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The Tale of Two James’s: Why SPECTRE Has Us Seeing Double Among the many existential phrases tossed off in English with European accents in Spectre, the 24th James Bond movie, one haunts me most. Dr. Swann, the beautiful Sorbone-educated purveyor of miracle cures atop the Austrian alps— after being rescued by James Bond, but before having post-violence train sex— at this point in their chaste hotel room, where she prepares to sleep in her white nightgown while he sits guard over her in a reclining wood and leather chair, says to him: “There are two James’s.” Thus arrives the halfway point of no return in the latest James Bond entry, when the beautifully shot, surreal fever-dream about the ultimate man’s man’s conquests of landscapes, bodies, and death itself becomes a scattered mash-up of older movie plots. The first James floats effortlessly through a swarming Day of the Dead crowd after dancing down a falling building; he speeds through Rome in his grey Austin Martin, pursued by a bad guy who looks like Popeye’s Bluto, all the while chatting on his cell phone with Moneypenny, who stands in her kitchen with last night’s hookup snoring from her bedroom; he flirts with every man and woman who crosses his path (men with names like M, Q, and C; women like tragic Italian divas, a briefly introduced and abandoned Latina actress who needs her own movie, and Dr. Swann herself— daughter of a fallen SPECTRE accomplice). I like this first James very much. He reminds me of me in every dream I’ve had where I’m that amazing. Then there’s the other James. He’s the one gratuitously flying a stolen airplane down onto the jeeps in which Dr. Swann has been taken hostage (for the first of many times), somehow managing to kill only bad guys and not her in the process. He’s the one trapped in the sinister chair of tiny brain drills by the man who will become the basis for Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil in a post-post-modernist origin of an origin’s origin story. Later, Second James runs through a building trying to save Dr. Swann (kidnapped again) before the building blows up in 3 minutes. On the surface, the two James’s sound very similar. But this other Bond, who really emerges about the time Bond flies that airplane’s wings off, then skis it down a mountain into all those jeeps—which is actually before he is told by Dr. Swann that he is a double of himself— has already been hitched to a machine called contrivance that consciously links absolutely everything that’s ever happened to him to what’s happening here, fabricates a lasting love interest out of the thin Austrian air, and generally bogs down visual poetry with the prosaic justification for it. It’s also a tale of two Spectres: the ghostly spectre of our primal connection to a man who has a license to kill and the crass and cynical SPECTRE, which banks on our nostalgia for short sadists who pet white cats while torturing adopted brothers. It’s been done and now we’re just wallowing in the aftermath. Watch James walk through the building most likely to be blown up in 3 minutes, passing several Scotch-taped pictures of actors from the past three Bond films who have met their respective makers by fire, by water, by sunshine, by high ordeal, and all the other lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s “Who by Fire?” (which I would suggest replace the forgettable Sam Smith theme song that swims over the Octopussied title sequence). Don’t get me wrong; I like the emotionally vulnerable, soulful yet animalistic Bond with the troubled orphan past. I got into James Bond again after a long hiatus of being disinterested between The Living Daylights (which I liked) and Casino Royale (which I loved). As a nearly lifelong James Bond-head who first experienced Bond when my father read me a heavily expurgated version of Ian Fleming’s Live and Let Die, who shortly thereafter wore out the 20 Years of James Bond Themes record album, who dressed up like James Bond in a thrift store sports coat stuffed with spy gear, who returned to read all the books on my own the summer before Middle School, who kept a finger on the pulse of Bond through his various incarnations up until the aforementioned Bond burnout, I went into Spectre with not so much high or low expectations, but in religious observance. I had found my Bond faith again with Casino Royale, which captured the essence of the book Bond I remembered. Casino Royale was Fleming’s first Bond book, the one that never had a real movie adaptation but finally got a good one, thereby realizing a childhood fantasy of mine. I subsequently went along with the loud confusion of Quantum of Solace and, like most people, found Skyfall to be very satisfying, even in scenes that didn’t satisfy everyone (I liked the siege-scene ending because it felt very true to what I remembered of the books). And so Spectre makes me confront my past, as James Bond is forced to do by his new and old arch-nemesis, the man with the cat. I’m not who I was when I was singing along with “Diamonds Are Forever” in my living room in 1986. I’m not even who I was when I saw Casino Royale in 2006. Maybe this is the halfway point of no return for me, too. There are two James’s in Spectre’s middling middle part. One is living in a painted dream, as much Edward Hopper as Salvador Dali, forever sashaying over rooftops and bedding foreign women with expensive hairdos; the other has been pieced together by too many writers, producers, and executives, the boxed set of Daniel Craig’s Bond Tetralogy assembled, neatly tied up with a blonde, a Blofeld, and an Austin Martin. I would love to end this review with a rousing rendition of “Nobody Does it Better.” But maybe “You Only Live Twice” is more like it. * Rating (one to five whistles, five being the best): Three Whistles * Jim Knable is a playwright, singer-songwriter, and prose writer who has had his plays produced at MCC Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Soho Rep, and various other regional and university companies. His play Spain was included in Smith and Kraus’ Best Plays of 2008 anthology, published by Broadway Play Publishing, and a collection of three of his plays was just published by Samuel French as The Imaginary Plays: SPAIN/SALTIMBANQUES/GREEN MAN. He has written essays, reviews, short stories, and published part of his novel Sons of Dionysus in Frontier Psychiatrist, Newyork.com, and The Brooklyn Rail. His band The Randy Bandits released three albums that are available on iTunes. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and sons. His next projects include a Shaw adaptation to be staged at a kombucha factory in Brooklyn and a podcast of his latest play, The Curse of Atreus, to be produced by 12 Peers Theatre in Pittsburgh. You’ve heard about the bands in your city and the movies playing on your television, but there’s great music, art, fashion and fun to be found the world over. Travel with us and learn about new styles, hot trends and trailblazing ideas, whether it’s an interview from New York, a design from Hong Kong or a movie from Mumbai. This is NewsWhistle, your international passport to the latest news, entertainment and travel stories. See and shop the world!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Do you make New Year's resolutions and find it difficult to sick to them? Fear not you're not alone! I've come up with a fool proof way of achieving your goals for the new year and having fun while you do it!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Studies Show Immigration Reform Could Give a Boost to the Economy Add to the immigration debate following yesterday’s White House meetings a few recently published studies that could prove to be useful in pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. One study shows that comprehensive immigration reform could add $1.5 trillion to the country’s GDP over the next 10 years by increasing consumption and investment. Comprehensive immigration reform, here, is defined as a plan that “creates a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants in the United States and establishes flexible limits on permanent and temporary immigration that respond to changes in U.S. labor demand in the future.” According to this Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center study, comprehensive reform would also boost wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Ides Product Photos I did some product shots for my employer yesterday. We needed a few illustrations of our applications for information handling. The photo I liked best was the one of the web interface on an Ipad. The setup was quite simple; a well lit room supplemented with an external Speedlight control by the built-in camera flash. We hadn’t prepared with a white blanket so the wooden floor got to serve as background. Lesson learnt: always bring a white sheet to a photo shoot! I edited the photos with my usual workflow in Lightroom[1] but pulled a little extra in the control for White. The pad takes up a significant part of the photo and got a bit greyed since cameras wants an average grey value of 25%.[2] The application we produce is mostly used by nuclear power plants and the manufacturing industries, but if you are one of those then I could recommend you to check out MasterConcept at www.imaster.se 🙂 Notes Maybe I’ll make a journal entry about my workflow one day but I won’t bore you with that now. I don’t remember the exact details of this process but the point is that the screen wasn’t showed as white as it actually was. Related About the Author An aspiring photographer and scout. Most of my pictures are taken on scout event or during other kinds of journeys. I've seen a lot of different parts of the world an prefer to document them through the lens of the camera. A Nikon fan who strongly believes that the gear is not what makes the photographer.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
These couplers are useful when mounting a faucet to a flat wall. They have 1/2" FIP connections at the wall. For mounting a clawfoot tub faucet to a flat wall. 1-3/4" long. 1/2" FIP connections at the wall. Sold in pairs. Antique Brass with a Antique... more Great for a tub without a faucet deck, this faucet features an elegant shape and mounts directly to the wall in your bathroom. Wall-mount couplers included. Must be installed with shower riser or hand shower (not included). Polished Brass with a... more This set by Randolph Morris includes everything you need to attach to a clawfoot tub with wall faucet hole drillings; a High Spout clawfoot tub faucet with handshower, Chain and Stopper clawfoot tub drain and supply lines with shut off valves. The... more This elegant wall-mount English faucet is a perfect addition to your clawfoot tub with its wide, stylish spout and cross handles with porcelain insets. Hand shower or riser pipe, sold separately, must be fitted to this faucet. 4-1/2" spout length .... more Finish: Polished Brass Kingston Brass Vintage Wall MountClawfoot Tub Filler This riser is designed to be used with clawfoot tub faucets that have rear mounted outlets. Please note this riser provides minimal height increase, make sure to confirm spout... more Bring the essence of old world charm into your bath with this tub filler and shower system. Featuring ceramic disc cartridges, handshower and lever handles. A style that will last for generations to come. Color: Brass. more Finish: Polished Chrome Kingston Brass Vintage Wall MountClawfoot Tub Filler This riser is designed to be used with clawfoot tub faucets that have rear mounted outlets. Please note this riser provides minimal height increase, make sure to confirm... more Bring a modern style with a nostalgic feel to your claw foot tub with this faucet. Featuring an elegant wide spout, this faucet will look great in any bathtub. Solid brass construction for durability and reliability and a hand held shower. Color:... more Bring the essence of Old World Charm into your bath with this Tub Filler and Shower System. Featuring a code approved spout, Handshower, Ceramic Disc Cartridges and Hot and Cold Porcelain Lever Handles. A style that will last for generations to come.... more Bring a touch of Old World elegance to your home with the Miya Cast Iron Roll-Top Clawfoot Tub. A deep well and rolled rim on this classic freestanding tub make it perfect for leaning back and luxuriously soaking. 54" Dimensions: 54-1/4" L x 30" W x... more Bring traditional style to the smallest of baths with the Rayne Acrylic Clawfoot Roll-Top Tub on Ball and Claw Feet. It features an elegantly sloped backrest and sits upon ball and claw feet, which feature built-in adjusters to adapt to uneven... more The Electronic Faucet by T&S Brass: Stop the flood of those high cost water bills with this motion sensor faucet. The T & S automatic faucet has a convenient 4 C.C. mounting shanks for easy deck mounting. With an AC/DC control module, this sensor... more Add bold, contemporary style to your bathroom with the Pure Square wall mounted tub shower mixer faucet, which features a brushed nickel finish. Made from solid brass this tub shower mixer faucet has an easy to operate single lever handle that controls... more " 2" Service Bar Rail Brass (00-866/2) Service Rail with Wall Flanges. Fittings are supplied with self-drilling self-tapping hardware. Mount brackets to stud in wall Consult local codes for rail height and other requiments. Lead time: 3-5 business days... more Stores are responsible for providing Bizrate with correct and current prices. Sales taxes and shipping costs are estimates; please check store for exact amounts. Product specifications are obtained from merchants or third parties. Although we make every effort to present accurate information, Bizrate is not responsible for inaccuracies. We encourage you to notify us of any discrepancies by clicking here. Store ratings and product reviews are submitted by online shoppers; they do not reflect our opinions and we have no responsibility for their content.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
As students progress in the major, some discover an exceptional interest in a particular topic – and a desire to extend their learning through independent research and internships. Often, an internship will lead to an independent research project. Selection for internships is competitive, requiring a 3.0 GPA and a rank in the top 40% militarily. Nominations are reviewed by the Dean of Academics and the Commandant of Cadets. Internships Summer training is an integral part of an Academy education. MES majors have a unique opportunity to spend six weeks during their 1/c (senior) summer working with a field supervisor at an agency or institution conducting research. Sample summer internships are listed below. This list changes from year to year. International Ice Patrol (IIP): Gain first-hand experience in the IIP mission and in operational oceanography as part of a Coast Guard Ice Reconnaissance Detachment, serving both in the Operations Center and conducting oceanographic research aboard ship. Marine Safety Laboratories (MSL): Use the latest analytical instrumentation to characterize oil spills, learning the specifics of how spill cases are processed, screening some of the actual cases and working on independent research and development for real Coast Guard issues. National Data Buoy Center (NDBC): Participate first-hand in oceanographic and meteorological research alongside Coast Guard professionals, while learning the mission of the NDBC. Projects may include: design, testing and/or maintenance of weather and oceanographic instrumentation and buoys used throughout the maritime community collection, analysis, and dissemination of weather data from these buoys/instruments National Weather Service (NWS) in Taunton, Mass.: See the inner workings of the National Weather Service and work with NWS personnel on local forecasts, broadcasts and warnings/watches, as well as a number of on-going research projects related to maritime weather.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
RUTH SUNDERLAND: It's time to bridge the great pay gulf The figures this week showing that real wages are now rising at their fastest pace since the autumn of 2007 were greeted with delight. It is true that one of the final missing pieces of the recovery jigsaw has at last fallen into place, but much of the improvement was down to ultra-low inflation, which already is picking up again. Average earnings, at just over £27,000, are hardly lavish and remain £30 a week lower than their pre-crisis peak, according to the Resolution Foundation. Pay gulf: The average FTSE 100 boss was paid 149 times as much as an average employee last year One category of employee has been immune from the wage stagnation – those at the very top. At this year’s round of annual meetings, the focus of pay protests had shifted to questions about the gulf between the boardroom and the rest. Take a look at the pay ratio and it is obvious why. The average FTSE 100 chief executive was paid 149 times as much as an average employee last year, up from 47 times in 1998. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the management guru Peter Drucker supported a maximum ratio of 20- or 25-to-1. That kind of measure has been left far behind, even by firms that do try to maintain a sense of equilibrium such as John Lewis, which caps CEO pay at 75 times, and TSB with a 65-to-1 ratio. Does it matter that chief executive pay is increasingly detached from everyone else’s? Yes, because it makes it harder to create a team culture within a company when a small cadre of directors is breathing different air. Yes, because it is liable to foster resentment, not just among lowly employees on the shop floor but among middle and even senior managers who have been, relatively speaking, left far behind. It is also potentially damaging to business performance if executives become remote and lose touch with customers. John Neill, who created Unipart from the old British Leyland, said: ‘If you can’t understand your customers’ lifestyles, you are lost. It got like that at British Leyland. We used to get a new car delivered every six months, so we forgot what it was like for the ordinary car buyer.’ RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share One of the AGM rows, at Morrisons supermarket, was sparked when the chairman suggested staff in his stores did not need to be paid the Living Wage because they have discount cards giving them 10 per cent off their shopping. Andy Higginson also claimed that even the lowliest checkout operative could aspire to earn as much as chief executive David Potts, who is on a £5million performance-linked package, because the retail chain is a ‘meritocracy’. In fact, employees are unlikely to escape the low-pay trap. Resolution Foundation found that around 20 per cent of UK employees are classed as low paid. Attempts to impose a cap on pay ratios could lead to perverse effects, such as firms sacking their own staff and outsourcing low-paid jobs to make themselves look better. But making companies disclose their pay ratio does make sense. It might even encourage more corporate bosses to follow the example of Sacha Romanovitch, recently appointed the first female chief executive at top accountancy firm Grant Thornton, and a pay-cap pioneer who has set a ceiling of 20 times the average salary for her rewards. Business leaders need to realise that having a large slice of the working population trapped in low pay is not the sign of a healthy economy, any more than executive excess. FCA failings Is City regulator the FCA fit for purpose? It is seen by some of the big firms it regulates as headline-hungry and incompetent. It is also strangely absent from the scene when its services are most needed, such as preventing the disaster that has blown up over the new pension freedoms. The FCA should have taken the initiative to make sure these highly positive reforms introduced by the Chancellor were implemented smoothly. Instead, it left pension firms to their own devices and chaos has blown up in the vacuum. Rather than new freedoms, customers have been alienated and overcharged. The regulator’s inaction has turned the best reform to the pension systems for generations into a shambles. But this is not the first debacle. Martin Wheatley, the chief executive, remains in his post despite a mishandled briefing last year that wiped billions off the shares of insurance companies – an incident that would have landed a private sector boss in the slammer. Abusive traders go unpunished, the disgracefully delayed report into HBOS goes unpublished. John Griffith-Jones, the chairman, also remains in situ despite the blatant conflict of interest that he is a former chairman of KPMG, the auditor that signed off on HBOS and Co-op Bank.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Although advertisements on the web pages may degrade your experience, our business certainly depends on them and we can only keep providing you high-quality research based articles as long as we can display ads on our pages. To view this article, you can disable your ad blocker and refresh this page or simply login. Wish you were one of the world’s highest paid CEOs? As you may have already read on our most stressful jobs list, being a CEO is one of the most demanding professions out there. But in this case, work-related stress surely pays off, as this is one of the highest paid jobs around. We would like to present you with a list of the world’s 20 highest paid CEOs in 2013. The CEOs from the following companies, which range from coffee moguls and news empires to automobile magnates and financial institutions, will cash in a mind-blowing salary by the end of this year. Some CEOs are also paid compensations, according to how well the company fares on the stock market. However, since predicting how a company’s shares will vary for an entire year is an almost impossible feat, we have chosen to rank our CEOs according to their net salary for 2013. The CEO of Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), the computer technology corporation, Larry Ellison has the highest wages for 2013: a “modest” $96.2 million. And that does not even include benefits. At the other end of the spectrum we have Mr. Jeff Inmelt, CEO of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) with an annual salary of “only” $20.5 million. His salary might be less than a third that of Larry Ellison, but we’re pretty sure he is not complaining. Curious to see who else has made the list apart from Ellison and Inmelt? Let’s take a look at the countdown of the highest paid CEOs on the following pages: DOWNLOAD FREE REPORT: Warren Buffett's Best Stock Picks Let Warren Buffett, George Soros, Steve Cohen, and Daniel Loeb WORK FOR YOU. If you want to beat the low cost index funds by 19 percentage points per year, look no further than our monthly newsletter.In this free report you can find an in-depth analysis of the performance of Warren Buffett's entire historical stock picks. We uncovered Warren Buffett's Best Stock Picks and a way to for Buffett to improve his returns by more than 4 percentage points per year. Bonus Biotech Stock Pick: You can also find a detailed bonus biotech stock pick that we expect to return more than 50% within 12 months. Subscribe me to Insider Monkey's Free Daily Newsletter This is a FREE report from Insider Monkey. Credit Card is NOT required. We may use your email to send marketing emails about our services. Click here to read our privacy policy.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
The repair works to the above bridge have been completed and as stated in my report to you dated 29 April 1988 1 herein submit a further report which includes a description of the works carried out and measures taken to accommodate bats and dippers within the structure. Tattynure Bridge is located approximately 6 miles north of Omagh on the C614 route (grid ref: 836795). The Bridge is a 200 year old, 7.5 metre span masonry arch structure across the Cappagh Burn. The Bridge required repairs which included the removal of vegetation, underpinning of the east end of the south abutment, rebuilding several areas of loose masonry, stitching cracks in the arch barrel, pointing joints in the masonry and the injection of cement grout to the entire structure. Repair work commenced in June with the Contractor initially concentrating his efforts on the foundations of the bridge, underpinning to arrest settlement of the east side of the south abutment and also forming a plinth along its entire length. The Contractor then drilled and grouted the foundations and spandrel walls but did not allow grout to rise into the arch of the bridge. When this work was completed the Contractor started to work on the arch. Prior to the commencement of the works consideration was given to methods of preserving the habitat of the bats and dippers within the arch masonry. These methods included the use of inflatable bladders and polystyrene void formers, prefabricated dipper boxes and the fixing of slabs to the soffit of the arch. The following paragraphs show that during the Works much simpler and more practical ideas were adopted and proved to be effective. Immediately before the Contractor started work on the arch of the bridge, Mrs. A Archdale, a local of the area and member of the Northern Ireland Bat Group, circled with paint the holes, cracks and crevices (hereafter known as voids) which she thought were used by the bats and dippers. The timing of the Works, early June to mid—August was fortunate for 2 reasons. Firstly, Tattynure Bridge is used by bats as a roost during Autumn through to Spring and not as a nursery during the summer months so that we could be almost certain that no bats were present. Secondly, the dipper breeding season had just ended and the dippers were using the bridge as a roost only. After Mrs. Archdale had painted the voids we discussed with here which voids we thought could be preserved and which ones would have to be blocked up in order to protect the structural integrity of the bridge. It was also agreed to form additional voids at suitable locations. The Contractor’s main concern was to prevent the inflow of grout to the voids, which were mainly located in a deep (450 mm maximum) diagonal crack, which extended along the arch barrel. He achieved this in 2 ways. Firstly, existing masonry stones adjacent to the voids were removed and set aside. The surfaces of the enlarged voids were then rendered by hand with cement mortar which acted as a sealant. The removed masonry was then rebuilt into the arch in its original position. Secondly, where it proved impractical to remove masonry the voids were filled with twigs, straw and other vegetable matter and this remained in place until the grouting operation was completed. The natural voids preserved were generally around 300 mm long by 25 mm wide by up to 300 mm deep. The additional voids were formed by removing individual stones within the masonry, cutting the stone and replacing it so that an opening 50 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm leading to a larger void behind 150 mm x 100 mm x 150 mm deep was formed. These voids were protected from the inflow of grout as described above by rendering the inside surfaces. In all 7 natural voids were preserved and 2 additional voids formed. The Contractor then inserted 24 stitch bars across the crack in the arch barrel and the entire arch was then pressure pointed and grouted. Approximately 25 tonnes of cement were used in the grouting operation. In addition to the above measures a 600 mm x 600 mm x 12 mm thick cement plasterboard slab was fixed to the crown of the arch soffit and camouflaged with rough dash mortar. The segment shaped void formed by the arch soffit (circumference) and the slab (chord) was left open at one end. The position of the slab relative to the profile of the arch was considered prior to fixing. It was felt that the horizontal orientation of the slab at the crown of the arch would not suit “hanging” bats and that the slab should be fixed in a more vertical position further down the arch profile. However, at Tattynure Bridge flood levels relative to the arch profile determined that the slab should be located at the crown of the arch. In other bridges, where the arch rests on tall abutments, and where flooding is not a problem, it would be practical to fix the slabs in a vertical position. This measure was experimental and intended to accommodate bats only. Mrs. Archdale monitored the activities of the dippers and watched for bats throughout the duration of the Works. In September she reported that the bats had not yet returned to the Bridge but she was hopeful that they would do so next year. The dippers were much more tolerant and roosted in the bridge each night during the Works and have continued to do so. She also reported that they had used some of the new voids. The cost of the additional work necessary to accommodate the bats and dippers at this bridge was £220 and is equivalent to 4% of the total cost of the repairs. In my earlier report I mentioned that I had intended carrying out repairs to Crew Bridge (1-1315845), which required pressure grouting. Originally, Tattynure Bridge was not to be pressure grouted but shortly before the works commenced it was decided to do so which for test purposes obviated the need to pressure grout Crew Bridge.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
..Their unique work structure presents challenges to delivering a program to enhance their health and safety. No randomized controlled trials have assessed the impact of a Total Worker Healthâ„¢ program designed for their needs... ..If developed and shown to be effective, those programmes might better reduce injuries and, in addition, provide life skills that would benefit young female athletes both on and off the playing field... Cross-sectional study of female students reporting anabolic steroid use ..To assess the effects of random drug and alcohol testing (DAT) among high school athletes... A qualitative study of a nutrition working group Geoffrey W GreeneDepartment of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, USAHealth Promot Pract 8:299-306. 2007 .... Definition and outcome of a curriculum to prevent disordered eating and body-shaping drug use Diane L ElliotJ Sch Health 76:67-73. 2006 ..These findings illustrate the utility of a structured process to define curriculum content, and the program's positive results also confirm the sport team's potential as a vehicle to effectively deter health-harming behaviors... Analysis of baseline by treatment interactions in a drug prevention and health promotion program for high school male athletes ..The results of this study suggest that patterns of dietary supplement use are complex and support the use of SDM to identify possible population characteristics for targeted and tailored health communication interventions... Baseline design elements and sample characteristics for seven sites participating in the Nutrition Working Group of the Behavior Change Consortium ..Once the roadmap for translation is established, extending it broadly to the 30,000 fire departments across the U.S. would allow almost $1 billion dollars a year to be saved and channeled into providing other jobs and services. ..	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
West Ham United youngster Dan Potts has inked a one-year contract extension at the club West Ham United defender Dan Potts has signed a one-year contract extension with the Hammers. The 20-year-old's deal also includes the option of a further year, held by the club. Potts has made five Premier League appearances for Sam Allardyce's side and with George McCartney leaving the Boleyn Ground, will be keen to try and make the left-back berth his own next term. Speaking to the club's website, Potts said: "I'm very excited to have signed the new contract. We're into the summer break now and it's good to put pen to paper. "I'm looking forward to pre-season already and can't wait to get back going. Hopefully I can get a good pre-season under my belt and push into the season itself." The Barking-born defender continued: "It's going to be a massive year for me personally. Not only for the club, but also from my point of view it's a big year and I'm hoping to push on this pre-season and force my way into the team. "If I can get into the manager's eyes, hopefully I can be in with a shout going into the first game of the season."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Month / November 2013 We get asked routinely why we use certain special equipment. Good question! Bridle Hackamore Bridles vs. Hackamores: Some horses respond better to pressure on their nose (hackamore) rather than pressure on their mouths (bridle). Also, we may use a hackamore with riders learning how to steer and use the reins correctly, in order to protect the horse’s mouth. Jumpstrap/Neckstrap: The jumpstrap/neckstrap is a tool that is used during classes. When we ask a rider to get up into “two-point”, “jumping position”, or “half-seat position”, the strap helps to maintain balance. In addition, a rider may choose to hold onto the jump strap (rather than the grabstrap on the saddle) when learning how to post – again a way to maintain balance. And when we do have beginner jumpers, it encourages them to hold their hands forward in the correct position. Rider using jumpstrap/neckstrap Rider holding onto horn on western saddle Rider holding onto handlebar Grabstraps, Horns, Centermounts and Handlebars: these are all devices that the rider can hold onto, to maintain balance and to help those with poor core strength. Ladder Reins Ladder Reins: Ladder reins are typically for individuals that only have the use of one arm (amputations, one arm affected by stroke, etc.). It is usually easier to hold on to than tying a knot in the reins and can give the rider greater control. It also allows the rider to adjust the rein length due to the different levels of the hand holds, which you can’t do as easily with just a knot in the reins. The rider can neck rein to direct the horse. Sometimes ladder reins are also used for individuals with fine motor or grasping difficulties. The rider can hold where the bridging strap meets the reins and have greater grasp/control. In this case the rider would be using a direct rein. Rainbow Reins Rainbow Reins: This is a useful tool to help riders have correct placement of their hands, and encourages them to keep the hands in one place on the reins. (You can tell the rider to “keep your hands on green” for instance). Horse with Grass Reins attached Grass Reins: Attached through the bridle and back to the saddle, they limit the horse’s ability to stretch his or her head down to the ground. They should not interfere with regular head and neck movement. These can be useful when walking with a horse out in a field or on a trail. Grass muzzle Muzzles: We use muzzles in two specific situations. One: If we have a horse that has a tendency to reach down strongly to eat grass. The horse may step on a horsehandler’s foot or unseat the rider in the attempt. The muzzle discourages this behavior. Two: If we have a horse starting to develop a nipping habit, perhaps while being mounted or being led. While we work out of class to remove the habit, we will provide a muzzle for both protection of the leader (from a nip) and the horse (from unsafe punishment). We strive to remove the muzzle when we see the nipping behavior subside. Flash correctly placed below the bit A Flash is a leather strap that may used as an alternative to a muzzle. In riding in general, it’s used to maintain proper bit contact with the mouth. Bell boots Bell Boots: These will be used on front hooves for horses that tend to “overreach” – as they trot or canter, their back hooves reach so far forward that they can hit the front hoof. This can either cause damage to the hoof or pull off a shoe. In addition, if a horse is stamping at bugs in the summertime, we may put bell boots on all four feet on to prevent damage to hooves and shoes. Fly Mask Fly Masks, Fly Sheets and Fly Boots keep bugs from irritating the horse. Fly masks help reduce head-tossing behavior, and helps lower the horse’s anxiety about bugs around the face. Fly masks also help prevent spreading disease in the eyes and ears. Fly Sheet Fly sheets are put on horses that have extra sensitivities to bugs, whether it be due to allergies or anxiety. Fly boots help keep the bugs away from the horse’s legs. As always, thanks to our Instructors and Barn Manager for their assistance with this blog.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
He began his 20-minute adventure by throwing jockey Jeremy Rose after his daily workout at Laurel Park. He bolted past a security gate, hung a left on Whiskey Bottom Road, then followed the left-turn arrow (yes, really) onto U.S. 1. He miraculously stayed with the flow of traffic, crossing two county lines before he was finally corralled by jockey Abel Castellano and trainer Charles Frock, who had followed in their cars. His trip lasted 1.6 miles, and he suffered only minor hoof abrasions. Bullet Catcher ran a week later in West Virginia, finishing second. He’d run a total of 14 times after his aborted race to freedom, winning four. Rosenthal retired him when he developed a foot abscess following an April 26 start in which he finished an uncharacteristic ninth. She says she could have sold him to an owner who would’ve raced him at lower-level tracks but feared for his future health. “It was like a sign to me,” she says of the abscess. “These horses give so much to us, and I believe at the end of the day, we have to give back to them.” She’ll always remember Bullet Catcher’s floppy ears, love for peppermints and bold personality. In fact, she says, he also broke free as a yearling and briefly roamed the streets of Chestertown. He avoided traffic mishaps that time as well. A week after the gelding retired, one of Rosenthal’s business partners, Robin Coblyn, took him to her farm in Clarksburg, where she’s easing him into post-racing life and preparing him for adoption. He has switched from a high-carbohydrate, high-protein diet to simple hay. The abscess on his right front hoof is largely healed. Many horses struggle with the easier rhythms of farm life after the intensity of training for races. Not this guy. “He’s such a character,” Coblyn says. “He knows how to relax.” She’s optimistic about finding a good home for Bullet Catcher as a pleasure or dressage horse for a low- to mid-level rider. She says she checks references for any potential owners and asks them to sign a no-auction contract so the horse will have a stable home. Most horses are placed quickly. Coblyn can be reached at [email protected]. “He’s such a sweetheart,” she says. “He should make someone a good forever partner.”	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
I am hoping that some of you can give me your opinions on these two autos I recently acquired. Here is what has me concerned. As you can clearly see there are two distinct autos here. One is signed "Ashly" the other "Ashley". Each card spells her name with the "E". If you look on the Bay most (I would say 90%) of the other autos there also have her signing "Ashly". There are some similarities to the signatures but I have no idea which one is legit or if both are legit. Any ideas? I don't know anyone that misspells their own name beyond kindergarten. Try working with psychotherapists notes. Happens more than you think. That being said, it is my understanding that when Inkworks went under, some unsigned autograph cards made it out into the market. Of course, she may have decided to change how she spells her name, also. Yeah, all of the straight autos I have seen online seem to be misspelled. The auto/mem I see both spellings. Unfortunately there is really no way to verify short of finding her in person and asking her if they are her signature. Too bad Inkworks has been out of business for so long. I can tell you for sure that the same person did not sign those two autographs. I have the same two variations, and if you look at other signed photos of her available online (ashley scott autograph - Google Search) You will see that she always signs with no "e" in Ashley. Not to mention, the bottom one looks more forced, as if it is not a natural signature. The other think I would ask... If we can verifiably tell one of these is a fake is there anything that can be done to recoup the cost from the Bay? I already sent a message to the seller and they basically said that they don't sell fakes and felt that since the card came from Inkworks they guarantee it is authentic. I am not sure what to do here. The other think I would ask... If we can verifiably tell one of these is a fake is there anything that can be done to recoup the cost from the Bay? I already sent a message to the seller and they basically said that they don't sell fakes and felt that since the card came from Inkworks they guarantee it is authentic. I am not sure what to do here. I remember when the product just came out, one of the first things people noticed was the Ashly/Ashley signatures. I don't believe the cards are fake as both versions were being pulled right at release, but... I personally think she may have had an assistant or friend sign some of the cards. I don't know anyone who signs their own name 2 different ways and and the signatures are different enough that it does look like 2 different signers.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Philosothon ProjectOnline application Form for 2019Funding for New Philosothons This subsidy will be available to schools/organisations wanting to host a new Philosothon. Priority will be given to places where there is not already a Philosothon. Please note that this might involve Primary or Secondary Schools. We ask that successful applicants commit to conducting a Philosothon each year for at least two years. Schools in Australasia are encouraged to apply. Over the course of this project the total funding will be $12,000.00 and will involve awards for twelve new Philosothons (@ $1000 per Philosothon). Please note we will also support the process of starting up a Philosothon at your school with various support materials. Name School Role Email Address Phone Number Brief CV of the supervising teacher; Where in Australasia would you want to host a Philosothon? Breakdown of how you intend to use this funding and a brief justification; Please include a rough list of the schools you intend to invite? Please note that in submitting this form you are indicating that you are applying for this funding and are happy to pay for any gap that might apply. This project was made possible through the support of a grant from Templeton Religion Trust.The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton Religion Trust	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Clemson: James Barker Stepping Down After nearly 14 years serving as the 14th president of his alma mater, Clemson University President James F. Barker has announced plans to retire from that position and return to the classroom. “Last week, I asked the board of trustees to begin a search for the 15th president of Clemson University. I have pledged to remain until the new president is on board. I will then begin preparing myself for my next career as a faculty member in the School of Architecture,” he said. “There is never a perfect time for a transition in leadership, but certainly a very good time is when a university is in high demand, able to attract outstanding faculty, staff and students, enjoys strong support from alumni and friends, is financially healthy, and has a strategic plan that is firmly supported by its governing board. That is exactly where Clemson finds itself today,” Barker said. A 1970 Clemson graduate, Barker was named president in 1999 with a mandate to lead Clemson into the top ranks of American universities. At his inaugural address in April 2000, he said: “I am convinced that there is no university in America stronger than Clemson when we are ‘One Clemson.’ A united Clemson is unstoppable.” For his leadership, Barker has received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, and has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, and Mars Hill College. Board Chairman David Wilkins said, “It is difficult to find words to express how much Jim Barker has meant to Clemson University. Clemson is a far better institution today because of his leadership, vision and dedicated service. We know that there is no replacing Jim Barker, only succeeding him.” A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Barker received his bachelor of arts degree from Clemson in 1970 and his master of architecture and urban design degree in 1973 from Washington University in St. Louis, which also recognized him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the Institute for Urban Design. Clemson now ranks among the nation’s top 25 public universities in the US News guide to “America’s Best Colleges” and has been recognized for value, affordability and return on investment by Kiplinger’s, Smart Money and Bloomberg Businessweek magazines. During Barker’s presidency, Clemson has added more than 48,000 alumni, set records for student SAT scores, retention and graduation rates, launched the Academic Success Center and raised more than $1 billion in private funding since 1999. Research expenditures surpassed the $100 million a year mark, and more than 1,400,000 square feet of space has been constructed or renovated, including projects on and off campus. Clemson also launched major economic development initiatives, including the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville, the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston and the Advanced Materials Center in Anderson County. Barker also led Clemson through a period of deep state funding cuts, reducing administrative and staff positions by nearly 12 percent without layoffs. According to metrics established by Bain & Co. Financial Services, Clemson is financially healthier today than before the recession. “It has been a privilege and an honor to serve my alma mater as president for nearly 14 years. I look forward to becoming one of Clemson’s most loyal and active volunteers,” Barker said. -###- Editor’s Note: The above communication is a news release that does not necessarily reflect the editorial position of FITSNews.com. To submit your letter, news release, email blast, media advisory or issues statement for publication, click here).	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Pages Wednesday, November 14, 2012 121114 [News] SNSD Holds First Successful Fan Event in Japan The SNSD members appeared at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo on November 13 where it held its first fan event in Japan since the group’s debut. The fan meet, titled ‘Playing With Girls′ Generation’, was enacted to commemorate the past release of Oh! on September 26, the upcoming release of Flower Power on November 21 as well as the November 28 release of the group’s second full-length Japanese album, Girls′ Generation 2 - Girls and Peace. The SNSD members performed a number of their hits including Gee, Oh!, Flower Power and more in front of a passionate crowd of some 10,000 fans. The fan meet was opened up with a series of cover dances by fans including a ‘Middle-Aged Generation’ comprised of married housewives whose ages averaged 48, a group of kids averaging 8-years old called ‘Kids Generation’, a group of nine men calling themselves ‘Inaho Generation’ and more. The SNSD members expressed their pleasant surprise at their fans’ passion as the members shared they would strive to emulate their fans’ passion. Ahead of the fan meet, SNSD’s official Japanese fan club, ‘SONE Japan’, opened and began services earlier this month. Those who sign up to be members will be given priority to reserve tickets for SNSD’s 2013 SNSD Arena Tour which will kick off in February of 2013.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
James McGovern is an industry thought leader whose focus is on the human aspects of technology around open source, SOA, software security, enterprise architecture and agile software development. The opinions expressed herein may or may not represent my own personal opinions and definitively do not represent my employer's view in any way... Saturday, February 02, 2013 Five Mistakes CIOs make in asking analyst firms to create vendor shortlists... I have lots of friends who are industry analysts and have over time come to appreciate the variety of tactics some use to take money from large enterprises. I am of the belief that if I publicly suggest a better way, that the marketplace for innovation will improve and that the best products/services will thrive... 1. Choosing analysts that have never walked in your shoes: Analysts come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from journalism to consultant to even having been a practitioner in an end-user company. While it is possible for those who are journalists to learn the nuances of products, just like consultants they have never had to live with the choices they have made. 2. Not understanding analyst bias: Many CIOs remain blissfully ignorant as to which vendors purchase services from analyst firms and which vendors choose to skip paying fees. If you are going to trust an analyst firm to help you create a short-list, you should demand that the analyst firm provide full disclosure in this regard. Even after disclosure, you should ask for an even number of choices of vendors that both subscribe to the analyst services as well as a few that do not. 3. Not understanding analyst revenue streams: Some analyst firms have gotten particularly good in helping customers build shortlists. In this scenario, if you are replacing an existing system can you truly trust analyst guidance? Is it in the best interest of the analyst firm to get you to switch to something new where they can create an engagement or to tell you as part of a "seat" that there are ways to achieve your outcome without requiring a rip and replace? 4. Not understanding interoperability: Nowadays, whenever you purchase an enterprise application you will more than likely integrate it with other enterprise products. Having an understanding not just of functionality but system qualities such as the performance or security measures that a vendor took when developing a product will help avoid many headaches down the road. Many analyst methodologies are simply based on anecdotal conversations with marketplace players, industry analyst relations professionals and sending out surveys that almost never ask for any information around performance benchmarking, applicable information security standards, etc. 5. Not understanding integration vendor coupling: Whenever you purchase a product, it will almost always require professional services. It is important to know upfront whether the required consulting services can be delivered by others in the marketplace or solely by the software vendor itself. Not having choice in integrator will most certainly increase the costs of implementation.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Park activation program one of the things being made permanent part of parks and recreation programming Energize Guelph was one of 45 communities in the province funded through the province’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge. The city was given $962,500 over three and a half years for funding for that program, which expired in September of 2018. Energize Guelph had 18 different elements introduced throughout the city, plus workshops and a park activation program that saw city staff engaging neighbourhood children and families with portable equipment and activities in neighbourhood parks. Over 15,000 people took part in the programs. Two vending machines that sold reusable water bottles in recreation centres, quidditch tournaments and paddleboard lessons were among some of the other elements introduced through the program. The park activation program and reusable water bottle vending machines will continue, as will a “give it a try” program for non-traditional parks and rec programming. Mayor Cam Guthrie noted that he would be looking to add two more water bottle vending machines in the upcoming budget. “One of the things Energize Guelph did was it allowed us to take a gamble on things we probably never would have tried otherwise,” said Eric Pool, supervisor of programs and community development in the city’s recreation services, told a city council committee of the whole meeting Monday. Councillor James Gordon told Pool that if there were valuable elements of the program being ended because of fiscal restrictions, it should be brought to council during its budget deliberations. Parks and recreation general manager Heather Flaherty said that the city is going to “do our best” to incorporate things from Energize Guelph into permanent city programming. “We are including portions of this in our everyday recreation offerings,” Flaherty said. Brandon Johnson, executive director of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, praised the program for bringing things to the neighbourhoods. “Really been able to bring programs to the community, meet them where they live, and the programs have been relatively low cost,” Johnson said. He jokingly said that the informality of the park activation events have “tricked” many into trying recreational activities. Johnson said that there were 4,000 unique participants in neighbourhood group events alone. Johnson said there were fiscal and psychological barriers to lower income families participating in many recreational activities and Energize Guelph helped overcome some of those. Glenna Banda, executive director of the Children’s Foundation of Guelph Wellington, told council that Energize Guelph was “a very successful program and something quite unique.” “I do see great benefit with the continuation of Energize Guelph as a brand in this city,” Banda said.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Posts filed under ‘Improvement’ “…This past year, I have achieved something big that I’ve not spoken of until now. Countless hours of physical therapy — and the talents of the medical community — have brought me new movement in my right arm. It’s fractional progress, and it took a long time, but my arm moves when I tell it to. Three years ago, I did not imagine my arm would move again. For so many days, it did not. I did exercise after exercise, day after day, until it did. I’m committed to my rehab and I’m committed to my country, and my resolution, standing with the vast majority of Americans who know we can and must be safer, is to cede no ground to those who would convince us the path is too steep, or we too weak. “ How can we not stay the course? We will continue to advocate for those who need a voice – for the long term. Share this: Like this: The Center for Medicare Advocacy, along with its co-counsel Vermont Legal Aid are pleased that the Settlement Agreement in the Medicare Improvement Standard case, Jimmo v. Sebelius, was approved January 24, 2013 at the conclusion of a scheduled fairness hearing, marking a critical step forward for thousands of beneficiaries nationwide. The plaintiffs joined with the named defendant, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, in asking the federal judge to approve the settlement of the case. With only one written comment received, and no class members appearing at the fairness hearing to question the settlement, Chief Judge Christina Reiss granted the motion to approve the Settlement Agreement on the record, while retaining jurisdiction to enforce the agreement in the future, as requested by the parties. “We are not surprised but are very pleased that the judge ruled the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate,” said Gill Deford, Litigation Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “This moment is a culmination of two years of hard work, in conjunction with partners and advocates, to ensure that those who need health services covered under the Medicare law are not denied based on an illegal, outdated rule of thumb.” With the settlement now officially approved, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is tasked with revising its Medicare Benefit Policy Manual and numerous other policies, guidelines and instructions to ensure that Medicare coverage is available for skilled maintenance services in the home health, nursing home and outpatients settings. CMS must also develop and implement a nationwide education campaign for all who make Medicare determinations to ensure that beneficiaries with chronic conditions are not denied coverage for critical services because their underlying conditions will not improve. “It is important to note that the Settlement Agreement standards for Medicare coverage of skilled maintenance services apply now – while CMS works on policy revisions and its education campaign,” said Judith Stein, Executive Director, Center for Medicare Advocacy. “We’ve been hearing from beneficiaries who are still being denied Medicare coverage based on an Improvement Standard. Coverage should be available now for people who need skilled maintenance care and meet any other qualifying Medicare criteria. This is the law of the land – agreed to by the federal government and approved by the federal judge. We encourage people to appeal should they be denied Medicare for skilled maintenance nursing or therapy because they are not improving.” For people needing assistance with appeals, the Center for Medicare Advocacy has self-help materials available on its website, www.medicareadvocacy.org. This information can help individuals understand proper coverage rules and learn how to contest Medicare denials for outpatient, home health, or skilled nursing facility care. “It is exciting to know that by this time next year, Medicare policies will clearly state that coverage for skilled maintenance nursing and therapy is available, and that a beneficiary’s access to coverage does not depend on the potential for improvement, but rather on the need for skilled care,” continued Stein. Share this: Like this: Few people understand the value of Medicare’s home health coverage. In fact, many people who qualify for Medicare instead pay out-of-pocket, go without needed care, look to Medicaid for payment, or even enter nursing homes unnecessarily. Learn about Medicare home health coverage from nationally known beneficiary advocates. This Wednesday, September 12th! Unknown to most people with Medicare, and contrary to what is often stated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Medicare home health benefit can provide long term coverage for those who qualify. This webinar will help advocates understand the potential of this important coverage so that people with long-term and chronic conditions can obtain the nursing, therapy and home health aide care they need to remain at home. The presenters will explain: Catching these criminals is good news for the federal government, taxpayers, and Medicare beneficiaries – such massive fraud is exactly the type of waste in Medicare that needs to stop. However, as good as this news is for Medicare, we have to ask: how does Medicare pay out hundreds of millions in fraudulent home health claims over half a decade, while denying home health coverage for our 80-year-old client in Maine with paraplegia? Ms. M’s doctors ordered skilled nursing for wound care and physical therapy to maintain her ability to use her wheelchair in her home. She has a legitimate need for home health services, but the only home health agency in her area claims the Medicare agency will charge it with fraud if it bills Medicare, because she won’t improve. This goes directly against the Medicare regulations, which allow for services designed to maintain her level of function. Unfortunately this “Improvement Standard” is so ingrained in Medicare contractors and providers, that providers fear being accused of fraud if they bill for these legitimate services. We are buoyed by the successful investigation by law enforcement in the Texas case. Such victories should leave more money for people like our client, who have legitimate home health needs that are coverable by Medicare. Like this: Plaintiffs have overcome a major hurdle in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Medicare Advocacy and Vermont Legal Aid on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries with long-term and chronic conditions. In a comprehensive 35-page decision, Chief Judge Christina Reiss refused the federal government’s request to throw out a lawsuit that seeks to end use of an illegal Improvement Standard to deny Medicare coverage. The Improvement Standard is a “rule of thumb” that Medicare uses to deny or terminate coverage to beneficiaries whose conditions are not improving. Jimmo v. Sebelius, Civil No. 5:11-CV-17 (D. VT. 10/25/20011). “The Improvement Standard is the most unfair and harmful reason for Medicare denials,” stated Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “It has a particularly devastating effect on patients with chronic conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and paralysis.” The lawsuit, which was filed in January of this year, was brought on behalf of a nationwide class of Medicare beneficiaries by six individual beneficiaries and seven national organizations representing people with chronic conditions. In asking the court to dismiss the case, the government raised several arguments to contend that the court lacked jurisdiction over the plaintiffs’ claims. The government also argued that the plaintiffs failed to state a claim, namely, that there was no proof that the government was even applying such a policy as the Improvement Standard. Judge Reiss rejected that contention. She did agree, however, that the court lacked jurisdiction over one beneficiary plaintiff and one organizational plaintiff, but the case will go forward with the remaining eleven plaintiffs. “This is a great first step for these plaintiffs and for Medicare beneficiaries in general,” remarked Gill Deford, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “The Improvement Standard has been used for over 30 years to deprive hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries of coverage they desperately needed. This decision starts the process of ending that illegal policy.” Share this: Like this: Instead of raising the age of eligibility for Medicare, why don’t we just use Part D as a model and create a new Eligibility Donut Hole? People ages 65 – 69 can keep their eligibility. But, between ages 70 and 85: Into the new Donut Hole. Eligibility for Medicare would end during this time – after all it’s these older people that start getting sick, so it’s the perfect time to stop paying for their health care. The new Donut Hole would save the government a ton of money! Those who do make it through the Eligibility Donut Hole without Medicare, would once again become eligible at age 86. At that point most people only need “comfort measures” and their conditions usually won’t improve, so Medicare wouldn’t pay for their care anyway! If the goal is to save money, a new Medicare Eligibiity Donut Hole is the way to go. Share this: Like this: On January 18th, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, with co-counsel Vermont Legal Aid, filed a national class action law suit in federal district court to eliminate Medicare’s long-standing practice of denying coverage and access to care for people who are not going to improve, or improve sufficiently, or improve quickly enough. This inappropriate “Improvement Standard” keeps people with long-term and chronic conditions from obtaining medically necessary health care and therapeutic services such as nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapy. That is what happened to the lead plaintinff, Glenda Jimmo. Ms. Jimmo, a 71-year-old resident of Vermont, was denied Medicare coverage for home health nursing and aide services on the grounds that she was stable despite the fact that she had diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, on-going circulatory problems, skin lesions, and is legally blind and has a below-the-knee amputation. The lawsuit, Jimmo vs. Sebelius, No. 5:11-cv-17 (D. Vt.), was filed in Vermont federal court on behalf of five individual Medicare beneficiaries from Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine, and five organizations, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Parkinson’s Action Network, Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The federal government has 60 days to file it’s Answer to the lawsuit. Improvement is NOT a legal standard upon which to determine eligibility for Medicare coverage. The Center for Medicare Advocacy hopes the Jimmo case will eliminate this harmful policy and practice once and for all.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
> On another level, as previously mentioned, such kind of option would > mean that we track GPL-ness, while we can't really promise that we can > check the licence of the libraries we are linking with.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
A lovely pair of Next trousers. They are a size 8 petite. They are black and linen blend. Two big pockets on the front. The flaps at the back are false tops of pockets, no actual pockets. They also ha...	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Broken Mitsubishi Television Sets: Repair or Replace? Television sets are important for all homes. Most often than not, it serves as the centerpiece for every living room apart from its entertainment and informative function. Like most machines, television sets sometimes reach problems and breaks down. This could make you face a rather hard decision between having it repaired and buying a new one. For some people who are inclined to the technical area, it would be easy to weigh the options, they would see right through the benefits of repairing the old TV or buying a new set. The average homeowner, on the other hand, would find it difficult to make the decision. Hopefully, this guide could help you make the right decision. Mitsubishi television sets are complex equipment that has many parts and like most machines, it has a lot of things going on which could go wrong in one point in time. First things first, it is important to know the specific problem before coming up with the decision. Financial common sense may dictate that Mitsubishi TV repair is relatively cheaper than buying a new one but this is not always the case. Knowing what is wrong with the equipment is the major aspect that you should look into. The next thing to do is to check whether the TV model still has dedicated parts; most old models may have parts that are already hard to find. Newer models may have more parts available in the market and it would be easier to look for those. Depending on the damage, the life of the TV set is taken into account. It is best to undergo repairs when the damage is very minimal and there is a high possibility that the Mitsubishi TV repair would succeed. But for some equipment that has severe damage and low chances of life, you can opt to pay more for the repairs or replace it with a newer Mitsubishi TV model that is in a cheaper price range. You can see here that your budget dictates what you should do. If you want to revive your TV set, it is best to find a cheap Mitsubishi TV repair shop that offers high quality service for lower price. Knowing the exact problem of the TV is an advantage because you can easily scope out the shops that offer lower prices for the repair of the damage on your Mitsubishi TV. Reach out to some of the repair shops and request a quote for the repair cost. You could also ask them for the address when you think that you have found the best one. Whether you are technically aware or an average homeowner without enough knowledge on the damage, you always have the choice to look up possible solution in the internet. You could search for the TV model and find out new information about the TV, this information could help you determine what decision would be best. For very minimal problems, there are some free repairs available online! Odds are there is some tech savvy person who has had the same problem before and has already found out a solution. For reliable and affordable Mitsubishi TV repair, Richmond TV Repairs is a good place to go to.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Turtle Blogs Login ATTENTION WYANDOTTE CITIZENS! Please contact Dana at the tribal center and update your mailing address today. If you are receiving the tribal newsletter your records are up to date. Information has been mailed out regarding a new supplemental healthcare benefit! Call your family members and have them update their mailing addresses too. Chief Bearskin's ultimate vision was to provide healthcare to all Tribal Citizens. It has taken several years and a lot of work by many people, now through the final efforts of Chief Friend we are seeing Chief Bearskin’s dream become a reality for ALL Tribal Citizens nationwide! What History Says “Of all the savage allies of Great Britain in the West, the Wyandots were the most powerful. This arose not so much from the number of their warriors, as from their superior intelligence. Their long association with the French at Detroit, and, after that post fell into the possession of Great Britain, with its later occupants, had advanced them in many respects over the surrounding nations.” ______ Butterfield, C. W. An Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky Under Col. William Crawford In 1782. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Co, 1873. print. (164-5) Search for: Online Store Your cart is empty Winter Clothing Reimbursement Winter Clothing Gift Card Application Wyandotte History Brochure Are the Wyandotte Huron? Many people ask the question, “Are the Wyandotte Huron?” History states that we are predominately of the Tionontati tribe and the Tionontati were never admitted into the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy; however, we do have connections to the Huron through the Attignawantan who were the founding tribe of the Huron. The Wyandotte Nation consists of remnants of the Tionontati, Attignawantan and Wenrohronon (Wenro), all unique independent tribes, who united in 1649-50 after being defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy. A simple answer to a very complicated question is no, the Wyandotte Nation was not part of the Huron Confederacy proper as the Wyandotte truly didn’t exist until after the fall of the Huron Confederacy. Fitness Center Welcome to Bearskin Fitness Center Thank you for becoming a member of Bearskin Fitness Center. We hope that in the upcoming days that you’ll get a chance to see why so many have chosen Bearskin Fitness Center as their personal fitness center. Making health and fitness a part of your lifestyle can be a difficult task. We are here to make you feel as comfortable as possible, by answering any questions you may have and helping you learn about nutrition and exercise. Be sure to schedule your complimentary appointments for both our tanning and personal training. • If you’ve been inactive for a long time, are overweight, have a high risk of coronary heart disease or some other chronic health problem, see your doctor for a medical evaluation before beginning a physical activity program. • Choose activities that are fun, not exhausting. Add variety. Develop a repertoire of several activities that you can enjoy. That way, exercise will never seem boring or routine. • Wear comfortable, properly fitted footwear and comfortable, loose-fitting clothing appropriate for activity. • Find a convenient time and place to do activities. Try to make it a habit, but be flexible. If you miss an exercise opportunity, work activity into your day another way. • Use music to keep you entertained. • Surround yourself with supportive people. Decide what kind of support you need. Do you want them to remind you to exercise? Ask about your progress? Participate with you regularly or occasionally? Allow you time to exercise by yourself? • Don’t overdo it. Do low to moderate-level activities, especially at first. You can slowly increase the duration and intensity of your activities as you become more fit. Over time, work up to exercising on most days of the week for 30-60 minutes. • Keep a record of your activities. Reward yourself at special milestones. Nothing motivates like success!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
UN leader travels to Pacific to see climate change firsthand May 15, 2019 at 12:53 am Updated May 22, 2019 at 7:18 am In this image made from video, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the Pacific Islands Forum, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in Suva, Fiji. Guterres says he’s traveling to three South Pacific island nations to see the effects of climate change firsthand. Speaking in Fiji at a meeting with officials from the Pacific Islands Forum, the U.N. leader says he wants to learn about the work being undertaken by island communities to bolster resilience. (Fiji Broadcasting via AP) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that he’s traveling to three South Pacific island nations to see the effects of climate change firsthand. Speaking in Fiji, the U.N. leader said he wanted to learn about the work being undertaken by island communities to bolster resilience. He said the Pacific needs stronger international support because climate change is taking place faster than efforts to address it. “The last four years were the hottest on record. The loss of ice in Greenland and Antarctica is accelerating, meaning that sea levels will rise a full meter (over 3 feet) by 2100 if nothing is done to avoid it,” Guterres said. “Here in the Pacific, sea-level rise in some countries is four times greater than the global average and is an existential threat to some island states.” Guterres said island nations should speak out. “As we look ahead, your voices will remain crucial in global negotiations,” he said. “Your experiences underscore the urgency of the threat, and the Pacific has a unique moral authority to speak out. It is time for the world to listen.” Guterres made the comments at a meeting with officials from the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji’s capital. He also plans to visit the island nations of Tuvalu and Vanuatu. His trip comes ahead of the Climate Action Summit that he plans to convene in September in New York. The Seattle Times does not append comment threads to stories from wire services such as the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post or Bloomberg News. Rather, we focus on discussions related to local stories by our own staff. You can read more about our community policies here.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Rank Psychoactives Ok, I am just curious to know the order in which people out there have taken on psychoactives (include whatever you want as part of your list) and also the order that you would recommend taking in order to make each experience a smooth stepping stone to the next. There is a lot of information out there about everything individually but I want to know their relationships and etc. -You could do a simple ranking method (1st, 2nd, 3rd) -You could do a scale method (1-10; 5 stars) -All could use a detailed recount of our involvement Ayahuasca isn’t on the list I posted because it’s just DMT mixed with a naturally-occuring MAOI [common in certain medications] that allows it to be orally active. So, it’s orally-active DMT that lasts with the timeframes of a LSD trip instead of the short immediate otherworld veil of vaporized or intravenous DMT. Since the Harmine, Harmaline, MAOIs of Ayahuasca come from the Yage vine, Banisterous Caapi, I would include it on my list considering that it is also natural, wholesome, shamanic. BUT EVERYONE IN MODERN SOCIETIES SHOULD BE CAREFUL CONSUMING MAOI!!!!!! CAN HAVE DANGEROUS REACTIONS WITH TOXINS OF YOUR UNNATURAL DIETS @nightowl, see I hadn’t really heard that much about DMT so I never had sparked up the interest to go look into it. I have been so packed with information in the now 3 days I’ve been on this site, it’s intense. Anyway, I think I’d opt for the ayahuasca over trying to inject/inhale DMT, just because of preference. Also, though, I like the way that you described the experience of the MAOi versus the abrupt nature of straight DMT. I suppose that I would be willing to try either, but I know that I would have a better go of ingestion. Also, as much as it pains me to admit it, my diet is such that my body is quite used to toxins. It’s the biggest burden I carry, honestly. @biga69, I had a friend of mine tell me his experience, and he said that it was him and a friend. They both were gonna try it, but the first guy took a hit of it and then freaked out and basically ruined the rest of the DMT, saying that no one should ever try this stuff. It seems to me that they also said something about it being DMT with something else, so that I probably accounts for it. Vaporized or intravenous DMT is really the way to go… The trip is FAST, sortof short and intense, but you will NOT reach the capability of experience letting your stomach slowly filter-in the compound. If you have DMT, toke it! You won’t add volatile MAOI, other chemicals, preparations, NASTY taste to your experience and it will pay off more. If you want that sort of trip, although Ayahuasca would be somewhat different than these, Mushrooms are for you. Don’t pass on the opportunity to have the pure DMT experience. TO SMOKE DMT: If you have a vaporizer, use it! Many vapes will not work, since DMT melts to a wax immediately with heat. Most people will have to put it on weed in a bowl. When using a lighter for DMT… DO NOT START OUT BY TOUCHING THE FLAME TO THE DMT! Hold the flame ABOVE the bowl and pull hard on the bowl to pull the flame’s heat thru the dmt. This is for two reasons: One, it avoids pyrolyzing the DMT and destroying much of it. It will melt into the weed, but your first hits will be mostly of DMT, which is the other reason – weed will color the effect and not allow a full pure DMT experience. After the DMT is well-melted into the weed after the first hit or three, go ahead and dig the flame in but not before that point. Hold all hits in as long as you can! TAKE THE THIRD HIT @lytning91, it doesn’t matter if your body is used to those toxins now. With MAOI, your enzyme defenses to those toxins are DISABLED and those toxins will become extra extra toxic. People can commonly go to the hospital and/or die due to this. The way to go is to find out the foods etc. that are extra-toxic with MAOI in the system and avoid them in the week+ before AND after the trip. @nightowl, HOLD ON A MINUTE. You said vaporize??? Everyone I know uses vaporizes for their weed consumption. What sort of specs do you need in order to use a vaporizer with DMT? This totally opens up a MUCH more satisfactory door to using straight DMT for me. Smoking really just isn’t something I can do. I have kinda bad allergies and smoking would probably have me in shambles due to choking etc. I will do more research on MAOi’s while you respond to this and get back to you with what I find Vaporizing is the way to go, but it will still be hot and sortof acrid. Tastes like burning plastic. But it won’t cause allergy issues. You will cough. This is why I believe intravenously is the best way to take it – it’s not coloring the fast effect with distractions. I hate to use the word “crack pipe” but that’s the type of vaporizer you need. A Vapor Genie or something similar is ideal. Vaporizers that have screens for the stuff to sit on-top of will not work because it will fall thru when it melts. That’s the most important thing to keep in mind when trying to see if you can use a vape for it. Don’t let people use a pipe or vape DMT has been smoked in without cleaning it with alcohol etc. The remaining wax in the pipe could catch them by surprise when they clear a bowl. Alright so here’s a few lists I’ll add to this discussion. In order of when they were tried: 1. Alcohol 2. Marijuana 3. Tobacco 4. Mushrooms 5. Pure MDMA 6. DXM 7. Adderall 8. Assorted Opiate Pain Killers 9. Kratom 10. LSD In order of which I would personally rate them, based on experiences I’ve had thus far: 1. Marijuana (all time favorite, its uses are literally unlimited) 2. MDMA (its bliss in powder form) 3. Opiate Painkillers (make you feel so good, I only use them sparingly) 4. Alcohol (always has its place) 5. Mushrooms (only done twice, each time was a cool experience, will increase dose in the future) 6. LSD (also only done twice, but also very cool, and looking to up the dose in the future) 7. DXM (some people don’t like it, but I’ve had no negative experiences. The high can have a tendency to feel “dirty” though) 8. Kratom (just started with it, its very cool but somewhat limited. Great to ease social tension, but nothing much more) 9. Adderall (took to much recreationally and it made me too jittery. very helpful for studying at lower doses, however) 10. Tobacco (used to adore it, then hated it, now its neutral to me. In my opinion, its negative effects always outweigh its positive ones) I’m very experienced with the first four substances on my favorite list, and not so familiar with the bottom six. I’m still looking to for a psychoactive that will really help me understand myself better, and look to delve more into psychedelics in the future. As far as the flow of my use, it seemed natural to me. If anyone has any suggestions on what to try next for further insight, please let me know! Thanks! @biga69, clever observation, if it does actually work. I would think you would need a pretty strong one though to really make the DMT take full effect. As @nightowl was saying, the body is already going to filter the stuff more because of the digestion so to use a weak MAOi might just be a huge waste @lytning91, When you “smoke” DMT you aren’t burning it, it is the vapors of DMT. DMT is a crystalline compound, and you heat it up until it boils, which is… vaporizing it. You can make ayahuasca very easy, just google “mimosa hostilis root bark” and “B. Caapi” or “Harmala”. You mix MHRB (amount varies, if you want a strong trip, just put in a handful) with the B.Caapi (lesser amount) and boil for 12-24 hours in a little lemon juice water. Drink. Be aware though that you need to go on a special diet when ingesting MAOi’s as you can get serotonin syndrome or even death from eating some common foods. I think you’re putting unnecessary stigma on burning it. “Smoking it” in a crack pipe seems gross, but really its not any physically different than vaporizing it with an expensive apparatus. @nightowl, NBoMe compounds are made to completely agonize or antagonize receptors in the brain. They were made by intense research by David Nichols, and are the strongest known to man, in both potency, and dose size. @biga69, for the fullest effect you essentially need a crack pipe, unfortunately. @ijesuschrist, I was inappropriately associating it with the ignition of weed, which releases other toxins. I didn’t stop to think that DMT is DMT is DMT, and therefore the heat really doesn’t matter because only one substance can be released. Basically a face-palm moment for me, so thanks for mentioning that little bit of common sense. Anyway, so DMT is best in some sort of pipe that can just handle it being heated and inhaled. Fair enough. If I still choose to try both, or the ayahuasca method first, I’ll take extreme caution in my diet regarding the MAOi’s. Thanks for that pro tip. And when boiling does the mixture need to be covered and boiling or just allowed to steam and etc.? @ijesuschrist, this sounds like it might turn out to be a flop if something goes wrong. I am sure there are really detailed instructions available somewhere though, unless it really is as simple as letting it boil for a long time. Basically, if I invest in it I just want to be successful. It would suck to go through the trouble of acquiring everything and then screwing up a piece and ruining the whole batch. @lytning91, Ok, psychoactive journey. This should be completed over a span of 1-3 months, depending on your cashitos stash. Abstain from alcohol when you take these drugs, at least two days before, I would recommend a week for the higher doses. Don’t eat too much, but also not too little. A light meal two hours before would be ideal. Weed is fine, but it might be a little intense the first time, so I wouldn’t mix them for a while. 1) A very small amount of acid. Like one or two hits. 2) A very small amount of shrooms. 3) 2C-B, a medium amount. 4) Peyote if you can, if not, a medium amount of shrooms. 5) Medium amount of acid. 6) A pretty high amount of shrooms, not too high, but higher than you took on 4. 7) A pretty high amount of acid. 8) A high amount of 2C-B. 9) A medium amount of shrooms, mixed with a bunch of weed. 10) A medium amount of shrooms, peyote (if you can find it), and acid. @thomaschong, So far I am in-line with this progression. I don’t know the easiest way to procure 2C family members though, so that’s one bump in the road. Same goes with peyote, unless @nightowl was accurate when he said San Pedro was fairly easy to obtain and work with. I found that with Salvia and the two times I’ve tried it it wasn’t as awesome as it’s said to be. The first time I got nothing at all except a nasty taste in my mouth. Then the second I felt fine one second then the next I fell backwards (luckily I was sitting on a bed) then the ceiling started to look like a big giant golden puzzle. Other than that weed is great probably my favourite because it doesn’t make you feel like garbage like booze does. And as for booze… I liked it when I was younger but I just don’t like it at all anymore.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
2010-02-19 Your Toronto Blue Jays signed Jose Molina to a one year non guaranteed contract with a $1.2 million club option for 2011. Molina is owed the league minimum of $400,000 and gets another $400,000 if he makes the Opening Day roster. There may be some performance bonuses in the contract as well, most likely games played or at bats. Jose is the least talented of the three Molina brothers and spent last year with the Evil Empire posting a .217 average, he slugged 1 bomb and had 11 RBI in 52 games. His only homer was a grandslam off Brandon Lyon. The six-foot-two, 235-pound right handed hitting catcher has 8.026 years of major league service time and for his career sports a .235 average with 20 homers and 136 RBI. For a more detailed look of his stats courtesy of Rotobase.com, click here. So what do we do about our 25 Man Roster Challenge? We are 3 / 4 of the way through and no way The Human Rain Delay gets to change his.....I think we need a ruling. Anybody got an ideas? 3 comments: After some discussion, it was determined we will allow everyone an opportunity to change their selection at back up catcher. I feel this is fair and just as the Challenge is not officially on until Rain Delay posts his list. From that point on, any and all signings will have the same effect on the predictions and result in everyone being wrong together. So Nemesis and Last Row if you guys wanna make a change you got till midnight tonight to do so. I can update it for you if you won't be close to a computer tonight. Just let me know.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Let’s be clear, I was listening to none of the following in 1987. I hadn’t discovered rock music or playing guitar, and was probably listening to all manner of Electro nonsense at the time. What? I was 13. Retroactively, then… Honourable mentions I am familiar with precisely none of Aerosmith’s pre-1987 work, a situation which if I’m honest is unlikely to change any time soon. There are a couple of tracks on this album I’m likely to skip, but the good ones are really good. Top track: “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” I know, right? I’ve never been the most rabid Floyd fan alive (though I did live with one for some time), but I’ve always had time and respect for them. In fairness I haven’t gone back and properly engaged with the Roger Waters era (except The Wall obviously – that’s a masterpiece) and I’ve certainly never even tried with the Syd Barrett era, so I’ve really only been a Gilmour guy. I wasn't listening to PF in 1987, but have appreciated them greatly in later years, and this album while not one of their most essential is still very good. Top track: “Learning to Fly” In any other year, blah blah blah. But wow, it is hard to overstate the importance of this album to rock guitar. Satriani had self produced and released a weird home-grown EP in 1984 and then released his label debut Not of This Earth in 1986 to limited acclaim, but when Surfing came out in 1987 it changed the game completely. This took instrumental guitar out of the realms of "Apache" and "Telstar" and sent it soaring into the space age with its stellar technique, melodic sensibility, and finely honed production. Even moreso than hearing Van Halen for the first time, hearing this was what made me want to play real rock guitar. Thanks, Joe. Top track: “Circles” The ’Snake have had many incarnations, but predictably it’s the hard rock version I dig. This album features the incomparable John Sykes on guitar and while some of the tracks don’t quite gel for me, it’s a belter overall. Top track: “Still of the Night” Yes, I like Sting (up to a point, and Mercury Falling was that point – after that, no ta) and while I didn't get into this album until relatively recently it does contain some of his crackers, most notably "Englishman in New York" which I think I was aware of and liked even in 1987, but see also "They Dance Alone", "Fragile", "Straight to My Heart" and "Sister Moon". Hell, I even quite like his cover of "Little Wing". Top track: “Englishman in New York” And the winner is… In some ways, this entire series has been leading up to this point. (I'm certainly not going much further back than '87… perhaps another year or two if I can find enough good stuff…) It is, as should come as little surprise to most, my favourite album of all time. Every single track on it is so far superior to any track on almost any other album of its time or since that comparison between AFD and anything else is like comparing the performance of your favourite Lego airplane to an actual Lockheed SR-71. If you've read the books, and you should, then reasons for this are plain – five talented guys and years of fucking hard work produced twelve perfect songs. Maybe Steven Adler couldn't keep it together after this point, but during the recording of AFD he was right on the money. Slash and Axl, yeah yeah, we all know all about them. Of course they're brilliant. At the time no-one could touch them (Roth, Michaels and Neil, see me after class), and whatever you may think about their recent output, they're still world class musicians. 30 years ago, they were simply Best In Show. Izzy Stradlin was the rock (heh) the band nailed itself to (usually the drummer's job, of course, but Adler was perhaps more stone(d) than rock.) Stradlin was the co-founder of GN'R (with Axl) and also if I recall correctly the core songwriter, and generally the glue that held the band together even when things got crazy (again, read the books – things got crazier than most humans would believe). But the real hero of this album is Duff McKagan. That man does not put a single note wrong here, and in many cases it's what he's doing that makes the song interesting. Any bassists reading this who've learned (properly learned, mind you) more than a couple of tracks off AFD will attest that Duff doesn't just hit the roots and play it safe, he's all over the place. He gets more fucking mileage out of those 4 strings than most of your modern djentmeisters get out of their sub-sonic nonsense. Honestly, go and stick on "It's So Easy" right now and listen to the bass throughout. Wonderful stuff. Of course, we've all heard cover bands murder a 9 minute version of "Paradise City", we've all got a little tired of hearing "Welcome to the Jungle" on US cop shows, we've perhaps even decided we don't need to hear "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Nightrain" or "Mr. Brownstone" even one more time, but stop. Listen to them properly. If you play, learn them. Now compare them to literally anything else in the genre. This is the best that this particular thing has ever been done. So yeah, best debut album ever? Best rock album ever? Best… album ever? For me, yes. In 30 years a handful have come close to approaching its raw, louche, electric brilliance, but none have equalled it.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Lucy Chapman Violinist Lucy Chapman, chair of NEC's chamber music faculty, also served as chair of the strings studio faculty from 2001 through 2012. Lucy Chapman has pursued an eclectic career spanning many musical worlds. She became acting associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony at the age of twenty-nine; from that position, she moved on to play two seasons as first violin of the award-winning Muir String Quartet. She has played solo and chamber music concerts throughout the U.S., Europe, Korea, and Japan. Her recording of Bartok, Stravinsky, and Ives with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and pianist Richard Goode won a Grammy nomination, and she has also recorded with Keith Jarrett, whose solo sonata she premiered in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. At NEC, Chapman performs regularly with her colleagues, including violinists Miriam Fried and Donald Weilerstein, violist Kim Kashkashian and Roger Tapping, and cellists Paul Katz, Natasha Brofsky, and Laurence Lesser. Since joining the faculty at NEC, she spent ten summers teaching at Kneisel Hall in Blue Hill, Maine and the past eight summers as a senior participant at the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Sunday afternoon, the early-start bug again bit the Lakers, who were sluggish offensively from the get-go, and over the second half couldn't adequately match the intensity of the visiting Nuggets. Give Denver plenty of credit, though. The Nuggets came into Staples against a red-hot team, and earned a legitimate win. "I told the team we beat ourselves, but it's not quite the story," Phil Jackson said after the game. "I think Denver is very aggressive. They created the 20 turnovers that really hurt us over the course of the ballgame." Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesRaymond Felton had 16 points in the second half as the Nuggets handed the Lakers only their second loss since the All Star break Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. As noted in today's preview, if the Lakers have been Story 1 since the break, Denver is Story 1a, having now won 15 of 19 since the Carmelo Anthony deal. No pure stars, but probably more B- to B+ players than any team in the league. Certainly the Lakers left Sunday's game with a healthy respect for their depth. "You look at their lineup; they essentially have two starting fives," Kobe Bryant said. "That second group that comes off the bench, that’s a legitimate starting five in this league." Here's how it broke down ... Lowlights: 1. The Third Quarter. In 14 games since March 1, the Lakers have averaged about 9.5 turnovers a night. Out of the break Sunday afternoon, they gave the ball away six times, five coming in the first 6:17 of the quarter. No wonder the Nuggets were able to quickly erase L.A.'s halftime advantage. The Lakers were left on their heels, trying to cross-match defensively and allowing Denver far too much access to the paint, where the Nuggets scored 16 points. Overall, Denver shot 65 percent over 12 minutes. Moreover, the handouts robbed the Lakers of six opportunities to score during a quarter in which they shot 50 percent as a team. Think another six or so points might have come in handy? Meanwhile, the final quarter wasn't much better. The Lakers cranked up the intensity late, but by then the damage was done, as Denver shot 10-for-18 down the stretch and put L.A. in too deep a hole, despite a late rally. 2. Offensive Flow. Before the game, George Karl mentioned multiple times the need for his guys to rebound and adequately protect the paint against a longer Lakers team. While the Lakers slowly regained control of the glass after a bad opening quarter, Denver accomplished the former, losing the battle of the boards by only one. As for the latter, the Nuggets did a great job packing down on the Lakers inside, frustrating the home team's attempts, too often telegraphed and deliberate, to get the ball inside to players in the post. Taken out of their game, the Lakers also struggled with their outside game, hitting only four of 18 shots from beyond the arc (22 percent). Unable to pull the Nuggets away from the basket, the Lakers never got themselves or the ball moving. On one level, L.A.'s struggles offensively shouldn't come as that large a surprise. Since moving Anthony, the Nuggets have been one of the league's best defensive teams, averaging just over 95 points allowed in 18 games following the deal. Still, Sunday was hardly a textbook example of how the Lakers can run their offense. "It's about execution, and it's about getting back into format and playing with a sense of urgency, and plyaing through things that are difficult out there," Jackson said. "Those are all part of the game, and today we didn't do a good job of that." 3. Shannon Brown. Somewhat lost in the team's great run has been more inconsistency from Brown. Sunday was another disappointing day, with only four points in 11 minutes, and more than his share of odd choices. More than anything, Brown is too often returning to the dribble as a default option when he's unsure of what to do, bringing the offensive flow to a halt. Today, he played only 11 minutes, his lowest total in nearly a month. Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesIf Kobe Bryant could have taken seven fourth quarter shots as wide open as this one, the Lakers probably would have won Sunday afternoon. "I think I've just got to be more aggressive, it's as simple as that," he said. What exactly that means on the court is a more complicated question. "I'm finding that. I don't want to do something that's too crazy, too detrimental to the team, where we're not on the same page. I've just got to pick my spots." It's a fine line, one he's not walking as well now relative to earlier in the season. Add to Brown's off day a 2-for-8 afternoon from Derek Fisher and only two points from Steve Blake, and you're left with an afternoon of low-level production from guards not named Kobe or Bryant. Highlights: 1. Andrew Bynum. 1:23 into the game, Bynum had four points and a pair of offensive boards, one of which brought him his first bucket. His second basket came on a play where he'd backed Nene so far down on the baseline, Bynum had to step back out into the paint just to dunk the ball. With such a hot start, it seemed like he could be in for a banner game on both sides of the ball. It didn't quite play out that way, but Bynum's performance Sunday was another in a monumentally positive post All-Star run, because while the offense dried up (he'd finish the first half with six points, and the game with eight) Bynum continued to rebound and exert his influence defensively. He briefly woke up a half-sleeping Staples crowd with an emphatic block of Ty Lawson in the paint late in the first quarter (which he punctuated by getting up the floor faster than I've ever seen him move, though he wasn't rewarded with the ball), then had a nice steal of an entry pass early in the second, leading to points the other way for L.A. When the Nuggets penetrated, Bynum effectively rotated to provide help, but generally did a great job recovering to his man when required. And all the while, even while rarely seeing the ball offensively, Bynum continued to chew up the glass, finishing the first half with 12 rebounds, grabbing another four in the third for his final total of 16. In the past, when the offense went away, too often Bynum's defensive commitment went with it. Not Sunday. 2. Kobe Bryant. Heading into Sunday's game, Bryant had averaged just over 12 trips to the line over his previous five. Sunday, he continued attacking the rack, consistently working off the dribble despite taking a fair amount of punishment inside for his trouble. While it earned him a few bruises, Kobe also was rewarded with nine free throws, of which he converted eight. As his shot chart demonstrates, even when he wasn't all the way to the basket, Bryant was moving in that direction. In the third, he added Wilson Chandler to the list of those victimized by his now patented upfake-step-through baby jumper. Earlier, Bryant, recognizing a mismatch against Raymond Felton, made a great baseline weak-to-strong cut to free himself up for a short jumper. But for the most part, Bryant's day was about attacking. His first points after the customary early-fourth quarter breather came from blowing past Chandler from the top of the arc for a layup. Games like this encourage Lakers fans for a few reasons. First, good things happen when Kobe moves closer to the basket. Second, it means he has the health and energy to try. It wasn't all positive, though. Bryant kept working in the fourth, but didn't knock down many shots -- 2-for-7 down the stretch, including five misses in his last six tries, and four straight to end the game. There were definitely some forced shots mixed in with the bunch, but on a day where the Lakers rarely found any offensive rhythm, this sort of thing isn't all that shocking. More than once, his teammates left Bryant with the ball late in possessions, forcing less-than-ideal shots. Bryant finished with 28 points on 10-of-27 from the floor, plus 4 rebounds and 3 assists. 3. First-Half Defense. After overcoming early problems securing the offensive glass (Denver had six ORBs in the first quarter), the Lakers put together 24 minutes of very good ball on the defensive end. The Nuggets hit only 8 of 23 shots in the opening quarter, and only 5 of 21 in the second. L.A. worked its way to six steals, only 1.4 off its full-game average, and outrebounded the Nuggets by six in the second quarter to finish plus-three on the glass heading into the break. All told, the Lakers held Denver, one of the league's elite scoring teams, to only 40 points. Given their struggles at the other end through the first half, with a lesser effort defensively their seven-point lead at the half more likely would have been a seven-point deficit. And as the second half demonstrated, the Lakers needed every ounce of that cushion. 4. Pau Gasol. Perhaps the most important thing about Gasol this afternoon is how he came through a scary fall in the third quarter, sending him to the locker room holding his right knee. Fortunately, he was able to return. "It's sore," he said, "but they allowed me to play so hopefully it will be nothing. It seemed to be OK, just like I said it was pretty sore. I jammed my knee pretty good." Scary moments aside, it was another quietly strong effort from the Spaniard, who hit 7 of 10 from the floor, and added 12 rebounds, making this one of the few games since the break in which both Gasol and Bynum did yeoman's work on the glass. Four turnovers won't cut it, but in an afternoon where no Laker was perfect, Gasol certainly put in a solid day's work. 5. Accountability. No question, Kenyon Martin pushed through Lamar Odom to gain a critical ORB and putback in the final seconds, essentially icing the game for Denver. To his credit, Odom refused to complain, instead pointing the finger back at himself and his teammates. "We had a chance to get back in the game. Me and Ron have been playing basketball all of our life -- we didn't communicate on that. We're supposed to squeeze him. Me and Ron, we've been playing ball so long we're supposed to communicate, squeeze him, and have a chance to take the game into overtime." But Martin did put his hands in your back, right? "I'm not going to expect the ref to make a call right there," Odom said. Bryant agreed, calling the play a "no call." Not that I expected anything else, but it's nice to see the Lakers looking past opportunities to make excuses.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
News / Releases Harris County Precinct 4 Capital Improvement Projects Is traffic slowing you down? Precinct 4 currently has 10 Capital Improvement Projects under construction and 51 in the design phase. Check out some of the top projects affecting your area below. Aldine Treaschwig Road from Aldine Westfield Road to Birnam Wood Boulevard Proposed improvements include upgrading Treaschwig Road from the existing two-lane asphalt roadway to a four-lane concrete boulevard section with appropriate drainage system and traffic signalization at Trilby Way. The project is currently in the design phase. Planned improvements include widening the Telge Road Bridge over Little Cypress Creek to four-lanes. The construction contract was awarded to Mar-Con Services, LLC, and notice to proceed was given on May 15, 2017. Construction should be complete in September 2018. This is a joint project between Harris County Precinct 3 and Harris County Precinct 4. Grant Road from Old Kluge Road to Spring Cypress Road Planned improvements include upgrading Grant Road from the existing two-lane asphalt roadway to a four-lane concrete boulevard section with storm sewer system, traffic signalization or signal modifications as warranted and all appurtenances necessary for realizing a completed project within an 80-foot right of way. Harris County awarded the construction contract to Angel Brother's Enterprises, Ltd and notice to proceed with construction was given on February 1, 2017. Construction completion is scheduled for January 21, 2019. Humble Lockwood Road from Union Pacific Railroad to Beltway 8 Proposed improvements include upgrading Lockwood Road from the existing two-lane asphalt roadway to a four-lane concrete boulevard section with appropriate drainage system accommodating low impact development components. The project is currently in the design phase. It is Harris County's goal to bid the project for construction in the third quarter of 2018. Kings Park Way from Atascocita Road to FM 1960 Planned improvements include widening the half-boulevard section of Kings Park Way (Atasca Oaks Drive) to a four-lane concrete boulevard section with appropriate drainage accommodations, traffic signal modifications and all appurtenances necessary for a complete project. notice to proceed with the construction efforts is expected to be given upon completion of the utility relocation effort. This is a joint participation effort between Precinct 4 and Precinct 2. Klein Hufsmith-Kohrville Road from Mahaffey Road to FM 2920 Planned improvements include upgrading Hufsmith-Kohrville Road from the existing two-lane asphalt roadway to a four-lane concrete boulevard section with storm sewer system, traffic signal installation at Mahaffey Road as warranted and all appurtenances necessary for realizing a complete project. The project was awarded to Allgood Construction and notice to proceed was given January 29. The project is expected to be complete December 24. Gosling Road from Mossy Oaks Road Limit to West Rayford Road Planned improvements include widening Gosling Road, between Mossy Oaks Road and West Rayford Road, as a four-lane concrete boulevard section with appropriate drainage system and all appurtenances necessary for a complete project. Commissioners' Court awarded the project to Allgood Construction and notice to proceed was issued March 21. Construction completion is scheduled for August 13, 2019. Spring Riley Fuzzel Road from West Hardy Road to Hardy Toll Road Proposed improvements include upgrading Riley Fuzzel Road from the existing two-lane asphalt roadway to a five-lane concrete pavement section. The project is currently in the design phase and is expected to be published for bidding purposes in the first quarter of 2019. Veterans Memorial Drive from Beltway 8 to FM 1960 Proposed improvements include installation of the missing segments of a continuous turn lane on Veterans Memorial Drive, between West Greens Road and FM 1960, with traffic signal upgrades and intersection improvements as needed. The project is currently in the Study Phase. Tomball Holderrieth Road from Calvert Road to SH 249 Planned improvements include extending Holderrieth Road, between Calvert Road and SH 249, as a four-lane concrete boulevard section with appropriate drainage and all appurtenances necessary for a complete project. Commissioners Court awarded the project to Unitas Construction and the contractor was given the notice to proceed on January 29. Construction completion is scheduled for November 25. Related Enrichment, education, refreshment, and recreation. These are common goals of two very different institutions joining forces to provide an extraordinary experience for Harris County residents. Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle and Harris County Public Library are proud to announce plans to rebuild Baldwin Boettcher Library at Precinct 4’s Mercer Botanic Gardens more than a year after the library closed due to Hurricane Harvey. Baldwin Boettcher Capital Improvement Projects Update: Gosling Road Residents traveling along Gosling Road to the Grand Parkway may soon have a faster commute. All lanes along Gosling Road are now open except for one-lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. while construction on drainage projects continues. Last year, Harris County Precinct 4 began an $8.68-million project to widen Gosling Road from two to five lanes with drainage between Spring Stuebner Road and the Grand Parkway and expand the area between the Grand Parkway and Mossy Oaks to four lanes. Long-term plans Capital Improvement Projects Across the Precinct Klein and Champions Area Capital Improvements Looking for road updates in your neighborhood? Harris County Precinct 4’s Capital Improvement Projects division has you covered. This month, we’re spotlighting a few of the major projects in the Klein/Champions area. Harris County Cypresswood Annex Services Relocated Receive a jury summons? Need to register your car or attend court, but don’t know where to go? Most Harris County buildings survived Hurricane Harvey-related flooding, but a few were severely affected. All Harris County offices at the Cypresswood annex, including the Harris County Clerk’s Office, the Harris County Tax Assessor, the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, the Harris County Sherriff’s Office District 1 station, and the Justice Court Precinct 4 Place 1, have been relocated to new locations due to flooding.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Request for Proposals Please find two versions of the 2017-2018 University Forum Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposals are due by 12:00 PM on Monday, March 20, 2017. A paper copy should be dropped at the Social Equity Office, along with an electronic version emailed to [email protected].	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Ribble Ultra Tri Designed and perfected with ultimate watt-saving aerodynamic efficiency as the priority, the new Ultra Tri is a bike bred purely to go fast. Raced by Ribble Pro Team riders, the Ultra Tri is a UCI legal, proven race winning and record breaking TT platform. The performance tuned, full carbon Ultra Tri frameset has been aerodynamically optimised for real world racing conditions with built-in adjustability to enable you to achieve your perfect position. Our Recommended Build Our Fastest Bike Ever WORLD CLASS TRI PERFORMANCE Designed and perfected with ultimate watt-saving aerodynamic efficiency as the priority, the new Ultra Tri is a bike bred purely to go fast. Raced by Ribble Pro Team riders, the Ultra Tri is a UCI legal, proven race winning and record breaking TT platform. The performance tuned, full carbon Ultra Tri frameset has been aerodynamically optimised for real world racing conditions with built-in adjustability to enable you to achieve your perfect position. TESTING, ANALYSIS & REFINEMENT Fine-tuned through a rigorous testing process, this tri superbike has been developed by our R&D team using the world class aerodynamic expert and UK time trial champion Dan Bigham as our test pilot. Hours in the velodrome, real world testing and extensive CFD analysis repeatedly identified further aero gains throughout the R&D and prototyping process. The Ultra Tri bike’s multi-stage development process began during 2017 with the design brief to create a versatile World Class time trial and triathlon platform that would give our customers, Ribble Pro Cycling team riders and sponsored triathletes a clear aerodynamic advantage over the opposition. Final Drag Saving Analysis The final round of aero testing revealed a total bike and rider drag saving of up to 2.2% across a -15 to +15 degree YAW sweep vs the first prototype, this equates to an up to 1.3% saving vs the benchmark and bike that Dan Bigham raced on during 2017. Watch Dan Bigham, holder of five National TT titles, testing the Ultra TT in early 2018. TIME SAVINGS This drag saving equates to up to 23 seconds based on our test rider racing a flat 25-mile (40.2km) at 29mph (46.6kph). Ribble Pro Cycling team riders were real world testers throughout the Ultra TT development phases. RACE WINNING AND RECORD BREAKING Our guiding aim whilst developing the new Ultra frame was to provide a World Class TT and Tri platform for our sponsored triathletes and the Ribble Pro Cycling team, as well as our customers - a bike faster than any other bike they had raced before and the results of the analysis show that we’ve succeeded. The Ultra Tri is an uncompromising, speed centric machine designed to allow you to reach your full potential and aid your transition to the run. The new Ultra Tri is an innovative tech loaded speed machine complete with fully integrated aero feed boxes. Making the jump from the established high level TT bike I rode last season was always going to be daunting but Ribble have put the groundwork and R&D in to bring the team a bike that is able to take on the best Our testing shows we are right on the money and will be able to continue to challenge for the win at both domestic and international time trial competitions. - Dan Bigham, 5 Times British National Time Trial Champion FEED BOXES & TRIATHLON There’s no need to worry about feeding as the Ultra Tri accommodates three custom aero feed boxes (which come supplied). All three composite boxes are easily detachable and the drinks straw on the washable drink box is hinged to offer different angles. Front Hydration System: 500ml (400ml Extra Small frame). Top Tube box: 150ml. Rear box: 500ml. Our UCI-approved time trial specific model based around this frameset is the Ultra TT which has an aero-optimised front end in place of the drinks box. Fit range and adjustability: The frame geometry is designed to give riders a more aerodynamic position to maximise time trial performance. The Ultra Tri offers a great range of adjustability and is compatible with all aftermarket multi position aero bars and cockpits allowing you to dial the aerodynamic cockpit to maximise your aerodynamic efficiency. To further fine tune your perfect fit the aero seat post of the Ultra Tri enables a wide range of effective seat tube angles from 76 to 79 degrees for your preferred position. Optimised frame design: The Ultra Tri frame set has been dialled to offer the perfect balance between aerodynamics, rider positioning, handling and control. The high grade, unidirectional carbon Ultra Tri frame has been optimised for maximal power transfer and compliance where required. Rear facing rear wheel drop outs take the rear wheel of the Ultra Tri as close as possible to the seat tube to create a shorter, stiffer rear triangle and improve the airflow from the seat tube and over the rear wheel and also allowing adjustment for tyres up to 25mm width. Maximal aero gains: Every aspect of the Ultra Tri has been optimised for performance. From the TT specific, full carbon fork providing precise steering, control and featuring truncated Kamm-tail aerofoils, the truncated aerofoil frame tube profiles and seat post through to the rear seat stays designed to sit in the shadow of the front fork. To maximise every advantage the front and rear brakes mount behind integrated, streamlined aerofoils with all cables hidden from the airflow further optimising the drag reduction of bike and rider. BUY THE BIKE RIBBLE ULTRA TRI - 105 Fully equipped for triathlon events of all distances and levels, with a full complement of feed boxes and hydration system, the Shimano 105 version with aerodynamic 35mm Vision Team wheels will ensure you maximise your bike section performance. RIBBLE ULTRA TRI - ULTEGRA DI2 All the performance enhancing features of the Ultra TT 105 with the added benefit of fast, accurate electronic shifting from Shimano Ultegra Di2 offering crisp consistent gear changing with the added advantage of gear shifters on the brake levers and extensions for full control and maximised aerodynamics throughout your bike split. RIBBLE ULTRA TRI - DURA ACE Di2 Whether it be Kona or Bolton, the Dura Ace Di2 Ultra Tri is equipped with some of the best equipment available. Fast and aerodynamic Zipp 808 wheels with Shimano's top end groupset give the rider every performance advantage that is possible. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Are the Ultra TT and Tri suitable for non-elite racing? A: Although the frames are race specific and have been designed with high end performance in mind because they allow a wide range of adjustability they are perfect for all time trial distances and non-drafting standard, middle and long-distance triathlon. In order to achieve a low, aero position, those not used to racing in this position may experience strain on the lower back and neck initially, but a less aggressive fit is also achievable. The Ultra TT will ensure that all riders maximise their performances, there will be no excuses! Q: What are the key differences between the TT frame and Tri frame? A: The two frames are almost identical and both benefit from the same aerodynamic optimising development and testing process. The Ultra TT comes complete with two aerofoils fitted over the front brake whilst the Ultra Tri has a drink box mounted in that position. The Tri specific model has been designed to include three aerodynamic secure (but detachable) feed/storage units so you can focus completely on your own performance. The rear box can also be used as an emergency tool storage unit if you experience a mechanical and fits to both models. Q: Is the frame compatible with other brands of stem and bar extensions? A: Yes, the forks have a standard steerer and the front end of the bike is designed to take any standard handlebars and stem. Q: Would a bike fit be required? A: If you’re serious about racing then a final position fit is advisable once you’ve identified the frame size for you. Getting fitted may be beneficial to prevent injury and ensure the bike works with you, helping you to generate as much power as possible when pushing for those extra time gains. Ribble are on hand to advise on the correct size of frame, or if you prefer, you can visit one of our showrooms to size up against the bike.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
‘Five mile race will be in dad’s memory’ An athlete says he will combine his passion for running and his passion for organising, to raise money for a charity close to his his heart. Mervyn Thompson is organising a five mile road race in Portrush later this summer in memory of his father, Allen Thompson, who lost his battle with Prostate Cancer five years ago, at the age of 69. Mervyn's late father, Allen Thompson. Keen runner, Mervyn, who has a UK Ambassadors Role for parkrun explained: “I have decided now is the time to combine my passion for running with my passion for organising, and at the same time raise money for a worthwhile cause - the result being the Portrush 5 Mile Road Race taking place on Friday 26th August, with all proceeds in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.” Mervyn is well known to local runners through his role at Portrush parkrun, he is also a member of Springwell, but he tells he didn’t pick up the sport until 2008. “A good friend decided he was going to run the Dublin marathon for charity. “I offered to do a bit of training with him and before I knew it, I had entered too. “As a youth, I was never much of a runner, and thought that once the marathon was over, I would be happy to give it up again, but found out I had caught the bug as they say. “In September 2012, I heard about a free run starting in Portrush every Saturday morning, a little known word in the North Coast area at the time - parkrun. I progressed from regular parkrunner, to helping set up the course. I then stepped in whilst Portrush parkrun founder, Andy Deal, was on holiday, to becoming Co-Event Director and most recently, I have just taken on a UK Ambassadors Role, offering technical support to all UK parkruns ( both 5k and 2k events),” explained the father of two. The Facebook page for Mervyn’s charity event, ‘Portrush 5 Mile Road Race’ went live last week, and has already gained over 400 likes. Mervyn has thanked everyone for their interest so far, and says that further details will be available soon. “Race Entry is not open yet, but entries will be available on-line via Athletics NI in due course,” he added. “I would like to thank Prostate Cancer UK for their commitment to the event and Causeway Coast and Glens Council for helping me with the application process.” If there are any individuals or businesses who would like to know how they can support the event, they can contact Mervyn via facebook or [email protected] Trending Are you freezing at work? This is how cold it has to be before you can legally go home	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
You'd be hard-pressed to find an Israeli who is genuinely enthusiastic about today's national elections. For many, the two frontrunners for prime minister represent a choice between bad and terrible. Tzipi Livni, the Kadima leader, is widely viewed as a decent but untested candidate with a very unimpressive list of candidates and no identifiable platform. Binyamin Netanyahu proved himself a failed prime minister 10 years ago, but voters have short memories and Bibi, as he is known, is now the favourite. If he wins, he will probably form a coalition with Avigdor Lieberman's far-right Yisrael Beiteinu. For liberals, a "Biberman" government is a terrifying prospect. Over lunch in the cafeteria of a ministry building in Jerusalem on Sunday, a well-known diplomat insisted that the most important reason to vote for Livni was to prevent the election of Netanyahu. Vote for her because otherwise you'll have to deal with Biberman's finger on the nuclear button, he seemed to be saying. The rise of Lieberman, a native Moldovan who once worked as a nightclub bouncer, is certainly the biggest story of these elections. Pollsters are now predicting that Yisrael Beiteinu will win more seats than Labour. This would put the party of Israel's founding secular socialists in a humiliating fourth place. Lieberman has made his campaign slogan "No loyalty, no citizenship", directed at Israel's 20% Arab population. Below is one of his campaign ads, starting with mugshots of current and former Arab-Israeli Knesset members (MKs). An emergency beeping sound is heard as a sign reading "A shame and a disgrace" flashes over Dehamsheh's face. It repeats for the next Arab-Israeli politician. MK Abbas Zakour: "We are proud of Hamas and all those who support it." Monthly salary paid by the state: NIS 33,000 Again, the emergency beeping sign and "A shame and a disgrace". MK Jamal Zahalka is excoriated for saying that Arab citizens who volunteer for national service are lepers. After the slogan "Only Lieberman understands Arabic" comes footage of students demonstrating against the Gaza war at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The narrator says: "We won't forget that when the military operation in Gaza had just begun, there were those amongst us who supported Hamas." The campaign ad closes with the slogans "No loyalty, no citizenship" and "Lieberman: I believe him". Lieberman's popularity has led to a great deal of hand-wringing and finger-pointing among the liberal left. Ha'aretz devoted a weekend magazine cover story to his campaign, with the reporter speculating that the popularity of Yisrael Beiteinu's message was the result of the ministry of education's failure to educate high school students about civics. Others think the problem lies with a poor understanding of democracy among Israel's large immigrant population from the former Soviet Union. For those who associate Israeli far-right politics with religious extremism, it might come as a surprise to discover that Lieberman is secular, as are most of his supporters. His hawkish message is about security and loyalty to the state, not messianism or redeeming the biblical land of Israel. That is why Lieberman is willing to negotiate a two-state solution – although his definition of the term is different to its most common usages. Lieberman advocates a land-and-population transfer, with the heavily Arab triangle region of the Galilee, which borders the West Bank, being traded for the Gush Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. For the Arab citizens of Israel who reside in the triangle, this means being forced to forfeit their Israeli citizenship and having Palestinian Authority residency imposed upon them. While Arab-Israelis might identify with their brethren living in the West Bank, that does not mean they wish to be arbitrarily stripped of their Israeli citizenship. Instead, they challenge Israel's definition of itself as a "Jewish democracy", advocating instead that it be defined as a democracy of all its citizens – "a democratic, bilingual, multicultural state". For many Jewish citizens of Israel, this idea of a multicultural state for all its citizens sounds like an existential threat. If the Arab citizens want Israel to stop being a Jewish state, or a state for the Jews, then who will fight for the rights and existence of the Jews? It is this fear Lieberman feeds into (although he counters that he has Arab candidate on his party list – albeit a Druze – in the form of Hamad Ammar. In response, the Arab-Israeli nationalist party Balad made a video clip that parodies the Lieberman campaign. It opens with a group of Arab-Israeli MKs walking towards the camera, arms linked in solidarity, to the accompaniment of an old Arab-nationalist song by Marcel Khalife, Our National Unity. Speaking in an exaggerated Russian accent, with a touch of Arabic for good measure, an actor playing Lieberman asks a pregnant Arab woman, "How many children do you have?" "I have five children," she answers, in Arabic-accented Hebrew. "No good, no good!" answers the Lieberman figure, as he stamps the woman's ID papers with the words "not loyal". But really, my absolutely favourite clip of this campaign is for the Green Leaf party, which has a single platform – the decriminalisation of cannabis. Headed by a comedian named Gil Kopatsch, the party will almost certainly not receive the minimum number of votes necessary for a seat in Knesset. But if an imaginative – and hilarious – campaign were enough to win, they would be in. The clip below shows Kopatsch smoking a joint while sitting on the grave of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister. In this pastoral and politically significant setting, Kopatsch offers Ben-Gurion his insight on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. David, We haven't talked for so long. Do you want a drag? Oh yeah, you only smoke cigarettes. You know what, David, there are over a million people in this country who smoke this stuff. Do you know how much it costs me? A fortune! And do you know who grows and produces it? Hamas and Hizbullah! Yes, David, yes. As a former minister of defence, it's important for you to know this. They're making a fortune out of this stuff, and they're using the money to buy rockets to launch at us. Isn't that a pity, David? Why shouldn't this be legal? If it were legal we could cultivate it here in the Negev and we could use the money to achieve positive goals! The question is, says Kopatsch, what would Hamas and Hizbullah do with all the stuff they can't sell to us? "And the answer is simple: they'd smoke it themselves!" he says. "They'd smoke it themselves, and they'd be relaxed. And a good Arab is a relaxed Arab." (A play on the far-right Israeli slogan "a good Arab is a dead Arab".) Kopatsch takes a deep drag, exhales and stares into the distance as he summises: "That's my take on security issues".	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
He Turned It Into an Attitude That Changed the World Breaking News CHUCK BERRY DIES He Turned It Into an Attitude That Changed the World Chuck Berry, who died at 90 on March 18, 2017, is rightly hailed as the godfather of rock n' roll, that distinctly American art form that significantly impacted culture and music across the globe. That being said, Berry isn't, as some assume, the inventor of rock. True, he was its most important early architect, but by the time his debut single "Maybellene" was unleashed into the world in 1955, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino and Bill Haley & the Comets already had iconic hit singles on the Billboard charts. Elvis Presley's rocked-up version of the blues song "That's All Right" dropped in 1954, and "Rocket 88" -- an Ike Turner-helmed recording some historians hail as the first true rock n' roll release -- actually came out in 1951, years before the rock revolution started in earnest. So why, if rock was already on the charts, is Chuck Berry most commonly cited as the single most important figure in rock music's creation? Simply put, unlike Domino, Presley, Haley or even the immensely influential Diddley, Chuck Berry helped codify what rock music would become. The St. Louis auteur contributed three things to rock music that no one else did: (1) An irresistible swagger, (2) a focus on the guitar riff as the primary melodic element and (3) an emphasis on songwriting as storytelling. 1) In terms of the aforementioned swagger, Berry injected a cocksure 'we know better than the adults' attitude into rock -- something his predecessors and peers hadn't yet dared to do. That youth-privileging outlook was essential in transforming rock n' roll from a musical fad into an irresistible attitude and lifestyle that infected teens and spread across America (also, it arguably paved the way for the massive generational divide of the '60s). 2) As for the focus on the guitar riff, compare Berry to his peers. The 'star' element in Elvis' Sun Sessions recordings was the performance; the best part of a Fats Domino single was the sing-able chorus and shuffling melody; Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," while essential to the formation of rock, is an astonishing work of art because of his performance -- not because of the notes in the composition. But Berry, however, crafted material where the riff was king. With Elvis or Richard, it's the singing that gets stuck in your brain, but with Berry, it's the guitar riff that gets played over and over in your head. It was Berry's introduction of undeniable guitar hooks into rock that steered the genre away from the ivory tickling of people like Little Richard, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis and toward simple guitar chords that were easy for teenage fans to imitate -- guitars are cheaper than pianos and easier to learn -- and impossible to get out of your head. And that was, more or less, all Berry (Bo Diddley focused on the guitar riff as well, but his otherworldly tuning techniques and sonic palettes were far stranger than Berry's; he opened up rock to a more experimental future, but his songs were too esoteric to have the same impact and ubiquity as Berry's more affable material). Ultimately, that focus on the riff was what distinguished rock from pop and R&B and what changed the course of popular music for decades to come. From the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix to Led Zeppelin to the Ramones, it's that guitar riff fetish that defines rock as a distinct musical form. And from about 1955-1960, Berry unleashed one unstoppable riff into the world after another via a series of iconic singles (for the newcomer, The Great Twenty-Eight collection is the best starting point). 3) As for his songwriting, Berry eschewed generic emotional confessions and instead focused on crafting short stories with his lyrics. His songwriting style -- economical, vivid and enveloping -- influenced everyone from Paul McCartney to Ray Davies to Brian Wilson and set the course for rock to favor the short and sweet instead of the poetic and verbose. That's just not something his contemporaries were pioneering -- Little Richard's lyrics were brilliant nonsense, Bo Diddley's were stream of consciousness poetry, and Elvis Presley didn't write his own material. So Berry's introduction of storytelling into rock can't be overstated, particularly since that's what helped the genre stand out from straight pop in its first few decades. There's plenty more that can, and will, be said about Berry as the world reflects on his legacy following his death. But one thing is undeniable -- there are few humans whose impact on the world was as unlikely and as far-reaching as Chuck Berry's.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
We have participated in httpbis working group since HTTP/2 draft-04, which is the first implementation draft. Since then we have updated nghttp2 library constantly to latest specification and nghttp2 is now one of the most mature HTTP/2 implementations.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
When the Corrado SLC was first introduced in the U.S., the general consensus was it was a great car--expensive, but very, very good. One journalist even went so far as to call it "one of the best front-wheel-drive cars ever." Tell me something I don't know. Despite its age and sizeable odometer numbers (138,889 at last count), the Corrado's handling and behavior remains exceptional. Maybe I just got lucky with this one. Maybe the crew that put it together had great sex that week. Or maybe it was just a great car from the start. The years had taken a toll on the suspension, and while we fixed some of it with new bushings and mounts, the stock springs and shocks were tired. It was not too noticeable during day-to-day driving, but it became very apparent during spirited canyon runs that the underpinnings could not keep up with the engine. I was driving the car beyond the suspension's limits, and although fun, it was not desirable. Oh, yeah, the stock 15-in. BBS wheels shod with dead rubber did not help, either. The Tire Rack had previously set me up with a set of SSR Competition wheels (7.5x17) and Kumho MX tires. It was an exceptional choice, performance-wise, anyway. I just was not happy with the look--while very light and strong, the SSR design was too modern for the car (in my opinion, anyway). I was looking for a wheel that emulated the factory's BBS units. Although there are many BBS replicas, none can quite match going straight to the source. I met up with Joe Interrante, a marketing director for BBS Wheels in Texas during BMP's annual Charity BMW Roundup. (Despite its remote location, some 400 cars converged on Tyler, Texas, for what turned out to very fine day.) Joe is popular, not just because he's a good guy but also because BBS is a cornerstone in the automotive performance industry. People want BBS wheels because they are the best, with a stellar reputation earned on racetracks and roadways all over the world. In keeping with the Corrado's understated appearance, Joe recommended the RX wheel, a model that has been in the BBS catalog for quite a while. Measuring 7.5x17 in., the RX tips the scale at 18.9 lb and features a tough silver paint and clearcoat that will most likely outlast the car. Although the rage today is ultra-lightweight forged wheels, BBS's casting techniques are damn near perfect, each wheel true to round and superbly balanced. Although the BBS RC in the same dimension weighs an even 17 lb, you pay for it. The RX is a great wheel for the money, and they look perfect on the car, like a special trim package from Volkswagen (think GTI 337). In keeping with the value-to-dollar theme, I once again went to Kumho for tires. The Kumho MX may be the best-performing tire you can get for the money, designed to deliver high levels of "dry" road performance while maintaining good wet traction. The ECSTA MX molds an advanced silica tread rubber compound into a directional tread pattern that features sizeable, stable blocks to increase cornering traction and steering response, while four large circumferential and multiple directionally aligned lateral grooves help resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. Internally, the two, wide steel belts are reinforced by spirally wound nylon cap plies to provide excellent strength, uniform ride quality, and Y-speed rated (186 mph) capability, while the sidewalls are tuned to resist lateral deflection to provide handling control and feedback. The MX has very high limits, and when pushed beyond break away with smooth predictability and just the right amount of aural feedback. Photo 2/11 \| Virtual World Parts supplied the European front spoiler. Measuring 90mm, it's fabricated from the same tough material as the 50mm stock piece. It looks perfect. The ideal size for the Corrado is a 205/40-17, especially if you want to keep the speedometer happy with the same overall diameter. I accidentally ordered the wrong size, a 215/40-17, and while I am very happy with the car's performance, I'm usually going faster than indicated, and when the car is under extreme loads they tend to rub. I will probably refit with the 205s, but right now I'm having too much fun. From the project's conception I had planned to use H&R coilovers, a strategy based on the success of Project GTI 16V. I chose H&R because I'm familiar with its products' superb build quality, ease of fitment and, most importantly, ride characteristics. The spring rates and shock valving are 25- to 30% stiffer than the factory suspension, which is exactly where I want the Corrado to be. Roland Graef of H&R once made the analogy of choosing a suspension like you would choose a bed. Most people like a firm mattress, neither too hard nor too soft. Although some folks like to sleep on boards or in hammocks, they remain a minority. It's hard to believe the H&R coilovers are off-the-shelf items; I don't think I could custom select a better suspension. The Corrado's entire demeanor has changed. Where there was unrest, there is now control; where there was doubt, now reassurance. It's a Zen thing. Even engineering editor Barnes commented on the superb ride...and he hates everything. A bonus with the H&R coilovers is that the rear coils are much smaller than the stock units. Had I attempted to use the BBS wheels and MX tires with the stock suspension, I would have needed to run spacers to clear the rear springs and spring perches. The stock brakes were in dire need of an overhaul, as evident by the 168-ft stopping distance from 60 to 0 mph. The original plan was to use Stoptech calipers and rotors up front, which would have given the binders capabilities far beyond the stock units. However, wheel choice became problematic; the Stoptech calipers call for quite a bit of offset and spoke clearance. It would have worked with the SSR wheels, but, well, you know the story. EBC came into play with replacement rotors and its Green Stuff pads, which have been specifically formulated to meet tough EU standards for replacement pads, a none-too-easy feat given the strict European guidelines. EBC brake pads are the only pads made with Kevlar, and the pad compound uses no carbon, so there is minimal dust and what they do shed is lightly colored. The friction coefficient of the EBC compound is 30- to 40% higher than common pads, yet EBC claims rotor wear is minimal. The Green Stuff pads are designed for the street or light track activities with stable braking characteristics up to 550*C--pretty much what the Corrado will see. The EBC rotors appear to be well-cast units with grooves and multiple depressions on the face to increase surface area and bite. While a completely drilled rotor may have even more cooling capacity, they tend to live shorter lives, cracking after a few months of usage. Neuspeed provided the stainless -steel brake lines to replace the flex-prone rubber units. Following the bedding-in procedure, we drove the car to "the road" and did a few shakedown runs. The EBC brakes did indeed give the Corrado improved braking, both cold and after repeated stops, and the pedal feel is hugely improved. Because of deadline constraints, we were unable to properly test the EBC brakes, but I would be surprised if they did not provide at least a 15- to 20% improvement over the stock binders. For additional chassis rigidity, I went to Neuspeed for its triangulated rear tie. I had used one on the GTI and could feel the results instantly. Older cars tend to respond better to aftermarket chassis tie bars, as their construction is not as tough as modern techniques provide. Like all products Neuspeed fabricates, its rear tie bar is a work of art, featuring a jewel-like finish, high-quality fasteners and easy-to-follow instructions. The Neuspeed rear tie bar made its presence known immediately, silencing an annoying rattle out back. Where it really shines is in high-speed corners--one in particular comes to mind. It's a long right-hander with two dips midway through. If I do it just right, I can carry 88 mph before hard braking. Before the Neuspeed bar, the Corrado would hit the first dip and tend to walk to the outside, just in time to hit the next dip. Now it remains totally flat--I don't even hit the second dip. The last item added/replaced on Project Corrado was the front spoiler. The stock unit was replaced with a European-spec spoiler courtesy of Mike Potter at Virtual World Parts. The European spoiler is twice the size of the stock unit and is a direct replacement piece. It looks awesome and is supple enough to take a serious beating. Project Corrado is shaping up to be a wonderful car. In all honesty, it wasn't that difficult...it was a great car from the start.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
“I think there is a gay mafia,” said Bill Maher on Friday during an online segment of his HBO show Real Time. The topic at hand was the resignation of Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, in response to the renewed controversy over a $1,000 donation he made in support of California’s Prop 8 in 2008. “I think if you cross them, you do get whacked. You really do,” Maher added during a segment with five presumably straight guests, each of them laughing and nodding in agreement. I’d laugh, or at least chuckle along, if I wasn’t too busy cataloguing the frequency with which the notion of a powerful, shadowy gay conspiracy has come up lately in public conversations. The same day Glenn Beck ranted during his radio broadcast that LGBT activists are “becoming a terrorist organization” that just wants to “keep everyone in fear.” Last December, when A&E temporarily suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson after he made rambling, pointedly anti-gay comments in a GQ interview, Sarah Palin tweeted a photo of herself with the Duck Dynasty cast with the caption, “Those intolerants hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch [Robertson] for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.” In February, Alec Baldwin opened a so-called farewell to public life with the sentence: “I flew to Hawaii recently to shoot a film, fresh on the heels of being labeled a homophobic bigot by Andrew Sullivan, Anderson Cooper, and others in the Gay Department of Justice.” The incident in question involved the actor calling a paparazzi photographer a “cock-sucking faggot.” Andrew Sullivan, for his part, has written quite passionately (three separate posts to date) about his “disgust” with Brendan Eich being forced to step down due to pressure from inside and outside of Mozilla. Three board members auspiciously resigned within days of Eich’s promotion. Several employees published tweets calling for his resignation, and a few wrote essays. Notably, OkCupid, a dating site, encouraged users to boycott Mozilla Firefox: “If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us.” However arresting and damning it feels to be called a bigot, I assure you, it is far more painful to endure bigotry itself. In 2008, the same year that Eich donated money to support Prop 8, the same year Barack Obama continued to resist supporting marriage equality, a straight man tried to kill me. He held me down on the floor of his apartment and said, “You’re already dead” over and over again while beating me. This happened in Arizona, a state that just a few weeks ago almost made law a bill designed to protect the religious freedom of business owners who fear they’ll be sued by marriage-equality supporters. It is surreal to hear that anti-gay people feel they are being bullied for their beliefs. Look, I get it: The “right side of history” is a moving target, a fast one at that. No one knows that more than LGBT Americans currently witnessing the stunning breakthroughs that have defined the last decade in particular. And in the wake of rapid change, complicated and necessary questions are emerging. Most notably, is there a statute of limitations on past anti-gay gestures? Let’s say Brendan Eich was promoted to CEO of Mozilla in 2018 instead of 2014. Would his Prop 8 donation still sting? I surely am not the first person to point out that Hillary Clinton didn’t come out in support of marriage equality until 2013. How do we reconcile that with her sizable LGBT following or now-historic 2011 declaration that “gay rights are human rights” in Geneva? History will not bother to wait for us to be brave, but it rarely forgives delay, especially when it comes to would-be leaders. If he didn’t know that already, Brendan Eich knows it now. And so, ultimately: I’m sorry if my equality is inconvenient for you. Or that you risk being taken to task for bigotry no longer afforded the veil of public opinion. If I sound cold, understand my words have been chilled by stories of a lesbian couple murdered last month in Houston, a 4-year-old boy in Oregon murdered by a mother who believed she could beat the gay out of him, more than 30 states where LGBT people can be fired for being out, and a nation where marriage equality is still not a reality for all of its citizens.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
"I'm in my element when I'm a little bit out of this world: then I'm in the real world - I'm on the beam. Because when I'm falling, I'm doing alright. When I'm slipping, I say, 'Hey, this is interesting.' It's when I'm standing upright that bothers me... As a matter of fact, I'm really slipping most of the time. I'm like a slipping glimpser." Willem de Kooning - 1960 Both artists take up residence in the gallery for five days, the first time they have collaborated fully. They seek to generate a series of temporary interventions which explore the crossover between their respective artistic practices, with a focus on their mutual interest in the slippage of meaning when found imagery is manipulated. Laura’s investigations are based upon the projection of gathered source imagery, while Rachel employs her own archive of source material based on the moving image. Using a projector as a tool for drawing, they manipulate the reading of projected images through drawing and distortions with reference to analogue special effects techniques. BALTIC 39 is a vibrant community of practicing artists located on High Bridge in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. This publicly accessible, cultural hub for contemporary art practice and research opened in April 2012 as a unique collaborative venture between Newcastle City Council, Arts Council England, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Northumbria University. The former Ward's printing warehouse and distinctive Grade II listed building at 39 High Bridge Street is home to BALTIC's project space - a stunning top-floor gallery, 33 artists' studios and the BxNU Institute of Contemporary Art. Subscribe To About Me Workplace Gallery is a contemporary art gallery run by artists. Based in Gateshead UK, Workplace Gallery represents a portfolio of emerging and established artists through the gallery programme, curatorial projects and international art fairs.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Capsule Collection Petit Bateau x Kitsuné! share this As its birthday is approaching, Petit Bateau chose to blow its 120 candles in a very Breton way with an exclusive anniversary line of clothes, imagined in collaboration with Kitsuné! Eagles eyes may have recognized on the picture above the singer Yelle’s new single cover, presented on our Journal yesterday. Indeed, the singer’s wearing one of the revisited “marinières” created by the two Breton brands, Petit Bateau and Kitsuné. The capsule collection also includes colorblock T-shirts, all for men, women, kids and babies and, regarding the standards of the two houses, all clothes are exclusively made in France. A French touch which also shines in the red, navy and white color code and in the lovely pretzelly nautical knot, stamped on each items. Then, keep an eye on Kitsuné and Petit Bateau cause the Kitsuné co-creators duo, Gildas & Masaya, will become the Artistic Directors of the Petit Bateau adult men and women collections, with a first complete collection out in the second semester of 2013! Photos credits: Alexandre Grégoire. Take a look to the video below, where Yelle is explaining her vision of this collaboration and why she’s glad to be in!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
A FLOR employee out of the Santa Monica FLOR store was inspired by the anticipation of the "heart holiday" and decided to get creative with the tiles and a stanley carpet knife. It took all of 15 minutes to turn these straight squares into shapely hearts. Aren't these adorable? Have you cut your FLOR tiles into any unique shapes/designs? If so, we would love to see and hear about it – send your photos to [email protected]. Happy Valentine's Day! Partner Giveaways Welcome to "Musings", FLOR's blog dedicated to design inspiration. We've invited a few of our friends to share their personal design thoughts and experiences. We hope you leave feeling empowered and return to be inspired.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
9 Best Long Hairstyles for Leading Men Brad Pitt Brad Pitt has had his share of hairstyles: a cowboy mullet in 1991’s Thelma and Louise, super short in 1999’s Fight Club, and those frosted bangs in 2001’s The Mexican. But he always seems to return to shoulder-length locks, which have contributed to some of his most iconic looks over the past 30 years. Most recently, he wore his hair long for two years while filming 12 Years a Slave and World War Z. “He’s the best example for nudging guys to experiment with their hair because he can wear his at any length and it looks awesome,” says DiMauro.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
gag, jape, jest, joke, laugh - a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point" line - text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen; "the letter consisted of three short lines"; "there are six lines in every stanza" Never one to hold back from sharing his views, Chubby will air his Don't Get Fit, Get Fat show - and promises to turn headlines into punch lines as his trademark lines into punch lines as his trademark banter sails as close to the mark as ever. The selection included ten "joke" paintings, their punch lines silk-screened on uninflected monochrome canvas, woven through cartoonish sketches, or drippily stenciled on somber neutral backgrounds; a few ink drawings, redrawn from the New Yorker; one "nurse" painting; and seven color photos from the "Upstate" series, 1995-99, most depicting a neglected item of suburban banality--an aboveground swimming pool, a basketball hoop, a median divider. As we document in "Rand-O-Rama," she casts a long shadow, not simply providing punch lines for South Park but infusing such recent movie hits as The Incredibles with what a Times reviewer called "a disdain for mediocrity. If novelty outshone craftsmanship, the most effective of the works employed either visual punch lines or repetition to make an impression, while several of the short works served to frame some terrific dancing. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
GROOMING THE AUSTRALIAN TERRIER The Aussie is naturally quite clean and requires little grooming to be a good pet or companion. Starting at an early age, the nails should be trimmed regularly and kept quite short. The coat should be kept clean and brushed at least once a week. Keep the hair short between the eyes, around the vent, on the ears, on the back of the tail, along the tops and between the pads of the feet. Teeth should be brushed regularly and the ears should be cleaned occasionally. The Aussie should be bathed infrequently. Too frequent shampooing can soften the harsh Aussie coat and also result in dry, flaky skin. Aussies should be kept free of fleas. Many have a low tolerance to fleas, and their presence can result in mild itching and flaking to extreme allergic reaction. Aussies acquired strictly as pets seldom require additional grooming. Need some help? Go to the Grooming the Rear and Tail of the Aussie Video onlineAls a grooming CD is available for sale to the public from the Aussie Store. Each may be ordered by PayPal or by mail order through The Aussie Store. Your ATCA breeder will also be able to help you with any additional grooming questions you might have.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Hey guys, I'm new to this forum as you can see. I've been on a couple of other forums before, so this is not really new to me. I mainly came here for hacking experience in FE games. There's not really much else to say about me. By the way, on previous forums I've been on, there were rules to be followed. If it would be okay, could someone direct me to where I can find them for this forum? Thanks, it would be appreciated. Hey guys, I'm new to this forum as you can see. I've been on a couple of other forums before, so this is not really new to me. I mainly came here for hacking experience in FE games. There's not really much else to say about me. By the way, on previous forums I've been on, there were rules to be followed. If it would be okay, could someone direct me to where I can find them for this forum? Thanks, it would be appreciated. Welcome aboard. I see that you joined in the past five days, I would say I'm glad there's a newbie around other than me but 'I've been on a couple of other forums before, so this is not really new to me' says otherwise, ah well nice to meet someone very fresh to the forums anyway. Welcome aboard. I see that you joined in the past five days, I would say I'm glad there's a newbie around other than me but 'I've been on a couple of other forums before, so this is not really new to me' says otherwise, ah well nice to meet someone very fresh to the forums anyway. Thanks! I also find it interesting, that we joined on the same date. Nice to meet you!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Route Map from Oscoda, MI to Bay City, MI Optimal route map between Oscoda, MI and Bay City, MI. This route will be about 82 Miles.The driving route information(distance, estimated time, directions), flight route, traffic information and print the map features are placed on the top right corner of the map. Oscoda, MI Weather Time 22:00 Coordinates 44.6236176, -84.1915828 Population 807 Area Code 989 Households 323 Zip Codes 48750 Bay City, MI Weather Time 22:00 Coordinates 43.594431, -83.8884037 Population 33917 Area Code 989 Households 14134 Zip Codes 48706 48707 48708 * Weather information on route, provide by Open Weather Map. * The total population living within the city limits, using the latest US census 2014 population estimates. * The total number of households within the city limits using the latest 5 year estimates from the American Community Survey.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Thursday, December 22, 2011 Last Nibble of Green Although the warm weather is a little disconcerting for late December, it is a thrill to walk through the gardens, harvest knife in hand, to see what I can find. Nibbles of green. Flavor. Nibbles of life even in this darkest time of year. The bit of cilantro, celery, parsley, mustard green, and kale I find taste so vibrant after being pulled from a crust of snow. I wonder, are the sheep equally content and wondrous with their mid-winter nibbles of pasture grasses and clovers? As soon as the snow covers the pasture, it will be dry hay for them. Out in the pasture, we find peace and an airy, but strong, sunlight unique to the solstice time. Perhaps it is the longer nights that, in contrast, make this sun so special? Perhaps it is the snow and cold earth that make the greens taste so wonderful... Around the farmstead peace does not last long. We finished the harvest; leeks and parsnips now join the rest of the winter crops, clean and snug in the root cellar. Ruth has fallen in love with the root crop washer. When she hears it starting up, she drops everything, throws on her rain gear, and heads outside to help. Even with man-sized waterproof gloves covering her little hands, she is a great help. After the work is done, Jeff lets her embark on a little fun, crawling around in the root washer while it turns! We processed a couple of our pigs on the farm, just for us and a friend. Following was a wave of cutting, curing, and smoking the meat in our home-made smoker. Jeff has been all over the phone, email, and roads bringing the rest of our animals to be processed and coordinating distributing the meat to our meat CSA members. The phone and email also bring us a steady flow of messages from young people who want to apprentice on our farm this coming season. While it is heartening to us how many young folks want to learn about diversified farming (integrating animals and plants into an ecosystem) and farming with draft horses, the number of applications we have to wade through is at times a bit overwhelming. We wish we could welcome the majority of these wonderful folks into our farm family, but we currently only have the housing for one or two more. Friday and Saturday are busy days for us year-round, as we prepare for and head to Brunswick for farmers' market. A couple Saturdays ago, we added the Portland Winter Market to the mix. Jeff and Rich rise early, pack the coolers with meat, bins with winter veggies, eggs, salsa, yarn and lambskins, and pile it all into the truck. Jeff drops Rich with half the goods in Brunswick, then heads to Portland with his half to sell. I join Rich with the girls later, after dropping my sister off at her basketball practice. It is busy, but oh those markets are so fun and delicious! I highly recommend both: Portland Winter Market and Brunswick Winter Market. The rest of our days bring a bit of rhythm with the daily chores of feeding horses hay, moving the sheep fence to new pasture, feeding and watering chickens and collecting eggs. As a family we join in the seasonal rhythm of celebration, lighting the Hanukkah candles nightly, stringing lights on our Christmas tree, making new wool felted ornaments with Nonnie (because, well, where DID that box of ornaments go?!), and joining Ruth's school in song at the Alna Meeting House to welcome the solstice. In the kitchen I have been following my intuition a bit more than the recipes.Nutmeg made its way into baked stuffed acorn squash along with rice, ground beef, parsnips, onions, garlic... Not too bad for acorn squash! Squash soup always starts off with caramelizing the onions and baking the squash with un-peeled garlic in the cavity. One day I threw in sesame oil and coriander, along with the onions, garlic, and squash, made it silky-smooth in the Cuisinart, then added tender green cabbage, sliced thin and sauteed in sesame oil and a little salt. Of course, Hanukkah is the time to make potato latkes, you can find the recipe in my Dec, 7, 210 post. Also in an old post is a recipe for Turnips Anna, one of our favorite turnip recipes. You can mix turnips and potatoes for this recipe, to try to win over non-turnip lovers! And the kale from the last CSA share would be perfect for kale chips, as most of the leaves are small so you would only have to wash and dry them, no chopping/ripping; recipe found here in this old post (scroll just over half-way down.)	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Locker Wares Craziest and most unique and diverse group of items your gonna see on ebay. Californian storage auction buyer. Things change daily on what might be for sale. Feel free to email and ask question. We work hard, daily , 24/7, mistakes happen, if we make one allow us to fix it not take it out on us.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Time to Finalize Postemergence Weed Control in Soybeans Source: University of Minnesota Extension \| Jul 01, 2010 After the recent stretch of rainy weather in Minnesota, we are currently in a period of excellent conditions for finalizing postemergence weed control in soybeans[3]. As crop stages progress, postemergence soybean herbicide[4] options decrease due to growth stage or days before harvest restrictions. To illustrate, products such as Flexstar, Ignite, Pursuit, Raptor and Extreme must be applied prior to flowering and FirstRate must be applied prior to 50% flowering. Postemergence grass herbicides such as Assure, Poast and Select can be applied up to 80, 75 and 60 days before harvest, respectively. Harmony SG and Synchrony XP can be applied up to 60 days before harvest, however, in conversations with DuPont, they indicate that as beans begin to flower the risk of crop injury becomes greater and they often don't recommend Harmony and Synchrony applications after July 4. In the interest of crop safety it is also important to read product labels to note use of the proper adjuvant, appropriate tankmix partners and application restrictions based on environmental conditions. For many growers the postemergence decision is focused on when to apply the second pass of glyphosate. Glyphosate can be applied through the R2 (full bloom), but weed species present, density and size should be the main factors in timing your second glyphosate application. Application to small weeds at low weed densities (often as a result of using pre-emergence herbicides) increases the probability of effective weed control. Delaying weed control in anticipation of another weed flush or to save a trip across the field by tankmixing another product, such as an aphid insecticide, with glyphosate does not necessarily save you money at harvest. From a weed science perspective, delaying the glyphosate application increases the uncertainty of weed control, increases the risk of weed/crop competition and increases the amount of weed seed produced for future growing seasons. Remember: The weeds that emerged with the crop are the most likely to reduce your crop yield and produce the most weed seed – not the weeds that emerge later in the growing season. Controlling weeds currently present in a field is a known problem; waiting to spray for weeds in anticipation of another problem (e.g., aphids) creates a greater risk for lost profits and future weed problems. Concurrently, spraying insecticides[5] before the economic threshold is reached, in order to tankmix with glyphosate, often results in another insecticide treatment later in the season, negates the positive influence of natural predators and parasites on the aphid population and increases the probability of secondary pest infestations such as spider mites.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Furdemption - A Quest For Wings 12+ Screenshots Description TouchArcade: 5/5 "Reminded me of the good old days of gaming."PuzzleGameApp.com: 5/5 "This game is intense, challenging and epic." A puzzle platformer featuring a royal rabbit trying to escape hell. Confront grim reapers and poison spiders, dodge traps, and find items. Use your intellect and skill to overcome 140 puzzle and action levels gushing with craftsmanship, whimsy, and gore. FEATURES • 140 progressively challenging levels• A mixture of skill and logic puzzles• Plays perfectly on both iPhones and iPads• Game Center leaderboards and achievements• 3 iCloud game save slots• No in-app purchases or ads• Swipe gameplay, kid tested and approved• Smooth animations and immersive sounds• Original music by Jefferson Apply• Only available on the App Store What’s New Version History 1.3.5 Sep 7, 2016 • Bug fixes and performance improvements 1.3.4 Jun 28, 2016 • Music played from other apps now continues to play in background• Bug fixes and performance improvements 1.3.3 Mar 16, 2016 • Reduced app size• Fixed iPhone 6 Plus scaling King Rabbit, the sequel to Furdemption is coming soon. Indulge his majesty with a gift - your review! • Significant performance improvements on older devices• Removed the impossible coin on Rescue Mission 8• Fixed level completion not saving when quitting the app at the end of a level• Fixed iPhone 4S crash when selecting rescue mission on last page• Fixed rare crash when the Royal Rabbit and Reaper die at the same time• Fixed saws going through metal crates sometimes on older devices• Fixed objects not getting removed sometimes when resetting the level• Fixed some Chinese and German translations 1.0.1 Jun 25, 2015 Sep 7, 2016 Version 1.3.5 • Bug fixes and performance improvements Ratings and Reviews 5.0 out of 5 61 Ratings 61 Ratings TyBan12 ,10/27/2016 So fun!!! I've literally never written a review on anything before, but this game is so awesome! It's challenging, enough that there were times when I thought a level was actually impossible! I love how the gameplay is smooth and the bunny is really cute! I also like how you can skip levels, and you can turn off blood (so my little brothers can play; they love this game!). Overall, I would highly recommend this game to anyone of any age, anyone can enjoy playing Furdemption! TyBan12 ,10/27/2016 So fun!!! I've literally never written a review on anything before, but this game is so awesome! It's challenging, enough that there were times when I thought a level was actually impossible! I love how the gameplay is smooth and the bunny is really cute! I also like how you can skip levels, and you can turn off blood (so my little brothers can play; they love this game!). Overall, I would highly recommend this game to anyone of any age, anyone can enjoy playing Furdemption! rjh19820813rjh ,11/27/2016 Perfect Came for Furdemption after playing King Rabbit. As suspected, this is just as good as its successor. Great graphics and controls. Cute bunny. Outstanding gameplay premise. Could not have scripted a better action platformer. If I could do it over again, I'd play Furdemption first simply because King Rabbit is perfect. It took the great original and made it ever-so-slightly more polished and enhanced in every regard. What a great franchise. rjh19820813rjh ,11/27/2016 Perfect Came for Furdemption after playing King Rabbit. As suspected, this is just as good as its successor. Great graphics and controls. Cute bunny. Outstanding gameplay premise. Could not have scripted a better action platformer. If I could do it over again, I'd play Furdemption first simply because King Rabbit is perfect. It took the great original and made it ever-so-slightly more polished and enhanced in every regard. What a great franchise. KelliD615 ,11/19/2016 This game makes me very hoppy! To be honest, I am biased because bunnies are my favorite. But! This is a very well done puzzler game. Not too hard, not too easy. Completed all the Rabbit King apps and the best part: nearly no ads. Thanks for the fun game! 🐰 KelliD615 ,11/19/2016 This game makes me very hoppy! To be honest, I am biased because bunnies are my favorite. But! This is a very well done puzzler game. Not too hard, not too easy. Completed all the Rabbit King apps and the best part: nearly no ads. Thanks for the fun game! 🐰	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
October 23, 2012 Judge recuses himself in anti-trust suit between American and Sabre A Texas judge has ruled that a state trial judge must recuse himself from hearing the anti-trust suit between American Airlines and Sabre Holdings. Judge Don Cosby, who presides over the 67th District court, is on the board of directors at the Lena Pope Home, a Fort Worth charity that provides family counseling for at-risk children. In its motion asking for Cosby's recusal, Sabre said American has made a "substantial financial contribution" to the Lena Pope Home since the lawsuit was filed. American had argued in another court document that the charity receives "broad support from people and businesses throughout this county," adding that Sabre and its lawyers have made "repeated contributions" to the Lena Pope Home and its school. Opening arguments in the trial were supposed to begin on Wednesday. The Monday recusal will likely push back the start of the trial as a new trial judge will be assigned to the case. "In making his ruling, the presiding judge stressed that the ruling was not based on any evidence of actual impropriety," American said in a statement. "American wishes to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of Judge Cosby and his staff, and we look forward to starting trial on schedule with the new trial judge to be appointed promptly by the presiding judge." At issue are the fees American and other airlines pay the big travel reservation systems to display flights and make bookings. American wants more of its travel partners, such as travel agencies and websites, to connect directly to American's own reservations system, which would save the airline booking fees. Sabre and American have been involved in several lawsuits since January 2011 when Sabre temporarily made it more difficult for travel agents to find American's fares in its distribution system. The two companies then attempted to negotiate a new contract agreement through the spring but then renewed legal action against each other this summer. The two firms have a temporary agreement in place that keeps American's fares in Sabre's travel reservation system through the end of the litigation. American has accused Sabre of anti-trust violations and that Sabre organized an industry boycott of American. UPDATE: The trial will continue as scheduled with Judge David Cleveland presiding. Keep reading for full statements from American and Sabre on the judge recusal. "On Monday, the presiding judge of the Eighth Administrative Judicial Region in Texas state court granted a motion filed by Sabre to recuse Judge Donald Cosby, the current trial judge, who had presided over American’s state court case against Sabre since it was filed in 2011. According to the presiding judge, the ruling was to avoid any appearance of impropriety in light of donations by American to a Fort Worth charity for which Judge Cosby is a director. "The evidence at the hearing reflected that Sabre and its counsel are supporters of the same charity, as well. In making his ruling, the presiding judge stressed that the ruling was not based on any evidence of actual impropriety. American wishes to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of Judge Cosby and his staff, and we look forward to starting trial on schedule with the new trial judge to be appointed promptly by the presiding judge." SABRE STATEMENT "The only donation Sabre has made since American Airlines’ filed its lawsuit in 2011 was a donation of less than $15 to match an employee’s donation to the Lena Pope Home as part of our Give Together program. Through this effort, Sabre encourages employees to give to organizations they support by offering matching donations. Over the past five years, Sabre and its employees located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have volunteered at or contributed more than $5 million to nearly 530 different organizations in the local area. All other Sabre-related donations to the Lena Pope Home occurred prior to 2003."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Nissan has had a $25k target pricetag on its forthcoming Leaf EV for some time now, as it’s built hype towards the car’s commercial rollout later this year. That price will be crucial in taking on GM’s Volt EREV, which is said to retail somewhere in the $40k ballpark but offers a range-extending gas engine. Allcarselectric.com got a little more detail out of Nissan execs, and reported back in November that According to Brian Carolin, Nissan’s marketing executive for North America, the cost of the upcoming Leaf will be equivalent to the monthly cost of a fully loaded Honda Civic, plus the cost of its monthly fuel bill. To simplify pricing Carolin broke it down as such, “That means the purchase price (about $28,000) or comparable monthly payment for a high-end Civic plus the cost of the gasoline it would need to cover 1,200 miles (at 30 MPG and $3/gallon, about $120.” Well maybe the words of Carolin are not easy to decipher. It appears as though he is trying to say that a Nissan Leaf will run about $120 more per month in payments if the vehicle is financed. For example, if a fully loaded Honda Civic can be leased for $319 per month. Adding in a monthly fuel cost of $120 brings the total monthly out of pocket expense to $439. Nissan will either sell or lease the Leaf and its battery at that same price. If that isn’t confusing enough, consider this: Nissan has just announced [via MarketWatch] that the Japanese-market Leaf will cost between 3.5m and 4m Yen ($38,661-$44,184). Of course, the US launch will coincide with US production at Nissan’s Smyrna facility, and that extra volume could help keep the price down. But will it really be $10k-$20k less than what the Japanese are being asked to pay? You’ll have to forgive us for being skeptical about that. Meanwhile, Nissan claims that 50k people have registered for ordering priority already (pre-orders begin in April), but they’re likely banking on a $25k price point. When real pricing comes out, it will be interesting to see how many of those folks actually sign up to buy the first mass-market EV on the American market. So a $28k Civic (they really cost that much Out The Door pricing these days?) that get’s a pretty bad lease rate and spends $120 a month in gas (that’s 4-5 fillups) making it a $459 a month ownership /operating cost for a Civic. Not sure how this works but the low end Civic’s at one point could be leased for $159 / mo (pre-tax and options of course). I would not be surprised if the Leaf was lease only (reason why I’m including the lease rates for a Civic. But in all fairness – did Nissan include the cost of “fueling” up the leaf’s battery from the home outlet as they are including the cost of fueling up the Civic (how much higher would your monthly electricity bills go?). What about the occasional rental for when they go on day drips > 100 miles where the Leaf cannot do such and would need to be recharged for long periods before being ready for the next 100 miles. But in all fairness – did Nissan include the cost of “fueling” up the leaf’s battery from the home outlet as they are including the cost of fueling up the Civic (how much higher would your monthly electricity bills go?). Probably nowhere near what the cost of gas is. Electricity is very cheap by comparison. Discussions of the Volt have hammered this home. What about the occasional rental for when they go on day drips > 100 miles where the Leaf cannot do such and would need to be recharged for long periods before being ready for the next 100 miles. This is a cost, but it’s not going to be a common one for the Leaf’s buyers. The Leaf has three, maybe four buying groups: * Government fleet (eg, municipal bylaw enforcement, parking officers, city staff). * Zipcar and similar car-hire services * Urban condo dwellers * Commuter cars for urban-village and near-suburb dwellers who probably already own a minivan Other than the third group above, rentals aren’t going to happen, and that third group tends to spend it’s weekends in the city anyway. Nissan is on the right track – you have to compare the cost to a ‘normal’ car during the marketing campaign. All consumers – except the hardiest tree-huggers – will do this. Interestingly, the Volt marketing never does this, since the ROI is terrible for it. The Volt’s approach is to emphasize the range extending engine, but ironically that is what ruins the ROI for the car. $28k US is too much. The rich won’t have one, the middle class is diminishing, and the working class won’t be able to afford it. $8k is more appropriate for a little box that will get blown off the road by semi’s and SUV’s. I’m middle class, and I’ll do it for $28,000. Then, I drive a Versa (on the same platform, and about the same size, as the Leaf) and somehow manage to drive on the LA Freeways (including I-5) without getting “blown off the road.” For in-city and short-haul commuting work, I can see this working. It’s not an unreasonable amount of money, especially for people who have the income levels to live in more expensive urban environs. If I still lived in Toronto, I’d have been signing the papers on the pre-order list months ago, as would at least ten or twenty people I know. If you live in a city and want a car, gas can be a huge deal. Even reasonably fuel-efficient cars like the Civic or Versa get poor mileage on the urban cycle: real-world is 20mpg, often lower in adverse weather. Something like the Leaf makes this a complete non-issue; a decent chunk that you can spend on, eg, parking or insurance. The cost won’t raise an issue for these people. I’d expect charging to be less of an issue in urban environments, too. A power strip along the wall of underground parking garages that Leaf buyers probably frequent is an easy add for business and condo maintainers. You need to be in an (very) urban mindset for this car to work, and I think that most detractors aren’t in that headspace. For those who are, Ghosn is right in that Nissan is really the only company on the radar. * I’d probably pick the Volt instead, but that’s a function of the once or twice-weekly >160km trips I have to do. *** with an automatic, which you will want if you have to suffer stop-and-go. Don’t even think about the kind of mileage a larger car will get. Ahh, there’s the Volt-bashing I was waiting for. When the Volt is discussed, it’s dismissed as a Cruze with a big battery, not worth $40K or even $20K. Now we have a Versa based car with nothing but a battery, and the price is barely questioned. Of course, an actual price has not been announced, really much like the Volt. There’s a whole lot of guesing going on here to know for sure. To be honest, the Leaf is more of a city car (in the purest sense) than a Volt. The Volt bridges the gap between BEV and EREV. Where I could see the extra cost for the two propulsion systems in the Volt, the Leaf is strictly BEV, with all of it’s characteristics. What ever happened to buying the chassis and leasing the battery? I guess we’ll see what the list prices of each are when they’re announced and then we’ll see which is the better value. I wouldn’t dismiss the Volt if it was $20k, but it isn’t. The Volt and Leaf must be compared to other cars in their market space, whether you consider it economy cars, compact cars, commuter cars, price point, or whatever. Both the Volt and Leaf will compete against Civics, Elantras, and Cruzes. If you do any long-distance driving – and this is your only car – then the Volt is the only choice between the two. But if you’re strictly a local commuter with a place to plug in, the $40k Volt makes no sense whatsoever. “Value” will be based upon what each customer really needs. But if I want a $40k GM car that gets 30 mpg highway, I’ll buy a loaded Malibu or Regal rather than a Volt. I’m waiting patiently for the Volt to hit the dealer lots but it’s nice to see that Nissan is offering the Leaf. The ecomomics for the electric vehicle aren’t quite there yet, but I suspect both the Leaf and the Volt will still sell very well. And if gas goes above $4 a gallon Nissan & GM won’t be able to buyild them fast enough. My conspiracy theory says that the price of gas may do just that – with the coordination of the US government (war with Iran?) – and help GM’s Volt succeed. Without high gas prices, the Volt could be a big failure. However, just as with Cash For Clunkers (which helped foreign automakers more than domestic ones), the Volt would not be the only beneficiary of high gas prices. Customers will still do the math, and most would probably buy an Elantra instead. The reality is the Leaf isn’t suitable in an urban environment at all. I live in NYC and would consider an electric car for my 60-mile roundtrip commute from Manhattan to Jerz two or three days each week. But then, the Leaf gives me only 40 miles wiggle-room. How would the distance be affected by using the stereo, heater, A/C, windshield wipers, or lights? My commute can be a half hour or it could be two hours. Unlike in ICE vehicle, taking advantage of these “luxuries” will greatly impact your driving distance. And cold weather greatly diminishes the battery charge. So this rules out the Leaf for anything except for brief trips and makes it absolutely impractical. I think that the Leaf will show that batteries alone aren’t going to cut it and that nothing else provides the power of an internal combustion engine as of yet. This is where the Volt is going to win-out. Do you include gasoline plant emissions when talking about your car’s CO2 emissions, or the delivery truck that delivers the gasoline? No. And that’s why they don’t count electricity generation. That sign is about the car itself as an individual entity, and nothing else. I have lived in a large urban environment for quite a while (recently moved out). I still have friends there that absolutely LOVE the idea of an electric city car since they sit in traffic so much. The problem is they have no place to plug this thing in — they all park on the street. With an ICE car you only fear vandalism theft. With an electric card you’d have to rent a garage spot and get permission to use the electrical outlets. Common pricing is $100-$150/mo. Doesn’t that eat up the advantages of not having to buy gasoline? Also: we have (in higher end/more expensive places) deeded parking spots. Is saving a few $ on gas worth shelling out $50-75k for a deeded parking spot? This spot may not even have an electrical outlet either….it just buys you parking! On top of this, it is not uncommon to have a week + with the temperature mostly below 0F (-17C). How do these batteries hold up at those temperatures? What happens when these people switch jobs & reverse commute on the highway to the suburbs for 1-2 hours & leave tons of accessories running (heater in the winter, music, lights, etc)? How does the TOTAL cost compare to: 1) public transport (Your car travelling in the same traffic as a bus isn’t necessarily going to get you to your destination faster, and it will be slower than taking the train at rush hour) 2) A conventional ICE car I think there are still a lot of problems to be solved w/ electric cars, even for the “heavily urban” target market. I’m certainly interested in an electric commuter; I’m afraid I’m going to have to replace my old Civic eventually. (By ‘replace’ I mean that my son will be driving in a few years and I’d rather let him use my 20 year old beater than anything nicer, which will leave me needing a way to get around). Even $28K is a bit more than I’d want to spend; I don’t drive that many miles so I may have to wait for the technology to be refined and hope the price comes down sometime later. As for gas prices; all it takes is a couple of good GOM tropical storms to send us back to $4/gallon. It hasn’t been THAT long since the gas lines in the South after Ike (less than 2 years) and the massive price spikes after Katrina/Rita (less than 5 years). Odds are good something will disrupt supply again soon and we’ll be skirting $4/5 gas for a while before things get sorted out.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
New Mercedes A-Class 2019 Mercedes-Benz continues to expand its line of its models – to the Beijing Motor Show 2018, the German manufacturer has prepared a sedan based on the hatchback A-Class W177 of the fourth generation, which ideologically repeats four-door CLA. Earlier in the lineup of the A-class, the sedan was never, and now will be, with the next CLA also remaining in the ranks, and it will be interesting to see what these two fundamentally similar cars will differ from each other. The four-door front completely repeats the original hatch – there is a similar acute-angle head optics with boomerangs of navigation lights, a wide grille with a large emblem in the center and a single rib in the middle, and two variants of the front bumper – common and with extended lateral air intakes in the Sports version. Rear lights on the Mercedes A-Class Sedan 2018-2019 (photo, price) original – with stylish divergent diagonal stripes in different directions. The roof of the car is made less sloping, compared to the above CLA-Class, but the profile and feed on it are very similar. In the cabin, again, everything is already familiar to the original five-door – these are two monitors on the front panel, which can be of different sizes, depending on the package, a new multimedia MBUX with voice recognition, five round nozzles for ventilation (three centered and two – on the sides), as well as a steering wheel with touch panels on its spokes. Initially, the company introduced an extended version of the sedan for the Chinese market, where the wheelbase was stretched for an additional 60 millimeters (up to 2,789), and the total length of the car was 4,609 mm. The whole increase went to increase the foot space of the rear passengers. The usual version has a length of 4 569 and a trunk of 420 liters. Most likely, according to the technical characteristics of the European Mercedes A-class sedan will repeat the hatchback, but for China the number of available modifications is limited, and they all come only with a front-wheel drive and coupled with a 7-band robot. The basic 1.33-liter four-cylinder engine, developed in conjunction with Renault, is available in the recoil options for 136 and 163 hp, and a pair of it is a two-liter turbo-quater for 190 “horses.” The release of new items for the Middle Kingdom will be established at the joint venture Beijing Benz Automobile Co. (BBAC), there is no information about trim levels and prices. It is expected that the “A” sedan will appear in the fall of 2018, but beforehand the company will present a presentation of the European version of the model.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Lexus Says Riding On Being An Upgraded Toyota No Longer Works - Needs A New Plan Lexus wants Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Mercedes-Benz car buyers to know it can be more than just dependable. To promote the revamped GS series, Lexus said that Sports Illustrated model Tori Praver helped to inspire a track challenged by American car-racing ace Scott Pruett, while armchair drivers keen to join in the action can get the Tori 500 app for the iPhone and iPad. The publicity helped Lexus sell more than 4,900 GS cars in the U.S. within two months of its introduction, exceeding sales for all of 2011. It's part of an effort by Lexus to separate itself from parent Toyota Motors Corp.'s stable -- at least a little -- and come up with a global strategy that gives BMW and Mercedes-Benz owners a reason to switch. "To conquer BMW and Mercedes drivers, we can't just be looked at as an upgraded version of Toyota," said Kiyotaka Ise, who took the helm of Lexus in 2007. "We want our brand to be chosen for its character and handling." LEXUS should have done this from the beginning! They should have distanced themselves from TOYOTA a long time ago.I am tired of people making comments that I purchased an overpriced AVALON. I thought I would never buy another LEXUS but the new GS has changed my mind eventhough I have not driven it yet. Add your Comments Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters): [img]IMAGE URL[/img]Example:[img]http://agent001.myautospies.com/images/sample.jpg[/img]	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
IBM expands claims against SCO FRAMINGHAM (09/26/2003) - IBM Corp. expanded a Linux-related countersuit against The SCO Group Inc. by claiming that SCO has infringed its technology copyrights. IBM, which countersued last month after being sued by SCO in March, charged in the new filing that SCO distributed IBM-developed Linux technology without permission. Lindon, Utah-based SCO denied the claims. Copyright 2018 IDG Communications. ABN 14 001 592 650. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of IDG Communications is prohibited.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
A statement has been posted on Air America's website, by the chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker. The statement read, "It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business." It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business. —Statement on Air America's website The statement pointed out the current economic situation saying, The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a "perfect storm" in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection." Adding, "From large to small, recent bankruptcies like Citadel Broadcasting and closures like that of the industry's long-time trade publication Radio and Records have signaled that these are very difficult and rapidly changing times." However, Air America has had stability problems since it's founding 2004. This is not the first time the company behind the network has filed for bankruptcy. The company filed for Chapter 11 reorganizational bankruptcy in March 2006. The network has also suffered from turnover with executives and owners. The radio network, which had over 100 affiliated stations, hosted well-known personalities such as comedian Al Franken, who hosted The Al Franken Show, which was billed as the network's flagship program, from 2004 to 2007 when he left his show and the network to run for the United States Senate. The radio network has also brought other liberal commentators much exposure such as Rachel Maddow, who hosted The Rachel Maddow Show on the network. Maddow gained prominence when she started appearing on the cable news network MSNBC which eventually culminated in her receiving her own television show, aptly-named, The Rachel Maddow Show. Her radio show on Air America now most consists of audio from television show broadcast the night before. Other commentators on the network with their own shows consisted of Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, Sam Seeder and most recently Montel Willams. Sam Seeder's response to the network's shutdown was, "The fact of the matter was, it was always a very challenging business proposition, and it never had the right management." He added, “Radio is a dying industry.” Seeder hosted programs on Air America up until last year. According to The New York Times, Maddow declined to comment and Senator Franken's office could not be reached. Other progressive talk hosts such as Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller are unaffected by the shutdown because their shows and content are syndicated by other distributors and were never affiliated with Air America. Miller's executive producer, Chris Lavoie wrote on his Twitter page, "We’re NOT affected by the shutdown of Air America!" Many of the radio hosts featured on Air America will be unaffected because they have either left the network, or switched to a different company to syndicate their shows. Alan Colmes, a liberal commentator for the Fox News Channel wrote on his blog, "Its demise is, sadly, not a shock, but will certainly be misinterpreted and overstated by conservatives who love to pontificate about how liberals can’t make it in broadcasting and who will dance on Air America’s grave." Colmes continued saying, "I look at radio as a broadcaster, not as a liberal." He noted, "Their business model in larger markets was pay-for-play, an expensive proposition often without financial return. Because conservatives were so entrenched on heritage stations, the progressives on Air America were relegated to smaller, less powerful, under-performing signals that could not compete with their more established counterparts; certainly not without lots of promotion and time to develop, both of which were denied in most cases." Air America's statement closed by saying, "We are proud that Air America's mission lives on through the words and actions of so many former radio hosts who are active today in progressive causes and media nationwide. In the years ahead, as we look back, we should all be proud of our passionate determination to assure that our nation's progressive voice would be heard loud and clear. Through the hard work and dedication of current staff, and those who preceded you, a lasting legacy was forged which will now continue through other voices and venues."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
LC Library Events for October 2017 Wyoming, ON – Lambton County Library will be celebrating Canadian Library Month in October and Ontario Public Library week, October 15 to 21. This year's theme for both of these events is "A Visit Will Get You Thinking". Brigden Library Reopens to the Public LC Library Events for September 2017 Wyoming, ON – Lambton County Library would like to thank all of its patrons for their patience and understanding in regards to the unexpected closures of the Sarnia and Mallroad libraries this summer. Both facilities are now open to the public. The Brigden Library was also closed for the summer months while renovations took place at the Brigden Public School, where the library is housed. The Brigden Library is expected to reopen in time for the school year. Sarnia Library Reopening Sarnia, ON – Lambton County Library'sSarnia branch will reopen to the public on Monday, August 21, 2017, after being closed for five weeks following a minor fire at the facility. The Bookmobile services and Makerspace programs and workshops will also resume; however, the Library Theatre will remain closed as remediation work continues.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 Respiratory care supplementThis week's Nursing Times (dated 5th April, vol. 101, no. 14) includes this, with articles on lung cancer and the NICE guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of same, on assessment and nursing care of patients with dyspnoea and on home non-invasive ventilation.There is no online access to this title, but the Clinical Sciences Library has it. About Browsing's author A Learning and Teaching Services Librarian at the University of Leicester (health sciences, medicine, operating department practice, biological and other sciences). And a Clinical Librarian at University Hospitals of Leicester (cancer, cardiology, genetics, haematology, nephrology, urology, vascular).	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Hazare Lashes Out At Govt On Lokpal Issue Mumbai, Aug 9: The agitation to demand a strong Lokpal is not aimed against any individual or party, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today said. “This agitation is not against any individual or party. The common PTI [ Updated: August 10, 2011 12:08 IST ] hazare lashes out at govt on lokpal issue Mumbai, Aug 9: The agitation to demand a strong Lokpal is not aimed against any individual or party, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today said. “This agitation is not against any individual or party. The common man is finding it impossible to live without encountering corruption. Corruption has increased and has led to inflation and price rise. Corruption is the root cause of inflation,” he said. “Corruption may not end altogether but we can curb it by at least 80 to 90 per cent,” he said at a meet-the-press programme organised by Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh. The Gandhian recalled that it was on August 9, when he went on a fast here to seek the Right to Information Act in Maharashtra. “We think this fight against corruption is the second battle for independence. Lakhs of people sacrificed their lives to force British out of the country. But in last 65 years, there has been no change. “Scams like 2G spectrum allocation scam and Suresh Kalmadi's CWG scam were unearthed due to RTI Act. But that Act does not have the power to send culprits to jail. The Jan Lokpal bill has that power. That is why we have been asking the government to enact this legislation,” Hazare said. He favoured strong punishment to deter the corrupt. “Why not provide for life term? In fact, we are saying that the corrupt should be hanged,” he said. “There should be a provision to recover the amount involved in corruption. Merely sending the guilty person to jail won't suffice. The money should be recovered from the person,” he said. Those in the government lack the will to create a corruption-free India, Hazare said. “We are saying bring in the Jan Lokpal. Give it autonomy. It should be free from any government control. But the government says it does not want such a strict legislation,” he said. “This is because the government is run on the basis of corruption. There is a nexus between people's representatives and staff involved in corruption. Our demand is to bring all offices under Lokpal,” he said. Lokpal should probe corruption complaints, Hazare said. “At the state level, the government should not meddle with the (institution of) Lokayukta. What we are seeking is not beyond Constitution. We are not seeking to run a parallel government,” he said. “How many IAS, IPS officers and how many ministers have been jailed? The reason is that CBI is under the government. Remove CBI from the government (control). “An income tax officer can probe anyone, even the Prime Minister. Why is it not done,” he asked. “When an MP asks for money to raise questions in Lok Sabha, what will happen to this country,” Hazare said. The social activist suggested that boards should be put up outside offices to indicate that office's social responsibility. On the spiralling government expenditure, he said 75 per cent of people's money collected by the government is spent on establishment costs. In the remaining 25 per cent, there is corruption of 15 per cent, he said. PTI	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Rwanda Terrorism Index 2002-2016 \| Data \| Chart \| Calendar \| Forecast Terrorism Index in Rwanda decreased to 2.59 in 2015 from 3.33 in 2014. Terrorism Index in Rwanda averaged 2.81 from 2002 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 3.94 in 2010 and a record low of 0.42 in 2004. Rwanda Terrorism IndexNotes The Global Terrorism Index measures the direct and indirect impact of terrorism, including its effects on lives lost, injuries, property damage and the psychological aftereffects. It is a composite score that ranks countries according to the impact of terrorism from 0 (no impact) to 10 (highest impact). Rwanda Terrorism Index - actual data, historical chart and calendar of releases - was last updated on December of 2016.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Thursday, February 11, 2016 10 Adorable DIY Valentines That I Would Totally Make If I Wasn't So Lazy Homemade valentines: So sweet, so special, and sooo reserved for better moms than me. I try--I really do! I mean, I would love to break out the glue and the creativity for Valentine's Day. But I'm usually inspired to actually do something, like, the night before my kid has to bring in her valentines. So it hasn't really been in the cards for me. (Last year, I did think ahead and got these adorable valentines...but I procrastinated too much this year to even do that.)Anyway, here are the valentines I wish I could have done this year. Let's all pin this post and try to remember to do them next year at the last possible second, shall we?1) 3D Lollipop valentines: From 24-7-365.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
June 24, 2009 / Opinion Awaiting action by the New York State Senate, which is embroiled in a power struggle and at last report is still in a deadlock, are bills that would increase taxes on the purchase of cigarettes in Nassau and Suffolk counties; reauthorize a hotel-mo More... Dear Editor: I attended the Plainedge Board of Education Public Business meeting on June 11, 2009. It is the last meeting of the school year where retiring employees are honored for their many years of service to Plainedge children. More...	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
First, there was his scolding of Dallas architects from major firms who were largely a no-show at a recent lecture by Jamie Carpenter, an “architect-artist who creates spaces of ethereal lightness and grandeur” and a MacArthur-certified genius “revered for his mastery of curtain-wall design.” Only ten people showed up, said Lamster, which embarrassed the hell put of the few die-hard architecture advocates in attendance. “Whenever we talk, a theme of our discussions is, how can Dallas architecture be better? The answer is by building a stronger intellectual culture, and by engaging with those who are at the forefront of design. You can’t do that if you don’t show up. Tonight, you didn’t.” Then, just the other day, Lamster was up in arms again over the announcement that the Joule Hotel—site of Dallas Art Fair radio stations and photo-ops, among other high profile occasions—will receive a Preservation Dallas Achievement Award for its refurbishing of the building it occupies, the Dallas National Bank Building of 1927, which is all well and good, except for a tarnishing little fact on the Joule’s record. What really miffs Lamster is the fact that Tim Headington, the developer behind the rise of the Joule and many other downtown buildings, tore down the Praetorian Building, Dallas’ first steel-frame skyscraper, built in 1909, which stood across the street from the Joule, only to replace it with an incongruously manicured and off-limits lot, where artist Tony Tasset’s giant eye-ball sits ogling everything, “a sculptural work of dubious merit that in no way justifies the absence of its predecessor.” Lamster says the award is a black eye to real historic architectural preservation: “Developers must not be allowed to think they can destroy the city’s patrimony one day,” says Lamster, “and be celebrated for preserving it the next. That is an unacceptable precedent.” Lucia is an artist and writer based in Dallas. She is a frequent contributor to D Magazine's arts blog, FrontRow and a contributing editor and art adviser for D Home. She is also a founding member of the The Art Foundation, a Dallas-based artist collective that formed as an investigative endeavor that aims to cultivate artistic dialogue through concise critical and aesthetic explorations in the form of exhibitions, interventions and the written word. She is currently pursuing her MFA in sculpture at Texas Christian University.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Advertising Disclosure: TheSimpleDollar.com has an advertising relationship with some of the offers included on this page. However, the rankings and listings of our reviews, tools and all other content are based on objective analysis. The Simple Dollar does not include all card/financial services companies or all card/financial services offers available in the marketplace. For more information and a complete list of our advertising partners, please check out our full Advertising Disclosure. TheSimpleDollar.com strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. The information in our reviews could be different from what you find when visiting a financial institution, service provider or a specific product's website. All products are presented without warranty. Video advertising - This type of advertising in terms of digital/online means are advertisements that play on online videos e.g. YouTube videos. This type of marketing has seen an increase in popularity over time.[51] Online Video Advertising usually consists of three types: Pre-Roll advertisements which play before the video is watched, Mid-Roll advertisements which play during the video, or Post-Roll advertisements which play after the video is watched.[52] Post-roll advertisements were shown to have better brand recognition in relation to the other types, where-as "ad-context congruity/incongruity plays an important role in reinforcing ad memorability".[51] Due to selective attention from viewers, there is the likelihood that the message may not be received.[53] The main advantage of video advertising is that it disrupts the viewing experience of the video and therefore there is a difficulty in attempting to avoid them. How a consumer interacts with online video advertising can come down to three stages: Pre attention, attention, and behavioural decision.[54] These online advertisements give the brand/business options and choices. These consist of length, position, adjacent video content which all directly affect the effectiveness of the produced advertisement time,[51] therefore manipulating these variables will yield different results. Length of the advertisement has shown to affect memorability where-as longer duration resulted in increased brand recognition.[51] This type of advertising, due to its nature of interruption of the viewer, it is likely that the consumer may feel as if their experience is being interrupted or invaded, creating negative perception of the brand.[51] These advertisements are also available to be shared by the viewers, adding to the attractiveness of this platform. Sharing these videos can be equated to the online version of word by mouth marketing, extending number of people reached.[55] Sharing videos creates six different outcomes: these being "pleasure, affection, inclusion, escape, relaxation, and control".[51] As well, videos that have entertainment value are more likely to be shared, yet pleasure is the strongest motivator to pass videos on. Creating a ‘viral’ trend from mass amount of a brands advertisement can maximize the outcome of an online video advert whether it be positive or a negative outcome. The reason why sticking with a plan is so important is that it lets you invest at low prices, allowing your money to go further by buying more shares. When stocks recover, you'll own more shares and earn particularly strong returns on the investments you made at or near market lows. Capitalizing on those opportunities will have a definite positive impact on your long-term returns -- as long as you have the discipline to pull the trigger when the time comes. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Most of the software and apps you use on a regular basis are made by massive companies or established development studios. Well, yes. But many successful apps, particularly those in the Apple and Google stores, are created and marketed by individuals and small businesses. In fact, independent developers made $20 billion in the App Store in 2016 alone. Some of the companies on this list are those you’ll recognize. Dell, still one of the largest PC vendors in the world, regularly hires project managers, business analysts and systems engineers for remote work. Salesforce, which came in at #3 on Forbes’ list of the world’s most innovative companies this year, hires telecommuting account executives, product designers and even upper management positions like regional vice presidents. Xerox, Adobe, SAP and American Express also make the list with their own distinct sets of work from home and remote work agreements. You have likely heard of subscription boxes such as Birchbox and Julep. While almost anyone can start a subscription box service, they can be incredibly labor-intensive and the profit margin usually isn’t so great for those operating on a small scale. Did you know you could start a subscription for your knowledge that’s almost pure profit? With sites like SubHub, you can offer a monthly membership offering anything from meal plans to workout plans to crocheting patterns and beyond. The sky is the limit. You do need to provide new content on a consistent schedule to keep your customers happy. But if there is something your friends are always looking to you for new ideas, you may have an easy little side business on your hands. You don’t necessarily have to have a huge site or lots of traffic. Consider emailing an affiliate program’s contact person (look for contact info on the site or in affiliate newsletters) if you send a lot of leads their way, rank well in the search engines for a related keyword or have a high conversion rate. Make your email compelling. Read my tips here. You just have to be a good fit and provide excellent value to the merchant. Another good resource for this is here. Using an omni-channel strategy is becoming increasingly important for enterprises who must adapt to the changing expectations of consumers who want ever-more sophisticated offerings throughout the purchasing journey. Retailers are increasingly focusing on their online presence, including online shops that operate alongside existing store-based outlets. The "endless aisle" within the retail space can lead consumers to purchase products online that fit their needs while retailers do not have to carry the inventory within the physical location of the store. Solely Internet-based retailers are also entering the market; some are establishing corresponding store-based outlets to provide personal services, professional help, and tangible experiences with their products.[24] Brian Dean, an SEO expert and the creator of BackLinko, uses SEO tactics to rank #1 on YouTube for keywords like “on page SEO” and “video SEO”. Initially, Dean admits his YouTube account struggled to get any views. Employing SEO methods like keyword optimization has enabled Dean to rise to #1 on YouTube for search results related to his business. He published his full strategy on Backlinko. You can set up a website, gradually build up the content (articles, videos, podcasts, etc.), then eventually monetize the site through advertising, affiliate marketing, or even the direct sale of specific products or services. Even better, you can generally find whatever services and technical assistance you need online and free of charge. Later on, when your site develops a reliable cash flow, you can begin working with paid providers who can take your blog to the next level. Thank you for the input. I think your probably right….the purse selling would be a huge challenge. Thank you for the suggestions 1 & 2. My husband owns a complete auto care business and we are leaning towards purchasing vehicles from individual sellers to resell. That may be the more certain route to take. We have access to auto technicians and auto equipment etc. I was kinda trying to do something myself, I’ll get back to brain storming! Shifting the focus to the time span, we may need to measure some "Interim Metrics", which give us some insight during the journey itself, as well as we need to measure some "Final Metrics" at the end of the journey to inform use if the overall initiative was successful or not. As an example, most of social media metrics and indicators such as likes, shares and engagement comments may be classified as interim metrics while the final increase/decrease in sales volume is clearly from the final category. Open an Etsy store. If you have a creative talent or skill – whether it’s creating art, sewing clothes, or making keepsakes – you can open an online store on Etsy.com and sell your wares for some quick cash. With your own Etsy store, you’re left in charge of pricing and, ultimately, how much you make. See our detailed primer, “How to Make Money on Etsy.” Email marketing - Email marketing in comparison to other forms of digital marketing is considered cheap; it is also a way to rapidly communicate a message such as their value proposition to existing or potential customers. Yet this channel of communication may be perceived by recipients to be bothersome and irritating especially to new or potential customers, therefore the success of email marketing is reliant on the language and visual appeal applied. In terms of visual appeal, there are indications that using graphics/visuals that are relevant to the message which is attempting to be sent, yet less visual graphics to be applied with initial emails are more effective in-turn creating a relatively personal feel to the email. In terms of language, the style is the main factor in determining how captivating the email is. Using casual tone invokes a warmer and gentle and inviting feel to the email in comparison to a formal style. For combinations; it's suggested that to maximize effectiveness; using no graphics/visual alongside casual language. In contrast using no visual appeal and a formal language style is seen as the least effective method.[48] Do you have zero interest in an expensive mountain bike the company you are an affiliate of sells? Well, you probably don’t want to feature it on your blog, as it is extremely difficult to persuade readers (or anyone for that matter) that they should buy something you wouldn’t be caught spending a single penny on. When you are passionate about a product or–at the very least–interested in learning more about it, this will come through to your readers, engage them and better coax them to buy Digital marketing is also referred to as 'online marketing', 'internet marketing' or 'web marketing'. The term digital marketing has grown in popularity over time. In the USA online marketing is still a popular term. In Italy, digital marketing is referred to as web marketing. Worldwide digital marketing has become the most common term, especially after the year 2013.[19] I do not blame the Millennials for favoring communism. The current capitalist system has quite clearly failed them. Having lived under communism, I do not favor it myself. I do however think what we need is another capitalism reboot, such as the FDR New Deal, which redistributed the wealth of the 1% and engendered economic prosperity for nearly half a century. People are turning to audio and visuals when it comes to technical subjects. However, you should consider doing an ebook first and turning it into an audiobook through a resource like Audible's ACX platform. You can hire a producer either through a royalty share program, so you don't have to shell out upfront cash, or you can do a pay-per-hour hire as well. Nice writing style Ben. I’m finding out very quickly that to make any money writing, you have to read, read, and then read some more, no matter how smart you feel you are on a subject, before writing your first sentence. I have always been a fan of multiple income streams and am thrilled by the ideas of proofreading, editing, blogging, freelancing and transcribing. Having spent one of my careers doing just that for a large corporation, it’s a perfect fit, but now I can get credit for my work, thanks again for a great article. Mistake #5: Promoting a lot of affiliate products instead of just a few. Once you start affiliate marketing, you realize how easy it is to share affiliate links. Instead of becoming an affiliate for a lot of different products and sharing them liberally, I recommend concentrating on just a few and sharing them intentionally. It doesn’t seem as spammy, plus you can be sure the products you do promote are closely aligned with your brand and message. Deep is better than wide. Join a startup accelerator: Another great option is to apply to a startup accelerator like Y Combinator, 500 startups, or TechStars, where a group of investors will help coach you, connect you with potential partners, and provide startup cash in return for a small stake in your company. The competition is tough to get into these, so don’t rely on them as your only path forward. Working as a freelancer is a great way to make money online from the comfort of your own home. The beauty of freelancing is that you can tailor it to suit your needs. You can freelance for a couple of hours a week in the evenings to help save up for a holiday or some much-needed home improvements. Or carve out a full-time job for yourself, giving you a more satisfying work-life balance and enabling you to do the simpler things in life like taking the kids to school. With so many jobs available online, freelancing is becoming more and more popular. Word of mouth communications and peer-to-peer dialogue often have a greater effect on customers, since they are not sent directly from the company and are therefore not planned. Customers are more likely to trust other customers’ experiences.[22] Examples can be that social media users share food products and meal experiences highlighting certain brands and franchises. This was noted in a study on Instagram, where researchers observed that adolescent Instagram users' posted images of food-related experiences within their social networks, providing free advertising for the products.[26] Some commentators originally suggested that affiliate links work best in the context of the information contained within the website itself. For instance, if a website contains information pertaining to publishing a website, an affiliate link leading to a merchant's internet service provider (ISP) within that website's content would be appropriate. If a website contains information pertaining to sports, an affiliate link leading to a sporting goods website may work well within the context of the articles and information about sports. The goal, in this case, is to publish quality information on the website and provide context-oriented links to related merchant's websites. Understand that whatever you're going to do, you'll need traffic. If you don't have any money at the outset, your hands will be tied no matter what anyone tells you. The truth is that you need to drive traffic to your offers if you want them to convert. These are what we call landing pages or squeeze pages. This is where you're coming into contact with the customers, either for the first time or after they get to know you a little bit better. DisabledGO, an information provider for people with disabilities in the UK and Ireland, hired Agency51 to implement an SEO migration strategy to move DisabledGO from an old platform to a new one. By applying 301 redirects to old URLS, transferring metadata, setting up Google webmaster tools, and creating a new sitemap, Agency 51 was able to successfully transfer DisabledGO to a new platform while keeping their previous SEO power alive. Additionally, they were able to boost visitor numbers by 21% year over year, and the site restructuring allowed DisabledGO to rank higher than competitors. Their case study is available on SingleGrain.com. Some advertisers offer multi-tier programs that distribute commission into a hierarchical referral network of sign-ups and sub-partners. In practical terms, publisher "A" signs up to the program with an advertiser and gets rewarded for the agreed activity conducted by a referred visitor. If publisher "A" attracts publishers "B" and "C" to sign up for the same program using his sign-up code, all future activities performed by publishers "B" and "C" will result in additional commission (at a lower rate) for publisher "A". What It Is: Students in countries including Japan, Korea, France and Germany are looking for English speakers to practice with. Sessions focus on things like making professional small talk or running a meeting (trainers are provided with specifics on how to teach each topic, and are also trained themselves for two days before starting the job). Lessons take place either over the phone or on a live Internet video service like Skype — sometimes at night, because you're working with students in different time zones. You need to commit to a minimum of 20 hours a week at consistent times, and can work as many as 35 hours. The first follows the startup path we outlined above: You have a disruptive idea for an app or piece of software, you validate the idea with real customers, and then raise money to hire developers or a development studio to build, launch, and scale your software. If you’ve done everything right, your software will be accepted to the Apple and Google Stores and you’ll make money every time someone downloads it or pays for a premium feature. Try Uber EATS or DoorDash. Uber EATS offers part-time work that’s similar to driving for Uber or Lyft. Instead of picking up passengers, however, you will pick up food orders and deliver them in your area. Pay works similarly, letting you earn a per-job rate plus tips. Door Dash works similarly, letting consumers order food from restaurants and connecting drivers to pick up and drop off their meals. Every year, hundreds of millions of documents are notarized in the United States: wills, mortgages, citizenship forms, handgun applications. While for decades, this has all been done in person, there is a budding crop of sites that allow notaries to take their services online. If you’re already a notary, you can sell your services online. Or, if you want to get started, check out the National Notary’s checklist for becoming a certified notary. Our digital agency offers both traditional targeted online display advertising as well as behavioral retargeting. Through an intense discovery process, our team will determine the most optimal marketing mix for your online media plan. We will leverage ad network partnerships for planning the ideal media buys and negotiating the best possible pricing. 4.� Now you're ready to start an advertising campaign on the INTERNET! Advertising on the 'Net is very, very inexpensive, and there are HUNDREDS of FREE places to advertise.� Another avenue which you could use for advertising is e-mail lists.� You can buy these lists for under $20/2,000 addresses or you can pay someone a minimal charge to take care of it for you.� BE SURE TO START YOUR AD CAMPAIGN IMMEDIATELY! Sponsored search (also called sponsored links, search ads, or paid search) allows advertisers to be included in the sponsored results of a search for selected keywords. Search ads are often sold via real-time auctions, where advertisers bid on keywords.[19]:118[53] In addition to setting a maximum price per keyword, bids may include time, language, geographical, and other constraints.[19]:118 Search engines originally sold listings in order of highest bids.[19]:119 Modern search engines rank sponsored listings based on a combination of bid price, expected click-through rate, keyword relevancy and site quality.[21] Your camera's lens cap spends more time off than on. Being behind the camera and capturing everything from nature to the food on your plate is one of your favorite pastimes. You could be selling your photos online. Digital cameras and the Internet make it easier than ever for you to sell your photos. Upload your photos to sites like Fotolia, Shutterstock, iStockPhoto and DreamsTime. Their compensation plans vary by site but the concept is the same ... you earn money when someone purchases and downloads your photo. Deliver value no matter what: Regardless of who you are and what you're trying to promote, always deliver value, first and foremost. Go out of your way to help others by carefully curating information that will assist them in their journey. The more you focus on delivering value, the quicker you'll reach that proverbial tipping point when it comes to exploding your fans or followers. One of the hottest work from home jobs out there right now for online tutors is teaching Chinese children English through VIPKID. The service is super flexible, you get to set your own hours, and there is no lesson planning involved. VIPKID provides the lesson plans and communicates with the parents, all you need is a laptop and a desire to help teach children. Tutors typically earn anywhere from $14 – $22 per hour according to their website. Find work. When you first start out, you may have to accept work writing about a topic you don’t find all that interesting. You must keep an open mind and be willing to accept work that may not be in your desired field. However, as you continue to write, you not only learn about more topics, but you also build your reputation. With time, you can be choosier about assignments you want to accept.[19] First and foremost, when it comes to marketing anything online, it's important to understand how money is made and earned. In my phone call with Sharpe, he identified several items that were well worth mentioning. Once you understand where the money comes from and how the industry works, you can then better understand how best to position yourself and your offer so that you can reap the benefits of the making-money-while-you-sleep industry. “Great list! I especially like the tutoring stuff. I’m good at Math that’s why I tutored once for my godparent’s 8th grader. I had fun with the her and her mum cooks the most delicious brownies. I don’t think I can donate a plasma or be a human guinea pig. But maybe you should add herb and vegetable planting. This job doesn’t require too many technicalities and is so far the easiest thing to do. There’s a method called square foot gardening for those who don’t have big spaces. It’s so simple to do and gardening in small boxes requires small maintenance. There is plenty of information on the web about how to do so. Once you get growing you can even sell your fresh produce to your neighbours at a cheaper price, and earn some fast money in the process . P.S. I also would want to partake in an online survey. Some people recommended Cash Crate but I’m also curious about what happened to you? If you don’t mind doing other people’s chores, then TaskRabbit is a great option for making money online. Earn extra income by walking your neighbor’s dog or mowing Mr. Smith’s lawn. It might seem like not the most lucrative option, but the top taskers reportedly earn as much as $7000 a month, making this a full-time way to make money online for some. I have 22 pot stocks and I can say the worst performing one is a double. I follow Michael Robinson"s practice of buying more shares on the dips. Session's pronouncement was an excellent time to load up as well as last week when the pot stocks pulled back. Pot stocks are only going up. Just wait till Canada goes on-line in July of this year: KABOOM. If You average out your purchases, you will be able to withstand the dips. Then, even if we get past this initial paralysis, we can end up spending so much time building up an idea — naming the idea, designing business cards for the idea, putting up a website and figuring out exactly how to describe it to our friends — that when we forget the most critical part: seeing if there’s actually a paying market for that offering. After all that work, it’s easy to give up, exhausted and frustrated. I’m getting frustrated right now writing this and I’m contemplating violence. What’s the catch? None, really. Cash back apps act as affiliates for many online merchants, which means that whenever you make a purchase through one of the apps, they get a small commission — but then, they give you a portion of that commission as “cash back”. For example, if I buy a pair of Nike shoes through the Ebates app (or website) and spend $75, Ebates may get a $10 commission but then they’ll pass $7 back to me. It’s basically a way to get sale prices on stuff that isn’t on sale!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
UCI Announces 2013 WorldTour calendar The UCI announced today the 2013 WorldTour calendar. The UCI WorldTour encompasses the three grand tours and major classics, as well as the world’s most important weeklong stage races and one-day races. This year sees the Tour de France start at the end of June, while the Tour of Hangzhou, which was cancelled in 2012, is reinstated for the 2013 season. As in 2012, the season begins in January with the Tour Down Under, and ends in October with the Tour of Beijing.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
I must say I dont see anything in the mahanidana sutta which contradict the dhamma vinaya. It does talk of several lifetimes and this understanding is integral to the destruction of the cycle of samsara which the buddha talks of in many places. Ven Ananda is a stream entrant (he just had difficulty becoming an arahanth) and in the Mahanidana sutta he almost boasts that he sees the DO very well. I think he really does see the DO as a stream entrnat but the Buddha admonishes him because there is great depths of the DO which cannot be discerned without special abilities. Yet even a lesser understanding of the DO is admirable. The buddha even goes as far as to ask the monks to atleast take it on faith in the nidanasamyutta. So my understanding is that the Mahanidaana DO is a deep special understanding the buddha had while lesser degrees that stream entrants have is also adequate ('the DO: cause-effect, no cause- no effect', namely ...12 steps; 'whateevr is subject to arise is subject to cessation' -hearing this alone was enough for Ven sariputta to become a stream entrant) 4. Before I turn to examine specific points in Ven. Nanavira's Note I wish to focus on one discomfiting consequence entailed by his insistence that his view of paticca-samuppada is exclusively and absolutely correct. The three-life interpretation of paticca-samuppada has been maintained by the Theravada tradition virtually from the time that tradition emerged as a distinct school. It goes back long before the time of Buddhaghosa's commentaries and can be found already in near-definitive form in the Vibha"nga of the Abhidhamma Pitaka and the Patisambhidamagga of the Sutta Pitaka, works dating from around the 3rd century BC. Further, this interpretation, in its essential outlines, is by no means peculiar to the Theravada school. It was also shared, with minor differences in details, by the early rivals of the Theravada, the Sarvastivada and Mahasanghika, which suggests that at least in outline this way of explaining paticca-samuppada already preceded the first schisms. The same three-life division can be found in the works of the great Madhyamika philosopher Nagarjuna (e.g. in his Muula Madhyamika Karika, chapter 26), and is also held in the present day by the Mahayana schools that have inherited the exegetical methodology of ancient Indian Buddhism. In contrast, Ven. Nanavira's view of paticca-samuppada, as pertaining solely to a single life, appears to be without a precedent in the tenet systems of early Buddhism. Thus, when Ven. Nanavira holds that he has correctly grasped the Buddha's intention in expounding PS, this implicitly commits him to the thesis that the entire mainstream Buddhist philosophical tradition has utterly misinterpreted this most fundamental Buddhist doctrine, and had already done so within two centuries after the Master's demise. While it is not altogether impossible that this had occurred, it would seem a lapse of an astonishing magnitude on the part of the early Buddhist community. The Lord Buddha himself advised his Dhamma would last five hundred years. gabrielbranbury wrote:How confident are we in our verification? When it comes to actually identifying "self view" and craving and attachment are we actually finding a consistently discernible phenomena? Are we certain that our discernment criteria apply to the whole mass of what causes suffering or just a portion of it? Hello Gabriel It appears your mind still has doubt. The Buddha taught doubt is a fetter. Will wrote:Thus, when Ven. Nanavira holds that he has correctly grasped the Buddha's intention in expounding PS, this implicitly commits him to the thesis that the entire mainstream Buddhist philosophical tradition has utterly misinterpreted this most fundamental Buddhist doctrine, and had already done so within two centuries after the Master's demise. This is difficult for many to accept. We can consider comparing it to the current world economic crisis. Allegedly, the financial industry was replete with financial experts, many pocketing many millions, even billions of dollars a year in salaries and bonuses due to their expertise. Or when Buddhists read the Bible, they say: "St Paul corrupted the teachings of Jesus and the various Christian counsels moulded it to their agendas. Christianity is not what Jesus intended and taught". Now St Paul arose in the very life time of Jesus and was a contemporary with the apostles of Jesus. If we read the Bible, we will read the disputes of doctrine St Paul had with some of the apostles and the brother of Jesus, namely, James. This occured during the lifetime of Jesus (that is, if we hold Jesus lived and returned to India). However, as Buddhists, we think about our own religion: "It is pure and uncorrupted". On dependent origination, Buddha taught as follows. “Bhikkhus, knowing and seeing in this way, would you say: ‘The Teacher is respected by us. We speak as we do out of respect for the Teacher’?” “No, bhante. “Do you speak only of what you have known, seen, and understood for yourselves?” “Yes, bhante.” “Good, bhikkhus. So you have been guided by me with this dhamma, which is directly visible (sandiññhika), timeless (akàlika), verifiable (ehipassika), leading onwards (opaneyyika), to be individually experienced by the wise (paccattaü veditabbo vinnuhi). For it was with reference to this that it has been said: ‘Bhikkhus, this dhamma is directly visible, timeless, verifiable, leading onwards, to be individually experienced by the wise.’ Mahàtanhàsankhaya Sutta Last edited by Element on Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total. gabrielbranbury wrote:How confident are we in our verification? When it comes to actually identifying "self view" and craving and attachment are we actually finding a consistently discernible phenomena? Are we certain that our discernment criteria apply to the whole mass of what causes suffering or just a portion of it? Hello Gabriel It appears your mind still has doubt. The Buddha taught doubt is a fetter. Best wishes Element No doubt! But I see a difference between skeptical doubt and a healthy willingness to work on our sense of discernment in terms of the qualities of that which is to be cast aside and that which is to be cultivated. Metta Gabriel "Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332 Element wrote:The Lord Buddha himself advised his Dhamma would last five hundred years. Thus, who would be more likely to be correct. The Lord Buddha with his supernormal attainments and perfect wisdom or Bhikkhu Bodhi [...] ? The question could be asked about anyone posting on this board. "If a person has conviction, his statement, 'This is my conviction,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.' To this extent, Bharadvaja, there is the safeguarding of the truth. To this extent one safeguards the truth. I describe this as the safeguarding of the truth. But it is not yet an awakening to the truth. gabrielbranbury wrote:But I see a difference between skeptical doubt and a healthy willingness to work on our sense of discernment in terms of the qualities of that which is to be cast aside and that which is to be cultivated. mikenz66 wrote:The question could be asked about anyone posting on this board. "If a person has conviction, his statement, 'This is my conviction,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.' To this extent, Bharadvaja, there is the safeguarding of the truth. To this extent one safeguards the truth. I describe this as the safeguarding of the truth. But it is not yet an awakening to the truth. Mike This is not the matter I was raising. Your quote is irrelevent. The primary matter is what one has experienced for oneself. Element wrote:This is not the matter I was raising. Your quote is irrelevent. The primary matter is what one has experienced for oneself. Since it is difficult for me to apply the advice elsewhere in the Canki Sutta to you (or anyone else on this Forum) I am puzzled why you expect everyone to accept that your particular experience trumps everyone else... "There is the case, Bharadvaja, where a monk lives in dependence on a certain village or town. Then a householder or householder's son goes to him and observes him with regard to three mental qualities — qualities based on greed, qualities based on aversion, qualities based on delusion: 'Are there in this venerable one any such qualities based on greed that, with his mind overcome by these qualities, he might say, "I know," while not knowing, or say, "I see," while not seeing; or that he might urge another to act in a way that was for his/her long-term harm & pain?' As he observes him, he comes to know, 'There are in this venerable one no such qualities based on greed... His bodily behavior & verbal behavior are those of one not greedy. And the Dhamma he teaches is deep, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise. This Dhamma can't easily be taught by a person who's greedy.... mikenz66 wrote:Since it is difficult for me to apply the advice elsewhere in the Canki Sutta to you (or anyone else on this Forum) I am puzzled why you expect everyone to accept that your particular experience trumps everyone else... Hi Mike Again, for me, your point is irrelevant. The point I am making is to discuss the matter from personal experience. I have mentioned my personal experience. One player in a game cannot "trump" another. gabrielbranbury wrote:But I see a difference between skeptical doubt and a healthy willingness to work on our sense of discernment in terms of the qualities of that which is to be cast aside and that which is to be cultivated. Best to work on our convoluted speech. There is much to be worked on. I guess you did not understand me then. Metta Gabriel "Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332 mikenz66 wrote:The point I am making is to discuss the matter from personal experience. I have mentioned my personal experience. One player in a game cannot "trump" another. That is exactly my point. You seem to expect everyone else to concede to your personal experience and disregard their personal experience, the personal experience of their teachers, and the various commentators from the time of the Buddha to the present day who you disagree with. This leaves us with very little to discuss, since these conversations seem to go:Poster A: "Venerable XXX says YYY." Element: "That disagrees with my experience therefore Venerable XXX is mistaken." This is a very different response from what I am used to hearing from teachers who I respect, who might say something Along the lines of: "I have not experienced it quite how Ven XXX is expressing it. My view is AAA. Perhaps Venerable XXX is referring to BBB, or perhaps I'm not understanding him clearly." I know its been a while since there has been posts on this thread but I had a bit of a breakthrough in reguard to Dependent Origination today that I thought I would share. It doesnt seem that Lord Buddha meant it to be understood by three lifetimes but as something that happens right now. Heres my reason for thinking this. The Buddha teaches that the way to Enlightenment is through the four foundations of mindfulness. Essentially the aim of this is to see the truth of Anatta and become disspassionate, which leads to liberation. In order to see anatta one first needs to know of self view comes about. This is taught to us in the extracts from the following suttas Discourse on the Destruction of Craving: On seeing a form with the eye, he lusts after it if it is pleasing, he dislikes it if it is unpleasing, He abides with Mindfulness of the body unestablished, with a limited mind, and he does not understand as it actually is the deliverence of mind and deliverence by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Engaged as he is in favouring and opposing whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither pleasant-nor-painful he delights in that feeling, welcomes it and remains holding to it. As he does so, delight arises in him. Now delight in feelings is clinging. With clinging as condition, being, with being as condition, birth; with birth as condition, ageing and death, sorrow, lamention, pain, grief and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this mass of suffering. It states quite well here how delight leads to craving, being, birth ......Since he is already born physically this passage refers to arising of self view, from feeling. Also is the extract from the Culavedalla Sutta Lady, identity is said. What is call identity by the Blessed one? Friend Visakha, these five aggregates affected by clinging are called identity by the blessed one. And Lady, origin of identity, what is called the origin of identity by the blessed one? Friend Visakha, it is craving which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being and craving for non-being. Identity and Identity view, the sense of self, arises from feeling accompanied by delight. This is because feeling leads to craving, clinging, becoming, birth. The birth of self. This is why the Buddha taught the four foundations of mindfulness because they lead to dispassion with the aggregates. It leads to dispassion in reguard to feeling and delight in reguard to the aggregates and so the end of self view, the realisation of not-self. On seeing a form with the eye, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing, he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing, he abides with Mindfulness of the Body established, with and immeasureable mind, and he understands as it acctually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by widsom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favouring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feeling ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging, with the cessation of clinging comes the cessation of being, birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamenation, pain, grief and despair. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering With the end of feeling is the end of craving, the end of clinging, becoming, birth, ageing and death, this whole mass of suffering. This is dependent origination realised in this moment and stopped in this moment. To me Dependent Origination cannot be interpreted via three lives, it was meant to be seen in this moment so one can be set free from dukkha. It still works as a "three lives" model but some of the valuable lessons are lost if it is done so... or at least require an exorbitant level of interpolation in an attempt to restore them. Metta,Retro. If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga) Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7 It still works as a "three lives" model but some of the valuable lessons are lost if it is done so... or at least require an exorbitant level of interpolation in an attempt to restore them. Metta,Retro. Yes I agree, much is lost when it is taught as spanning three lives. It removes much of it from the present and it becomes a distant thing. The buddha only taught it to be realised in this moment to put an end to dukkha. Ultimately the three lives model comes from an attempt to explain how rebirth can happen with Anatta. However in the suttas I have not come accross one where the Buddha explains how rebirth happens, instead he just states that it will happen if nibbana hasnt been realised and this is only when teaching to lay people or to other wanderers, brahmins etc. He never used Dependent Origination to explain rebirth, he only taught and explained it in order for his followers to put an end to dukkha in this moment. Its not to say that rebirth does or does not happen, just that Dependent Origination has nothing to do with rebirth from what is taught in the suttas. clw_uk wrote:Its not to say that rebirth does or does not happen, just that Dependent Origination has nothing to do with rebirth from what is taught in the suttas. Metta,Retro. If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga) Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Innovation: Journalism took a beating in 2016. Donald Trump was elected president, thwarting pollsters and shaking off seemingly endless fact-checking. News organizations continue to lay off journalists … Read More If you're Matthew Giles, an NYU grad student studying in the Media, Culture and Communications department, then the answer has a few components. 1. Try and get your arrest record through a variety of ways. 2. Try and get disassociated from a group of protesters whose members were arrested on the same night. Giles went to St. Louis and into Ferguson on August 14 with another student to talk with protesters and journalists. "My focus was specifically on my Master's thesis, which looks at media spectacle and the differences in each individual's lived experiences vs. what comes up on national media," he wrote in an email. (We also spoke on the phone.) Giles got to know all of that for himself pretty well in Ferguson. On Sunday, August 17th, he was arrested around 9 p.m. A policeman watches the crowd during a protest in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) "This was 3 hours before the curfew. I was wearing press tags from NYU that had been approved by the press liaison from the Police Dept., and I told the officers who arrested me that I was media, and they ignored me and pulled the press tags off my neck, after taking both my camera and phone," Giles wrote. He was kept in the back of a prisoner transport vehicle until 3 a.m., he said, then booked and released around 6 a.m. He asked for his arresting officer's name and wasn't given it. He wasn't told what crime he'd been charged with and he was given a receipt that showed what police took from him when he was detained and what they were giving back. I will be told my charges from being detained for 8.5hrs as media in #Ferguson via letter in "up to 6 weeks for Prosecutor to find evidence" Once he got home to New York, Giles found that he'd been associated with other people who were arrested that night identified as a group of organized protesters. So there's that now, too. What to do? A lot of this Giles has already done, but I called Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel with the National Press Photographers Association, and Tony Rothert, legal director, ACLU of Missouri, for some ideas. Here are their tips: 1. Call the station where you were booked: "...And say, 'Hi, I was arrested, this is the date and time I was arrested. I was never given a copy of the arrest report. I'd like it.'" Osterreicher said. "You're entitled to it." When Giles was arrested, he did have a mug shot and his fingerprints taken. But what if that never happened? What if you were just kept in the back of a car for awhile? "That's a really good question," Osterreicher said. "My understanding, in my conversation with the police, was that whatever agency arrested somebody, the St. Louis County Police Department did the transportation and did whatever booking they do, which normally entails a mug shot and fingerprints." As long as there's a mug shot and fingerprints, which is normal procedure for any arrest, there should be a record, Osterreicher said. Giles did try this two days after he returned from Missouri. He was told the station was backlogged. "They said to call back in two weeks." 2. Call the city's legal counsel. Tell them you're entitled to your arrest record, Osterreicher said. This works if you know who arrested you, Rothert added. In this case, Osterreicher and Rothert agreed -- try the St. Louis County Police. 3. File a Freedom on Information Act on your record. "It doesn't make sense to me that you would need one for your own record, but if they're being jerks about it...," Osterreicher said. This is actually the first thing Giles did. When he was released, he met someone from MORE, Missourians Organizing for Reform Empowerment, who helped him file a FOIA. "They said that some people had been arrested early in the week, like Ryan (Reilly), had never gotten anything either," Giles said. "They said, 'hey, even if it feels a little preemptive to do a FOIA, it's smart.'" "Arrest records are public records and unfortunately right now, I think there's some lawless behavior happening in many ways, including by not fulfilling public records requests," Rothert said. The ACLU of Missouri has filed FOIAs with St. Louis County police and the city of Ferguson Police and recently sued over them, he said. "They are generally not complying with the Missouri Sunshine law." Rothert said the charges he has heard most people were arrested for was refusal to disperse. He thinks that statue itself is probably unconstitutional, "but even under its own terms, it's very difficult to see how it would apply to the arrest of journalists." 5. Talk to an attorney If journalists were detained without probable cause, then their civil rights were violated, Rothert said. They should talk with an attorney. "I know journalists like to report the news and not be the news, but if their constitutional rights were violated, there may be remedies." Giles, meanwhile, is also working on his second problem -- being wrongly associated with a group of protesters. He has written in comments on some blogs that mention him as a protester (one corrected it.) And he contacted the news station that sent out the tweet identifying him as someone who was arrested. They won't redact it because the information is correct. He was arrested. But they did do a spot on him. "So that's better than nothing." Giles is still trying to get information on his arrest and he's worried that he may be prosecuted. And that is a possibility, Rothert said. The prosecutor has a year to file charges. Rothert doesn't recommend journalists who were arrested call the prosecutor, "but maybe if there was a group effort on behalf of journalists and employers to pressure the prosecutor to agree there will be no charges. I think there's an opportunity for some advocacy there." He'd be shocked, Rothert said, if any journalists were charged after being arrested in Ferguson. "But I've been shocked several times in the last week, so I don't know." What to read next AUTHOR INFORMATION Kristen Hare covers the media for the Poynter Institute. Her work for Poynter has earned her a Mirror Award nomination. Hare, a graduate of the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, spent 5 years as the Sunday features writer and an assistant editor at the St. Joseph (Missouri) News-Press, and five years as a staff writer covering race, immigration, the census and aging at the St. Louis Beacon. She also spent two years with the Peace Corps in Guyana, South America. Hare and her family live outside Tampa.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Legislative Action HB 40 - State Abortion Insurance / Public Aid Act - ACTION ALERT Status: Passed the House and Senate, now goes to the Governor Sum... January 23, 2017 Abortion: Not just a women's issue "Men need to accept responsibility for the fact that it is our gender that actually promoted and pushed abortion in America," Brian Fisher, CEO and president of Human Coalition tells OneNewsNow, "and we are still the ones that 'profit from it,' in that sexually explicit men can sleep with whomever they want and then leave that relationship unencumbered by the responsibilities of the child." Abortion - Ultimate Exploitation (book cover)Human Coalition works with thousands of women in several major cities each year, and most of them have been impregnated and deserted by the father. Fisher believes that trend can be reversed. He addresses the issue at length in his book, Abortion: The Ultimate Exploitation of Women. "It takes character to step up and be a man and fight the culture on this," he says, "because obviously the culture believes that this is primarily a women's issue."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Drivers warned of deeper freeze Drivers have been warned of icy conditions and increased likelihood of breakdowns as freezing conditions continue to sweep across the country. Temperatures have fallen to -10C in parts of Scotland and -7C in southern England, causing difficulties for millions of motorists and commuters. Experts predict that temperatures in the South will fall further overnight on Tuesday, to -8C or -9C, as an unusually large high-pressure system dominates the UK weather. That is more than 10C below seasonal temperature norms of a degree or two above freezing for this time of year. Brendan Jones, a forecaster at MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "The lowest temperature so far is -10C at Aboyne in north east Scotland. "Across large parts of England and Wales we will see -5 or -6C, while in the south they will go to -7C. But tomorrow in the South is going to be colder than tonight, with temperatures falling to -8C or -9C."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
It’s fair to say that the American election polls in 2018 were quite successful. Newspaper headlines and stories after the midterm elections for the most part praised them. However, their tone was sometimes one of surprise and shock, reflecting the long-term impact of the criticism that followed the 2016 presidential election. That year, the U.S. pre-election polls averaged a three-point lead for Hillary Clinton in the national popular vote, and she did win the popular vote by just over two percentage points. While that would elsewhere have been seen as a success, the American electoral system selects a winner through the Electoral College, where votes are allocated based on the number of Senators and Representatives each state has in Congress. In most states, the popular vote winner takes all that state’s electoral votes. By winning Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania by a combined total of 79,000 votes, Donald Trump won a majority in the Electoral College. This state by state counting received less attention in 2016 than it should have (after all, as recently as 2000 the candidate who won the national popular vote also lost in the Electoral College). The national popular vote for the House of Representatives means little, as seats are allocated district by district. But “generic ballot” national polls are common, and this year indicated that Democrats would have a clear lead in votes cast nationally. They did, winning in the national House vote count by eight percentage points. But as in Presidential elections, capturing a majority of the vote overall doesn’t mean that you will win enough seats (just as it may or may not give you a victory in the Electoral College). Democrats won 1.4 million more House votes nationally than Republicans did in 2012, but still would up with 33 fewer seats. Midterm elections must be seen as a collection of many races – the 35 Senate elections and the 435 House races. So national polls are not enough. This year, however, there was an even greater focus on individual House races, particularly those that were likely to be close, or were viewed as having the potential to change sides. There were several creative attempts to deal with the large number of such races, using a combination of new and older methodologies. The old ways of doing things are definitely under challenge. The New York Times’ Upshot paired with Siena College to conduct polls in dozens of competitive House districts. It used voter lists provided by a vendor, instead of making telephone calls using random digit dialing. It sampled within Congressional districts, making adjustments based on the availability of telephone numbers for subgroups, relying on outside information for data not available on voter lists, like education. It then created turnout estimates. This is difficult in the U.S., as voting is not compulsory and can be very low in non-presidential years. This year, the usual low turnout was expected to rise from the 36.7% of the vote eligible population that voted in the 2014 midterm election. The turnout rate jumped twelve percentage points, as nearly half the eligible population turned out in 2018, the highest in more than 50 years. The methodology is reported here and here. Since The Times and Siena College polled in what were expected to be competitive districts, the polls basically showed election that were very close – within the sampling error – in nearly all of them. The Times decided to show results in real time as each interview was completed. This is an example. While the poll was being conducted, red and blue dots appeared in the location about an hour after an interview was completed. As is the case with most telephone polls, the vast majority of calls do not result in an interview. So watching the polling “live” could be a slow and lengthy process, not necessarily an exciting one. This was viewed as a way of making election polling more transparent to the public. CBS News partnered with YouGov for its Battleground Tracker, using YouGov’s online panel, with oversamples in contested districts. But it also used information about voters throughout the country to improve the estimates in the contested districts, CBS News and YouGov were able to make better estimates of the final House outcomes. The questionnaires were somewhat longer than those used by the Upshot, and the Battleground Tracker conducted its polling online, not through telephone calls. Both of these approaches required a very large number of interviews. The final Battleground estimate was 225 seats for Democrats and 210 for Republicans. With a large margin of error (plus or minus 13 seats on each number), the final estimate fell within the final outcome of what appears to be 235 Democratic seats (some races are still not officially settled). This year, even the traditional exit poll had a challenger. The exit poll, invented in the 1970’s, has changed as American have changed how they cast ballots. With a growing share of the vote cast before election day (through absentee and early voting), Edison Media Research, which has conducted the media exit poll for more than a decade, now supplements traditional exit polling at precincts with pre-election telephone polls and polls at physical early voting locations. This year, the Associated Press partnered with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and Fox News to expand the reach of election day polling, creating the APVoteCast: 40,000 pre-election interviews using registration-based sampling (which The New York Times Upshot also used), 6,000 interviews with the NORC AmeriSpeaks probability-based online panel, and more than 90,000 interviews with non-probability online panelists. With approximately 60 different questions, the AP VoteCast would not only tell who had won, but provided issue and demographic information. Overall, the election polls of 2018 generally did well, but some pollsters appear to have decided to use the concerns of 2016 as a starting point to develop new methods of understanding election behavior. Leave a Comment By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: ESOMAR, Atlas Arena, Amsterdam, 1101 BA, http://www.esomar.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact Recent Posts Categories Categories Contribute to RW Connect We are always looking for fresh ideas and contributions that are original, creative, challenging and critical. So if you have something to say about a trend, methodology, technique, personal experience or general #businessintelligence, #data, #insights impressions, we want to hear from you!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
ஜ♡ Reviews of Books we ❤-ed lately ♡ஜ Connect With Us ~~~1500 Likes Celebratory Paperback Giveaway~~~ The Facebook page has reached 1500 likes and in celebration we want to thank you with a giveaway……. In celebration of the Facebook page reaching 1500 likes we are giving away a Paperback edition of one of twelve new and recent releases: TO TWO PEOPLE, WINNERS CHOICE!!! All you have to do to win is enter the rafflecopter here on the blog and you can enter a separate rafflecopter on the Facebook page for more chances to win. This giveaway is open 8/10/14 – 8/16/14 12am EST. From the bottom of our hearts we genuinely thank you for this huge accomplishment. ❤ NetGalley Affiliate ❤ Categories Archives Meta FTC Disclaimer In accordance with FTC Guidelines for blogging unless not stated Authors, Publishers and Tour guides may provide us ARC, Galley, or finished copy in exchange for an unbiased review. All reviews will state the source for material provided in those cases. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely of the blog owners. Any links used may lead to affiliate programs we are part of. Any sales made are used for blog maintenance and giveaways (goes back right to you).	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
PUBG Coming to PlayStation on 7 December, Xbox Exclusivity Ends According to The Verge, Player Unknown’s Battleground (PUBG), the online open world game is set to launch on the PlayStation 4 on 7th December 2018. After a plethora of speculations and rumors, it’s officially announced that overnight game sensation PUBG is coming on PS4. The game is listed on Amazon.com with a base price of 30$. Also, the game offers a survivors edition at a cost of 50$ and a champion edition for 60$. The Lead Project Manager, Koo Sung Jeong, in an official statement said. “It’s always exciting and tense presenting our work to the players as a developer. Getting our game into the hands of the PS4 community that haven’t experienced PUBG is a thrill equal to creating a new game.” Gamer Tweak is dedicated to helping gamers of all kinds, it is our endeavour to help you on your quest from the streets in Litte Havana to the skies that Alduin lays claim to. We know how passionate and dedicated gamers are towards their obsession and we want to not only help those who are casually spending time but also those hardcore full-timers with unquestionable ambition.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
advanced (Blog)http://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/term/907/0 enHow TKLBAM hooks workhttp://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/tklbam-hooks <p> Most TKLBAM users probably don't realize this, but TKLBAM has a nifty, general purpose hooks mechanism you can use to trigger useful actions on backup and restore.</p> <p> Examples of hooks:</p> <ul class="simple"> <li> Cleaning up temporary files</li> <li> Stopping/starting services to increase data consistency</li> <li> Encoding/decoding data from non-supported databases</li> <li> Using LVM to create/restore a snapshot of a fast changing volume</li> </ul> <!--break--> <p> Originally I developed the hooks mechanism so we could fix a few issues indirectly related to the usability of TKLBAM. In particular, our very first beta users reported that sometimes tklbam-restore would fail to find any backup volumes. When we investigated this turned out to be a clock discrepancy. The obvious solution was to sync the clock before starting the restore, but the more I thought about it the more the idea of hardwiring that ntpdate stuff rubbed me the wrong way. For a few reasons:</p> <ul class="simple"> <li> It's an auxiliary problem, not a core issue with TKLBAM's logic</li> <li> I'm offline much of the time during development so I needed some way to turn this off, but I don't want to add more testing-specific code unless it's absolutely necessary.</li> <li> It's OK if a specific server (e.g., pool.ntp.org) is the default, but there should be some way to configure it if a user, for example, wants to use an internal NTP server.</li> </ul> <p> I tried to think of a clean way to achieve these simple goals in a clean way (e.g., cli options, environment variables, configuration files), but everything I came up with was just so darn ugly.</p> <p> Then I realized that a hooks mechanism would solve this problem in a simple, generic way.</p> <div class="section" id="implementation"> <h2> Implementation</h2> <p> /etc/tklbam/hooks.d may contains executables (e.g., scripts) that will be run by tklbam before and after two operations (currently):</p> <ol class="arabic simple"> <li> backup</li> <li> restore</li> </ol> <p> Two arguments are passed to the hooks:</p> <ol class="arabic simple"> <li> operation: restore/backup</li> <li> state: pre/post</li> </ol> <p> Non zero exitcodes raise a HookError is raised.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="advantages"> <h2> Advantages</h2> <p> In one stroke, solve the clock problem and also lets advanced users define their own hooks to take care of things TKLBAM doesn't (e.g., stopping IO intensive processes before backup, encoding/decoding unsupported databases, etc.)</p> </div> <div class="section" id="example-fixclock-hook"> <h2> Example fixclock hook</h2> <pre class="literal-block"> #!/usr/bin/python # hook that runs ntpdate before duplicity to sync clock to UTC import os import sys import executil from string import Template NTPSERVER = os.environ.get("NTPSERVER", "pool.ntp.org") ERROR_TPL = """\ ########################## ## FIXCLOCK HOOK FAILED ## ########################## Amazon S3 and Duplicity need a UTC synchronized clock so we invoked the following command:: $COMMAND Unfortunately, something went wrong... $ERROR """ def fixclock(): command = "ntpdate -u " + NTPSERVER try: executil.getoutput(command) except executil.ExecError, e: msg = Template(ERROR_TPL).substitute(COMMAND=command, ERROR=e.output) print >> sys.stderr, msg, sys.exit(1) def main(): op, state = sys.argv[1:] if op in ('restore', 'backup') and state == 'pre': fixclock() if __name__ == "__main__": main() </pre> </div>http://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/tklbam-hooks#commentsadvancedtklbamWed, 23 Nov 2011 10:47:11 +0000Liraz Siri2780 at http://www.turnkeylinux.org	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
The war is escalating beyond what anyone could either guess or comprehend. Juno's daughter has effectively shown her abilities as she tears up a Manhattan neighborhood to get at Barnes and Lei as they themselves try to kill each other. But confronting Juno proves more surprising and more deadly than they could ever imagine, especially when Alexander joins the fray. A Manhattan neighborhood being torn apart by something that, by all rights, shouldn't really exist. But it was a little hard to argue suppositional rumor when the streets were being peeled back from their gravel base. A few uprooted pipes shot water fifty feet into the air, and the remnants of both Lei's and Barnes' gangs scattered for safe ground only to find every horizontal surface was being ripped up from under their feet. The windows blew out on every floor of the brownstone and the little ball of fire floating just above the building seemed to be drawing every molecule, no matter what it was attached to, towards her. Thus, streetlights ripped from their concrete bases (snapping ten-inch bolts), the trees and rod-iron fencing and entire cars were lifted into the air only to collide, shred and feed shrapnel to the increasingly erratic winds. A streetlight turned javelin pierced the side of a neighboring building three floors up. Bricks were sucked out from fascias whose loose mortar were seen as rustic, and would be later confirmed as treacherous and in desperate need of repair. And an '84 Honda fell from the sky, turned into a gas-fueled, flaming pinwheel rolling down the street and tried to neatly bisect Desdemona before she jumped from its path. "Dragon!" she screamed, and threw up a wing to protect her face. "We cannot stay here!" "We noticed..." Broadway answered. As his mate ran to his side for safety, Othello seemed intent on the little, green, human-shaped sun above even as a few rod-iron spears hit the sidewalk beside them. "She is obviously not human." "Fay?" a voice surmised. It could've been Delilah, or even Hudson's thick, distinguishable brogue, the clan's voices drowned by the carnage. They were regrouping under what shelter hadn't yet torn from the ground and pulled an Oz into the air. "Why would a faerie have a grudge against two mob kingpin wannabes?" "Hybrid?" "She looked young..." Angela mentioned, thumb-talon on her lower lip. And all the while, Lexington had grounded his gaze, watching the streets unravel. The sensors in his eyes were measuring electricity from snapped power-lines at a few thousand amps. "Before the world exploded." he argued. "Alex is young, but he could also snap the Eyrie in half with a sneeze." All the while Brooklyn had remained silent, watching Ambrosine throw a fit five stories up in a display of power reminiscent of Alexander Xanatos. Things were never simple, at least not any more. He didn't blink in his low-ridged scrutiny, until something hit the ground beside them: a body. One of Lei's. The reality of the storm came roaring back. "We've got to get inside." he said. "There's no fucking way that thing up there is here by coincidence." As entire chunks of street broke off and flew upwards like attacked to some giant string, Lexington scrambled in between the jigsaw pieces using a thermograph to see what portions of the road were still firmly attached and left a trail for the others to follow towards Barnes' brownstone. "What about Shadow?" Katana asked of her mate before they reached the doors. Brooklyn had taken up the end, and as he hit the first step, looked behind into the wasteland of what used to be a rather peaceful neighborhood. "I'm pretty sure he can take care of himself..." Especially when one had already shredded through part of your pancreas, and a breeze was working itself through the holes leftover. Shadow had found himself left with a bleeding gut and the last annoying human remaining from the miniature army Barnes' and Lei had set against each other for pride and territory, and this particular one wasn't going to lie down without a fight. He could barely get close without feeling the spiraled rush of air burn past him and was forced on the defensive, especially with a sharp pain in his side that dulled his reflexes. Looking like a pincushion (Shadow had landed a few good hits with his shuriken and throwing knives) Ice was shooting at every shadow and moving piece of debris out of sheer desperation, seeing the creature weave in and out of objects on the street. Something hard skittered on the asphalt and he turned to catch the barbed tail disappear behind a parked van. A thin, spattered trail of blood was the only evidence that thing was ever there. He fired, layered the entire length of sheet metal with holes, then breathed. And breathed again. And listened. A war was going on in the background, but Ice pushed everything out of his mind, centered on his immediate surroundings and somehow didn't notice the car being lifted up behind him. Grabbing the sub-compact by its axles, Shadow's muscles were clearly defined against the exertion that was ready to pop them from his skin. But the prolonged creak of shocks and springs relaxing without the weight of compression made a peculiar if not telltale sound and Ice turned around to nearly eat the molded plastic of a bumper. He could've sworn it grazed him as it passed over his shoulder, impacting just behind. Ice had dodged just in time, but having a car nearly take off your head would rattle even the most war-hardened veteran if only for a few seconds. An opening Shadow was hoping for if not for the wild spray of bullets. Ice didn't know how many times he'd fired but by the time he recovered, the thing was gone. Shadow had effectively vanished into the night. But somewhere, a riled growl rang out. This was getting annoying; he'd taken out the Pack in less time. But this man was a fighter, a smart, patient fighter, and knew well enough to stay safely out of range and cover his ass when need be. He wasn't as proud as the Pack had been in Egypt, rushing at him to desperately prove a point in superiority. Shadow ducked around, and hoped to relieve the human of more of that ammo that somehow he'd been able to replenish ad infinitum. He made noise on one car and drew fire in the direction, even though he was long gone. Knuckles rapped on another and paint was scraped from the metal surface. "Where are you, bastard?!" Ice screamed, realizing the creature was now playing with him. "Where are you?!" Shadow was patient as well, and knew how to use fear and anger just as well as any physical weapon. Blam! "Come out!" Blam! "I'm sick of your games!" Blam! "If I have to shoot up this entire goddamned neighborhood I will!" Click, click, click...click. Ice looked down the barrel. "Damn..." He had a few more clips, on the back of his belt. Time seemed to slow as if to allow him enough time to measure in his head and debate just how fast he could top off his ammunition. But the trigger hitting an empty cartridge was all the ninja needed to hear. Shadow's eyes led a streak of cobalt blue as he leapt from the darkness with all the intent to sever something from the human's body before he could reload. But before he even reached him, light preceded an explosion and bathed the entire street so intensely that, for a moment, the world around them both turned Kelly green. Gravity suddenly reversed and they were both pulled into the air and into the maw of a storm. Barnes and Zhu shot to their feet, scrambled over dead bodies and hands clutching from the wounded and each dove for their respective weapons. Lei got to his first and knowing the long-range capabilities coupled with Lucian's pretty decent aim, plucked the sword by its hilt and raced towards any piece of solid upended furniture before he caught a bullet through the spine. The desk, African dark-wood, a couple hundred pounds; it'd do. He flipped over and took cover just as splinters exploded from the edge. Barnes had found his gun. "Fucking Chink!" he roared, taking chunks from the varnished surface of his own prized desk. As long as he hit the wiry little shit, pierced the heart, exploded brain, he didn't care. Even as a small tornado started to pick up debris just through the hole in the roof and throw it around the brownstone's most spacious suite like knives he didn't care, he wanted Lei dead and as quickly as possible. "Goddamned fucking Triads!" Barnes' voice was barely heard over the unremitting fire of his gun and the storm raging above. "I hate their elitism, their arrogance, their mysticism..." Lei wiped the blade across his sleeve, baring steel from beneath the drying blood. The desk shuddered as another bullet imbedded in the thickest part of the wood. "I hate the entire Asian culture and most of all, I hate young, ballsy, snot-nosedPUNKS!!!" Lei let him talk, waste words. In between the bullets, his voice eventually growing louder was telling him just how close he was getting. Three more tremors, three more bullets. "End of the line, Zhu!" Barnes growled. "I'm taking this city and I'm taking it all! I've worked too damned long to lose everything now!" Five meters away. Near point-blank range. Lei needed him closer. Barnes continued towards the upended desk, firing, until he'd reached about arms' length. Then, something soundlessly tore through the air. All Lucian saw was a distorted mirror image flash past him. The sword, the little bastard had swung his sword faster than his eyes could follow. For a moment he wondered if his hands had been taken off, before gathering the courage to look down and see the damage done; his gun was a few inches shorter. "Hn...!" Lei was up and on the offensive in an instant, but he'd underestimated Barnes' strength, the supercharge of adrenaline and, of course, the dread of nearly having one's hands sheared off at the wrist. Like nitrous in the blood, Barnes kicked the desk and knocked some distance between him and that blade. It was all Lei could do to dig in, screech to a halt and brace himself against three hundred pounds on a blind rampage. Barnes grabbed the edge and hefted the equally heavy slab into the air without so much as breaking a sweat, intending to crush his opponent beneath it, but Lei stood his ground and locked his elbows, intending to let a blade that could split a human hair do all the work. Two halves fell on either side of him, and the sword tipped forward slightly, the weight having disappeared quickly enough to shift his balance. Barnes was ready with a fist the size of his head and swung. Lei rolled to the side, dodged the massive, clenched paw and kicked his opponent's legs from underneath him. The floorboards groaned at such weight coming down. He scurried atop the pinstriped mountain, thrust an elbow into Barnes' neck and angled his sword. The blade dropped with intent to sever jugular, voicebox, esophagus, anything in the slim path of steel aged six centuries, but as the tip met flesh, it stopped. At what could have been the last moment of Lucian Barnes' life, Lei hesitated. Bodies were strewn everywhere and the steps were a little slick, the remnants of a small war that seemed inconsequential at the moment. Especially when the building felt like it was rocking back and forth. As the clan continued upwards, Delilah slowed when noticing a screw slowly spiraling out from the paint on its own. A low vibration led her eyes around and down and into the darkness of what they'd left behind on the mad dash for the top floor. "Brooklyn!" she yelled out. "The building...!" He stopped and hung himself over the banister, looking down the staircase shaft, only to see wood and plaster, metal railings, drywall and crown molding dislodging from the underpinning, and warping. The entire structure at the first floor blew its nails, and the interior walls violently imploded. Ambrosine was intent to swallow the building, or at the least, learn origami on a city-sized scale. Barnes was as stiff as a plank; he could feel the sword parked on his skin and the warm bead of blood curling around his throat. He didn't dare go for his gun. Lei's eyes had hardened into anthracite, unable to reflect or read. He simply kept his hand clenched on the grip, his free arm braced against the meaty trunk of Barnes' neck and his foot on the larger man's leading leg. "Whu's th' matter?" Barnes managed, every word (and every subsequent tremor through his vocal cords) scraping against the blade. "No...balls?" Lei leaned in, and grazed teeth over chestnut skin. "I'm thinking of my father." he revealed in a rasp that came from just below his throat. He hadn't yet spoken since bursting through the doors. "A sudden, inexplicable thought I know, even with what's going on all around us and even as I can finally have the pleasure of pulling your intestines up through your neck, but I can't help it. As much as I want you dead right now, something is whispering at the back of my soul." "...what th' fuck'r y'talkin' 'bout...?" "You're myopic, Barnes." he hissed. "No forest for the trees. You feign intelligence, but shoot what you don't or can't understand." Barnes struggled helplessly at the grip Lei held on his body's pressure points; he went to Yale damnit. But he was effectively trapped, and all he could see from his vantage was the carpet, distant bodies and every small piece of furniture beginning to (oddly) lift from the floor. "You are a close-minded, racist fool. And my father would sometimes accuse me of the exact same thing. I called his introspectiveness a flaw, and I was proved right when the back of his head was blown out when negotiating rather than ridding himself of his enemies. I refused to show any weakness, any mercy, I refused to make the same mistake as my father did and right now, removing your head from your shoulders would rid me of my biggest obstacle." "...then...do it..." The blade shifted and Barnes tensed up, only to put more pressure where Lei had him pinned. The ripple sent up the big man's spine was proof of his surprise. He didn't think Lei was even remotely serious. He was. "Hand over everything you have, unequivocally, and you won't die by my hand. I don't need a war on two fronts wasting valuable people, resources and money or run the risk of turning you into a martyr that your people would die for. You'll relinquish control and disappear from U.S. soil." Barnes' response, unsurprisingly, was a bit of drool-laced growling. "Fuck...you." "Fifth floor." Katana announced quietly and threw a cautious gaze on either side of the corridor. Nothing but bodies. "Clear." Brooklyn tapped Othello's shoulder. "Move." The archer took point and kicked the doors from their hinges just as Lei was about to make a hole through Barnes' neck. If he aimed, it was hair-trigger; the only sound above the wind was the bowstring slapping into place against the reels, and a low whistle that wasn't able to keep up with the arrow. Howling in pain, Lei rolled off and let go of the sword when his entire arm went briefly numb. Katana grabbed for it and when at a safe distance, inspected the blade between her talons, comparing Chinese expertise at weaponry to her own. Brooklyn walked past the man clutching at the growing red stain on his shirt and grumbled, "Oh quit your bitching, it's not fatal." He made a circle around the other one, who was busy coughing up something into his hand. Barnes was a little disoriented, and thought it was his own men who'd made the miraculous rescue, until he looked up. And froze. Swallowed his tongue. Hands shot towards him, and he flinched when the claws caught light and yanked him by the collar. "Jesus–" "Who is she?" "W-What?" Lucian was barely able to tear his eyes from the slightly Mephistophelian creature with claws far too uncomfortably close to his neck. Horns, incandescent eyes, brow and hooked beak and crimson skin, it was all he could do to slowly slide his gaze upwards from one horrifying sight to another. Brooklyn saw the hint of recognition flash through the coffee brown of Barnes' irises, then quickly fade as soon as he realized just how much he was giving away, like a steel trap snapping shut. "I said," three-fingered hands knotted at the pressure applied, and the big man winced, "who is she?!" It took a moment for the proper synapses to fire. "Juno's...Juno's little brat, I think." "You think?!" "I've only seen her a few times!" By the glow of his eyes, Brooklyn's features were faintly outlined. And they clearly, chillingly hardened. "And who the hell is Juno?" Somehow, Lucian would quickly re-grow his backbone, "Who the hell do you think has been attacking our shipments?!" The grip relaxed on the Barnes' lapels. "She's the third..." Brooklyn presumed. The winds suddenly shored up, funneled through the hole in the roof and every gargoyle felt the change in direction on their wings. Ambrosine floated back down into the suite with a gaze that seemed to wash over everyone like a shot of pepper-spray, until it centered on the two mobsters. She touched down, and a perfectly concentric ring of debris was quickly blown away with a snort. "Mother wants you dead." Broadway swallowed, "Now that was creepy." "Anyone have an idea?" Brooklyn whispered. Othello quickly nocked another arrow despite the worried glance from his mate, drew the bowstring to about a hundred pounds (more than enough to pierce and actually pass through human skin) and felt the feathers spin against his talons as he let go. The graphite shaft whistled, sought flesh with accomplished aim and struck. It sunk into Ambrosine's neck; the force behind it jerked her head at a morbid angle. She barely blinked. "Othello...?!" "Iron." he explained, watching intently for any kind of reaction. Fay had the tendency to either scream, convulse or watch their own veins bulge at the skin when exposed to the simple metal. It was poison reaped from the earth for creatures used to recreating their own atomic structure to suit every twisted fancy, but the little girl didn't show any such consequence. She merely grabbed the shaft and yanked it from her flesh, then, with a glance, obliterated the arrow with a stray thought. Brooklyn felt himself pale. "She's not fay..." "Jesus fucking Christ!" Barnes screamed on instinct, considering the average human mind would have trouble functioning at this point. Lei was equally dumbstruck, the pain of the arrow buried in his shoulder briefly forgotten. "What the hell is she?!" "Not fay." Brooklyn repeated darkly. With Broadway having subtly nudged her behind him, Angela asked over his shoulder, "Then what do we do?" He saw her hand rise; he felt the air clench, as if every molecule had just been compressed and collectively changed direction. "Run." Brooklyn whispered, noticing how Ambrosine's eyes took on a tantrum glint. The gale threw daggers; the wind was picking up, and a faint electrical charge could be felt on the skin. "Broadway, grab Barnes," Brooklyn shot out, shoving the human towards his brother and thumbing a talon towards the nearest window, "Othello, Lei. We're getting the hell out of here and we're taking them with us!" Lei went to stand. "We are not going anywhere with you damned freaaaAAAUGHHH!!!" Othello had grabbed the butt-end of the arrow, neatly cleaved between the ligaments and a conveniently located bundle of nerves that shut him up far quicker then knuckles off bone. He had the little gangster on the end of a stick and steered him, gently, towards the exit. But sweet, murderous Ambrosine wasn't about to let them leave. "I said," she hissed, "Mother wants the bad men dead!!" The top floor was almost sheared off and half the wall exploded outwards, catching a few of the clan unawares as they were knocked off their feet and barely able to right themselves before the five-story drop came to an abrupt end. "Damnit!" Herding the rest outside through the gaping hole still hemorrhaging furniture and other debris, Brooklyn looked to Hudson, who'd remained behind as the last to leave. "Come on!" "In case you didn't happen to notice, she's about as powerful as a few fay we know." "But undisciplined. I dinna plan on stoppin' her, just slowin' her down t' let ye escape." "Hudson, damnit–" His mouth was suddenly jammed full of hand as Hudson smothered his beak and shoved him out. Brooklyn was just able to untangle, spread his wings and fight the storm to get any kind of altitude. As his clan escaped with the two junior mafias hanging from the ends of their talons, Hudson turned and found himself reflected by soulless eyes. "Come now, little one." But she merely looked him over and centered on his chest; all the bravado the gargoyle could rally was nothing to hide the flaws of mortal being and flesh. "You have a bad heart." His brows rose, "What?" and his arms began to tingle. Someone was stepping on his chest. "Damn..." "I can make it worse." Hudson dropped to his knees, and as he struggled to breathe through a quickly constricting chest, the irony of actually wanting those damnable pills was lost on him. From his vantage all he could see were tiny feet taking tiny steps past him and towards the hole, presumably to chase after his clan. He couldn't allow that. Even as his capillaries tightened and the myocardium was starved of blood, he'd managed to keep a firm grip on his sword and prayed he had enough strength left to... SHUNK!! Ambrosine screamed when the wide, slightly curved blade shot out her chest a good foot (the old solider had uncanny accuracy for such a heavy, lumbering weapon). That slowed her down. She could probably restructure matter if she concentrated hard enough, but still a small girl the sight of a sword protruding through the chest was enough to unnerve her, and successfully divert her attention to the 2x4. Hudson nearly took her head off and ended breaking the plank in half over the human-sized billiard ball that rolled several feet away, sword clanking as she tumbled. The gargoyle trembled, collapsed face first and hit the floor, just conscious long enough to watch as Ambrosine stirred and appeared on the verge of tears. "...ssstay..." his speech was hideously slurred, "...away from them..." "Mother..." she squeaked. "Wants the bad men dead." Everything around him was blurring, liquefying. "...ye dinna have to..." Ambrosine stood up, still a little shish kabob. "But I want to. I like death." "...then kill me...an' be done with it!" "I will." She floated a few inches off the ground and out into the night. Hudson felt a tremor run the length of the flooring through his cheek (though slightly anesthetized). And it was a few seconds more before the floor itself cracked, buckled and eventually gave out, sending him plummeting into an abyss of broken floors. The brownstone crumbled up, then down, imploding neatly into its own foundation with a plume of gossamer white smoke. He managed to grab at a slab of concrete about ten feet square and anchor himself to something heavy, to keep him from either being lost in the tornado or floating into the atmosphere with the rest of the debris. Pieces of road were colliding in mid-air and the scent of human (the air thick with bodies) was permeating his senses to the point where finding Ice would prove problematic. He'd disappeared. Shadow struggled to maintain his hold in winds that were threatening to tear off his skin, but something didn't feel right. Was it the alien energies, or...? No, a presence through the airborne junk. And then, a sharp stabbing pain in his side before he could react. In the midst of his own cry of pain and the blackout in his vision, he struggled to look over his shoulder and see Ice hanging from a jagged piece of rod-iron railing that'd run him through near the kidney. A lucky shot. Ice clung to his weapon, twisting the makeshift spear into the creature's guts. "Why don't you hide now?!" Shadow was too busy trying to hang on than listen. "You were so confident when you could conceal yourself in the dark!" He got a better grip and kept twisting, feeling organs rearrange against the steel rod. "How confident do you feel now?!" Nearly biting through his lip, Shadow kept his talons embedded into the small piece of street as it was tossed between airstreams like being thrown between ocean waves. This was getting annoying, and thus, he intended to end it. Using his wings to moderately steer the heavy, unresponsive 'raft' into another piece, they collided and Ice nearly lost his grip. The collision sent them spinning, with Ice dangling at the end of the rod. With no gravity, there wasn't any sense of 'down'. Seeing a clear path, Shadow grit through the pain, ignored the foreign object stabbed halfway through his torso and flipped around, catching his human passenger by the throat. But in the process he'd let go, sending them both into the mercy of the storm. "I have bested better creatures than you!" he screamed. "Then do it!" He pulled out the lance from his side and grabbing him by the shoulder, showed the mobster the sharp end coated in his blood. Whether he intended to visit the same fate on Ice or something equally heinous, only his thin gaze and slight, toothy, bloody grin would reveal the truth. Until, before he got the chance, everything shuddered around them and something shot out of the brownstone's top floor. And if the building suddenly collapsing underneath them weren't enough to end the fight, then perhaps it'd be the familiar, downward pull. Gravity had just kicked back in, and everything in the air that didn't quite belong dropped like a stone. Chunks of asphalt, cars, debris and bodies rained down on the street and anyone still alive were either killed in the impact or had to get up and run (limp) for cover. While Shadow was able to right himself and slow his descent, Ice was at the mercy of an evolution coming up two wings short of a gargoyle. He fell, doing about eighty klicks, and struck with so much speed he made a perfect human-sized dent in the pavement. He would've survived, maybe, if the Lexus that just happened to be above him hadn't completely and totally crushed almost every bone in his body when it landed. Shadow came to ground, and grunted, looking over what was left of his opponent. "Hmph." He'd never been much into compassion, thus, he didn't give the dead mobster a second thought as he waited for everything else to crash down, hobbled past and stepped on a single, writhing hand jutting from underneath the wreckage, hearing a few metacarpals splinter and snap. The first warning they were about to make the corner of ninth avenue and West 54th were sixty squealing tires. The sirens and blaring horns were useless, considering they were blending into the city's already jumbled background noise. People on the crosswalk only had that distinctive sound of rubber shredding against asphalt and the vague instinct of an approaching object to warn them of the police cars that had suddenly appeared from around the corner. By the time the pedestrians reached the safe haven of the sidewalk, caught their breath and looked down the road to see what had almost killed them, it was all a white, black and flashing red blur. Number 59 out of the twenty-third precinct was in the lead, with Maria Chavez behind the wheel. Her reluctant passenger (who'd insisted she drive but was quickly shot down by rank) was white-knuckled and hanging on for dear life. All in all, Iliana was impressed by her captain's skills behind the wheel and if she actually felt comfortable with anyone else driving besides her, Elisa or Matt, she might not feel the urge to lose her lunch on the windshield. But Maria had been silent for the entire drive and seemed grimly determined to get to the site of the shooting as quickly as possible, if only to stem the loss of more life. It was getting a little unsettling until the under-dash receiver crackled to life, filling the stillness. "...Uh...captain?..." She could barely hear him over the siren and the engine pushing seven thousand RPMs. "What is it, Frenelli?" "...We're getting a few reports of something weird happening on the Upper East side, the very neighborhood we're heading to actually..." "Define weird." "...A localized stormfront and half a street floating fifty feet in the air..." Iliana shrugged and leaned back into her seat. "Ask a stupid question..." But with the change in position and a lucky upwards glance, she caught several familiar forms against the violet-colored sky. "Is that–?" Suddenly, the second, hidden microphone under Maria's left blouse lapel, wired to a single source outside of the NYPD, erupted. "...Maria, get the hell out of there!!..." Good thing she'd decided to wear it after all. "What...?" Her eyes returned to the road, and down the yellow line that bled into the distance. It almost looked like fire, ghostly, and sea green. "Good god..." Maria stomped the brake pedal and her passenger nearly ate the dashboard as she took the seatbelt to its limits before it locked into place. The entire caravan of squad cars skidded up behind them. "Ungh!" Iliana groaned, before being jerked back into her seat. "What the hell...?" Over the hood something loomed down the street, slightly luminescent and gaining with every second that the two women sat wide-eyed trying to figure out just what the hell it was. Maria opened her door and got out, Iliana followed, as did everyone else. Before the tremors hit them, before the imminent danger pricked the hairs on the back of her neck, someone behind asked, "Captain, what is that–" "EVERYBODY MOVE!!!" Maria screamed suddenly, and she nearly dislodged a few windows in the throaty snarl. Cops scattered in every direction. The vehicles that were wedged in were unreservedly abandoned as every man and woman ran for the sides of the street and anything solid enough to absorb the brunt of whatever was tearing up the street. Maria and Iliana found the entrance nook of a bistro and huddled against the doors, only to feel the entire building dance on its foundation. The road in front of them rippled like loose carpet, sent a few cars into the air and rolled out underneath the ball of energy surrounding Ambrosine. They squinted to get a better look at just what was inside. A girl of all things. Maria kicked herself; she knew better not to look for monsters when sixteen-year-old kids could shoot up a convenience store. But the fact she wasn't surprised never registered due largely to the fact that, since meeting the clan, she thought she'd seen it all. Until now. And that of course was becoming a well-worn expression. Maria grabbed for the receiver. "Brooklyn?! Brooklyn!!" "...Are you all right?..." the Wyvern leader's voice broke through. The rush of wind could be heard; he was somewhere still overhead but fading fast. "What the hell was that?! It looked like a little girl..." "...It was. And she's dangerous..." She didn't like the implicative tone. "How dangerous?" "...Alexander Xanatos dangerous..." Iliana turned towards her superior with her brows tucked high into her hair. "Oh shit." "And just where is she going?" Maria asked, with a nascent sense of dread. "...Wherever we're going, and that's towards Saturn Tech. Seems the owner is the elusive third piece to your puzzle, and this kid's mother..." Maria tried to digest the news with two fingers on her forehead. Looking over the smoking pile of cars left in the wake of whatever just floated past, it seemed she didn't have any choice in the matter. "And what do you plan to do?" His head shot up, throwing fire-red strands on end before they re-settled along his brow. There was that feeling again, stronger than the previous nights. As if someone had lodged a tuning fork in the middle of Manhattan and flicked it with their finger. In the muted pastels and denim-darks of the Eyrie infirmary, Alexander had spent another night by the bedside of his mother (no chair, he floated alongside) and for the last few half moons, had touched something he figured no one else was aware of. A feeling was lapping at his fingertips, as similar to the gentle waves he'd create in the courtyard's fountain as anything else. His stare had lengthened, turned into a fixation, turned into an obsession and caught the interest of someone drifting in and out of a light slumber. Fox noticed. Though her body had long betrayed her, her eyes were still sharp, and their jade-backed glow narrowed in her son's direction. "...what is it...?" He was looking through the wall and all its layers, seeing stars beyond. "I dunno...somethin' bad." "...the same bad thing...you felt before...in the castle...?" Alexander shook his head. "Uh unh." Fox drew another throaty wheeze through her oxygen mask, and ran her knuckles through the strands of hair so red she thought her hand would burn at the touch. It was a double-edged sword the little h-bomb of his genetic profile, assuring to know her son could sense everything around him but terrifying in the fact he was either unable or unwilling to explain. He was becoming just as cryptic as the Puck. "Then what...?" Alex touched down on his untied sneakers and started wandering to the closest window. The shutter was locked in place, but a wrinkle through his brow and it unbolted and shot up, revealing the Manhattan skyline all done up from ground floor to ceiling in spiraled light. "There's somethin' out there..." he said. "Someone's doing bad things." "...it's New York, honey...somebody's always doing bad things..." "Nope," he gave off a spark, "not this bad." It was a vain hope but, "...are you sure...you don't have any wires crossed...?" "No!" "...I'm sorry..." Fox readjusted her position as best she could, to better see Alexander over the hump of her own skeletal form. He was shivering in anticipation of something, and she'd seen that look before. "...you're going to go...aren't you...?" "No." a voice resounded in the darkness, and echoed, to make one sound like many. "You will not." Alexander already knew who it was before he turned around. "I hafta go." he told the silhouette at the doorway. "Alexander Xanatos, you will not leave this building." Everything metal in the room rattled, including the wheeled tray near Fox's bed and a few of the surrounding machines helping to stay her illness. Alex glared at his father, and in the clash of powerful stares so equally fierce, one was bound to lose. It was Alexander who'd make the first step. He decided to leave. "Alexander!" The small boy had also decided the window was too small and consequently tore a chunk through several layers of steel, carbon composites and advanced building materials that a Sherman tank would have trouble penetrating. "ALEX!!!" Xanatos' scream was lost to the vacuum created by Alexander as he took to flight, hitting a hundred miles per hour in several seconds. He was forced to watch as his son made a green streak on the sky, vanishing. A cold gale crossed the billionaire's neck from outside, and something cracked the sky. Seems Alexander had hit such a speed so fast that he'd left a sonic boom in his wake. "...you...can't stop him...David..." a gasp came from behind. "...he's too powerful for even you to control..." He turned around and into the fine-edged gaze of his wife, either glowing or reflecting from what little ambient light was available. "And you believe I wish to control him?" David didn't answer; he had none to give, at least none that wouldn't be seen as entirely transparent to his wife. It seemed, in all the universe's grand schemes, it would be his son who'd best him, and maybe unravel all the secrets he'd comfortably wrapped himself in. Saturn Tech was an unassuming building barely twenty stories high, choking under the business district and the island's entire southern tip that seemed more metal than actual earth. It was perfect for someone who didn't want to stand out. The clan angled in between skyscrapers, getting so close as to actually graze the windows with the tips of their wings. They thought and hoped, maybe vainly, to lose what they knew was chasing them. The National Loan across the street provided a perfect roost, a perfect view and was perfectly, dangerously out in the open. Barnes and Lei were unceremoniously dropped on the tarpaper roof, but the downward thrust from so many pairs of wings drowned out the pained grunts. Brooklyn sent his eyes across and towards the top floor of Saturn Tech (the most logical place to start as most CEOs, evil or not, enjoyed being above their employees). "I hope somebody's home." "Shall we knock?" Othello grinned, which in itself was unsettling. Her bright eyes keen, Delilah leaned up against the ledge and searched for any trace of life behind the darkened glass across the street. "We're not just going to storm the building, are we? We have no idea what we're dealing with, and what if the mother is more powerful?" "You have a better idea?" Brooklyn huffed. "Because we may be a little short on time." "We are." Katana said ingenuously. "What?" She stiffened and slowly withdrew her blade from her sash. There wasn't much that rattled the samurai. "Beloved," she whispered, "do you feel that?" Brooklyn did, he felt it along the backs of his wings. An unnatural warmth. "Oh damn." Somewhere far between the towers and light pollution that seemed to rise up as a tiffany haze, a little sparkle of something that didn't belong this far off the ground appeared from behind one of the buildings. She appeared to blink in and out of existence and every time she grew closer until she was floating just above them. Angela wasn't the only one to notice the handle protruding from Ambrosine's back, and of course the swordtip jutting from her chest; she hadn't yet bothered to pull it out. "Is that...?" "Hudson's sword." Broadway answered, his tone stung by the faraway thought that Hudson had made his last stand. His gaze wandered to Brooklyn. "We shouldn't have left him." "I didn't really have much of a choice, and he knew that." "He could be dead!" Brooklyn turned and faced his brother with haunted eyes. "Yeah," he answered morosely, the weight of the world on his voice, "he could." Any argument spawned by the difference in opinion was quickly shelved when the little girl hovering above suddenly ripped half the building's roof from right underneath them. They staggered back before being caught without a solid support beneath their feet and quickly worked their way towards the other side of the roof, dodging heating vents and air-conditioners until they simply ran out of space to run. Ambrosine appeared on the opposite side and chewed up part of the ledge. It was going to be a rough ride getting into the air to safety if she hadn't unexpectedly halted the rampage and looked away from the clan. Broadway took up position near his brother. "She stopped..." "Why?" he whispered back. It was Lexington who spotted him first and darted out a hand. "There!" Someone had perched overhead, standing on air. "Alex..." Alit in his characteristic emerald glow, Alexander hovered over the group in a protective stance and already, the ceiling they stood on was knitting together nail by nail, weld by weld. His eyes were dead-set on the girl in the midst of shearing winds. "Go." Brooklyn didn't argue. "Let's move, people." "Are we just going to leave him?" Angela protested. His response was a hard hand against her shoulder, urging her towards the ledge as the others took flight. "Yes." By the faint green flashes of light outside her window, she thought at first her daughter had returned home from successfully completing her task. But when the decanter on her desk had trembled, sending rings through the water, she knew not all had gone to plan. Then the thought came of just what could actually stop her. A dark shape at the window yanked her from her reflection, quick enough to think a bird had shot past the tinted pane until it coalesced into something bigger and much more frighteningly defined. The red one was the first through (the leader, she mused) followed by seven more with two familiar humans in tow. Her front window reduced to shards that were now being worked into the carpet, inhuman creatures dispersing into her office, Juno's only response was to cross her legs and whisper with intrigue, "Ah." Brooklyn expected a scream, a gasp, or at the very least a wide-eyed gape in his general direction. But the woman relaxed in leather the color of dark golden brandy was as unmoved as a cadaver, and if her eyes weren't open and her lazy, half-lidded gaze pierced through the relative darkness, he'd think her as such. "Are you Katherine Juno?" he approached cautiously. Ignoring the question, Juno looked the creature over with more than a simple interest. "It's been a very long time since I've seen a gargoyle." The lavender one cocked her head, and let curiosity trickle from the fearsome pretense. "You know of us?" "I've bedded more than a few in my time." she said, almost gluttonously. "If my ex-husband can seduce and breed weak-willed mortals, then I will, and have invited many to my own." If he hadn't already noticed the cavalier attitude, the comatose-like serenity and the odd scent surrounding her, like an aura, Brooklyn was getting the vibe this woman wasn't quite normal. "We're here to speak to you about your daughter." The CEO smiled. "Is that who's making all the noise?" "Cut the bullshit, Juno, you deliberately sent her after Barnes and Lei." Katana stepped up beside her mate, and Juno followed the exposed blade from hilt to tip. "You used her as an assassin!" "Because she's just so good at it." "And just what the hell is she?" Brooklyn snarled. "And why, pray tell," the ocean placid demeanor finally showed a crack when shifting back towards the leader, "besides the snarling mask of contempt, should I tell you?" Near the fireplace's marble mantle, he carefully threaded his gaze through the expensive bobbles and grabbed a small statue that looked as if it was already going to break apart with a strong breeze. He knew it was old, rather valuable (it was a four thousand year old, incalculably priceless remnant of a vanished culture) and thought it broke quite easily when crushed between his fingers and palm. "I'm asking politely." Juno leaned back, feigned defeat and sighed, "She's the pride of her father's powerful loins. If he was sober enough to realize just how special she is." "Special? As in 'faerie' special?" "Oh my dear creature, no, we are far more than fay." "We?" Brooklyn noticed. "And just who or what the hell are you?" What followed was a smile that seemed ageless, and that sent chills down a few of the gargoyles' spines. "I've had many names, but mortals used to refer to me as Hera, queen of the gods." Alexander and Ambrosine were looking each other over, getting a feel for their respective opponent through what discriminating senses they owned above the normals down below. The heir to the Xanatos fortune was sure he'd found the source of the disturbances in this black-haired girl that had a few similarities to a certain friend he'd recently lost, despite her eyes being cold. "What are you?" he asked. She sneered. Apparently he wasn't of enough pedigree to speak with her. "What are you?" Ambrosine returned. "I'm human." "You stink of something else." "You stink!" Alex shot back. "Like death and blood!" "Are you...?" Her features widened, then clenched. "One of them?" "Wha...?" The sky exploded with color and waves of compressed air that could've easily shattered a few windows. Ambrosine was quick on the offensive and rushed her counterpart, but her hands (aimed for around his throat) found faerie glitter. His image broke apart and blew away on the winds she herself was creating. Alexander had disappeared. And as the girl swung her head around, hungry to find him, he was far above observing her every frantic, rabid move from the largest WVRN communications dish. He'd learned just like his father to seek out any kind of weakness, and her impatience was first and foremost in the flaws he'd already noticed. She was arrogant. Far down on the already crippled National Loan building, a flagpole wiggled itself loose, tore away from its mortar and bolts and shot up. It would've been a second mortal wound for Ambrosine if she hadn't seen the glint of light off the pole's pitted chrome surface and blinked from its path, the fearful yelp cut off halfway through. Alexander peeked out a little further from his hiding place when Ambrosine's presence completely vanished. He figured he was safe until the antenna tower creaked and started shivering under his hand. Brooklyn crossed his arms, while a few looks of dark skepticism ran through the clan. On the periphery of the conversation, Barnes and Lei traded glances. "You don't believe I turned Io into a cow as punishment for her affair? You don't believe I drove Heracles mad and caused him to murder his own wife as well as his children?" She stood up, and the flicker of something like anger and a little more like a bomb going off washed through her now livid features. "You don't believe the first time I met my husband he was disguised as a cuckoo and raped me?" Brooklyn was resolute. "No." "The ego on you mortals..." Juno hissed under her breath, while fire danced in the lightless crux of her eyes so much as to erupt like her temper, and give credence to her claim. "I am a god, little creature! I am more than your primitive thought processes and electrical synapses could ever comprehend. If you even could conceive of my true form, your tiny skull would burst!" "I don't give a goddamn about what you think you are, only that I'm not going to allow you to wage a war on these streets." "Will you report me? Arrest me, kill me?" She gestured fluidly in the general direction of the Hole. "Manhattan is teetering on the brink of that rather large crater in the pavement. If you cut off the head, the body dies, and several thousand people lose their jobs and their livelihood, which New York can ill afford at the moment." "And you don't think I wouldn't have a little more protection," she licked her teeth, enjoying how the gargoyle's bluster seemed to melt away under her overly-confident, unremitting stare, "would you?" It was then a resounding creak went through the floor underneath the carpet; to a gargoyle's finely honed sense of hearing, it was the precursor to someone, and someone big, entering the room. From the other side of the office, two hulking forms easily rivaling Goliath's size swaggered their way into the faint lamplight and what appeared under the rosy tangerine glow was skin the color of cement, black eyes and no discernible scent. They looked human, but also decidedly different from anything else the clan had ever seen. One ground his knuckles into the opposite palm, and the other cricked its neck. Juno preened at her jacket, adjusting the cuffs and moving on to her nails. "Please, gentlemen," she bid them, "do what you do best, break bones, rend flesh, but do watch the entrails on my carpeting." Every bolt, nut, weld and connection that held the dish to its tower snapped, tore and ripped away until it was free to the mercy of gravity and its own weight. It plummeted at break-neck speed, scraping against the building's exterior with Alexander riding shotgun inside a parabolic seat. Ambrosine chased after him, and hoped to see the boy splatter all over the pavement. But a few meters from impact and derailing the A train currently running underneath, Alexander pulled up and leveled out his angle to skim across the street, using the dish like a toboggan as he headed towards the island's southern tip and open sea. If anyone had heard him as he rocketed past, they would have turned, found nothing and wondered at the wind and ghostly laughter fading into the discord. Seeing the faerie actually enjoying himself as she tried her best to kill him, Ambrosine dogged him all the way to Battery Park, the docks and eventually into the harbor. Traffic at this hour was sparse on the East river and Alexander gently lowered his makeshift craft into the water, skipping like a stone on moon-dappled swells. The surface so placid, so mirrorlike, Alexander could see the girl above him closing in for the kill and leapt out. The dish went up like a Frisbee and with Ambrosine so close behind she didn't have time to dodge as it collided (CLANG!!!) and slapped her into the ocean. The blow had some mustard on it, enough to send her five hundred feet down before she was able to right herself. The water boiled, trembled and a murky black shadow appeared underneath the waves before she burst out leading with a snarl. "They are Kratus and Bia, or, in your primitive and quite limited English, Force and Violence." The clan scattered into the spacious confines of Juno's office as her dead-skinned gorillas each split up and went for the closest target they could reach, throwing furniture from their way. "They were my former husband's former lapdogs, proudly doing the bidding of Zeus." Othello reared back and got enough room to sink two arrows into Force's forehead before he realized he could probably exhaust his entire quiver without doing enough damage, considering the demigod shrugged off the graphite shafts buried in his brain and attempted to put his fist through the gargoyle's head. "Maiming, killing, tying defiant gods to rocks all because he supposedly gave the gift of fire to the mortals." Dodging a four-knuckled freight train, Othello felt the clenched hand graze his hair as it passed over his shoulder and shattered a supporting timber that made up one of the office's wooden arches. He was barely able to get both himself and Desdemona out of the way as Force threw his fist around on a wicked backhand. "But of course, we all know that the humans developed fire on their own. They aren't that stupid, despite the sloping brow." With Lexington and Delilah running interference, Katana was swift enough to land her sword across Violence's forearm, cleanly severing the appendage. It hit the floor with a weighty thud, but the creature merely picked it up and held it to the stump (that strangely wasn't bleeding); tendons and blood vessels reached out, grabbed their mated ends and the entire arm sewed itself back together. "I've lived among them for a thousand years at the very least, and they are a seditious, impatient, cunning species." Brooklyn tried a fist against the distracted henchman's head, but ended up pulling back with a nearly broken hand; their bones were like steel. "Damnit," he grunted through the pain of swelling knuckles, "how do you kill these things?!" "You don't." Juno offered from across the room. "They're not really alive, or dead, they exist somewhere in between. Limbo." He turned a dark look that could've peeled paint. "Then tell me how I can kill you." "You can't kill a god." As the remnants of the clan dog-piled on the two demigods, Brooklyn stalked his way towards Juno who'd yet to bat a lash at the chaos in the midst of her office. "I can smell the traces of perspiration, hear a heartbeat, watch as your eyes dilate, you seem pretty damned human to me, and I'm forced to wonder just how far this disguise of yours goes." She raised a hand and marveled at the flesh. "An incredible facsimile, isn't it?" He'd made this particular section of the room with a quick sweep of his eyes and found a spear the closest weapon in his reach. The scent was iron, the tip was still sharp and this woman's relentless conceit was overriding every rational warning his brain could fire at him. Juno noticed the direction the creature's eyes had turned and eventually centered. The spear was one of Achilles', and it had seen its share of blood. "Will your gamble pay off?" she asked. "Am I fay? Will my skin shrivel, dry and crack at the mere touch of it?" His hand flitted out, snatched the spear from its resting place and held it with the intent to use it as it was originally constructed for. The wooden shaft creaked at the exertion, and Brooklyn would have stabbed it through her throat if it weren't for her expression. Juno was the epitome of fearlessness; her heartbeat didn't change tempo, her eyes didn't betray any sliver of apprehension. "Do it." "Will it work?" he growled. "Only one way to find out." A million thoughts collided before the red haze of instinct was slowly overruled, and Brooklyn eventually lowered the spear. Ambrosine hadn't been affected by iron poisoning but, then again, Alexander had never shown any signs of that particular frailty either. But something wasn't adding up and against his better judgment he decided not to kill her. "What are you?" She leaned back into her chair. "I believe most well-versed mortals refer to us as the Lost Race." The revelation sent a shockwave through the clan, at least those intimate with the term and the history behind it, those listening and those who weren't currently eluding fists to the head. Brooklyn's ridges sank. "You're the Lost Race...?" "Lost, weak, dead, yes. But a few thousand years ago, oh my how we lived! We were worshipped, and the fay were all but a nuisance who'd deceived the Egyptians, the Norse, the Chinese, the Mayans and countless other civilizations for several millennia." In the bedlam of noise in the background, shattering glass, crumbling drywall, the grunts and groans of the clan as they were knocked about, her voice was remarkably clear. "And then, euphoric from overthrowing his mother for control of the Court, Oberon turned his attention towards us, and a few skirmishes gave way to a campaign that would mark the end of an epoch." "A war." "To end all wars. For dominance. That which shattered societies, nations and eradicated entire species. He thought our influence over the Romans and Greeks was...troublesome." Brooklyn snarled, becoming impatient, "Maybe it was the fact the Roman Empire had conquered a quarter of the planet at its peak." "Until it collapsed." Juno amended, and her tone hardened. "When the Lost race at last lost the war. Our successors killed almost all of us–" "I thought gods couldn't die." A few of the memorable deaths flashed through her mind; injuries horrific beyond human comprehension, bodies transformed, mutilated and atomized, the Earth permanently scarred as mountains were sheared off and bodies of coastal land were broken off into islands. A rare ally to her had been transported back to the Big Bang, and his body had completely disintegrated and spread throughout the universe, drowning in the primordial soup. The ultimate irony was, as she'd laugh to herself to console the pain of his loss, that a few of his atoms were perhaps the building blocks for new worlds several billion years later. "Gods can kill gods," she spit, "not mortals, and you'd be surprised the imaginations the fay possessed. And the impudence. They replaced us, played our parts to exactness, and the survivors simply faded away or took human form to live out the rest of their days, mortal or immortal. But for all their power, even they could not stop human evolution." Juno stood up and languidly sauntered around the edge of her desk. "I suppose it was poetic justice that the fay were also forgotten as humanity simply stopped worshipping. In this day and age, gods are obsolete. They're better as symbols, as commercial or religious manifestations of their former glory that can be cut up and sold for a profit or used to blindly control the masses." In a desperate move Brooklyn grabbed her and pulled her close, sending a hot breath through the honey strands. Juno indeed enjoyed the proximity to a creature that was close to running on pure instinct, and absolutely seeping compulsions that would sate an ancient and primal birthright if only he'd give in. "Are you going to kill me, gargoyle?" Her finger found the underside of his beak, tucked into a crook just inside his chin. "You don't think I would leave myself so vulnerable? You don't think if my mortal form was destroyed in any way, I'd reset to normal, do you?" Off the end of a tiny hand that had the approximate power of several sticks of TNT, Alexander was thrown into a docked barge, ripping a hole through the vessel and tearing up part of the wharf it was attached to. He skidded up the seabank, stirring up a cloud of dust that hid him from the hunter lurking just above the water's surface. Absorbing the water's oxygen molecules through his skin, Alexander slowed himself just before he slid right out of the river and rocketed underneath to a safe distance before popping up. But Ambrosine was waiting for him and before he even took a fresh breath she decked him. All the power and sound from the blow was sucked into a single funneled explosion that sent Alexander back towards the island. He hit a warehouse and like the barge before it the entire structure was decimated, collapsing in on itself with the young boy being used as the bullet and bulldozing half the support beams. If he hadn't sheathed himself in an unstable energy field to cushion the blow, he could've been liquefied. But instead, he'd left a trail fifty feet long, ending up on a street outside the partially collapsed warehouse with a hole in his chest (probably impaled by one of the broken beams). As he struggled to breathe through his remaining lung, it all felt disturbingly familiar. Ambrosine slowly descended and touched down in the middle of the wreckage, standing over a wheezing Alexander. She was intent to watch as he drew his last breath, but it was taking more time than it should have and she was rather impatient. "Aren't you dead yet?" He spit blood, mewled, writhed and tried to muster, if anything, a spark. A few chunks of debris rose, wobbled and crashed back down in the failed attempt. "No?" Her gaze went up to the tattered remains of the warehouse roof, found a large piece hanging from a few twisted I-beams that didn't quite seem capable of holding the weight and she tore it off with a wiggle of her hand. It came down on top of the young quarter-faerie, crushing him. Then, more pieces, one on top of the other, until she was satisfied that whoever and whatever that was underneath sure as hell wasn't getting up anytime soon. Ambrosine brushed away a few errant, jet hairs, and they melted back into place against an almost liquid sheen. "That was...easy." Angela would've been killed if it weren't for her mate and the fact he'd gotten himself between her and Force's hand just in time to absorb the blow. Blood dribbled from between his clenched teeth and he staggered back. Upon opening his eyes he saw the demigod winding up for another shot and blocked it, but the sheer power nearly knocked him through the wall. "Have you ever seen a god?" Juno whispered to Brooklyn. Her eyes had taken on the luster of the cosmos, just as deep and just as easy to get lost in. "Only a few have been in the presence of our true forms and survived without either exploding or being driven completely insane." It was still. And quite eerie in the fact the city seemed to fade in the euphoria that slowly washed over her, raising her pores. It felt good to kill again, especially someone so potent. But time was being wasted and she needed to find the bad men for mother, kill them and, while she was at it, rend a few of the gargoyles that stole them into particles of random matter. She started to walk away before she heard a hollow shudder move through the remaining aluminum walls; metal against metal had that distinctive chime no matter how subtle. She didn't even make a full turn back towards the pile of wreckage before it burst, scattering the chunks of roof into the air. Like the reactor of a nuclear power plant suddenly uncorked, Alexander appeared within a torrent of energy that spilled out hot and acrid, half of his torso torn away to reveal his insides. Ambrosine narrowed her eyes, and centered on the injury a little left of center on his chest. The hole (affording a morbidly fascinating view right through him) started closing. His lungs, part of his stomach and liver, his intestinal tract, tissues rebuilt themselves and filled out his small body to the proper shape and just as the wound sealed itself, Alexander's newly healed lungs emptied themselves of all available oxygen. His scream raised the hairs on Ambrosine's neck and she backed off, shielding herself from the explosion of light. He expended more energy than Manhattan uses in a month, a pillar reaching into the thinnest wastes of atmosphere and staining the loose cloud cover a pale emerald. Alexander breathed a refill and turned a smoldering gaze towards the little girl that had killed him. "DON'T!!!" the voice didn't seem to come from him. "EVER!!!DO THAT AGAIN!!!" "We were at the top of the food chain, and nothing was beyond our grasp." Desdemona ripped another timber from the wall and started swinging the nine-foot beam at any target that presented itself. It seemed to rattle Violence when being snapped in two over his backside, but he shook it off and turned on her quicker than she could recover from the shock. A fist filled her vision before everything went dark. "We could have wiped your species from the planet if we wished to, but we took pity." Othello saw her go down with a ribbon of blood, howled, charged and tore two strips from either side of the henchman's spine. He ducked low and decided on an experiment, seeing what these things had between their legs. Something solid glanced off his bloody knuckles. Violence shrugged off the cheap shot with a muffled squeal and put his foot through the floor, just a second too late from crushing the gargoyle's skull. "And now, the pinnacle of millions of years of evolution can't even lay harm to two underlings with an infinitesimal fraction of our power." He tried a little more forcefully, "Stop this!" and tried to manhandle her, but Juno grabbed his wrist and nearly pulverized the bones attaching arm to hand. She flipped him effortlessly over her shoulder, into the air and down onto the surface of her desk. It practically blew apart at the grain; nails popped and the wood splintered as Brooklyn went right through and hit floor, nearly finding himself a level down. Apparently Juno had kept herself a little godly strength in the slender, well-proportioned form. Stunned, the gargoyle moaned in pain nestled in the kindling of a five thousand dollar piece of furniture. Juno looked back at her henchmen, still struggling with the clan. "Haven't you killed them yet?!" she screamed. "I didn't go to all the trouble of stealing you idiots just so you could slack off!" Alexander's skin was fading through the waves of energy, flickering in and out of substantiality as if he was made of it. "You're immortal..." Ambrosine muttered. She shouldn't have been surprised. But surprise was a relative term especially when she found herself on the receiving end of a semi-omnipotent being not in the mood to listen. The blow didn't register on any part of her nervous system until she found herself a hundred feet from the warehouse and fifty feet in the air trailing a thin umbilical of blood. Before all her senses returned from the numbness centered on her left cheek (and the four-knuckle dent), Alexander was on her, hemorrhaging power. He hit her again, she was knocked away until he caught up, took another swing and nearly split open her skull. She went down as hard as her opponent had and plowed through a few more warehouses before breaking through the last wall and tumbling onto the street. Despite the skinned knees and a nagging pain in her side, Ambrosine lurched her way to her feet in time to look up and see Alexander bearing down on her, a screaming, three foot high comet about to wipe Manhattan from the map. Her first instinct was to grab as much debris as possible and throw it like gunfire at him, including some iron pieces that twisted and lengthened en route to form very sharp and very deadly spears. He deflected all but one small piece that caught him in the cheek. She didn't see any reaction. A hybrid. It was the only explanation and the similarity to this thing made her stomach turn. But her train of thought didn't get any farther before the pavement she was standing on dissolved and everything lit up in bottle green. Barely able to throw her hands up, Ambrosine took the blow that nearly tore the skin from her forearms and knocked her into and through an adjoining brick wall. Coughing a mixture of fluid and mortar dust from her lungs, she swiveled towards the hole she'd made and readied for an attack. But he wasn't there. Her head jerked around, throwing an anxious glare around the parking garage she'd found herself in. Beyond the few cars and sparse lighting, it seemed to go on forever, fading into obscurity behind the corners and numbered pillars and that creature could be hiding anywhere inside. But she couldn't feel him; since they'd met, he'd always given off some kind of signature, a sort of impression that danced like flame along her skin. "Where are you, little faerie?" she whispered, running her tongue along her incisors. "Everywhere." an answer was given. The voice, as distorted as it was, didn't have a sense of direction. Ambrosine sunk into her shoulders, and her eyes burned through falling bangs. "I wanta play a game." he continued. "Can you find me?" "Find you...?" The building started creaking from the foundation up, the light fixtures swayed and a mild earthquake passed through the cement. A Navigator slowly rolled from its spot, lifted from the tires and suddenly shot towards her. If it weren't for the sheer size of the vehicle and the resistance against the still air, Ambrosine might have missed it. She spun, caught the SUV with the tips of her knuckles and knocked it away towards the wall; it spiraled, shed a few parts and, after leaving a crack on the south wall, landed on the luggage rack. Another car crept out, flew towards her and if she hadn't completely torn the frame apart she could've been crushed beneath it. "I don't like your games!!" she screamed, sending a violent wind through the garage that was building into something similar to her display over Lucian Barnes' penthouse. "How come?" "You don't play fair. Now face me!" "Nuh-uh." Alexander was enjoying this. "I'm hiding." "I'm going to kill everyone you love!! Splay them open, eat their insides!" "No." The voice had swiftly dropped the playful tone; seems the game was over as quickly as it had started. "You won't." Her feet left the floor, and in the midst of her cyclonic tantrum she was pulled upwards towards the ceiling. Her momentum never stopped even when hitting the cement, steel, wood and insulation of the building's first floor, and in fact continued to increase as she was yanked through each floor above despite her best efforts. One after another, through offices, stairwells and bathroom stalls until she hit the last and exploded into the sky. The last thing Ambrosine saw was Alexander standing on the roof before she was thrown into orbit. Blood was flying, spattering on walls and drapes, the broken furniture and holes in the drywall, three of the clan had already fallen and those still left on their feet were barely able to stand let alone successfully dodge a seemingly inexhaustible Force and Violence. With Othello tiring, Broadway was the last of the muscle while Lexington and Katana weaved in between the fists being thrown around. Juno was holding Brooklyn down with a hand around his throat, crushing the life from his body. The Wyvern leader couldn't get her to release even with a few deep clawmarks across her forearm, but he kept desperately trying, considering he could see his mate fighting a losing battle on the other side of the office. Force had cornered her, she caught him with a few stabs until he'd knocked away her sword as fatigue was quickly robbing her of her skills. The creature looked mean and hungry and wanted his first kill of the night. Brooklyn struggled, using every last ounce of strength; he wouldn't watch her die from the floor. "Ungh...!" His eyes went nova white, bleeding the color from the surrounding skin. "...get...off..." But Juno simply put more pressure on the gargoyle's larynx. The last thing he saw was a fist being raised towards his wife, before a dim haze started to swallow the world around him. "...no..." "ENOUGH!!!" It'd gone off like a gunshot and gargoyle, god and demigod alike froze at the voice. Everything went deathly silent, all but a few quick pants. Juno seemed particularly incensed at the latest intruder as she turned to peer at the doorway leading into the hall. Her eyes lit up, turning a peculiar shade of carmine across the pupil as astonishment quickly gave way to pure, unadulterated, bone-deep fury. "You...!!" As unbelievable as it seemed, Titania stood at the threshold and her very presence halted the battle in its tracks. "This ends." she decreed. "Now." The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
This is another great book from Wrox. They provided the book free to me in exchange for a (hopefully unbiased) review through the MVP program. The title is "Professional BizTalk Server 2006", and was written by Darren Jefford, Kevin B. Smith, Ewan Fairweather. You might recognize Kevin's name as the creator of BizUnit. I have never met any of the authors, but they have great reputations in our niche, and, based on the contents of this book, really know what they are talking about. Let me start by saying there are many good books on BizTalk on the market now. I am really pleasantly surprised by this, as BTS 2004 only had a few books available. This books suffers from a confusing title. If you scroll back in history, Apress has a book on BTS called "Pro BizTalk 2006", which is very similar to this book's title. I think these two books actually make a good pair. The Apress book is great for people who just went to training, and are diving in, and are trying to learn the basics. Don't let this fool you, in BizTalk the basics are complex. The Wrox book then picks up from there goes REAL deep into the details. The book is well structured, and grabs you from the start; well, if you are anything like me anyway. I loved how the overview chapter in the beginning does a SQL trace on how the message agent in the host instance commits a message into the mbox. When I hit that part, I really knew this book was for me. There are a lot of internal details of BTS that a good architect and developer don't even need to know about to do their jobs well. But if you want to get to that next level, or just truly grok how this engine works, you need to know the details. The book finishes out with some great chapters on testing and performance tuning of BizTalk. This is definitely a must read for anyone who wants to know what goes on under the hood. Get this book, unless you are new to BTS. In that case, buy the Apress book first. I have been super busy this week (getting CodeMash.org registration live), and didn't have time to let people know that R2 has finally been released. It should be available on MSDN now as well. Go download the bits, and enjoy all of the new goodness. EDI and RFID rock. But for us, WCF is the biggest new feature I am excited about. John Brockmeyer is the primary author of a new BizTalk performance white paper titled "BizTalk Server Database Optimization". I have been waiting for this to come out for months now ever since he presented his draft material to us at the annual Virtual TS summit in San Diego. This paper goes into great detail as to what settings and changes can affect the performance of your BTS system. He details each step, links to relevant background information, and even scores each with a difficulty level. I feel the title is misleading, it covers far more than just tuning the SQL database. I consider this mandatory reading for anyone managing or developing any significant BTS application. It is worth your time to read. Go now, read it before you focus shift to something less worthy. We have put a lot of work in refactoring how the registration process works this year. It wasn't 'bad' last year, but we made it a little nicer. We added a section for tracking demographics. This will help us plan the content this year, as well as show our potential sponsors that awesome audience they will have access to. Remember, without sponsors, our registration prices wouldn't be this low. PLEASE REMEMBER TO RESERVER YOUR OWN HOTEL ROOM. Details on how to do this will be included in the receipt email you receive after registering. Thanks to the efforts of the team, especially the volunteer testers, we have just pushed a new build that includes registration. This new build also includes a new title graphic, and an upgraded session submitter form, plus some copy changes here and there. Speakers from last year will also receive a discount code. If you have submitted a talk this year, hold out until you find out if your session was selected or not. If you are, you will be given a speaker registration code instead. Please be gentle on the registration form. We will be upgrading it soon for mass registrations (my company sent about 20 people last year). Anyway, the team is doing a great job with all of the planning for this year. I think it is going to rock more than last year. We just updated the CodeMash site to include the Sponsor Prospectus. Please pass it around. We had some great sponsors last year, and I appreciate their support. We did lower some of the prices this year for sponsors. We have also opened the "Submit a Topic" form. If you would like to speak, please submit your session. On August 31st I spoke at the KY Day of .NET event in Louisville, KY. It was a lot of fun. I think Chad did a great job putting the event together. I was invited to speak on WF. Because the time limit was 45 minutes of presentation, and 15 minutes of q/a I though I would do a level 100 talk on WF. I wanted to give people a feel for how WF might fit into their software projects, and to get the gist of it so diving into a book would be a little easier. I hope everyone liked it. I know I had a great time. I posted the slides on my SkyDrive. As a side note, when you upload files to SkyDrive they display a little bouncy beach ball game to entertain you while the files upload. Funny thing is, it's in Flash, and not Silverlight. Hmmm.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Agile Human-Centric Design: What Is It and Why You Need to Know Shaz Khanhas been actively implementing SAP ERP eProcurement and Supply Chain applications for over ten years. Once he noticed procurement software wasn’t being fully utilized by businesses (even though they were already paying for it), he decided to co-found Vroozi. As the Company’s CSO, Shaz is a valuable resource to those who may be unfamiliar with the procurement industry, but are already deeply impacted by it. Ultimately, Vroozi helps CEOs and their companies stay within their budgets and easily manage their spend, without having to micromanage the entire process themselves. Delivering an e-commerce solution centered around B2B sourcing and procurement activities that is simple, scalable and deployable to the masses is no easy task. But Shaz and his team have done it, and they’ve done it with the end user in mind. I had a chance to sit down with Shaz and pick his brain on his company’s approach to simple design. Ryan Foland: You have been in the procurement space for two decades. Did it find you, or did you find it? Shaz Khan: We found each other. I’d been in the space for a long time, specifically within e-commerce supply chain management and had started a number of different consultancies and software companies. My “ah ha” moment happened in San Francisco when my team was asked to write a 45 page PowerPoint training manual on how to order a stapler. Forty-five pages! We looked at this exercise, sat back at a bar and said, “We’re not going down this path of writing a 45 page PowerPoint.” Well, we got close. We did 35 pages, because that’s exactly how many steps are required to go through this ordering process. At that point in time, it was a no-brainer for us to enter into this space and make the process of ordering items a lot smarter, simpler and speedier. Ryan Foland: I was poking around online getting prepared for this interview and one of the things that I loved was your comment about ‘adapting technology to people’s way of living.’ Shaz Khan: That’s incredibly important, and central to our internal mission at Vroozi. We’re a user-first company. Oftentimes, when you are conjuring up ideas to solve different business problems, you focus on the actual problem itself and on identifying a feature list that would solve that problem. This process, however, is not the best way to look at building and deploying applications, because it does not account for user experience. In problem solving, you must look through the lens of an employee or an end-user. How will they actually flow through given scenarios? Will their experience be effortless or complicated? How people use applications is the key component to consider when developing applications. At Vroozi, we’ve taken the user experience aspect very seriously. We’ve put together real symposiums with clients, so they can walk us through and give real-time feedback on what works best. We find including humans in the development process lends itself to building better products that are more adaptable to the end-user. Ryan Foland: How would you define your approach? Shaz Khan: We view Vroozi as human, user-centric design. In this industry, it is better known as an agile methodology. We are constantly developing new prototypes, personas, user experience flows, and iterating across a wide spectrum of users. Our unique focus is within Fortune 1000 companies. Ryan Foland: How were things different in the past? Shaz Khan: Before, you would work with an IT group on what needed to be built. While the IT people were hacking away on their computers, they wouldn’t be heard from for two or three months. When it was finally time to unveil, the anticipation would typically be replaced with disappointment. Sure, the code they produced got the job done, but the user experience was often a secondary thought. I remember looking at applications built this way and thinking to myself, “What happened to the user experience?” That’s how a lot of software was developed … with the user as an afterthought. It’s as if the developers were thinking, “Let’s throw every kind of feature and functionality into the product, and see what sticks.” Ryan Foland: Very interesting. When you’re talking about an approach that includes your consumers in the process, doesn’t that get expensive? Shaz Khan: Ironically, technology helps to keep the costs down. With the advent of web-conferencing technologies (like Zoom and GoToMeeting), the travel aspect of getting in front of people is simplified. This reduces the cost of including users in the development process. Internally, we use software that facilitates interactions with users to help us run our focus sections. There is definitely a time commitment involved, but we find that investing time upfront with the user population saves us time overall. The real costs are incurred when you finish building a product and then have to go right back to the drawing board. Making changes after something’s been built can take months off a development lifecycle. I started reading a book called Sprint by Jake Knapp. The premise surrounds how to solve problems and test new ideas in only five days. We’re seeing this rapid testing concept become a new corporate lexicon. I can almost hear executives saying, “Let’s prototype it, put some screens together, then quickly see how the user experience flow works.” Based on these quick user tests, they can lock in user-centric features, then move forward with the true hard cost investment of coding. Ryan Foland: So you are saying that the opportunity cost of missing the mark from a consumer-centric position can be a lot more expensive than these small sprints and constant validation? Shaz Khan: Absolutely. As a company, we’ll use the time between cycles to breathe and plan for the upcoming sprints. We always approach our product with the question, “Can we use this within our own company?” And we’re by no means an enterprise company, nor even a mid-market company yet. We’re still in the classic growth stage of small business. But our systematic solution is solving the real problem of costs involved with purchasing for businesses of any size. Every company purchases products and services — whether they go to their local Costco, Best Buy or bistro to order catering. The process is laborious and time consuming, regardless of the size of a company. We’re looking to simplify that process. Ryan Foland: Do you see any downside or negative effects that come from this putting-the-consumer-design-first approach? Shaz Khan: Absolutely. To employ this process, you must have executive principles set out front within your company, and have systems in place to gain feedback from your customer base. But this system cannot be led by your customer base to a point where it’s no longer cost effective. For example: we’ve had opportunities where we’ve heard from a customer who asked us to build them X, Y and Z. While X might be within our framework, Y and Z might be so far outside that it can significantly increase costs and no longer make sense. You want customer feedback to guide you in the right direction, but you don’t want to follow any directions that will drive you off of a cliff. You must stay core to your mission and not lose sight of why you started the company in the first place. Ryan Foland: Do you see any areas in the market lacking this type of customer-focused design, where there might be an opportunity for people to apply this type of methodology to really innovate or reinvent the way things are being done? Shaz Khan: If you look at the government / public sector, there is an area ripe for opportunity across so many different sectors — not just procurement. The general process efficiencies gained by putting more information online (such as being able to pay certain traffic violations online or registering online with the DMV) are use cases that have been well established, but there are a plethora of other examples where companies are finding ways to integrate user feedback in the development or ideation process. I am pumped up because there are so many opportunities right now for companies to really gain process efficiency and, in turn, create a happier workforce. Nobody wants to sit in front of a computer with a Windows 95-like interface processing a purchase order for two hours, right? About the author RYAN FOLAND Ryan Foland coaches leaders worldwide on the art of simplifying spoken and written messaging for greater impact. Foland has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Top Youth Marketer in 2016 and named by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top Personal Branding Expert in 2017. Ryan’s company, InfluenceTree, specializes in helping individuals and companies discover, communicate and grow their brands. To learn more about Ryan visit his website RyanFoland.com.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
What kind of water should I use to prepare baby formula? That depends on the nature of the tap water in your area and your baby's health. You'll want to ask your baby's healthcare provider for her recommendation, especially if your baby has any health concerns. The American Dental Association recommends not using water that contains high levels of fluoride when mixing powdered or concentrated baby formula. Too much fluoride puts your baby at risk for enamel fluorosis, a condition that develops while the teeth are forming in the gums. It's not a disease, but it can result in faint white lines or white spots or areas on the permanent teeth. If you're on a public water system, check with your local water utility. If your tap water is fluoridated or has substantial natural fluoride (0.7 mg/L or higher), consider using a low-fluoride alternative water source. Bottled water known to be low in fluoride is labeled as purified, deionized, demineralized, distilled, or prepared by reverse osmosis. Most grocery stores sell these types of low-fluoride water. You may even see water specifically labeled for formula use. (By law, bottled water must meet the FDA's Standard of Water Quality, which is at least as stringent as the EPA's standards for tap water.) Some home water treatment systems remove fluoride, too. If you choose tap water, use the cold-water faucet and allow the water to run for a few minutes before you use it. This reduces the chance of lead and other mineral contamination. If your baby's healthcare provider or local health department has advised you to boil the water you use for formula, be sure to bring the water to a rolling boil. Boil it for about one minute, and then allow the water to cool before using. Don't boil the water more than once or for too long, since that can increase the concentration of impurities. If your water supply comes from a well, have the water tested to make sure it's safe before using it for your baby. Well water could contain a high level of nitrates, for example. Boiling well water doesn't assure that the water will be good for your baby — in fact, boiling the water would make the nitrates more concentrated. This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use. This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Time to dust off my Robert McCall inspried CGI model and rendered a few scenes, first two features a concept art by NASA JPL Caltech Tim Pyle for Kepler16, I love it so I had to make use of it again, fits the McCall design far better, and also Ringed planet art by Graham Gazzard … More McCall Class Deepspace Explorer Rate This My final work on Blakes Liberator and Federation Civil Administration Prison Ship London, I think so anyway. The final scales I think works based on my own scale testing, not only using images from each episode of the ship, but also based on set and character situations, by no means definitive but a workable guide, … More Blake’s 7 Liberator & London Prison Ship Rate This In recent weeks I have been working on the Liberator from Blake’s7 and this has been commented on, thank you, Ed Diment, for your comment, I was away on holidays and could not make a more detailed and considered response. but I also like to check as many sources as I can when I look … More Blake’s7 Liberator Scale (final) Rate This I have removed a number of older images, work in progress of the USS Enterprise and such which have never had any trafic worth mentioning, along with my shift away from Star Trek and other franchies like Blakes’7 which was a great distraction away from ST I have spent far to long in that universe … More Images Rate This Two subjects in one morning, what a day, if your old enough some might remember the Atari game Asteroids, while I was rendering another image with this background by Graham Gazzard aka GrahamTG (you can find his art on Deviantart). I remember my Halcyon design having the same shape as the old game Asteriods by … More Asteroids Rate This More Blake’s 7 renderings Liberator and Federation Persuit ships and one with the London, the Liberator is scaled at 780 m, if you look at one of the image’s with the approching London you can see a 6ft crewman. Also playing with background planet and nebula art created by friends who are kind enough to … More Blake’s7 Art	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Archive for February, 2008 If Pittsburgh’s winter crows spent their days in neighborhoods, people would complain about their daytime activities as much as they complain about the roosts, but no one comments on daytime crows. So how do they keep such a low profile? Today’s weather was lousy for birds and even lousier for hiking - a cold front with high winds and a wind chill of -1oF. My hunches about crows required driving (an indoor activity) so I decided now was the time. A snow squall followed me out the Parkway East but the sky cleared as I arrived at the hilltop cemetery in Wilmerding. I had guessed correctly that the cemetery was on top of the hill but I had not expected the tree line to obscure the huge landfill to the east. Were there crows at the landfill? I couldn’t tell, but there were certainly crows at the cemetery – about 30 - and all of them were coming from the landfill. Next stop, Duck Hollow on the Monongahela River across from a large shopping mall. I've seen crows at the malls but I didn't expect to see four crows on the wild side of the river. Two were eating fallen fruit, one was sleeping low in a tree, another was hunched at the top riding the wind. When they discovered I was watching they all left. On a whim I went to Woods Run to see if I could find the ravens. Instead I found hundreds of crows gathering near Uniondale Cemetery. The wind was too strong up there so the flock spilled downhill to the Ohio River and tried to perch on Brunots Island. Again the wind was too strong so back up the hill they went, ready to cause trouble. Crows everywhere, poking holes in garbage bags, landing on rooftops, side streets and fences. These were the crows I was looking for and they certainly weren't making themselves scarce, but it was the end of the day, near roosting time, and I had no clue what they did before they got here. So I have a few more answers but I'm still wondering... What do they do all day? Spring wants to come early to Pittsburgh but it can't make up its mind. Two days ago it was 60oF. In two more days the temperature will dip to 11oF. The birds are conflicted about the season too. In winter, northern cardinals feed peacefully together as pictured here by Marcy Cunkelman, but in spring they get quite aggressive and territorial. This morning during my walk to work I saw three cardinals - two males and a female - having a dispute in a front yard on Forbes Avenue. All of them were making loud chip calls and chasing each other in circles. Perhaps one of the males was trying to lure the lady away. No more peaceful coexistence for them! In spring, cardinals literally "see red" when a rival appears on the scene. During the nesting season they will even attack a mirror, trying to rid the area of that red bird in the glass. They warm up to courtship with other behaviors too. If you watch at a bird feeder, you may see the male pick up seeds and feed his lady - a welcome change from his cranky attitude toward her in December. You might even be lucky enough to see them counter-sing. In most songbird species only the males can sing, but female cardinals don't have this limitation. When the pair counter-sings, they perch in different areas of their territory. First one sings a phrase, then the other repeats it. The first sings again and the other repeats again. The first singer may alter the phrase. The other repeats the new phrase. Cardinal pairs may spend a good part of the day counter-singing but you have to see them doing it to know it's a pair instead of two males claiming nearby territories. Counter-singing is a beautiful thing to watch. I have only been lucky enough to see it once. If you're squeamish, close your eyes and go to another website right now. Otherwise, read on. Yesterday I learned about a bird incident that happened last Saturday in downtown Pittsburgh across the street from the Westin Convention Center Hotel. Mark Wolz, who works at the hotel, reported it to the National Aviary. His pictures and story were so fascinating that my friends at the Aviary shared it with me. According to Mark, patrons of the Tonic Restaurant said the hawks were chasing and ran into the restaurant window. By the time he saw the birds, the red-tailed hawk had killed the immature coopers hawk and was beginning to eat. As you can see from Mark's picture, the red-tail was very hungry. Even so, people could get quite close. Normally red-tails pick up their prey and carry it to a tree to eat. Perhaps the prey was too heavy or the red-tail decided it would be too hard to move with so many people nearby. Instead he spread his wings and mantled over his meal. This made him look large and fierce. After the red-tail finished eating, he flew to perch on a street light at 10th and Penn. At that point another hawk dove and screeched at the red-tail. Mark said the attacker had his wings tucked back like a jet fighter as he dove at the red-tailed hawk. That shape sounds like a peregrine to me and I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the Gulf Tower peregrines. Peregrines defend their territory against red-tailed hawks and the Gulf Tower is right next door. Hawks don't usually eat other hawks so I wonder... What led up to this? Was the coopers hawk weak and picked out as a potential meal? Did the red-tail merely intend to harrass the coopers but decided to take advantage of a stunned foe? Who was the final attacking hawk? Was it one of the Gulf Tower peregrines? Thursday afternoon I got a call from Dan Yagusic as he watched and photographed this pair of peregrine falcons at the Allegheny River. He discovered them nesting on the bridge last spring and was able to read the female's bands but the identity of the male remained a mystery - until that moment. The light was just right and the male peregrine stood so that Dan could read the band: Black/Green 4/5. He called me right away. I am so addicted to peregrines that I keep track of all the pairs nesting in Pittsburgh and the whereabouts of their offspring. This bird had been on my list for a year and I could hardly wait to find out where he was born. At first I assumed he'd come from the midwest but none of those states has a Black 4. The asterisk () means the number is lying on its side so you have to put your head on your left shoulder to read it. Not only was the Black 4 on its side but the Green 5 was too. I was about to contact the experts when I thought to check my own list. Oh my! This bird was born at the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh.Ooops! See the update below. Update, July 3, 2008: Careful record checking has revealed that my own list was wrong - I had flipped the numbers. The male peregrine came from a much more interesting place than the Gulf Tower. He was born under a shrub on the 32nd floor garden of the President’s office, Federal Reserve Bank, Boston, Massachusetts. So he isn't Dorothy & Erie's grandson. Amazing that he came all the way from Boston!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Transportation Transportation The Riverside Local School District is committed to providing the highest level of transportation possible while pledging safety as a top priority for all riders. Our transportation service consists of 49 routes, including 2 pre-school and 9 special needs buses, covering the 66 square miles of the District on a daily basis. The current spare fleet consists of 16 units. The Department staff includes 3 ASE certified technicians, 2 administrative assistants, 1 director, 49 contracted operators, 10 contracted school bus assistants, and 3 substitute employees. Our current enrollment exceeds 4,100 students, 95% of which are eligible for transportation to and from District school buildings each day. Approximately 250 District students are transported each day to other buildings outside of the District. On average, the fleet travels in excess of 810,000 miles annually. The 2 Administrative Assistants and Director that operate the inner office of our Department have an accumulation of over 75 years of transportation experience. Each has the knowledge and experience to assist you with any inquiry you may have. To view the following bus rules taken from the Ohio Administrative Code, click here.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Post navigation IF Comp 2013: Impostor Syndrome (Georgiana Bourbonnais) Impostor Syndrome is a short, choice-based game about a woman presenting at a tech conference. Playing time is probably around ten minutes (I lost track, as I went through it a couple of times). Review after the jump, any spoilers after a longer spoiler space. The blurb for this piece had me a little nervous that it was going to be essentially a pure rant. It isn’t: there’s a story here, with characters and backstory, told confidently and with a good sense of pace. The story is set not exactly in the present reality, but in one a few years forward from now; the author has taken care to do some world-building around the technology involved and the ways it might affect people’s behavior. The characters are believable, and their problems are plausible problems. It’s not a story in which the player is allowed very much control over what happens, but the interactivity drives home some points about powerlessness, and lets the reader explore bits of the backstory at her own pace: this works well. I had the sense of an author both familiar and comfortable with writing for interactive media. I had more trouble, however, with the ending. S P O I L E R S What I had trouble with was the page where you can decide to say something, only to be confronted with link wall in which most of the words lead to you being too nervous or hopeless to say anything, and going home in despair. Originally I had a bit here about how I disagree with the “you can’t do or say anything about how you’ve been treated” message of this piece, because I hadn’t found the two words in the link wall that do lead to a slightly different outcome. Then I read some reviews, especially this one, which has explicit spoilers in the comments. From these I discovered that you can do something, if you pick out one of the two keywords from the passage that go somewhere. This kind of Twine puzzle — “here are a large number of links, only a few of which go somewhere special” — is really, really easy for players to miss: not only to get wrong, but to miss noticing that the puzzle exists at all. I first encountered the link-wall-puzzle effect in howling dogs, where I found it effective, and I think Porpentine did invent it there. But in that case I think it worked because the framing material for the story explicitly stated that there would be a second ending, and because the text itself heavily hinted that something was going on at that screen that wasn’t what you might expect. In the case of Impostor Syndrome, I replayed the game four or five times to investigate this link wall, but in the process did not hit the right words, and ultimately gave up, especially since the text I reached at the very end of the game (“some things never change”) made me think that perhaps the despair was intentional and that the purpose of this wall-o-links was not to be a puzzle, but precisely to convince me that all possible avenues of action would be ineffective. In retrospect, now that I know what’s there, it does kind of make sense which words lead to (slightly) better outcomes. But I didn’t get it, and via not getting it missed part of the point of the story. Perhaps this was my own fault: perhaps I should have recognized, “oh, yes, this is that thing where there are links on every word, and most of them go to the same place, which means it feels like the situation is hopeless, but it’s actually not exactly hopeless if only you find the right words to click, which you do by thinking about this particular situation you’re in and which words stand out.” And I should also have known I could hit the back button to revisit the link-wall, and that I didn’t have to replay the whole thing over and over in order to explore it, but I only worked that out a little later in the competition, on a different Twine game. To some extent this is a risk you take as the reader of interactive anything, that you can’t be guaranteed to have seen some essential piece that makes the whole thing make more sense. It’s easy for people like me, who have been playing Z-machine and TADS games for decades, to forget how much literacy is involved in being able to play parser IF and even to navigate the specific interfaces associated with those formats — and therefore to forgive obscure aspects of such games, while not recognizing that other game systems also have their own conventions that are no more bizarre but perhaps just unfamiliar. For instance, I had a ranty bit in the draft of my review of Dream Pieces until I realized that what I thought was a guess-the-verb situation was in fact totally obvious if I had just remembered that Quest lets you click on nouns to see the relevant verbs. And a number of reviewers have expressed some confusion as they’ve come to grips with the conventions of StoryNexus in order to play Final Girl, if they haven’t ever seen a StoryNexus game before. Twine literacy is an awfully new thing, though, because the idioms of Twine are so rapidly evolving. (This is part of what makes the scene so fascinating to me.) howling dogs is clearly a major source of conceptual inspiration, and I’ve written already about how a couple of other Twine pieces this year either build on or invent afresh ways of conveying meaning within the scope of Twine functionality. So this particular Twine convention is one that may need some framing to help players understand what it is, especially if those players aren’t Twine adepts already. Returning, then, to the content of the game now that I have a better grasp of what the game content even is: this is still rather a downer piece, and intentionally so. Though the second option gives you a little more agency, neither option is great. Either you can sit down in silence, or you can get angry and rant, impressing some people but severely alienating others, laying yourself open to attacks on tone, and possibly not convincing very many people who weren’t at least partly on your side already. And either way you get the “nothing changes” remarks at the end. So this piece falls into a weird space for me. Is a call to action? If so, I really hope that “be silent” and “shout uselessly” are not the only two possible outcomes — and I think they genuinely are not. Admittedly, not everyone is in the position in the first place to organizeconferences or mentor and encourage younger women or speak in the GDC advocacy track or add to the criticaldiversity of your industry. (Okay, I’m being game-centric here, but that’s because that’s the tech-focused industry I know best.) But I do keep hoping for more ways to improve this situation that are more effective and less rage-y, because astonishingly stupid, infuriating shit has happened sometime, in some form or other, to almost everyone I’ve ever talked to who works in a tech or gaming field but is not a straight white cis man. (Originally I had a multi-paragraph section here about specific stuff that’s happened to me and people I know. I cut it because, since my experiences are less severe than the one in the game, and since I don’t have to deal with the intersectional issues of being not just female but a woman of color, I decided that that was more talking over than listening to. But suffice it to say that I do have some experience-based empathy for what the author is talking about, even if I’ve been fortunate enough never to have had something that appalling happen to me.) However. Perhaps a call to action is not the point of the piece; maybe instead it’s about the experience, maybe it’s about creating empathy for a situation where it feels like there are no other options. If that’s the case, then this choice of options (“bad” and “possibly less bad, with a slight possibility of making some minor difference, except it gets you a heck of a backlash”) makes more sense. But if so, then the scene doesn’t have quite the emotional impact, at least for me, that I think it might have been aiming for. There are a couple of ways it could have gone to produce this: an even more intense and visceral presentation; more particular, individual characterization, so that I was really invested in this specific woman; or more grounding-in-fact, e.g. with links to actual events and incidents and statistics. By whatever means, I think I was looking for the surprising truth in this story — the point at which it dug past what I know from experience or from anecdotes I’ve already heard about such situations, to something deeper, more personal, or less documented. Then again, possibly I’m not the target audience; maybe the situation it describes is too familiar to me. I do want to reiterate that I thought this a very solidly and confidently-made thing. Bourbonnais’s Impostor Syndrome draws on on older, perhaps overlooked, kind of interactive computer text — the every-word-may-be-clickable hypertext+ texts of Shelley Jackson (which all work at the edge of literature and theory/philosophy) and the every-object-may-be-clickable Flash fiction of Donna Leishman (which works along the edge, perhaps translating, literary metaphors and metonyms into visual semi-equivalents, while working the edges of literature and theory/philosophy). In my opinion, these games are not trying to provide a immersive, agential in-game experience, but are engaged in the work of changing the world, player by player. This world-changing work involves both representation and production — it Does things with words and it Makes worlds out of words. Players engage in an interactive input-output process of doing that tells a story. AND players play roles delimited by real-world systemic, intersectional modes of oppression that require the repetitive and differentiated experiences of restricted agency, dis-identification, and mis-recognition. always. Bourbonnais’s work makes the nearly invisible, exceptionally forgettable, structures of these oppressions playable. This is what it Does. It Makes the experiences of a certain, intersectional moment of oppression viserally experience-able. If this is a “downer” and if it represents a particularly widespread, familiar, real-life experience that forces certain points of view and specific persons out of the public sphere, then What Is To Be Done? If there is a “surprising truth” in this game, it is that oppression is systemic. This is surprising only because of the ease in which it is forgotten and the difficulty with which it is remembered. Systemic oppression calls for coordinated, not individuated, response. The first of which, as you point out, may be to listen — for something you may not have heard before. It’s hard to do this, because you have to change your orientation the the work and temporarily, at least, suspend your notions and accept its propositions. One of which might be: anger is an effective and appropriate response to complex modes of discrimination. bell hooks* argues that anger ends the recurrent forgetfulness that repeatedly converts one’s understanding of systemic oppression into individuated experience. Audre Lorde writes: “My response to racism is anger. I have lived with that anger , ignoring it, feeding upon it, learning to use it before it laid my visions to waste, for most of my life. Once, I did it in silence, afraid of the weight. My fear of anger taught me nothing. Your fear of anger will teach you nothing, also.” ** Like the work of hooks and Lorde, Bourbonnais’s Imposter Syndrome calls its players to remember the systemic, not individuated, structure of oppressions and to learn about the advantages of anger as a response. Anger is ineffective in the game, if the goal of the piece is to win over the in-game audience and change the in-game world. But is the goal is to produce strategies of real-world engagement with systemic oppression as it appears in the gaming industry, even its academic arenas, then playing to win may involve playing on, outside the game, everyday. Note: Queer, Black women like hooks and Lorde are NOT the go-to theorists of anger. Their work is readily available online because it is nearly included in a possible canon, within a possible interdiscipline, (but only ifs we continue to remember, which is why Porpentine’s citation of Lorde is so important). It Makes the experiences of a certain, intersectional moment of oppression viserally experience-able. If this is a “downer” and if it represents a particularly widespread, familiar, real-life experience that forces certain points of view and specific persons out of the public sphere, then What Is To Be Done? To be clear, I don’t mean “this is a downer” as disapproval of the work; just as a way to express that I didn’t think either of the two endings was meant to be a pure and unalloyed “victory condition”. And I do think (I guess I cut this sentence in drafts, but I had it there for a bit) that this work itself may be a form of action on the author’s part, the author’s own way of trying to make a change. One of which might be: anger is an effective and appropriate response to complex modes of discrimination. I’ve heard that argument, but I did not understand it to be the argument this story was making at all. Maybe I misunderstand, but the narration that surrounded the protagonist’s ranting outburst on stage seemed very explicitly ambivalent — ambivalent about the efficacy of doing this (“You know damn well that you’re fulfilling the tired old “angry woman of colour” stereotype. You know damn well that no one’s going to take you seriously because of it.”), ambivalent about the reactions received from others (“You’re not sure how you feel about that.”), and explicit about the costs of speaking out (that you have to withdraw from the internet for a long time). From the story text, it seems clear only that the chief saving grace is the companionship of other people who have faced similar issues. Perhaps I’m reading it wrong, though. The pro-anger argument is also — separately from this work — an argument I have trouble with. It’s true that at times in my experience with the game industry I have felt levels of rage that were previously foreign to me, really deep-seated overwhelming anger about the way women are treated and about the absurd justifications put forth by otherwise sympathetic people. But that anger feels useless. Not cathartic, not a bright flaming sword for a holy fight; only a thing that hurts me, over and over, bile in the throat and shaking hands. I can’t say how it could be or should be for other people, and I recognize that I have many kinds of privilege, of race and education, wealth and sexuality and gender identity, and that maybe I’d feel differently in a different place or coming from a different background. I can only say that when I am told to embrace and express my anger, that I need to be angry, I feel this asks me to function in a way counter to my health and counter to my nature. If that is the only way to make progress, then perhaps I truly am not very useful. For that reason, I’d like to think that there are also additional forms of activism and advocacy that have value. This game, like Lorde’s and hook’s articles, provides a historical backstory for certain gendered and raced expressions and interpretations of silence and anger — not in the hope of getting every player in touch with their own personal anger, but with the hope of changing the responses of future conference audiences and/or audience members. The implicit question this game poses is: What will you do next time you encounter unaccountable silence or anger in a conference-like situation? Will you look for history, or for a back story? Will the non-trivial pursuit of a single, still inadequate, in-game solution to this game help produce greater conditions of possibility, legibility, response-ability in the “real” world? Does seeking a solution to “imposter syndrome” in an IF environment continue after the game ends? How does playing IF function differently than reading non-fiction essays? Will a raced and gendered experience of near impossibility in a game create greater freedom at future conferences? Perhaps the future of justice arrives in moments of semi-legible im-position. Now that the comp’s over and my identity’s been revealed, I thought I’d comment on a couple of points: “Is a call to action? If so, I really hope that ‘be silent’ and ‘shout uselessly’ are not the only two possible outcomes — and I think they genuinely are not.” No, of course they aren’t. But for a spur-of-the moment choice in a tense, nervewracking situation, a calm, collected, rational response didn’t exactly seem believable to me. As for the “useless” part, that’s somewhat unreliable narration. In an objective sense, I think speaking up has a net positive effect on the world, but (and I think I made this clear) at a cost to the speaker upper. Plus, it reflects some of my own ambivalence about the supposed power of anger we both keep hearing about; anger scares me too, and I am seriously afraid of what would happen if I were indeed pushed to that kind of a breaking point. And yeah, as I said on my blog, this is more dystopian fiction than an actual call to action, though if it does inspire any kind of action, then I consider it a good side effect. “Then again, possibly I’m not the target audience; maybe the situation it describes is too familiar to me.” I have to admit, this was a little bit heartbreaking to read; as far as I was concerned, you WERE part of the target audience, and I’d hoped you’d find the story more relatable on a personal level. I’m actually kind of disappointed that you deleted the parts in which you would have related personal experiences, because I would have wanted to read them, and wouldn’t have seen it as talking over me. Of course, it’s probably a good call on your part to be prudent. I know Georgiana herself was more of a sketch than a fully-realised character — and perhaps in a longer game, more opportunities for empathy could have been made, but I just couldn’t stay in this world long enough to make it a longer game — but I find myself wondering, do you think you would have had an easier time relating to Georgiana if she were a white woman? Not being accusatory here; just curious. I have to admit, this was a little bit heartbreaking to read; as far as I was concerned, you WERE part of the target audience, and I’d hoped you’d find the story more relatable on a personal level… I think possibly I wasn’t really that clear here myself. I didn’t mean Georgiana wasn’t relatable. I need to run right now, and also think more about how to explain this, I think. But it wasn’t “I don’t get this person” or “I don’t understand how she feels” or anything like that. I find myself wondering, do you think you would have had an easier time relating to Georgiana if she were a white woman? Not being accusatory here; just curious. No, I get why you’re asking. I realize this might sound defensive, but in my best attempt at honest self-examination, that wasn’t a factor. On the contrary, if anything I would have liked to learn more about how color adds complexity to this situation. Many of the most powerful personal games I’ve played are about situations that are new to me, such as a lot of the trans and queer work and a handful of games that explore issues of ableism. On the contrary, if anything I would have liked to learn more about how color adds complexity to this situation. Me too; I don’t think I noticed very much of this in the game, apart from one mention that Georgiana was PoC and therefore ticked an extra box on the affirmative-action checklist. (I don’t think her race is ever specified, is it?) So I’ve been thinking about this more all evening around PRACTICE events, and the best explanation I can settle on is something like Sam’s comments. For me, it was hard to reach visceral-impact level with this protagonist because she felt a little too much like a generic type rather than an individual; and then as far as a narrative of the kind of stuff that happens, on the one hand I’ve heard of lots of things somehow like this, but on the other hand it wasn’t framed as a factual narration itself. I don’t know if that helps? Sorry. I think we are indeed coming from somewhat related experiences here. I was really interested to read your making of (and the teleprompter thing, yargh). As to my own stories, I feel like I’ve probably told you a few of them, but if not, sometime I’d be happy to talk about it if you want. Ah, yeah, the “generic type” thing makes sense, and is a completely justified criticism. The reason it came out that way was because, like I said, it was hard to stay in that world and headspace for very long, and also, I was worried about getting too personal in this particular piece. (I’m a touch less brave than most Twine authors this way; we’ve had this conversation before.) That said, the whole “this isn’t new or surprising” thing was kind of the point, too, in the sense that this is a dystopia because we’re in the future and literally nothing has changed except that technology has brought people new ways to be horrible to marginalised folks. Anyway, glad my author’s notes were of interest, and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts even while off being busy in conference land.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
BLOGS Michael Egnor is likening me to a prostitute for defending good science in the face of the Swifthack controversy. He says my approach to journalism is equivalent to turning “tricks.” Or to quote: 3) “Trick”: a work-related act performed by a prostitute. A spot-on description of Mooney’s science journalism. Egnor doesn’t appear to understand that when a scientist uses the word “trick” in a non-public email, as Phil Jones did in the now exposed CRU correspondence, it isn’t necessarily meant as either prostitution or deception. There are far more innocent possibilities–“trick” can be a cool new method or technique, for instance. That makes the particular email being referred to much less than a smoking gun. Michael Mann has more on that. So does Phil Plait: These files are not evidence of fraud. I am a scientist myself, and I’m familiar with the lingo. When we say we used a “trick” to plot data (as one of the hacked emails says), that doesn’t mean we’re doing something to fool people. It means we used a method that may not be obvious, or a step that does something specific. Plotting data logarithmically instead of linearly is a “trick”, and it’s a valid and useful method of displaying data (your senses of sight and hearing are logarithmic, for example, so it’s even a natural way to do things). And even if the particular email in question was a smoking gun, as I have explained, such proof of wrongdoing on the part of one scientist–or a small group–would not change the science of climate change, or the policy outlook, or what we have to do in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, I continue to marvel at how the anti-evolutionist Discovery Institute seems to be following exactly the same anti-science line on global warming. Comments (60) The “trick” is that they cut off a tree ring proxy when the data diverged from the current temperature record. The problem is that instead of seeing this divergence and questioning the validity of the proxy as a valid representation of past temperatures, they just cut off the data where it didn’t match. It doesn’t blow up current AGW theory like some would like to jump through. How anyone can just blow off bad techniques like that is beyond me though. Considering that the CSU “lost” (ahem) all the data that went into their historical climate reconstruction, this being the same reconstruction that the IPCC uses, should it even be considered science since it is no longer reproducible? And given the shadyness seen in the emails as well as the notes in the code, should we have ever viewed these results as credible? As far as Egnor’s comments go, he right, you are a complete whore for these people, doing your own special kind of “tricks” for them. The Discovery Institute calling someone a “whore” looks like a Rove tactic. Attack using your opponent’s strong argument–namely, that the scholars at DI whore for whatever the conservative movement donors want at the moment: intelligent design, climate change, whatever. Next, Discovery Institute will hold a festival of Grover Norquist scholars, then they can really get at some Scaife money and they’ll be set for life. The Discovery Institute has always opted for “personal attacks” when they couldn’t address their critics in more sensible, reasonable fashion (For example, I was referred to in third person by DI mendacious intellectual pornographer David Klinghoffer as an “obsessed Darwin lover” in a column posted at the DI website back in the late summer of 2009.). The purloined emails that many now call ‘Climategate’ underscore the need for the United States to convene our own objective, transparent Climate Truth Commission. The Climate Research Unit’s emails show small-minded, embattled thinking that reeks of zealotry, not science. It appears the researchers weren’t beyond drawing conclusions that were relatively unsupported. Two of the authors, Phil Jones and Kevin Trenberth, were the lead authors of one of the most important chapters in the United Nations Fourth Assessment Report. This is no small matter since the EPA, in its recent move to boost regulation of greenhouse gases, based its conclusions on the UN reports. The “trick” is that they cut off a tree ring proxy when the data diverged from the current temperature record. The problem is that instead of seeing this divergence and questioning the validity of the proxy as a valid representation of past temperatures, they just cut off the data where it didn’t match. __________ I don’t see what’s bad about the trick – they just used the most accurate information available at the points in the graph where it was available. This graph is included in the Copenhagen Diagnosis report, and is clearly labeled to indicate where the data for each portion of the graph came from. And while there is certainly reason to question how accurate the past proxy measurements are given their recent divergence from reality, it’s not a very useful digression. Proxy measurements are exactly that – a proxy. Short of inventing time travel and installing state-of-the-art monitoring equipment everywhere and everywhen over the last two millennia to obtain accurate temperature data, there is no alternative to using the proxy. Actually, the Discovery Institute is just outright anti-science. As evolutionary theory is science, they are anti-evolutionary theory. Indeed, their entire reason for attacking evolutionary theory is to provide a way to bring down methodologically naturalistic science (or, as we call it, just science). This has been covered many times before. Google “Wedge Document”, and then go and read “Creationism’s Trojan Horse”. You might also want to delve into the writings of senior DI fellow Nancy Pearcey. She advocates a position that any science that in any way contradicts any position of Christianity (and she means her version of Christianity) must be rejected out of hand. Thus, if quantum theory violates any part of Christian doctrine, then a person who wishes to be a Christian must utterly and completely reject quantum theory. It is harder to formulate a more anti-science position than that. Needless to say, Pearcey is a prominent ID-proponent, though one that the Discovery Institute tends to not put before secular audiences. I don’t see what’s bad about the trick – they just used the most accurate information available at the points in the graph where it was available. This graph is included in the Copenhagen Diagnosis report, and is clearly labeled to indicate where the data for each portion of the graph came from. If Scott B’s description of the selection of the data is fair—is it?—it’s illegitimate cherry picking. It’s not scientifically cool to take data from an unreliable source, picking the range of data that supports your thesis, and silently omitting the other data that cast doubt on your source. Without an argument that the data you use are more reliable than the data you choose not to, it’s just not valid. If I’m reviewing a paper and notice that it’s doing something like that, I strenuously urge the rejection of the paper, or at the very least least addressing the issue and its implications for the particular claims and the confidence in those claims. (Generally the former, because people should not simply get away with even trying to use cherry-picked data.) You might also want to read Chapter 11, “Creation Science 2.0” in Chris’ book, “The Republican War on Science”. It is perhaps the best concise description of the history, mission, and tactics of the Discovery Institute, as well as the political considerations and motives behind it all. Both biologist Paul R. Gross (who is incidentally, a fellow political conservative) and philosopher Barbara Forrest have been keeping track of the Dishonesty Institute’s nefarious activities for years, summarized in their book “Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design” which is a must read for anyone wishing to understand just how dangerous the Dishonesty Institute is to not only American science education, but also, more broadly, both American intellectual and political life. If Scott B’s description of the selection of the data is fair—is it?—it’s illegitimate cherry picking. It’s not scientifically cool to take data from an unreliable source, picking the range of data that supports your thesis, and silently omitting the other data that cast doubt on your source. That’s not what they did. Here’s Mann’s nature “trick” from the caption of Figure 7 in Mann, Bradley and Hughes (Nature, 1998): reconstructed Northern Hemisphere temperature series from 1610–1980, updated with instrumental data from 1981–95. Basically, they plot actual temperature data at the end of their reconstruction (and they use a different line type in the plot. The reconstructed temperatures are “a combination of collection of annual resolution dendroclimatic, ice core, ice melt, and long historical records used by Bradley and Jones combined with other coral, ice core, dendroclimatic, and long instrumental records”. And here’s why they only used proxy data to 1980: “the training interval is terminated at 1980 because many of the proxy series terminate at or shortly after 1980” I’m confused by how tongue-in-cheek Chris Mooney is about the use of “trick” in the CRU email, but just in case, he should understand that everyone realizes that Phil Jones was referring to a method or technique when he used the word “trick.” It’s the other part of the sentence that sparks the controversy: “…to hide the decline.” “I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline.” The obvious question, of course, is why is he trying to hide a decline in temperatures? DS: When Phil Jones wrote in 1999, “I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (i. e. from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline,” what did he mean? Michael Mann: Phil Jones has publicly gone on record indicating that he was using the term “trick” in the sense often used by people, as in “bag of tricks”, or “a trick to solving this problem …”, or “trick of the trade”. In referring to our 1998 Nature article, he was pointing out simply the following: our proxy record ended in 1980 (when the proxy data set we were using terminates) so, it didn’t include the warming of the past two decades. In our Nature article we therefore also showed the post-1980 instrumental data that was then available through 1995, so that the reconstruction could be viewed in the context of recent instrumental temperatures. The separate curves for the reconstructed temperature series and for the instrumental data were clearly labeled. The reference to “hide the decline” is referring to work that I am not directly associated with, but instead work by Keith Briffa and colleagues. The “decline” refers to a well-known decline in the response of only a certain type of tree-ring data (high-latitude tree-ring density measurements collected by Briffa and colleagues) to temperatures after about 1960. In their original article in Nature in 1998, Briffa and colleagues are very clear that the post-1960 data in their tree-ring dataset should not be used in reconstructing temperatures due to a problem known as the “divergence problem” where their tree-ring data decline in their response to warming temperatures after about 1960. “Hide” was therefore a poor word choice, since the existence of this decline, and the reason not to use the post 1960 data because of it, was not only known, but was indeed the point emphasized in the original Briffa et al Nature article. There is a summary of that article available on this NOAA site. Re to Jim H: Because the authors of the paper that presented the data they were hiding specifically stated that the data should not be used because it was divergent from other data. This data was from one group of trees living at high elevation, does not agree with data from other forests of trees of the same age, and should not be used until the underlying reason for the divergence is known. You seem to assume that I’m against Christians being scientists, or pimping science. I’m not. I’m for it. I’m even for holding those guys up as good examples of the brute-force kind of compatibility, up to a point. You’re a little bit too focused on making my comments out to be inane to notice that they’re not, and that your own comments are therefore inane, to the point of kooky. What I’m actually against is the chronic misrepresentations by Forrest, Nisbet, Mooney, and Kirschenbaum, about the New Atheists. 1) They constantly misrepresent the New Atheist position on conflicts between science and religion, and use a bait-and-switch argument that doesn’t actually address what the New Atheists are saying. Instead it makes an irrelevant point—one which the New Atheists conceded all along, and have themselves reiterated for years. None of them/us have ever doubted that a religious person can be a good scientist. Not for a second. That’s not what the controversy has ever been about, but it is what the accommodationists want to make it about, so that they can score cheap rhetorical points against a straw man—and so that they can avoid the sticky fact that the New Atheists have very good arguments for what they’re actually saying. Science really does say things that conflict with at least one of popular religions’ central tenets. (Namely, traditional substance dualism, and the orthodox conception of the soul.) If the accommodationists would stop lying about this, I for one would be a whole lot less inclined to make an issue of it. 2) The accommodationists also make it sound like the new atheists are oblivious to issues of rhetorical and political strategy. They’re not. They have counterexamples to the framing guy’s simplistic model of political rhetoric, and counterarguments to the admittely intiuitive argument that the accommodationists keep beating on. It is not the New Atheists that have a simplistic understanding of the relationship between science and religion, or epistemic vs. philosophical naturalism. It is the accommodationists. (Not that I think for one second that they sincerely believe that it’s as simple as they say, or that the New Atheists are as naive as the accommodationists always try to make them seem.) Likewise, it’s not the New Atheists that have a simplistic understanding of rhetoric and politics—they understand more than the accommodationists are willing to acknowledge, because the accommodationists don’t want to let on that the New Atheists do understand the accommodationist arguments, and always have, but have counterarguments that they take very seriously. (Especially about Overton Windows.) This has all gotten really old, of course—it was old a year ago—but Sheril just trotted out the same old canards in her podcast with Ginger Campbell, so it bears repeating. As long as she’s still riding the same dead horse, we’ll continue to beat it. they will find the NCDC’s own graph of “Jan-Dec Global Surface Mean Temp Anomalies”. If it looks like the CRU’s graphs, then no wonder, the datasets for both come from thousands of recording stations and hundreds of scientific personnel throughout the world. Of course, to the cuckoos at the Discovery Institute, this is simply proof positive that the world’s scientists are all in cahoots against good Christians everywhere. The proper answer to the DI is an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service of its abuse of their 501(c)3 certification. Trying to respond to their prevarications with the truth is a bit like trying to respond to Soviet propaganda: you only end up doing their work for them by diseminating it further. Evidently the DI feels that since they are (literally) God’s work; falsehoods and coarse invective are perfectly in order. “What Would Jesus Do” indeed! Important question for any climate skeptics still trolling here: have any of you read Briffa et al.’s paper in conjunction with the hacked emails? When you do, the language in the emails becomes quite clear, as Mann pointed out in a quote from a ocmment above. Paul W: Unfortunately the accommodationists are not as consistently pro-science as they might be. They’ve been known to do some illegitimate cherry-picking, too. Kind of off topic, no? Creationists/IDists and New Atheists want to import the culture wars into everything. The priorities are misplaced in both cases. Not everything is about religion. To paraphrase William Temple, even God is not primarily interested in religion. I would also point out that many at the Dishonesty Institute do not accept evolution. For instance, Jonathan Wells rejects common descent and the aforementioned Nancy Pearcy is a YEC. William Dumbski also rejects common descent when he addresses born again audiences while appearing to accept it when addressing secular audiences. Re Mike H. One of the most notorious “tricks” that scientists use is the use of renormalization in quantum electrodynamics to get around the occurrence of divergent integrals. Mathematically, the process is total nonsense. However, when a computation agrees with a measured quantity to 10 significant digits (i.e. comparison of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron from measurements and quantum electrodynamic calculations) , mathematical niceties are brushed aside. As Richard Feynman puit it, an agreement to 10 significant digits is equivalent to measuring the distance between the top of the television tower on the Empire State Building in New York City to the top of the pyramid on City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to the nearest inch! Re John Kwok One should not forget that the clowns at the Dishonesty Institute are shills for their main backer, the Christian Reconstructionist whackjob Howard Ahmanson. David Klinghoffer, who professes to be an Orthodox Jew, should be ashamed of himself for associating with Ahmanson shills. So long as the accommodationists pull out the straw men at every opportunity, I figure turnabout is fair play—especially when they take the moral high ground about cherry-picking. Also, cherry-picking applies to data. Not everything is data. Cherry-picking also applies to arguments about strategy. If you present a good argument for one strategy—and Mooney and Kirshenbaum do, up to a point—it’s not legitimate to ignore counterarguments and arguments for competing strategies. Especially if you proceed to act as though your critics are simply being unreasonable for disagreeing with you, and sometimes express faux mystification as to why anybody would disagree with you, when you know full well why and simply choose to misrepresent the conflict. It’s not legitimate…if you proceed to act as though your critics are simply being unreasonable for disagreeing with you, and sometimes express faux mystification as to why anybody would disagree with you. You don’t read much of the new atheist blogosphere, do you? That kind of illegitimacy is not confined to accommodationism, I’m afraid. Isn’t it hypocritical to call out one side for this kind of illegitimacy while not doing so to the other? I hope you’ve been active with this scolding elsewhere in the blogopshere…. This subject is off topic. I suppose I shouldn’t have brought it up. But the only substantive argument I’ve heard is “Overton Window!” and “we made nice before!” Neither works well in the face of common sense, in my view, especially in light of the fact that the arguments are often poorly informed about religion, and disputants know next to nothing about the workings of culture wars. I’d claim that for people claiming to defend the Enlightenment, aggressive ignorance is a strange tactic. But again, off topic. That’s all I’ll say. I guess I’m stoking the off-topic flames, Jon, but I agree with you on the italicized point. Most people I argue with about accommodation seem wildly (and I think willfully) ignorant of religion, pretending that it’s this strange homogenous group with zero variation in belief and unbelief (yes, new atheists: i just said the religious can hold unbelief). I think this ignorance is a clever arguing tactic, because it turns a complex subject like religion into a wonnderfully simplistic (but ultimately unrealistic) one. I think this ignorance is a clever arguing tactic, because it turns a complex subject like religion into a wonnderfully simplistic (but ultimately unrealistic) one. Kinda like how creationists talk about evolution when they attack it. Or how right-wingers talk about liberals. Yes, it is a clever debating tactic, but it is so because such simplifications are often sticky ideas that seem so correct for their effectiveness in debate that there is no re-examination or further digging. They quickly become easy excuses for ignorance. But the only substantive argument I’ve heard is “Overton Window!” and “we made nice before!” Neither works well in the face of common sense… Because they aren’t substantive. They are post-hoc rationalizations for obnoxious behavior that gives a thrill and, I expect, a sense of catharsis for bad experiences with religion (I know that was the case with me back in my obnoxious atheist days), and would thus be engaged in regardless. I am a retired professor of chemistry from the same university as Ray Bradley who I know personally and with whom I have discussed the deniers of global warming. His comment, with which I agree, is that 90 – 95% of scientists believe in it, but the deniers get more than 50% of the publicity. I am a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering, and have read many of their reports on this subject. I have served on their committees preparing and reviewing such reports for which we are required to sign “Conflict of Interest” statements. I find these reports to be good science and written by highly qualified experts in the field. While the deniers have raised loud and emotional voices, my experience with many of them is they are often not very familiar with the underlying science and have not read such reports. Some who pose as scientists are people like TV weather commentators whose skill is in their presentation rather the views of climate science. I find the same to be true of the views of the Discovery Institute in their contesting belief in evolution and their support of intelligent design. The media have not done a good job in filtering the material that they present and are often not capable of determining the validity of what they present nor the qualifications of the presenters. This frequently results in a gullible public being deceived. Who are we to trust, well recognized organizations like the National Academies or a group of vocal and emotional, but often not well-informed deniers? That kind of illegitimacy is not confined to accommodationism, I’m afraid. Tu quoque much? Seriously, your best response is a blatant fallacy? You could at least explicitly grant the point before calling me hypocritical for making it… Isn’t it hypocritical to call out one side for this kind of illegitimacy while not doing so to the other? I hope you’ve been active with this scolding elsewhere in the blogopshere…. You bet I have, including on Pharyngula. It’s not going to be a popular sentiment around here, and I’m guessing it’ll get me ad hommed as a P.Z. fanboy, but I have to say that the environment at Pharyngula is in some important ways more conducive to serious argument—rather than just trolling and flaming—than the environment here. At least at Pharyngula, people don’t just get labeled trolls for simply for disagreeing with the blogger or the main stream of opinion of the like-minded commenters. Sometimes that does happen, but if you’re seriously discussing issues, even people who disagree with you will pipe up and say that you’re not just a troll, and that the reflexive, dismissively insulting troll-stompers should pipe down and let interested people have an actual discussion. You can also ask straight questions there and get straight answers, rather than being consistently stonewalled or getting nothing but ad hominems and arguments from authority. Many people at Pharyngula like to make actual arguments for their positions, and to elicit actual arguments from people that they disagree with. Sure, it’s a very tough room for theists—they’re likely to dogpiled because there are so many people who disagree—but there is also a substantial contingent of Pharynguloids who make it a point of honor to defend non-trolls and give real answers to real questions. That comparison may be a bit unfair, because Pharyngula’s commenter community is so much larger than the Intersection’s. Maybe it’s easier to have somebody stand up against false accusations of trolling, or ask a clarifying question, or give a clarifying explanation, because there are so many willing people there, and they can take turns, without it being a big burden on anybody. Here it seems to be more of a circle-the-wagons drive-the-New-Atheists-away bunker mentality, but that may be largely because the local main stream is pretty small, and the number of potential interlopers is pretty big. Even so, I don’t think it’s pretty. The regular more-or-less loyalist commenters here seem to exemplify the kind of insulting non-argument they often accuse the people at Pharyngula of. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more concerted display of stonewalling about actual issues and ad hominem dismissals of dissenting views, no matter how sincerely and carefully argued. When the New Atheism comes up, The Intersection often seems like the Hate On PZ Myers club. Briffa’s paper on tree rings titled Reduced sensitivity of recent tree-growth to temperature at high northern latitudes which bilbo, Vindrisi and Steve H. mentioned is also online. Note that it was published just 2 months before the Mann et al article. The regional correlations for the decadally smoothed densities and temperatures are, in general, higher than the interannual values, with per cent common variances ranging from 34 (NW North America) to 85 (Northern Europe) and averaging ,60%: but only for the period 1881–1960. When the decadal correlations are calculated over the longer 1881–1981 period, consistent falls in the common variances are apparent in all areas. The falls are relatively small in the southern regions (from 67% to 62% in Southern Europe; and from 52% to 40% in SW North America) but much greater in the northern areas with a maximum fall in Eastern Siberia of .30% (from 61% to 27%). and this is the takeaway paragraph Although we emphasize that our results apply generally only to the high-latitude temperature sensitive forest regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the degradation in thermal response of this significant area of the world’s biosphere suggests that we should be cautious in assuming, in carbon-cycle-model experiments, a constant temperature-dependent biospheric CO2 uptake during different halves of the present century, and in any future warmer world. Such an assumption may lead to underestimates of future atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and conservative estimates of future warming. But the only substantive argument I’ve heard is “Overton Window!” and “we made nice before!” Neither works well in the face of common sense, in my view, especially in light of the fact that the arguments are often poorly informed about religion, and disputants know next to nothing about the workings of culture wars. I’d claim that for people claiming to defend the Enlightenment, aggressive ignorance is a strange tactic. You know, it seems to me that you’re just saying more vague dismissive stuff, with even less substance than what you’re dismissing. There’s more to Overton arguments than you’re letting on, and I think that even if Overton is wrong, Mooney and Kirshenbaum are wrong too. Their simplistic model of politics and rhetoric can’t account for things like the rise of the religious right—which did not play nice—or the recent successes of the gay rights movement. In both cases, more “extreme” activists went ahead and got stuff done over the objections of the moderates “on their side.” The backlash was real, but not generally as severe as the nervous nellies feared, and the frontlash was more effective than their critics predicted. If there’s a better explanation than shifting Overton windows, by all means, let’s hear it. And let’s not avoid discussing the strengths and weaknesses of accommodationism, Overton windows, or whatever more sophisticated model of political discourse is more realistic. As for being “poorly informed about religion,” I’m sorry, but there’s a whole lot of Courtier’s Responses around here—and that is a veiled form of ad hominem argument, which suggests that you don’t really have a lot of knowledge and wisdom to impart, yourself. If religion or theology is so all-fired wonderful and valid, and the New Atheists are insufficiently appreciative, pick some valid and wonderful stuff and defend it, rather than just dismissively asserting that people who disagree with you are ignorant. Seems that all that original raw temperature data collected over 150 years has been trashed. So, we are only left with the data that has been “tricked” out so to speak. Hmm. Wonder what tricks were used to bring it into line? Their simplistic model of politics and rhetoric can’t account for things like the rise of the religious right—which did not play nice—or the recent successes of the gay rights movement Kind of like how the NAs’ “simplistic model” of religion and their absolutist rhetoric can’t account for things like the value of religious moderates who want to fight creationism and fundamentalism just like we do, Paul? Oh, wait – I forgot. A goal of NA is to eliminate those moderates. So they do account for them, but just wish they didn’t exist. Did you mean to exclude Pharyngula when you disparaged “the New Atheist blogosphere”? I wouldn’t have thought so, but if so, and Pharyngula—the most popular New Atheist blog, and the one most frequently mentioned by regulars here—is exempt from your criticisms, do let me know. Seriously, maybe I did mention PZ first in this thread. But people do frequently try to change the subject from whatever I’m actually saying to what a counterproductive meanie PZ is, as though I’m PZ? There’s a bit of a fixation on PZ and Pharyngula around here. I was making a general observation about how things go around here, not specific to this thread. Did you not notice that Kwok even suggested that maybe I literally am PZ Myers, and repeatedly tried to send me “back to Pharyngula,” like sending a demon back to Hell? Wow. Kooky. You may have missed my comment (@ 6) regarding my fellow Brunonian, David Klinghoffer, who dubbed me an “obsessed Darwin lover” in one of his Dishonesty Institute posts over a year ago (September 2009). I suppose he could have called me something worse, since I have referred to him often as a Dishonesty Institute mendacious intellectual pornographer, beginning with some online comments on an essay replete with his breathtaking inanity that was published nearly two years ago in our college alumni magazine. @ Paul W. – See you like painting with a broad brush, again, but what more can I expect when I know the one “painting” is you. I have the utmost respect for Barbara Forrest, especially since she has been in the vanguard keeping watch over the Dishonesty Institute’s nefarious activities. Moreover, her comments critical of Militant Atheists like yourself have been well-reasoned and well-stated. Again, if you don’t like the political stance taken by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum towards your fellow Militant Atheists, why do you insist on participating here at virtually every discussion thread? Just go home ASAP please to more friendly “terrain” over at Pharyngula and stay there. RedRat @43:”Er, here is a little “trick”, check out the data that was dumped:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece” Something you missed from that article you linked to: “Jones was not in charge of the CRU when the data were thrown away in the 1980s, a time when climate change was seen as a less pressing issue. “(emphasis mine) “Wonder what tricks were used to bring it into line?” The ones described in the relevant papers? “Meanwhile, I continue to marvel at how the anti-evolutionist Discovery Institute seems to be following exactly the same anti-science line on global warming.” No reason for surprise. The logic of naysayers is remarkably stable & consistent. The subject of opposition is not the issue; the fact of opposition is. While the (il-) logic methods have been described nicely, the only one I recall at the moment is that, “if one thing is demonstrated false, then all of the opponent’s claims must be false.” I would like to dismiss all such naysayers, but the problem is that they vote, and voting does not require sound, logical support for a position. I think that some of Paul W’s points and questions are worthy of consideration and polite response, even if I do disagree with him. What I believe those of us who comment here should aim for is a lively, intellectual discussion, encouraging the contributions of many commenters and many differing viewpoints. We should be welcoming to all who wish to participate in a well reasoned exchange. If this were my blog, I would recommend to Paul W. that his comments could be refined, more focused and sometimes less frequent. However, too much agreeableness would be boring and also not educate us as to how to hone our own positions and arguments with respect to the opinions of others. Besides,we are guests here, this is not our blog. We don’t set the ground rules. If you truly cared about science, you would express outrage at the behavior of the mountebanks at CRU. And what, Neuro, would that outrage be directed at? The fact that scientists carried out spirited debates behind what they assumed (wrongly) were closed doors? That Scientists have a tin ear to the political ramifications of thier words (they do; chris has been writing about that for years)? That scientists trying to understand the greatest ecological threat to humans would remove unreliable data from their data set to replace it with more reliable data, thus improving thier science and strengthening their conclusions? We should be outraged at all that? Correct! The whole CRU email hack affair has never really been about science. It is a big quote-mining exercise in apophenia to feed confirmation bias. It is no more about science than Intelligent Design is. There is about as much science in the the charges of climate fraud and hoax, as there is constitutional law in the arguments of the birthers, as there is structural engineering theory in the 9/11 truthers, or there is physics in the moon-landing hoax. RedRat @43:”Er, here is a little “trick”, check out the data that was dumped:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece” Something you missed from that article you linked to: “Jones was not in charge of the CRU when the data were thrown away in the 1980s, a time when climate change was seen as a less pressing issue. “(emphasis mine) “Wonder what tricks were used to bring it into line?” The ones described in the relevant papers? ————————— I was well aware that Jones was not in charge, my intent was not to hold him responsible. My real point was the destruction of the raw data. A scientist(s) are not supposed to destroy any of their raw data. Raw data is sacrosanct and always should be. I was a research scientist for over 45 years and my notebooks and data are still there. The point of the scientific method, at least classically, has been that you put your data out there for everyone to see. In modern terms, I guess, we call that transparency. Everyone has a chance to look at it. The final scientific papers ought to report raw data but depending on the journals, you summarize and interpret the raw data. Consider a scientific paper “metadata”. Seems that all that original raw temperature data collected over 150 years has been trashed. So, we are only left with the data that has been “tricked” out so to speak. Hmm. Wonder what tricks were used to bring it into line? Now my point is not to blame Jones, who is mentioned in the article, but to point out something that scientists are NOT supposed to do: destroy raw data. In science, raw data is sacrosanct and always should be. I was a research scientist for over 45 years and my notebooks and data are still there. The point of the scientific method, at least classically, has been that you put your data out there for everyone to see. In modern terms, I guess, we call that transparency. Everyone has a chance to look at it. The final scientific papers ought to report raw data but depending on the journals, you summarize and interpret the raw data. Consider a scientific paper “metadata”. BTW, in science we do not “vote” on what the data says, we may argue and interpret, but science unfortunately is not run in democratic mode. That is why we still argue about evolution, string theory, and a myriad of other things. Scientists disagree and that comes from being skeptical of any statement. Because of this, science is always evolving in trying to describe how nature works. That is what makes it fun. Discover's Newsletter Sign up to get the latest science news delivered weekly right to your inbox! About Chris Mooney Chris is a science and political journalist and commentator and the author of three books, including the New York Times bestselling The Republican War on Science--dubbed "a landmark in contemporary political reporting" by Salon.com and a "well-researched, closely argued and amply referenced indictment of the right wing's assault on science and scientists" by Scientific American--Storm World, and Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future, co-authored by Sheril Kirshenbaum. They also write "The Intersection" blog together for Discover blogs. For a longer bio and contact information, see here.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
These final regulations are intended to improve collections in the Perkins Loan Program by providing greater flexibility in the process of assigning defaulted Perkins loans to the Secretary for collection.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
During a recent business trip to San Francisco, I made a visit of a few days to friends who live near Campbell, CA. I took the Caltrain down to San Jose – an easy and relatively cheap (at around $9 one-way) way to get out of San Fran towards Silicon Valley. While their kids went to school, my friends and I made a trip to the coast where, among other things, we visited the town of Carmel. No Clint Eastwood sightings – bummer! But we decided to check out the Carmel Mission after having lunch in the charming downtown area. I had been to the Santa Barbara Mission over a year ago so I was curious on how this one would compare. Entering the mission grounds As luck would have (is it really luck??), this was two days after the canonization of Fr. Junipero Serra who worked, died and is buried at the Carmel Mission. The timing was definitely great; I only wish Pope Francis had canonized him where he is buried! Fr. Serra is buried along with others in the altar area St. Junipero Serra looms large! The Carmel Mission is smaller than the one in Santa Barbara but by no means less charming or interesting. As with probably most missions, the center of the mission is the church with a cemetery next to it. Usually there is a vast space or courtyard in the mission and buildings, many of them much newer used for different functions. Rudimentary graves Along the church’s wall As you enter, you are properly warned that you could be at risk for an earthquake. Only in California would the obvious need to be stated in the form of a warning! Be warned! As you can see, it was a clear, beautiful day (I assume this is typical for California) and I am so glad we got to enjoy visiting the mission at such a historical time! Among the many beautiful things to enjoy in Santa Barbara, California, one of my favorite ones is the Old Mission. Its architecture, its setting, its history all make it a neat place to visit but what I like the most is that it is still in use by the monks and the locals; in other words, it is not just a museum. Approaching the Mission on a beautiful California day The Santa Barbara Mission is located on what seems to be the outskirts of town but it really takes no time to reach it from the center of Santa Barbara (a very easy place to get around with a car or a bike). It was established by the Franciscan monks around 1768 as one of the last of a series of missions founded along California by the order. As with most places where Europeans (or people of European descent), there was contact between the new arrivals and the locals; in this case the Chumash Indians. The Santa Barbara Mission represents the longest continuous presence of the Franciscans in the United States. The Mission is more than the church and the museum; also a mausoleum and retreat center The structures that have been on the site and are now have gone through changes and repairs, especially due to damage from earthquakes over its lifetime and after a period of civil administration of the site when the structures were not maintained. Not today: the structures look well kept up and on a beautiful day (which seems to be every day in Santa Barbara), the Mission is perfect for photos! Admiring the facade of the mission is not hard. The ample space outside allows one to step back and soak the whole structure in. Once inside, one can enjoy the beautiful inner courtyards and outdoor “hallways” of the mission. Inner courtyard at the Mission I could sit on a rocking chair here and rock away all day! At some point, one enters the cemetery area on the side of the main church before entering the church itself, following the sequence proposed in the self-tour which, at $7, was a great deal! They also have led tours which seem would be best to better grasp the history and meaning of the Mission. Unfortunately, we had less time than the tours require so we did the self-guided version. The cemetery outside of the church, near the mausoleum The church itself has the feel of what makes a place of worship one where I could focus and reflect and pray. It is simply beautiful. Main altar at the church The Mission is not just a place to go check out if you are in Santa Barbara: it is one of the reasons you should GO to Santa Barbara! About ilivetotravel Part of the fun of traveling, besides the travel itself, is the experiences that happen along the way. Getting hopelessly lost in eastern France, being tossed into a stranger's car in the Sinai peninsula, discovering the most mouth-watering wines in Mendoza, etc. all enhance the travel experience. 16 years of travel writing, first just emails to friends and family as I went around the world and, since 2008, via this blog! Drop me a note about your own travels any time - I love discovering new jewels for future travel opportunities!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
CM Punk beats on wrong fan during closing segment on RAW CM Punk got into an altercation with a fan during the final segment when he rushed through the stands to avoid Ryback’s finisher. The only problem is that Punk eventually shoved down the wrong guy after the guy who pushed him originally hid behind another guy. Punk turned around and slapped the wrong guy and then pipe faced him violently before turning around to continue the segment with McMahon. The whole deal was caught on TV however footage from just in front of Punk catches the whole thing more clear. The guy wearing a white shirt flips off Punk and then pushes his head, and then Punk turns around and knocks out the guy wearing a black shirt behind him.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
User: 9. Meghan has 100 dollars more than Andrew has. After Meghan spends 20 dollars on groceries, she will have five times as much money as Andrew. How much money does Andrew have? (a.) $20 (b.) $30 (c.) $40 (d.) $50 (e.) $120	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Bob-Manuel Udokwu: “Igbos Please Come Back Home” A born Anambrarian, film producer and veteran actor, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, has urged all Igbo in the north to come back, plan and establish in their homeland. He said this while making reference to the quit notice threat issued by the Coalition of Northern Youths supported by the Northern Elders Forum. In his speech, Bob reiterated the fearless, hardworking and economic capabilities of Igbo people and ask them to come back with a little of what they have in the north. Vanguard gathered that Mr. Bob has trust, belief and confidence in his people perhaps the way he charged them to come back with just a ‘little’. According to him “Igbo’s take their wealth to other tribes and develop the place. “They are the only people that can go to other tribes, buy lands and transform them into roads and mansions.“Whereas the reverse is the case when the people Igbo’s share this country with come to Igbo land. “You hardly see them buy a piece of land talk of owing properties in Igbo land. “ We accept them, live in peace with them and love them by giving them our food, water and everything they need to keep life going.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Pages About Health & Beauty This blog is part of the Incredible Ladies Project and well, it deals with matters of Health and Beauty. It will not be able to give professional advice as the author is not a professional in either of the subjects. She however is keen to research and to try a lot for herself and then will report back to you as honestly as possible! Occasionally I - that is Rika, owner of the blog - may adress issues which rarely get addressed, and I do not want to offend, but think that a lot of people might feel better to know that they are firstly not alone, just because nobody is talking about it, and secondly, that sometimes the solution is simple if someone would just spread the news about it. About Me Autumn 2004 was my 1st turning point. I decided to take on some lifestyle changes involving food and sport, and in summer 2007 the Incredible Ladies Project was born. It evolved from a normal website into a series of blogs, which are all interlinked to accommodate the various facets of my life. For the best part of 2011 however, the blogs were almost asleep while I was living towards the 2nd turning point in October 2012; I separated from my husband. This first phase of soul searching in form of blogs turned out to be incredibly valuable, helping to get to the bottom of things and up again really rather smoothly. It felt inappropriate to put my, and his, life out there while we worked through things, but now that everything is good, the set of challenges I am facing are more than ever in my control and I am looking forward to write about it again. It is all about living a joyful present for a good future. Rika is back, and Incredible Ladies Project is more alive than ever.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Obama promises to block Netanyahu's 'noise' US President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, on September 2, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mandel Ngan) / AFP US President Barack Obama said during a televised interview that aired this weekend that he will block out “any noise” from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging America to intervene in an Iranian nuclear program. Speaking to 60 Minutes, President Obama acknowledged that the United States does indeed maintain friendly relations with Israel, but suggested that he would not necessarily intervene in that country’s issues if it wasn’t the best course of action for the American people. The interview was conducted by Steve Kroft and carried by CBS Sunday evening. Responding to a question about how much pressure the United States receives from Prime Minister Netanyahu to use military force in Iran to thwart a rumored nuclear warhead procurement plan, President Obama said he understands Israel’s concerns but does not feel pressured to play by their rules. “I have conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu all the time. And I understand and share Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon, because it would threaten us, it would threaten Israel, and it would threaten the world and kick off a nuclear arms race,” President Obama explained. In response to his answer, Mr. Kraft followed through and asked the president, “You’re saying, you don’t feel any pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu in the middle of a campaign to try and get you to change your policy and draw a line in the sand? “You don’t feel any pressure?” “When it comes to our national security decisions — any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people. And I am going to block out—any noise that’s out there,” President Obama said. "Now I feel an obligation, not pressure but obligation, to make sure that we’re in close consultation with the Israelis — on these issues. Because it affects them deeply. They’re one of our closest allies in the region. And we’ve got an Iranian regime that has said horrible things that directly threaten Israel’s existence.” Despite the long-lasting relationship between the US and Israel, the two allies have failed to see eye-to-eye as of late on the Iranian issue, at least as far as to what degree intervention is warranted. The United States has already imposed serious trade sanctions on Iran and is far from on pleasant terms with them otherwise, but Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have asked for President Obama to take more serious action, perhaps even putting boots on the ground. "The world tells Israel 'wait, there's still time'. And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?'" Netanyahu said earlier this month. "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.” Days after that remark was made, Israel asked the White House if a meeting could be arranged between the two nation’s leaders during Mr. Netanyahu’s visit to the United Nations in New York City this week, but the Obama administration said such a sit-down wouldn’t be possible. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor that will challenge President Obama in the November elections, told 60 Minute’s that the White House’s response was a "mistake that sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Which patients are most at risk of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a review of admissions to a regional maxillofacial ward between 2001 and 2005. MedLine Citation: PMID: 18554758 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE Abstract/OtherAbstract: This study aimed to identify all Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cases on a Regional Maxillofacial ward, to estimate incidence and to ascertain who were most at risk. The study also explored clinical and demographic factors associated with MRSA in a subset of consecutive patients managed by primary surgery for previously untreated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC) over the same time period. Patients admitted from 1st April 2001 to 31st March 2006 to the Regional Maxillofacial Unit ward, Liverpool were identified by a retrospective review of the hospital MRSA database and there were 10109 patient admissions. MRSA (1.1%) occurred in 115 patient episodes involving 97 patients. There were 84 patients having a single episode and 13 more than one. There were no cases of mortality due to MRSA. Of the MFU patients 73 were oncology and 7 trauma. In the oncology group the commonest primary sites were wound (41) and sputum (11). Of new patients admitted for definitive treatment for OOSCC, 14% had MRSA and the two main risk factors were stage of cancer (P<0.001) and free flap (P<0.001). The risk of MRSA infection on our maxillofacial ward is low though MRSA infection is more prevalent among oncology patients particularly those requiring free tissue transfer. Careful adherence to infection prevention and control precautions is essential and practical methods to reduce MRSA need further evaluation.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Proving You're Awesome - Trigger Magazine Pivothead went head-to-head in a Point-of-View video recording shootout with Replay, GoPro Black, Contour and Sony - guess who won? "How to decide which one is best for you? We won't keep you in suspense: We like the Pivothead a lot! And even though the New York Yankees are using them, we won't hold it against the product." Another great quote: "...for straight-up bad-assery, you really can't beat these specs."	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Post navigation Poetry Parnassus: Prologue (Luxembourg) Poetry Parnassus is a project of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, hosted at the Southbank Centre in London. It ran from June 26 to July 1, featuring 145 poets from around the world. Here is the Guardian’s interactive map, where you can click on a country and read its poem. I will be posting them on a semi-regular basis until they’re done.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
We are a home based arts business based in beautiful northern Tasmania, just outside the small but very creative town of Deloraine. Jacque is an artist who specialises in sculpting, especially garden art figures. When not doing clay work, Jacque paints and quilts. John sells books and CDs, especially music by Tasmanian musicians, who, despite the fact that we have a recording studio in town, are too modest to make CDs. We can be found at the Deloraine market on the first Saturday of each month, starting in September. We are exploring other appropriate markets and venues. In the fullness of time we will be setting up workshops etc. so keep an eye on our blogspot for these and other ventures. Thank you for taking the time to look at this, and do contact us should you see anything you like, or if you should want any art materials. Pages Jacque Boxer Thanks for checking out our blog! You'll have already found out a bit about our business, Bohemian Arts, but it seems as if I need to provide a little bit of information about myself. Here goes! Together with John, I'm very fortunate to have a special place where I can spend my days working with my clay, playing with my paints and meeting all the lovely folk who pop in to the studio. I especially enjoy encouraging other folk to take up some form of art or craft, and have fun sharing what I do and about all the art materials we have. My main art medium is clay and I've been sculpting for eight years now. Prior to that I did the usual dabbling in lots of types of art and craft while I was studying to be, or working as, among other things, a primary teacher, speech pathologist and diversional therapist. I was very fortunate to be taken under the wing of Julie in South Australia, who is a very talented artist, clay sculptor and great friend. Julie continues to be my generous and inspiring mentor. I'm mostly known for my clay figures that are inspired by the portraits of the painter Modigliani. Me with a Modigliani Lady, Jeanne Hebuterne, now resident in Fishermans Paradise, NSW I also enjoy and are inspired by the artworks of Klimt and Hundertwasser. In my paintings I enjoy creating texture with various painting mediums and collage type materials. Another passion is quilting which I do at home but display and sell here in the studio. Our home & Esmerelda the goat. Away from the studio I love being at our home nestled under the mountains at Meander. Both John & I are keen gardeners and we're busy developing various areas of our two acre garden. Something we've done recently is to make a labyrinth. Quite special to walk around. Aggie flanked by Aphid (left) & Henry (right). We share our home with 3 beautiful cats - Aphid, Henry and Aggie, and out in the garden for company we have Esmerelda the goat. Chickens coming soon! My flute playing is coming along (those who have ever heard me play will be pleased to hear!), now that I get together with another flautist every fortnight to play duets. In any remaining time, I love reading and John and I both enjoy word games and crosswords. We also enjoy getting John's guitar and my flute together. WELCOME Welcome to our new Blogspot. We will try to keep you up to date with what we've been up to, with what Jacque's latest art works are, and with anything else we feel might be of interest to you. Please get in touch with us if you think of something which might be of use to you. Art Materials We stock Atelier Interactive acrylic paints and mediums plus much more, and can order any of your other requirements.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Catering Services No matter how much you have struggled and made the day a success when the food that you have arranged completes the day with a blast. Arrangements are crucial when you have something major being organized in behalf of the company and the name it holds. Like a launch of product followed by a feast is something that the company will put all its investments and get sponsors to make the day a success, along with having the shareholders play a great part in the launch they should make sure that there are professionals handling the event from the beginning to the end. If you want your guests to be impressed by how well you can conduct a party without having any lack in it then you need to have someone in charge of it. There are many firms who have mastered the skills and art of arrangement that they provide the best of everything when they are requested by a client for an event. If you too are looking for the perfect closure for your party then hiring the professionals to work for you is the best way to get the things done. You can call the arrangements according to your concept and conduct the party the way you have wished it to happen. You can always select from the varieties of the choices and ranges that the planners have in their trays, that way you can choose to get what you wish to have. From arranging the timing of when the courses should arrive to the table to getting the table arrangements ready you can get it all done with just hiring the best in town to help you and support you throughout the day’s activities. Having the disciplined waiters and waitresses to serve you the drinks and having the collection of the best wine served to the guests you can organize everything in a well to do manner with some help. Book the professionals to make the day a good one Catering companies around the country can offer a wide range of services for your likes, to make any sort of requests that you have for the event to be a good successful one like you wish it to be. The best of services Event catering services can help you save so much by letting you have the best of the day’s menu and having the perfect dishes served for your guests. Being efficient in the arrangement will give you some extra credits of handling the ceremony. Your success to having a good ceremony is steps away You can simply achieve the goals that you are targeting with some help from the professionals.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Bioinformatics Core Facility Welcome The Nemours Bioinformatics Core facility (BCF) provides consultation, training and computational resources (both hardware and software) to Nemours Biomedical Research investigators from both Delaware and Florida. BCF manages the primary web / email / database servers for asel.udel.edu and NemoursResearch.org with 10 computing cores, 16GB of RAM and 5TB of disk space for user accounts. Additional Linux-based research servers provide 108 CPU cores, 462 GB of RAM and 102 TB of RAID disk space for research labs. Up to 32 CPU cores and 256G of memory can be used for traditional parallel computing tasks and a dedicated 8-node 192 core 20TB Apache Spark/Hadoop computing cluster is available for big data related projects. A dedicated backup system provides hourly backups of email, daily disk backups of file volumes, and weekly LTO5 tape backups which are stored off-site. Services offered by BCF include experimental design of parallel, crossover, longitudinal, cross-section and microarray studies; data mining of microarray and high-throughput sequencing studies; and standard statistical analysis. BCF utilizes many software packages including SPSS, SAS, R, Bioconductor, MeV, CMfinder, MOSAIK and more. With the use of several programming languages (PERL, MySQL, PHP, HTML, Javascript) BCF can also develop custom scripts and applications for studies. BCF has developed and maintains several web applications including TimeKeeper, the Biosafety Database, NED (Nemours Experimental Database, an electronic lab notebook), Symposia registration and SNAP ("Scientist Networking And Profiles" site using Drupal, a web content management system). BCF also manages the Nemours installation of REDCapTM (Research Electronic Data Capture from the REDCap Consortium). REDCap is a secure web application that allows users to build and manage online surveys and databases for a variety of purposes including basic, clinical, translational and behavioral research, repositories and operational support. In addition to maintaining this application, BCF provides training and other support so that Nemours associates can utilize all the tools this resource provides. Additional REDCap Info Here are some reasons you should consider using REDCap instead of spreadsheets for recording research data: 1.) Accessibility - everyone in the lab can get to the data and do data entry from anywhere. 2.) Security - Data is stored on our servers, backed up nightly. Users must authenticate to view it. Users can be assigned different levels of permission such as read-only, add/edit data, delete records, etc. Users can also be restricted from viewing certain forms and exporting certain fields. 3.) Versatility - Data or data subsets can be easily selected, sorted, and exported in formats directly ready for analysis in SPSS, SAS, S+/R, or even Excel. Schedules can be automatically generated from defined events. 4.) Validity - Using a tool like REDCap to set up a database and data entry forms for a study is a valuable first step in being sure that you have covered all the devilish details that are inherent in designing a valid research study. The bioinformatics staff have expertise in database design and biostatistics and can help assure that your study is well thought out and implemented. To learn more about REDCap, send us an email, or visit the REDCap Training Resources page. (Note that you do not need to log into REDCap to view the tutorial videos).	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
About This is a bundle of my successful vintage logo & Insignia projects, it's available for purchase with the link here - https://creativemarket.com/… Read More This is a bundle of my successful vintage logo & Insignia projects, it's available for purchase with the link here - https://creativemarket.com/TomAnders/10008-%28SALE%29Vintage-Logo-Insignia-Bundle Read Less	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Here you will find fresh porn videos, movies for every taste. You can download their by clicking on the link site file-sharing service Nitroflare, Uploaded, Gigapeta, Keep2Share.cc and many other. This teeny always had two erotic dreams: getting fucked by a black guy and taking a DP. Today she gets both fulfilled as her boyfriend invites his basketball buddy to team-up and give his girlfriend a fucking of her life. Getting sandwiched between black and white cocks makes her cum like never before. That's what she calls a real sex party for her fuck-hungry pussy! We also recommend: Dasha, Kseniya - Two Guys Fucking Eager Teens (2013/YoungSexParties.com) [HD 720p] These two cute bisexual teen chicks don't even need to decide who gets whom when they join a couple of handsome guys for a foursome home party. They just switch partners from time to time and end up getting fucked by both guys and sharing their cumshots like best friends do. They look so happy and satisfied with hot sperm dripping down their tits. Wow!	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
We understand the entertainment industry, and the people in it. Renting vs Owning Your Own Home When it comes to housing, renters tend to be as undecided as Hamlet. To buy or not to buy; that is the question. And there are no simple answers, especially not in Canada’s hottest real estate markets, such as the lower mainland of BC and southern Ontario. It all depends on where you live, how you live, the current state of the housing market, and how disciplined an investor you can be. Questions to Ask Yourself before Buying a Home Financial advisors and mortgage lenders usually begin by asking would-be home buyers a few general questions about their long-term plans. Do you expect to live in the house at least three, and preferably five, years? If not, you may not recoup your upfront costs, such as legal fees and land transfer taxes, and your selling costs, which are dominated by realtor commissions. How large is your down payment? Low interest rates and less than 10 percent down may look like an attractive way to enter the market, but a high-ratio mortgage and a 30- or 35-year amortization period are no bargain over the long run. The Hidden Costs of Ownership As the U.S. experience of the past two years has shown, home ownership isn’t for everyone. In weighing the cost of renting against owning, prospective buyers need to consider the hidden costs of ownership – everything from property taxes and utility costs, to condo maintenance fees or repairs, and other routine operating costs of a private home. Then there are some costs that are hard to assign a dollar value, such as the amount of sweat equity that goes into home ownership. Renters enjoy the leisure and convenience of someone else having the responsibility for mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, shoveling the snow, and taking care of pipes that burst during a cold snap. How Do the Numbers Compare? When it comes to crunching the numbers, researchers looking at Canada’s complex real estate markets say there are so many variables that buyers need to look at their own cities in detail to determine when to take the plunge. In a 2007 study, the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business came to the conclusion that, on average, home buyers are better off financially than renters – except when they’re not. In stable housing markets like Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, and Regina, the study showed savvy renters could accumulate about 20 percent more wealth than homeowners over the same period by paying less for shelter and then investing the savings in a disciplined way. Renters in Vancouver, one of Canada’s most volatile real estate markets, could break even with homeowners if they invested their surplus cash wisely. That was also true of Ottawa and Winnipeg renters. Meanwhile, Toronto and Calgary buyers proved to be much wealthier than renters – if only on paper – because of the appreciation in the value of their home compared to what the stock or money markets yielded on a renter's savings. How Renters Can Keep Pace Appreciation in the value of their house has been a primary driver of net worth for the average Canadian family in recent decades. Nevertheless, Professor Tsur Somerville, the lead author of the UBC study, told The Globe and Mail that renters could keep pace with homeowners on the lifelong road to higher net worth provided certain conditions are in place. “For renters to accumulate the same amount of wealth as owners, they must be extremely diligent savers, invest in high-yielding instruments, do so with minimal fees, and have the good fortune to live in one of the cities where the right combination of low rents and/or low house price growth allows them to invest in a relatively higher return financial asset," Somerville said. What’s Right for You? The question of whether to buy or rent is often a lifestyle issue. But it can also be a question about how you choose to save. For many new homeowners, the unceasing burden of making monthly mortgage payments serves as a straightforward, enforced savings plan. If you’re interested in purchasing a home, contact Creative Arts for advice on the right mortgage for you, and how you can make your dream of home ownership a reality. If you’re a renter, and happy to stay that way, Creative Arts can help you build your wealth through a range of savings and investment vehicles to make up for the real estate gains others are achieving. You can reach us by phone at 416-642-6749 or 877-643-3660, or via email. Or drop by our office on the main floor of the ACTRA building for a confidential discussion of your options. UPDATE: Welcome Garry / Best Wishes to Ron! Please join me in welcoming Garry Jones who is joining CASCU on a part-time basis as our new Mortgage Account Manager. And a big THANK YOU to Ron Davidson who will be leaving us. Read more... Did you know that deposits in Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union are insured by the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario? So you can rest comfortably knowing your deposits are safe. Learn more...	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }
Thoughts and notes about the books I am reading. My entries are not book reviews but just my personal thoughts and opinions about what I'm reading at the moment. The entries obviously contain SPOILERS. The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp 8 – The End (Chapter 40 – end ) In the last part all the characters come full circle. First, when Tara is back in Cornwall, she gets a frantic call from Billy, telling him that Matilda is having the baby. Tara rushes to the big house while her sister Imogen tries to find an ambulance. The problem is that there has been a terrible storm, and as a result, a tree has blocked the road, isolating the town. Matilda is in a terrible state, and when she is getting desperate, Lucy appears. Since she always blamed herself for her mother’s death, she has read all the books about childbirth and knows what she has to do. So it is Lucy that delivers Matilda’s baby, a boy who she calls Joseph. Lucy is also central next as she and Raoul make up. Lucy had confessed to Tara that she made a mistake with Raoul, and she never cheated on him with Brian, the harmonica boy. She simply talked to him, and now Lucy fears that her regrets come too late. Raoul is no longer in hospital and has gone back to Spain. Then when Tara returns to London, Raoul is in Napier House as he is trying to do something for Lucy. He is miserable, thinking that his wife has left him, but he thought he could do something for Napier House, the place he knows Lucy loves. So he located Professor Pevsner, who is checking the house and will try to do something to stop its demolition. It is then that Brian, the harmonica boy, turns up. Raoul tries to hit him, but Brian manages to speak and tell him that Lucy loves him and he would be a fool to let her go. So next Raoul decides to leave the house and rush back to Cornwall, and the next thing we know is that Raoul and Lucy are back together. Lucy and Raoul have a great surprise when Matilda and her mother decide they won’t sell the big house, but give it to Lucy and Raoul, who they think truly love the house. Lady D-W is very thankful to Lucy because they all think she saved Matilda and baby Joseph. So after the initial shock, Lucy and Raoul are pleased. They will look after Tremallack properly and turn it into a hotel. This is not the only couple that end up together. Digby and Clover are together in the end. He sells his house and tells Tara that he is going to tell her they move to Paris together. We learn later that Napier House is eventually demolished, and Digby and Clover chain themselves inside the house, so the police have to take them out by force, and they have to spend the night in a cell. And clearly Inigo returns to Tara at Christmas. She sees him in her father’s church as she is singing in the choir. Later they talk, and Inigo gives her the elephant she tried to steal when she was ten. So he finally remembered him, and they finally get together. Tara, who has never been convinced about her career, decides to quit. They move to New York where they both sing songs, and they eventually have plans to return to England. I enjoyed the book, but I have to say that I prefer the first part of the novel. The second part was a bit messy, and the characters had lost that beautiful freshness they had in the first part. I have also discovered that there is a prequel to this book, and I hate it to discover this kind of things after I’ve started or finished a book. Why don’t some publishers bother to add a note about prequels or sequels in the proper books? Thoughts and notes about the books I am reading. My entries are not book reviews but just my personal thoughts and opinions about what I'm reading at the moment. The entries obviously contain SPOILERS.	{ "pile_set_name": "Pile-CC" }

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