal, spiritual and political. Peace, security and Israeli sovereignty. While not a "group blog," Shiloh Musings includes the voices of other Jews in The Land of Israel. **Copyright(C)BatyaMedad ** For permission to use these in publications of any sort, please contact me directly. Private accredited distribution encouraged. Thank you. JBlog Carnival Updates, HH, KCC & JPIX Monday, April 7, 2014 Are The American Pressured "Peace" sic Talks Really Kaput? Our security here in the Land of Israel declines with every "peace" sic agreement. Soon after the 1967 Six Days War, Israeli (and all) Jews could visit, wander, shop freely and safely in Arab towns, villages and cities all over. But since there's a very strange perverse meaning of "peace" going on here, the aim of international "mediators" and Israeli Leftists has been to establish an apartheid system that severely restricts Jewish access and involvement in any locale that has Arabs. Sorry, Charley, but that isn't true peace. We had peace when the Arabs in the summer of 1967 admitted defeat, but instead of Israel making that surrender unconditional and permanent, successive governments have worked outrageously hard to invent a new Arab leadership and identity to be our "peace partner." All this has done for us Jewish Israelis has been to encourage Arab terrorism against Jews and destabilize the area. The world, which is for whatever reason innately antisemitic has been pushing this "peace process" for over forty years, and Israeli leaders, starving for love and allies, keep on cooperating. Of course the Arabs just claim to cooperate. They hold out for more and more concessions which keep on weakening and endangering Israel. The Israeli "red line" keeps on moving Left and has almost moved totally off the chart. Just now, there is talk in Israel of ceasing these negotiations, most recently mediated/orchestrated by United States Secretary of State John Kerry. I wish I could be confident that the talks for a "deal" will really end. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doesn't really have the guts to do it. "The crisis continues. During the whole meeting, the Israelis threatened the Palestinians and no solution to the crisis was found," AFP quoted a Palestinian official as saying. The remarks came after US envoy Martin Indyk met with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israel’s negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, in hopes of finding a way to break the impasse. (Jerusalem Post) I don't know what it will take, besides an out and out war. And even if that happens, which will be very brutal and deadly, I don't know if Israeli leadership will be willing to admit that it was caused by the weakness they have been displaying for decades in their quest for peace at any price. Peace can't be bought, nor can it be negotiated! There can only be peace, true peace, when the aggressors have a total change of aims and want peace. GPO Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made the following remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting: "In recent months the State of Israel has conducted negotiations with the Palestinians in order to reach a peace agreement. Israelis expect peace, a genuine peace, in which our vital national interests are assured, with security first and foremost. During these talks we carried out difficult steps and showed a willingness to continue implementing moves that were not easy, in the coming months as well, in order to create a framework that would allow for putting an end to the conflict between us. Just as we were about to enter into that framework for the continuation of the negotiations, Abu Mazen hastened to declare that he is not prepared even to discuss recognizing Israel as the national state of the Jewish People, which we have made clear to both the President of the United States and to other world leaders as well. To my regret as we reached the moment before agreeing on the continuation of the talks, the Palestinian leadership hastened to unilaterally request to accede to 14 international treaties. Thus the Palestinians substantially violated the understandings that were reached with American involvement. The Palestinians' threats to appeal to the UN will not affect us. The Palestinians have much to lose by this unilateral move. They will achieve a state only by direct negotiations, not by empty statements and not by unilateral moves. These will only push a peace agreement farther away and unilateral steps on their part will be met with unilateral steps on our part. We are ready to continue the talks but not at any price." Did Bibi get it right or is he just posturing as part of his negotiations stance?
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Goleta Depot Project (thru 11/19/1981) The images in this gallery document the Goleta Depot preservation project up to and including the moving of the landmark building to Lake Los Carneros County Park on Nov. 18-19, 1981. A companion gallery covers the remainder of the Depot Project, following the relocation until the building was reopened in October 1982.
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Dear Millennials, This Is How We Can Beat AI And Keep Our Jobs Warpath Strategy On The Workplace of the Future In 2013, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne, Faculty at the University of Oxford, published a report titled ‘The Future of Employment’. The study presented in the report examined the susceptibility of 702 varied occupations to computerisation. According to their estimates, about 47% of employment is at risk of disappearing as the fourth industrial revolution of new technologies, digital solutions, internet of things, artificial intelligence takes over. The new revolution will create a world where major production will be done by synchronized machines — artificially intelligent machines, which are capable of computing and using large amounts of data and information faster and more efficiently than humans can. As with all previous revolutions, while the change heralds a better standard of living; it will also bring with it tough times for the ones who experience it without the needed skills to contribute value to the new economy. The fourth industrial revolution, if not managed well, is likely to increase the wage gap between men and women, innovators and safe players, educated and semi-literate people. It could create a scenario where the top 1% wealthy ones of the world get richer, more powerful, and the poor ones get poorer. Many of the jobs that exist now will be gone in the next few years; that’s fact. What we can do in the meantime, is start to prepare for the industrial change. Through Artificial Intelligence, machines and systems learn to reason and connect dots like human beings, using historical data and predictive human behaviour that train algorithms. The algorithms and software are trained to perform complex work efficiently in the shortest possible time frames which is quite a tempting proposition for business owners and companies – the employers. For business owners, artificial intelligence and new technologies like Work Fusion’s present the opportunity to cut cost, time and eliminate human error. The more democratised the technology, the lower the barriers of access to it, and the more people are able to adopt it. For Millennials and Generation Z (people born between 1995 and the 2000s), this presents a greater challenge of adaptation and preparation for an inevitable future. Millennials now experience a workplace largely divergent from what Generation X and Baby Boomers experienced because of the fast-paced technological progression. The workplace of old used to be more demanding of physical presence and clocked hours, but that is not the case now. A millennial can work from anywhere in the world as long as they have a laptop, Internet connection and the smarts to put the two together. In the coming years, millennials will also have to adjust like the previous generations did. The carpet we stand upon is being pulled out from under our feet and we must be ready to hop on the next one. Millennials will see certain kinds of jobs gradually phased out of the workplace, and even now, that is happening already. According to a 2016 Deloitte Insight Report, the legal profession will experience “profound reforms” within the next few years, 39% of jobs in that sector will very likely be automated. The report also highlights the year 2020 as the “tipping point”. A McKinsey & Company report estimates that “automation could raise productivity growth globally by 0.8 to 1.4 percent annually”, considering that steam engines raised global productivity levels by 0.3 annually between 1850 and 1910. So, what do we do about all this? How do we get ready for a workplace of the future that is substantially different from the one we have now? According to Martin Ford, author of Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, the most secure jobs are those that “involve genuine creativity, such as being an artist, being a scientist, developing a new business strategy.” These are the qualities millennials should be looking to focus on with their careers. ‘The Future of Employment’ report states that jobs that include perception and manipulation tasks, creative intelligence tasks, and social intelligence tasks are not susceptible to computerisation. The ability to navigate complex human interaction, the ability to combine unfamiliar concepts to create new ideas, the ability to perform social tasks such as negotiation, persuasion, and care for others are skills that AI machines will find extremely difficult to eliminate. The future of work belongs to people who have mastered soft skills, people who know how to navigate human interactions expertly, people who know how to think for themselves and think creatively, people who understand the value of other people. Those are the ones that will survive and thrive in the workplace of the future. One way to get ahead of the curve is to take advantage of online resources that demystify how Artificial Intelligence impacts the way enterprises operate. An example is WorkFusion’s ‘Forecasting the Future of Enterprise AI’ webinar. You will be introduced to concepts that help you understand how AI advancements will benefit you as an employee, individual, small business owner or rising professional. The future is uncertain, but it really belongs to the bold and curious. There’s no better way to prepare for the future than learning all about it. Fashion Meets Technology Fashion Meets Technology: In this interview with 25-year old Ghanaian designer, Chloe Asaam, we learn that you can wear your Instagram account and sell it too! Watch and learn 👇🏽#Fashion #Tech #Africa #BarCodes Useful WhatsApp Tricks You Never Knew #bitnode #whatsapphacks #whatsappAlthough many are on it, few are those who actually know the many tricks they can perform on the app to make their experience quite awesome. Here are some useful tricks on the App you probably didn’t know.
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Pharmacy sued in connection to alleged dosage error It is very important for pharmacies to act properly when it comes to filling prescriptions. This includes making sure that any prescriptions that they fill are filled in the correct dosage. Dosage errors when it comes to prescription medications can cause great harm to an individual. Dosage errors can sometimes even put a person's life at risk. Thus, one hopes that all pharmacies and pharmacists make sure to not engage in negligence which could cause dosage errors or other harmful prescription errors to occur. Recently, a case has arisen regarding an alleged dosage error. The case involves a pharmacy in Illinois. Reportedly, in July 2012, the parents of a minor child went to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled for the child. The prescription was for the medication Dapsone. The child's parents allege that the prescription was mistakenly filled with pills that were four times the dosage of the pills the prescription was supposed to be filled with. The minor child reportedly took these too-high-of-dosage pills for a week. The child's parents claim that taking too high of a dose of the medication caused the child to face life-threatening complications and has had a variety of other significant negative impacts on the child. In connection to these allegations, a lawsuit has been brought in a court in Illinois against the pharmacy and a pharmacist by the child's parents. Damages are being sought in this lawsuit. One wonders what will happen in this prescription negligence case and how it will ultimately be resolved. The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form. Wocl Leydon, LLC is a law firm experienced in handling wrongful death, medical malpractice, auto accidents, fall down claims, nursing home negligence and abuse, car crash and motor vehicle collision lawsuits. The personal injury trial lawyers handle cases throughout Fairfield County. If you have been seriously injured in Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, or anywhere in Connecticut, please call one of our litigation attorneys at 203-333-3339, or email the firm to schedule a free consultation. The sooner you arrange a free consultation with us, the sooner you will understand all of the options available to you. Contact us today to receive information and advice directly from our experienced attorneys.
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before By Jay Stringer This is one of those 'clip show' type entries into DSD canon. I posted this story once before on my defunct noir blog. It's the end of a bank holiday weekend over here and I've been doing about a million things. Thought I'd kick back and show you an older story of mine. My voice has moved past this point, and there are things I'm tempted to change. But it's fun to look back. In fact, that's sneaking some merit into this; a good way to remind yourself sometimes of how much you've learned is to look back at old work. Some days you just can't lift that imaginary pen, and you feel like you have no talent. Pull out a story you wrote a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. Chances are, you'll find something in it that you really like, and find inspiration from it. You'll also probably find a lot of bits that you would do differently now, and that reminds you how much progress you've made. Try it. Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before. Paul had long gotten out of the habit of looking up every time a customer walked in through the door. The novelty soon wears off, and you come to the realisation that Angelina Jolie isn’t going to walk in and smile. The top ten of the FBI’s most wanted is not going to take at seat at the bar and order a whiskey. So the stranger was at the bar before Paul paid him any mind. “A shot, please,” the guy spoke in an accent free voice. He was smoking a cigarette and sat slumped forward on his stool. “Problems?” Said Paul. “You could say that. I’m the Devil.” Paul took that in his stride. You heard everything working in a bar. Once, a guy told him he was Mickey Mouse in a previous life. The major supposition there being that Mickey was dead. “Cool,”said Paul, “Can you turn me some water into wine, I mean if its no trouble.” “No. That was Jesus.” “Okay then, a lesser miracle, can you get Wolves promoted?” “I’m really not about miracles, i'm more into the dammed.” “Oh, you’re a punk then?” “Yeah, I was the very first.” “Okay, you’re the Devil then, for the sake of argument, what’s wrong?” “And I bet you hate that. Being an okay kind of guy totally fucks with your job, I suppose.” “Not really. It I was never really a bad guy, that was never the idea. It started with original sin, and went downhill from there.” “No kidding, that’s just what the Bible says too.” “No, no. Be grateful. I’m branded as evil simply because I’m the only honest voice you’ll ever hear. I gave you people choice.” “Get over yourself. You gave us an apple.” “Don’t push me Paul, I know what you did in the summer of 1989, just a bit of extra cash, maybe, but it stains.” Realising he’d never told this guy his name, Paul decided maybe it was best to find something else to do, something else that involves standing two feet further down the bar. He walked away and began loading the dishwasher, one eye on the television, sky sports news updating the evenings European cup results. The Devil didn’t take the hint, and didn’t seem to see the extra two feet’s distance as an obstacle to conversation. “You see, the problem inherent in the whole system is you guys.” “What?” “Well, Demons, they are generally inclined to do bad things. And the Angels, they are generally required to do good things. But you want something really evil doing, something that was truly born in the dark heart of madness, you need a human. Humans can come up with things I could never dream of.” “You mean Like Hitler?” “No, I mean like Walt Disney. That mouse is fucking evil. There’s something in his eyes, it gives me the creeps’. “But I thought Mickey was dead.” “The mouse isn’t dead. He’s just sitting and watching. He’s waiting.” “Have you thought about talking to God about this little mid-life crisis?” “Seriously, you ever tried talking to her? There’s not a lot of two way conversation goes on there.” “Not even for you?” “Especially not for me, she hates me. It’s a thing.” “Well, you did lead a rebellion.” “No I fucking didn’t. That’s just all her friends talking for her, giving me a bad name. What I did, I cheated on her.” “You and God were a couple?” “Too fucking right we were. Then, well, in the days before, there was nothing to do, really, and there were all these seraphim floating round, and looking all angelic…” “You cheated on god?” “And boy have I paid for it. I’m stuck down here with you lot, who are far worse than I ever was. And you know what? She created you in my image. Damned to spend eternity surrounded with copies of myself, to be reminded what a shit I am.” “So that’s it. The whole thing. The hole point to life, for us, is a break up” “And doesn’t that explain a lot for you? Your whole constant feeling of missing something. The slight uneasy notion that you are really just a bit of a shit?” “You’ve got an answer for everything, haven’t you? Some witty line for all occasions.” “That’s the point, of course I have.” “That’s impossible. Not every question can be answered, can’t be done.” “I’m living proof.” “I tell you, I can come up with a question you can’t answer, I bet you.” “Bet?” “Yeah, sure, why not.” “You know my price.” The devil pulled out another cigarette, already lit. “I can do it, no hassle” “I mean, think about it first, I’ve heard everything.” “No, lets do it, I bet you, and when I win, you’ll make it so I own this bar.” “That’s it? All of time and space, all of creation, all the money in the world, and the sum total of your ambition is to own this bar?” “Yes” “Not even, like cbgb’s? studio 54? The viper room?” “Nah, this place will do me”. They shook hands. Paul noting how the Devils palm was warm. “Okay, here we go. You ready?” “I can’t wait.” Paul cleared his throat. “Why?” “Is that your question? Seriously?” “Yeah.” Paul not feeling so good now. “I mean, when I said ‘i’ve heard everything’, that included debated with sixth form students and drunks underneath the expressway."
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2019 Goats League - Climb 28- Col de Vars (South) Ride opens for attempts at midnight 7th July 2019, and closes on Midnight on the 1st September 2019, ride must be completed within that window for it to count otherwise you get the time of the slowest rider plus 5%. Making 33 appearances in le Tour since Philippe Thys first crossed it in 1922, you'll 'll be tackling the 16.84Km 821m ascent from La Condamine-Chatelard. Just to let you all know, this weekend is my annual Piss Up In A Brewery weekend, so don't expect any miracles !!!! . A whole weekend of drinking beer, burning meat on fire, and making beer, in the deepest darkest Essex. Just to let you all know, this weekend is my annual Piss Up In A Brewery weekend, so don't expect any miracles !!!! . A whole weekend of drinking beer, burning meat on fire, and making beer, in the deepest darkest Essex.
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Our Brochures HID Global has announced the latest release of its popular Asure ID® 7 card personalization software suite. The Asure ID platform now supports the writing of multiple physical access control (PACS) SIOs to an iCLASS® Seos® credential. This support for the iCLASS SE® Encoder platform is supported by the following two editions: Asure ID Exchange – Supports inline and desktop CP1000 encoders. When used in conjunction with Live LinkTM, Asure ID can exchange data between external databases in real time. New Asure ID Capabilities Additionally, Asure ID is now even easier to use and has been strengthened with new capabilities and increased user-efficiencies, making an already best-in-class solution even better: Primary Key Flexibility – Enables a user to select the primary key to be used when using Live Link to access an external database. Support the writing of multiple physical access control (PACS) SIOs to assist card migration. The MS Excel import/export tool now enables users to pull data from various Live Linked database connections for submission to HID’s card services program. Improved Oracle, LDAP, Active Directory, and MySQL database performance reducing the time required to retrieve a record in large installations (200k+). The Quick Filter can now be set by the administrator to automatically appear when an operator logs in, to simplifying the data entry experience. When saving a photo to a folder, users can now customize the filename of the photo by using a compound data field to save the image as a friendly name (i.e. JohnDoe345562). Asure ID 7.6 will be publicly made available on April 9, 2015, on www.hidglobal.com. HID Global encourages all current owners of Asure ID to download and install the latest update (Asure ID version 7.6, which is available at no charge to current Asure ID 2009 and Asure ID 7 users. This update can be easily applied from within the application by clicking Options > Resources > Check For Updates.
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The Oregon Education Investment Board is holding community forums throughout Oregon to gather feedback about the Education Funding Team’s “Summary Recommendations to the Governor” and to hear from community members about their priorities for public education. Meetings continue through October, with the last meeting scheduled for November 5th. For a schedule of meetings, go to the OEIB website’s “Public Outreach Meetings.” Input may also be emailed to <[email protected]>. Follow the OEIB on Twitter: @orlearns. I attended and spoke at the October 18th community forum held at the former Marshall High School campus. A short video from Dr. Rudy Crew, Oregon’s Chief Education Officer was shared. Several of his points tie in perfectly with quality school libraries: preparing students for the 21st century and a global world and being literate by grade five. The Education Funding Team’s Powerpoint from the 10/9/12 OEIB meeting was also shared, with “Strategic Investments” in the following areas: Regional “Student Achievement Centers” to develop a representative corps of professional educators Speaker after speaker shared concerns about overly large class sizes and cuts that have been made to important programs, urging the OEIB to help fix the funding issues for public education in Oregon. Oregon Save Our Schools distributed a document comparing “How OEIB wants to spend OUR money vs. How WE want to spend OUR money.” Oregon S.O.S. proposes adding back teachers, counselors and librarians in place of a statewide longitudinal data system and the money required to implement the “strings” of the NCLB waiver. Each speaker was given two minutes, so I shortened what I shared at the OASL conference. Good evening. My name is Jenny Takeda. As Oregon’s District Librarian of the Year, I decided my message about school libraries needed to extend beyond the library community.October is Information Literacy Month in Oregon. With the ever-increasing tsunami of available information online, students now more than ever need to learn how to identify the best information resources, sort through that information, evaluate it for bias and reliability and synthesize it into their own work.Licensed school librarians are trained to equip students with information literacy skills so they can be independent researchers, critical thinkers and effective communicators using a full range of media and technology tools. Unfortunately, due to ongoing school funding constraints, many Oregon schools have lost their school librarian positions over time. According to the 2011 “QEM and Libraries” report published by the State Library, the number of licensed school librarians in Oregon had fallen in 2009 by 61% since 1980 . That percentage is even higher today with cuts to school librarian positions in Salem-Keizer and Beaverton.The “QEM and Libraries” report also outlines the minimum criteria for quality school libraries. These include licensed librarian staffing, library support staff and materials expenditures. Only five of the 1,303 Oregon school libraries in 2009-2010 met these guidelines. When school librarian positions are cut, the teaching of these critical information literacy skills often falls by the wayside because classroom teachers have so many other demands on their instructional time.Our students deserve high-quality school libraries as a piece of the complete educational environment preparing them to become our future doctors, scientists, teachers and community leaders. For more information about how quality school libraries contribute to student achievement, please visit <http://learnforlife.info>. As the OEIB considers Oregon’s vision for public education, please include school libraries in those discussions and call upon experts from the school library field to be part of that visioning process. Thank you. I was honored in August to learn I’d been selected to receive the District Librarian of the Year award from the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) . As I reflected upon this award and the opportunity to share my thoughts with others, I realized I wanted to convey a message about the importance of school libraries and encourage community members to advocate for stable and sufficient funding for public education in Oregon. The following is an excerpt from a speech I presented at the OASL Fall 2012 Conference. I will send this to local newspapers, perhaps in a more brief form as a letter to the editor or guest editorial piece. Oregon’s School Libraries October is Information Literacy Month in Oregon. What is information literacy? It is the ability to find, evaluate, use and produce information effectively and ethically. Why is it important for students to learn these skills? As of June 6th 2012, CNN Money reported that: “The Internet now has 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses.” How many zeroes does that represent? (37 according to a Wolfram Alpha search). With the ever-increasing tsunami of available information, students now more than ever need to learn how to identify the best information resources, sort through that information, evaluate it for bias and reliability and synthesize it into their own work. The following excerpts from the Information Literacy Month proclamation signed by Governor Kitzhaber explain the importance of these skills in education and in the workforce: “Individuals who are comfortable working with the information resources available in the digital world are able to seek highly skilled jobs and compete at high levels in the global economy; and “Information literacy is a crucial part of education, and if taught as early as kindergarten, will expose students to analytic and research practices that will better prepare them for changing technologies;” Licensed school librarians are trained to equip students with information literacy skills so they can be independent researchers, critical thinkers and effective communicators using a full range of media and technology tools. Unfortunately, due to ongoing school funding constraints, many Oregon schools have lost their licensed school librarian positions over time. According to the 2011 “QEM and Libraries” report published by the State Library, the number of licensed school librarians in Oregon had fallen in 2009 by 61% since 1980 (from 818 to 319 librarians). That percentage is even higher today with cuts to licensed school librarian positions in Salem-Keizer and Beaverton since that time. This report also outlines the minimum criteria for quality school libraries as defined by the 2008 Quality Education Commission. These criteria include licensed school librarian staffing, school library support staff and school library materials expenditures. Only five of the 1,303 Oregon school libraries in the 2009-2010 school year met these guidelines. When school librarian positions are cut, the teaching of these critical information literacy skills often falls by the wayside because classroom teachers have so many other demands on their instructional time. Last spring a fifth-grade student in Portland spoke during a school board meeting regarding proposed budget cuts and asked “What did we do wrong to deserve this?” Susan Nielsen, Editorial Writer for The Oregonian, followed with a column in which she stated: “My kids don’t deserve this. They deserve a full school year, a full week of Outdoor School and a full platoon of librarians, music teachers and counselors. They deserve the sun and moon and stars, or at least a school with a working drinking fountain.”… “So this week, I’m searching for a more hopeful question for the grown-ups to ask. Instead of, “What did we do wrong to deserve this?” How about, “What can we do differently, today, to improve this?” Educators working in Oregon schools have experienced budget cuts year after year. It’s not about tightening our belts anymore because any “extras” have long since disappeared and there aren’t any notches remaining to tighten. Rather than fall into easy rhetoric about schools not spending money wisely, please commit to spending some time volunteering in schools to experience first-hand how hard teachers and other educators are working to do the very best for students despite making do with less each year. Our students deserve a quality public education. They deserve sufficient and stable funding for public education. They deserve moderate class sizes. They deserve high-quality school libraries as a piece of the complete educational environment preparing them to become our future doctors, scientists, teachers, engineers, and community leaders. I urge parents, grandparents, and community members throughout Oregon to advocate on behalf of students for the full educational experience they all deserve. For more information about how well-funded and staffed school library programs contribute to student achievement and specific examples of high-quality school library programs, please visit <http://learnforlife.info>. This website also includes links to Oregon school library standards for students and citations for sources appearing in this letter.
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Library The Sherman Public Library is the place to educate, excite, entertain and inspire. Research genealogy, plan a vacation, make a career change, learn to read or find yourself in the middle of a great adventure. The Library is the place to discover. You can find just about everything you need to know to succeed in your personal and professional pursuits. To discover the resources and services available to you, we welcome you to come and visit.
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