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Strapping & Accessories
This section offers a wide variety of Strapping and Accessories. Try our steel strapping for heavy duty demanding applications, also available in kits. With its increased safety and as strong as steel, polyester PET strapping is great for keeping your goods secure during transport with no sharp edges. For the lightweight option poly strapping is an excellent choice. We also stock a wide array of quality tools for tensioning.
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Secure yours today or contact us for more information!


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It always makes me smile with joy knowing that I am so blessed with your friendship and camaraderie.
I am happy to announce different levels of classes beginning in June:
- Rose Bud - An Ease and Stretch class for every 'body' interested. This class will not contain sun salutations, but will have standing and floor poses practiced separately. All levels are welcome.
- Rose Blossom - Intermediate Vinyasa Flow class which you are already familiar with. Upbeat and high energy, sun salutations are used in this practice.
- Rose-ary - Say a prayer because this class will push the limits! If you're looking for a challenge, you've found it!

subset: commoncrawl


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What happens during a lumbar puncture (spinal tap)?
During a lumbar puncture (also known as a spinal tap), a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is extracted from the spinal (vertebral) canal using a special needle. This fluid surrounds the brain and the spinal cord, acting as a shock absorber. After being extracted, the cerebrospinal fluid is analyzed in a laboratory. Doing so can help detect diseases of the brain and spinal cord.
When are lumbar punctures performed?
Lumbar punctures can be helpful when trying to confirm or rule out conditions like the following:
- Meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain tissue itself)
- Bleeding in the brain
- Dementia
- Myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord)
- Leukemia (cancer of the blood)
- Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis
Lumbar punctures can also be used for treatments: For instance, drugs such as local anesthetics, antibiotics, or cancer medications can be injected through the lumbar puncture needle. This allows the drug to enter the nervous system directly, instead of through the bloodstream. When local anesthetics are given in this way it is called spinal anesthesia.
What needs to be done to prepare?
Before doing a lumbar puncture, your doctor will check whether your blood clots normally. This is important in order to prevent bleeding that could damage the nerves around the site of insertion. If you take medication that affects blood clotting, you should tell your doctor.
Sometimes the doctor will check your intracranial (brain) pressure to make sure it isn't too high. This is usually done by examining the ocular fundus (the back of the eye), or – less commonly – by x-raying the brain (cranial computed tomography, CCT).
Unless it's an emergency, you should be informed about the purpose of the procedure and any associated risks at least one day beforehand.
What does the procedure involve?
Lumbar punctures are usually done in hospitals, but nowadays some neurologists perform them as outpatient procedures in their practices. The doctor inserts a thin, hollow needle into the lower part of the lumbar spine, usually between the 3rd and 4th or the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae. The spinous processes of these vertebrae in the lower spine can easily be felt through the skin. To make enough room for the needle, the vertebrae have to be spread apart as much as possible, so the person is asked to bend forward. The easiest way to do this is by arching your back forwards while sitting down or lying sideways.
The skin around the site of insertion is disinfected and numbed using a local anesthetic. After inserting the needle between two vertebrae, the doctor pushes it about three to four centimeters towards the spinal cord. The cerebrospinal fluid then automatically trickles through the hollow needle into a sterile container. About 10 to 15 milliliters of the fluid are typically collected. The needle is then carefully removed and the site of insertion is covered with a bandage, using a bit of pressure to help the wound heal faster. A lumbar puncture takes about 15 minutes in total.
Afterwards it's important to lie down for at least an hour, rest for about 24 hours and drink lots of fluids. After several hours your doctor will examine the site of insertion and check whether you can move your legs. This is done in case any bleeding in the spinal canal is pressing against the nerves. After a lumbar puncture, you will usually stay in the hospital or practice for at least one hour, but more typically for up to four hours, depending on how much cerebrospinal fluid was extracted and whether the puncture was used for a treatment.
Lumbar puncture in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine
What can lumbar punctures find out?
The color of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and its individual components are analyzed. CSF is normally as clear as water. Blood-colored or cloudy CSF could be a sign of bleeding or an inflammation in the brain. Any changes in the number of cells in the CSF or in the composition of its components (e.g. proteins, glucose and lactate) are checked for in a laboratory. The CSF is also tested for bacteria that can cause meningitis, or for proteins that may be a sign of certain types of dementia.
What are the risks?
Serious complications of this procedure are rare. The spinal canal in the lower part of the lumbar spine only contains fluid because the spinal cord ends further up. This means the spinal cord can't be damaged in the lumbar spine area.
You may feel some pain for a short while when the needle is being inserted, or if the needle touches a nerve root deeper inside the tissue. The pain will then shoot down into a leg, but immediately go away again.
A few hours or even days after the lumbar puncture, you may experience headaches, nausea, a fast heart rate, or low blood pressure. This is known as a "post-lumbar puncture headache." But these aftereffects usually go away on their own after about five days. The headaches typically get a lot better when you lie down.
In very rare cases, inflammations, bleeding or other complications that need to be treated in a hospital may arise after a lumbar puncture.
Lumbar punctures should not be performed if the skin at the site of insertion is inflamed, if the intracranial pressure is too high, or if there is an increased risk of bleeding.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN). Diagnostische Liquorpunktion. S1-Leitlinie. September 2012.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN). Diagnostik und Therapie des postpunktionellen und spontanen Liquorunterdruck-Syndroms. S1-Leitlinie. September 2012 (AWMF-Leitlinien; Volume 030 - 113).
Mattle H, Mumenthaler M. Neurologie. Stuttgart: Thieme; 2012.
Petereit HF, Wick M. Liquordiagnostik: Leitlinien und Methodenkatalog der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Liquordiagnostik und Klinische Neurochemie, Heidelberg: Springer; 2007.
Reiber H, Liquordiagnostik. In: Thomas L. Labor und Diagnose. TH Books Verlagsgesellschaft. Frankfurt; 2005.
Zettl U, Klinische Liquordiagnostik. Berlin: De Gruyter. 2009.
IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping
people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health
care services.
Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.
Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.


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What is chlorophyll? Chlorophyll is a green pigment crucial to the process of photosynthesis. It is present in all plants and algae and facilitates the transformation Read More
Systemic Enzymes
Karyn's Kare Systemic Enzymes What are Enzymes? Enzymes are the "spark of life." The human body is made up of millions of enzymes that are responsible for every metabolic purpose. Read More
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Holiday Dinner To-Go Raw Menu "Turkey" Loaf | Stuffing | Faux Mashed Potatoes | Mushroom Gravy | Cranberry Relish | 'Buttered' Vegetables | Borscht Soup | Spinach Salad | Chocolate Read More
Thanksgiving Dinners To-Go
Raw Menu Cost per meal: $40 plus tax All orders for both cooked and raw options must be placed no later than 4pm on Saturday, November 23, 2013 by calling 312-255-1590 All orders will Read More


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In the wake of the latest mass shooting at a United States school, and almost certainly not the last, comes the inevitable madrigal of "thoughts and prayers" for the victims, as well the also inevitable refusal to make any significant changes to curb these tragedies in the future.
The merits and efficacy of gun control are clear and undeniable and I shan't be reiterating them here - others will do so, and rightfully, but I wish to take this debate in a different direction.
The implacable argument from the gun cult is ever the same. The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. The right to keep and bear arms. I won't be debating the semantics of the amendment and the obvious anachronisms of such legislation.
I want to talk about the American Constitution itself.
The US Constitution is treated as an almost holy text by most, if not nearly all, Americans. The document itself is viewed as the apotheosis of legislature, divinity made manifest in the form of a set of laws. This document is the standard upon which all others might be judged, and they will be found wanting.
One cannot question the Constitution. Is its perfection not immediately apparent? Is this not the document that made America the greatest country on earth?
Even in the opening scene of The Newsroom, where journalist Will McAvoy gives a scathing assessment of the state of America, its dubious claims to be the 'greatest country in the world' and the follies of blind patriotism, even in this excoriating analysis McAvoy describes the Constitution of the United States as "a masterpiece".
But is it? Is it really?
Is even Aaron Sorkin drinking the kool-aid?
Can a document that enables regular and predictable mass murder of innocent people really be a "masterpiece"? Can a document forged by dissidents and soldiers during a violent rebellion ever be considered a "masterpiece"?
But Americans seem - not even unwilling - but unable to see such a document as flawed. As anything less than perfect.
The fact that such a document even has amendments should cast some aspersions on it. The US constitution has been amended twenty-seven times. 27 times it has been revised. It has been found wanting in the past. Why should it not be examined again?
Contrast this to the Australian Constitution.
Australia was not founded in blood or fire or war. It was founded through democracy. We voted ourselves a nation. Our constitution was able to be drafted, revised and planned. It was not the hasty result of a cessation of hostilities but of a nation with the time and freedom to think about its future.
Consequently the Australian Constitution has been amended only eight times.
Once to slightly alter the terms of senators. Twice to clarify the issue of state debt. Once to extend federal control over social services. Once to extend voting rights to territories, once to set a retirement age on federal judges and once to clarify casual vacancies in the senate.
Relatively minor things really.
Oh and once we amended the Constitution to recognise the rights of the Indigenous population.
That this was not in the original document is a stain that the nation will forever have to live with, but it is a recognition that the document was flawed and the nation was called upon to revise it.
Which we did. Resoundingly.
We saw something wrong and we fixed it.
The US Constitution could use some of that introspection right now. Americans in the past recognised that the conditions under which the document was drafted left some glaring holes and these were patched with amendments.
Once to recognise the freedom of speech. The infamous "2nd amendment". Quite a few about trial by jury, the law and the conditions upon which those laws can be enforced. Truthfully everything from the 4th to the 9th really should have been in the original draft.
But necessary they were.
The Constitution was never intended to be something so deified as to never be scrutinised or updated. But that's what it has become.
It needs to be looked at again. It needs to be updated.
The Second Amendment is a relic of a bygone era whose time perhaps never even existed in the first place. It is an anachronism at best and at worst a blight which sours America's perception in the larger world.
The Constitution can be changed. The Constitution should be changed. There's even a precedent within the Constitution itself. The 21st Amendment exists solely to repeal the 18th.
There's nothing that says the 28th can't exist to repeal the 2nd.
The only thing stopping it is this unnatural reverence that the United States has for an amendment drafted in the year 1789. 25 years before the fall of the Holy Roman Empire.
Australia's last mass shooting was in 1996. Since there was no provision in the Constitution mandating the right to firearms preventative legislation was passed at a government level. There was never even a need for a plebiscite. As such Australia has not had a mass shooting in just under 22 years.
America's last, before today's events, was 27 days ago.
Maybe it's time you were willing to take a look at that Constitution again?


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President Barack Obama jokingly mimics U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney's "not impressed" look while greeting members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams in the Oval Office, Nov. 15, 2012. Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President, and Savannah Vinsant laugh at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
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"The genie of religious fanaticism is rampant in present-day America, and the Founding Fathers would have been horrified," so reports Richard Dawkins early on in his best-selling book, The God Delusion.
He also shares the following 1981 quote from the father of the USA conservative movement, Barry Goldwater: "There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this Supreme Being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of these political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D. Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who think it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I'm warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism."
Today, Douglas Adams says that respected writers and politicians, particularly in the United States, are no longer willing to challenge religious ideas. They are not allowed to say those things. And yet, when you look at it rationally there is no reason why those ideas shouldn't be as open to debate as any other. Fortunately, it was a Brit, Richard Dawkins, who had the courage to speak up, fervently believing that religious extremists are a serious threat to democracy and human betterment. His book, The God Delusion is easy to read and loaded with facts to support those assertions.
"Oh, but he's an Atheist," some will say. But be reminded that people like Einstein and Carl Sagan, to name just a few, did not believe in a personal god. However, that didn't diminish the scientific data they accumulated and shared in their lifetime.
My mother, a hard-core Jehovah's Witness, won't read the book. Her church leaders tell her that it is "the work of the Devil." That's a pretty good reason why I think a thinking person would want to do otherwise.
What Richard Dawkins has to say and how he says it in The God Delusion is not only an important work of science, but a clear, articulate warning of what could happen if the current wave of passionate religious irrationality is allowed to continue unchecked. It is one of the best books I have read in the last ten years and I agree with the New York Times Book Review when it said that The God Delusion contained "Lots of good, hard-hitting stuff about the imbecilities of religious fanatics and frauds of all stripes."


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Lenovo Announces 7-inch Tablet Available Exclusively on Amazon
Lenovo has launched a new tablet in India called the S5000 Tablet. The company claims it to be the slimmest tablet at 7.9 mm and weighs 246 grams. The Lenovo S5000 sports a 7-inch HD IPS display (1280 x 800 resolution) with 350-nits brightness and a 60 percent color gamma.
The S5000 is a mid-range 7-inch tablet priced at Rs 10,999. Considering the budget price, it's not surprising that the tablet is also pretty disappointing in terms of features.
It runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek processor backed by 2GB of RAM, so it should work well for average use such as web browsing and light gaming. There's a 5MP main camera and a 1.6MP selfie camera for video calls.
The S5000 is lumbered with a 3,450mAh battery, which Lenovo claims provides more than eight hours of battery life. It comes with 16GB of internal storage, though you can't expand it with a memory card. The S5000 comes in a silver-coloured case that gives it a more premium finish compared with other cheap tablets available in the market.
On the downside, the S5000 runs the outdated Android 4.2 operating system. Lenovo promises a 4.3 OTA update, but it still isn't good enough when compared to the Android 4.4 KitKat tablets that are now easily available. The Lenovo S5000 is available exclusively on Amazon India.
Key Specifications
- CPU: MTK Quad Core, 1.2GHz MT8389 (3G) /8125 (WIFI)
- Screen: 17.78cm (7) of HD (1280×800) IPS screen | 350 nits, 60% color gamma
- Size & weight: 7.9mm & 246g/249g
- Cameras: 5.0M AF rear | 1.6M front camera
- Storage: 16GB eMMC storage
- Memory: 1GB LP DDR2
- Battery: 8+ hours | Li-Ion polymer, 3450mAh
- Operating System: Jelly Bean Android 4.2 OS (OTA update to 4.3)
- Ports: Micro USB (OTG function)/3.5mm audio jack
- Sensors: Accelerometer (G-sensor), GPS, Brightness (Ambient Light), vibration function, hall sensor
- Connectivity: 802.11bgn WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0/4.0
- Touch: 5 point Multi-touch
- Audio: Speaker, 3.5mm Audio and mic jack, Microphone


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Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Scoot, a budget flight service owned by Singapore Airlines, launched a chatbot known as Scoot on Facebook Messenger. Known as Most Awesome and Resourceful Virtual Intern Ever or M.A.R.V.I.E, it is a transactional bot which can also respond to customer queries. The chatbot can also help search for flights, look at fares, and book them to name a few.
Since the chatbot's launch, it has conversed with 50 different customers on an average every day. Also, the chatbot was helpful in finding solutions for 37.5% of the Facebook queries, showcasing its success. The developers of M.A.R.V.I.E expect the chatbot to learn on the go as it continues to interact with customers. Will this chatbot live up to its expectations when we try out all its features in real time?
As M.A.R.V.I.E is available on Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular platforms for chatbots, you will need to activate it before you can use any of its features. Clicking on "Get Started," which appears on the bottom of the screen, will make the chatbot active. Since the developers want to improve the chatbot as soon as possible, they are holding a competition, where you stand a chance of winning a flight ticket. However, your question should provide immense value to the chatbot while making it work extremely hard to give you an answer at the same time.
After going through the rules of the contest, you can start your conversation with the chatbot. Even though the chatbot doesn't give you any instructions on how to use it, you will find it extremely easy to use its features. For instance, when you type "What can you do?" the chatbot will give you a small introduction on how to utilize its features.
There are two main options – "Guide Me" and "I'm ready to ask!" Let's find out what will happen when you select "Guide Me." Upon choosing this option, the chatbot displays the following main menu:
• Prepare for your trip• Special arrangements for your trip!• Need to change something in your booking?• Got an issue with your flight at the airport?• After the flight…• Learn more about Scoot Insider or how to claim your Kris Flyer miles!
Under the option "Prepare for your trip," you get to select from "Baggage," "Meals," and "Seats." When you select "Baggage," the chatbot will tell you how much you can carry when you choose to fly with the airlines. At the same time, you can also enquire about the baggage fees, luggage in transit, and restricted items. Also, if you are curious about carrying musical instruments or sports equipment, the chatbot will give you additional information. For example, if you select "Sporting equipment," M.A.R.V.I.E informs you that it gets counted as a part of your regular baggage. However, as you have to deal with the risk of delay or damage, the chatbot asks you to get insurance for these items.
When you select "Meals," the chatbot will tell you everything about their in-flight spread. For example, 72 hours before your flight, you have the option of pre-ordering your food. When you use this service, you get a discount on your meal. You can take a look at the rates for different types of meals, along with the beverages.
If you are unsure about which type of class you want, the chatbot allows you to take a look at all its flying options through "seats." Here, the chatbot will give you the exact specifications of every seat. Some of these seat options come with FAQs so that you find answers to all your doubts.
Under "Prepare for your trip!" you will find "Check-in," "Connecting Flight," and "Travel Documents." If you select "Check-in," the chatbot will ask you to select from airport check-in, FAST kiosk, and web check-in. Depending on what you select, the chatbot will help you out accordingly. For example, if you are not sure about what details you have to submit for a web check-in, the chatbot has "Required Info." Similarly, if you have already completed checking-in, then you can use the chatbot to find out what you must do after the completion of this process.
M.A.R.V.I.E is one of the best chatbots available on Facebook Messenger, thanks to its impressive functionality. Even though the chatbot is still in its learning phase, it can complete the majority of the tasks without running into any problems. The chatbot has access to large volumes of information, making it easier to fly with Scoot.
Also, the chatbot can get into the specifics of every topic, which allows you to make decisions quickly. It also gives you useful tips, so that you have a pleasant and smooth experience when you fly with the company.
If you are planning on flying with Scoot, we recommend that you give M.A.R.V.I.E a shot on Facebook Messenger!
Facebook Link – https://www.facebook.com/flyscoot/.


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Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds Now that you know about machine learning and data mining we will zoom in on self-organizing maps. And I'm going to tell you more about how self-organizing maps work. Self-organizing maps have been invented by Kohonen in the early 1980s. They're a type of artificial neuron network. And they are normally applied in an unsupervised way. What I will try to do is apply self-organizing maps for clustering.
Skip to 0 minutes and 46 seconds The word map doesn't actually refer to a real GIS type of map. The map in self-organizing map is a lattice, a lattice of neurons like you see here. This is the lattice and these are the different neurons.
Skip to 1 minute and 8 seconds Now when we start the process of using this self-organizing map what we'll do is we'll have to fill every neuron with a factor of weights. Now such a factor of weights can have any length and is simply a vector containing different values. Maybe they are different variables that you have for a certain geographic location. But it can also be a time series. Maybe a series, let's say, the number of measles cases in each of your health centers.
Skip to 1 minute and 50 seconds The first you have to understand about self-organizing maps is that they are applied in two different modes. Training mode and mapping mode. I'll first tell you how training mode works. The first step in the training is actually we fill each of these neurons with a random sample from our training data set. And you see here the training data sets, perhaps these are my health centers. And this is the time series. I randomly take one and put them into these neurons. What I'm going to get is this. Each neuron contains a certain time series.
Skip to 2 minutes and 43 seconds Now the next step in the training is that I, again, am going to present the vectors from my training set to this lattice of neurons in order to train it. That will be done as follows. I present one of my vectors. And the self-organizing map will identify the best matching unit, the vector that most closely represents my sample.
Skip to 3 minutes and 19 seconds The next step is that that particular sample is actually adjusted. You see that this factor now has a tiny little bump. It doesn't only adjust to the vector in the best matching neuron, but it also applies this transformation to the vectors in the surrounding neurons. So what you will see is that initially it will, for example, in this area adjust all the factors. But during the process that area will become smaller and smaller. That is because we do not performance this only one time, but the training is an iterative process.
Skip to 4 minutes and 11 seconds Every time I take a sample from my training set, present it to my lattice, it will be identify the best matching unit, it will adjust it, but it will also adjust the surrounding area. And then when my number of iterations grows that area becomes smaller.
Skip to 4 minutes and 36 seconds Now after the training process I have a trained lattice. And that might look something like you see here. And what you see is that every neuron contains such a vector of weights and actually that the neurons that are close together have very similar vectors. That is because in the training process it doesn't only adjust the best matching unit, but also it's surrounding.
Skip to 5 minutes and 16 seconds Now sometimes or I must say quite often what we do is after training the lattice we apply a secondary clustering, grouping similar neurons or similar vectors together. That will greatly reduce the number of classes that we actually generate. There are different methods to do that. Different clustering techniques can be applied. But that is not part of this presentation. OK. We have a trained lattice. We have presented our training data to that lattice. And we have adjusted it to create the trained lattice. Now the next step is the mapping. What we want to do is we want to take a sample data set, present it, and map the data.
Skip to 6 minutes and 19 seconds The data set could be identical to your training data set, but it can also be a completely different one or perhaps different subsets of your training data.
Skip to 6 minutes and 36 seconds Now when we do that we take one of the samples. We present it, identify the best matching unit, and that will be the mapping unit. So in this case, what you see is that these neurons have numbers. Numbering goes from 1 here, 7 there, 8, 9, 10, 14, et cetera. So when we say, OK, this is the best matching unit. We know that we can put this vector in the neuron 19 class. After presenting the complete data set you can see that we could map that data set onto that lattice and that every sample would be in the best matching neuron.
Skip to 7 minutes and 32 seconds Now what we can do– and this is our example of measles in Iceland. What we have is we can see here that we have small dots on this map with numbers attached. These are actually our health centers. For each of them we have a time series ranging from 1946 up till 1970. During this period, we had several epidemic outbreaks. Now what we can do is we can train the lattice then represent each of these health units individually, map them onto the trained lattice to identify the class. Now when we do this several different elements are taken into account. If this would be our time series and this would be another time series, you can see they have a different amplitude.
Skip to 8 minutes and 38 seconds They can have a different number of measles cases. The different timing in peaks or onset of the epidemic. Or different duration of the peak. All these elements are taken into account. Now what we get then is that we can map this information back to space. We have identified the best matching neuron. You see here that the neuron 12– that is this one– is actually represented in purple. We have only one health center, Reykjavik, maps to this side of our lattice. Now what we also see is that there is quite a large group of green points here. Green points are health centers that are mapped to neurons 8, 9, or 11.
Skip to 9 minutes and 40 seconds And what you see is that they are very close to Reykjavik. So actually, we see that a spatial pattern emerged that we were previously not aware of.
Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs)
In this video you will be introduced to self-organizing maps, or so-called SOMs. It explains what SOMs are and how they typically work.
SOMs are a type of artificial neuron network. The word "map" doesn't actually refer to a real GIS type of map. The map in self-organizing map is a lattice. In this video you will learn about the process of using a self-organizing map. They are typically applied in two different modes. Training mode and mapping mode.
The video will also introduce you to the case study used in this in-depth topic. This is a case study on spatial-temporal diffusion of Measles in Iceland. If you want to learn more about this topic you can check the article referenced below.
Augustijn, E.-W. and R. Zurita-Milla (2013). "Self-organizing maps as an approach to exploring spatiotemporal diffusion patterns." International Journal of Health Geographics 12(1): 60.
© University of Twente


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What Is a Publicly Held Organization?
A publicly held, or publicly traded, organization offers its securities for sale to the general public and trades it stock on a stock exchange. Securities include stock in the company or shares of the company. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforces federal laws concerning publicly traded companies and the stock exchange. Publicly held organizations exchange a large degree of autonomy for increased access to capital and other financial advantages.
Companies often opt for public trading because of increased need for capital. Companies become larger or have plans for expansion or high-cost projects. Becoming a publicly traded company affords access to a larger and more diverse pool of investors, some of whom offer significant infusions of cash. Owners of private companies that go public might be suddenly wealthy since the value of the company on the stock exchange determines the value of stock the owners hold. Stern Business School at New York University cites the example of Netscape, which went public with a value of $2.1 billion making the two co-founders' shares worth $565 million and $58.25 million. Some of the stock exchanges are the American Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ , which is operated by the National Association of Securities Dealers.
Private vs. Public
A private company does not sell its stock to the public or trade its stock on the exchange. Stockholders in private companies often include the founder, family members and employees. Privately held companies do not have access to the external financing available to publicly traded companies. Attracting investors to supply capital is often more difficult, but the owners of private companies have more control over the company, more privacy and fewer regulations. Private companies must meet requirements for public trading, which include the minimum number of stockholders and value of assets. The founders of publicly traded companies eventually see a devaluing of their company shares and also are subject to the shareholders' control of the company, which could include removal of the founders.
Initial Public Offering
The initial public offering, or IPO, is the first time a company sells shares to the general public. A company that intends to make a public offering hires an investment banker to manage the process, sets the price for its stocks and files a prospectus and a registration statement with the SEC. The prospectus provides information about the value of the company, its financial history, forecasts for its future and how it plans to use the money raised from the initial public offering. The company may not sell shares or other securities until the SEC approves its filings.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal law requires publicly traded companies to make certain information available to the public. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, enforces these laws to help the public make informed investment decisions. The SEC monitors the activities of the companies being publicly traded, stock exchanges and the advisors, brokers and others involved in securities. Publicly traded companies are required to provide truthful information about the value of the companies, the securities being sold and the investment risks. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires publicly traded companies to submit periodic reports, including the annual 10-K report, to the SEC disclosing information about the company's finances and operations.
- New York University: From Private to Publicly Traded Firm - The Initial Public Offering
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: The Laws That Govern the Securities Industry
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Initial Public Offering (IBO)
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: The Investor's Advocate - How the SEC Protects Investors, Maintains Market Integrity, and Facilitates Capital Formation
Photo Credits
- John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images


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What do you do when you have a little bit of chinese noodles left over from lunch? You recycle, exactly. But instead of tossing them all together into a pan, why not try do something different. Asian bites of noodles and beef. Have a try yourself 😉
- cooked noodles
- beef
- chillies
- coriander
- spring onion
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- fish sauce
- oyster sauce
- egg
- heat some sesame oil in a pan and cook the beef, when it's almost cooked add a little bit of oyster and soy sauce and let it caramelize;
- take away the meat from the heat and leave it to rest;
- finely chop the veggies and mix them with the cooked noodles;
- combine the soy, fish and oyster sauce and the egg, mix well and add to the noodles;
- spray a minimuffin tin with some cooking oil and distritbute the mixture;
- cook in the oven at 230 °C for about 10 minutes and serve with a slice of the meat on top.


text:
By Dorothy
Desperate for pain relief and needing an honest answer?
Homeopathic remedies for pain management might work better for you!
Let me tell you our story:
Earlier this year, our publisher (Trina) got into a rear-end collision on a highway and injured her neck and spine. She was prescribed typical pain relief medication, which caused lots of uncomfortable side-effects (i.e., constipation and dizziness). She ventured further with chiropractors and acupuncture; this only easing her discomfort temporarily. Frustrated with her injuries, she searched for a new way to alleviate her symptoms.
After waiting with anticipation for this miracle pain reliever, Trina felt 60% better on day one.
These Italian homeopathic drops, Guna-Flam, were very effective at soothing pain initially upon ingestion and caused no side effects whatsoever. They are satisfying and relieve minor aches and soreness due to inflammation and trauma. There are tons of added benefits to this pain remedy; ingredients like anti interleukin and hypophysis are excellent in immune and hormonal support. Listed at the bottom of this article is a full list of active ingredients in the drops and their purposes.
Guna-Flam is FDA listed and regulated, with its intended use listed as "For the temporary relief of minor aches and pains due to acute and chronic inflammation, trauma, or acute fever" (Guna Inc). The medicine is produced by Guna Inc., "the most important pharmaceutical company in Italy in the field of biological medicine with a turnover of over 50 Million Euro" (Guna Inc). Lifegate.com's assessment gives them over 25% of their market share, gaining their success from producing high quality and efficient homeopathic medication. They pride themselves with being on the forefront of innovative, homeopathic medicine to provide consumers with the most advanced, cutting-edge pharmaceuticals and products.
Trina could not be more satisfied with the product, Guna- Flam, and she is happy to share her positive review. However, if it is you who is not satisfied with this, Amazon's customer's reviews can back up Trina's sanguine word. There are 6 reviews posted all raving with 4.8 out of 5 stars overall and the following words…
Great Product: "I purchased Guna -Flam on a suggestion from my doctor. I have fibromyalgia and arthritic issues in my joints. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this product works. It seems to work better than my prescription medications. It's does not get rid of all the pain but , it's enough of a change to let me move on with my day" (V. White, Amazon.com).
Recommend: "It is good for muscle and back pain and I believe it helps with a lot of chronic pain, but it is not a miracle drug or a potent painkiller" (Valeriya Efimova, Amazon.com).
Awesome Product: "great to help battle fevers for kids and adults. I use it with guna liver and guna lymph for drainage. arrive in good condition" (L. Allen, Amazon.com).
Overall, this homeopathic solution to minor aches and pains comes with high praise and a strong brand behind it. Not only does our own publisher, Trina Becksted, recommend these drops, but other consumers recommend it, too. Guna-Flam's producer, Guna, is a leader in the Italian homeopathic medicaments market and is a trusted and award winning name. As an athlete, I know I will be purchasing this product the next time a minor ache or pain slows me down.
Active Ingredient Strength Purpose
Aconitum napellus 6X, 12X, 30X,200X Pain Relief
Anti interleukin 1 alpha 4C Immune Support
Apis mellifica 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Swelling
Belladonna 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Fever
beta-Endorphin 6X Pain Relief
Bryonia alba 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Anti-inflammatory
Calcium sulfide 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Detoxification
Citricum acidum 3X Antioxidant
Conjunctiva tissue 12X, 30X, 200X Detoxification
Cuprum carbonicum 4X Antioxidant
Ferrum phosphoricum 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Fever
Hypophysis 200X Hormonal Support
Interleukin 10 4C Anti-inflammatory
Melatonin 4C Antioxidant
Natrum pyruvicum 3X Promote Cell Metabolism
Phytolacca decandra 6X, 12X, 30X, 200X Antibacterial
Pineal gland 6X Anti-inflammatory
Pyrogenium 30X, 200X Anti-inflammatory
TGF-beta-1 4C Immune Support


text: Not content to let Piranha 3D and the coming sequel-- Piranha 3DDD, of course-- steal all the schlocky fish thunder, Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis will be back this September with Shark Night 3D. At one point he was hoping to call it Untitled 3D Shark Thriller, and actually admitted to hating the Shark Night title, which is to-the-point but kinda generic. Apparently the title has stuck though, as we've been sent the first image from the film, which shows off everything the title promises plus some bare skin too.


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What lies at the heart of the biggest pop band in the world?
Before their recent hiatus, One Direction were undeniably the biggest pop band on the planet. After a meteoric rise to fame as a result of the UK's X Factor, five young men from Britain and Ireland went on to rack up five multi-platinum albums and sixteen hit singles, they broke touring records established by artists like Madonna and The Rolling Stones, collected numerous awards worldwide and gained a fanbase to envy acts with twice their seniority.
So why does it seem that we're never talking about their music?
When people think of One Direction, they rarely think of their artistic achievements, but rather their reportedly messy love lives, supposed baby mama dramas and manufactured party boy images. They think of Zayn Malik's apparently acrimonious split from the band, Harry Style's inappropriately aged girlfriends, Louis Tomlinson's explosive Twitter feuds and bizarre transition into fatherhood. Of course, after all of that, most of the general public couldn't even name the remaining members, despite the fact that musically, Niall Horan and Liam Payne contribute just as much as their more high-profile counterparts.
Are One Direction just another example of the destructive effect of fame or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Is this a case of good boys gone bad or are theories of sabotage behind the scenes more than just fan conspiracies? And above all else, what on earth is going on with Louis Tomlinson's baby?
BreatheHeavy investigates.
One Direction, like many other celebrities, have often been accused of engaging in 'fake' romantic relationships in order to boost their individual profiles. As long as celebrities have existed, PR executives have capitalized on the cross brand promotion that a fling can create. By tying two public figures with different demographics to each other, you stand to increase their fan-bases – celebrity A becomes of interest to celebrity B's fans and visa versa. It's manipulative, but it's a tried and tested promotional tool. It is not, however, a promotional tool which the public are blind to.
Naturally, when Harry Styles is pictured with Kendall Jenner or Taylor Swift, many fans see past the headlines and realise that their relationships are transparent. Similarly, with the release of Zayn Malik's music video for "Pillow Talk" featuring Gigi Hadid, people are beginning to raise their eyebrows at the couple's supposed affair, wondering if it was simply to gather attention for the visual accompaniment to Malik's first solo single.
So fans are sceptical of the boy's supposed relationships and they've become a topic of conversation across social media – discerning which romances are real and which aren't is no trouble for One Direction fans by now, their investigative skills rivaling many major government organisations. In the last eight months, however, the narrative appears to have taken a more sinister turn.
There is a section of One Direction fans who believe that Louis Tomlinson's child is not real – a section so large that at this stage it isn't unreasonable to wonder if those who don't believe in the existence of Freddie Reign Tomlinson outnumber those who do. They believe that much like the boys' previous public relationships, the baby is a tool to garner attention for their latest record, new music video and to distract from aspects of the band which aren't deemed appealing to the general public.
A natural reaction may be to laugh off their suspicions and, as many media outlets already have, accuse them of being unstable or deluded; the claims are so outlandish and so seemingly farfetched that it's quite easy to ignore or dismiss them. But let's not. Let's indulge the conspiracy and take a cold, hard look at the facts before we make assumptions.
We begin on July 14th 2015 when People Magazine first reported that unknown stylist Briana Jungwirth had fallen pregnant by Louis Tomlinson after a one night stand less than two months previously: the first piece of evidence that many suggest is suspect. Celebrities do not traditionally announce that they are pregnant until the second trimester as up to 75% of miscarriages occurring in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Moreover, there was no cause to announce the pregnancy so early (or indeed at all, had the couple so wished) – Briana Jungwirth herself is not a celebrity and since Louis Tomlinson was not seen with her again until after she gave birth, there was little to no chance of her being revealed to the public against her will.
The news was confirmed by Simon Cowell in The Sun on July 19th and confirmed by Tomlinson on Good Morning America (Aug 4th) in what we can objectively consider some of the most awkward 30 seconds in television history. "Thank you," Tomlinson says, "Obviously it's a very exciting time and, yeah, I'm buzzing," before the interview is quickly turned to Harry Styles who is accused of being less than enthusiastic about his band-mate's announcement. It's important to stop and ask why Simon Cowell appeared more excited about the baby than the father did.
This was to be one of only three occasions upon which that Louis Tomlinson would acknowledge his upcoming fatherhood before the baby's birth. In that time reports would fly that he had blacklisted all mentions of Briana Jungwirth and her child from interviews, when asked about his plans for One Direction's hiatus he would repeatedly emphasise that he was looking forward to having "no responsibilities", and the anomalies surrounding the situation would truly emerge.
For example, when Briana flew out to see One Direction perform in London, Tomlinson was not pictured interacting with the 24 year old purported mother-to-be, and instead went out clubbing every night that she was in town. To add insult to injury for Jungwirth, Louis appeared to quickly move on to another woman – Danielle Campbell, a young actress who's career was in desperate need of a high-profile boost.
Up until now we've been faced with evidence easily explained by coincidence but this is where the coincidences end.
Briana Jungwirth's family – including her cousin, Ashley Swartz and Grandmother, Marianna Casehave – have maintained a very active presence on social media, despite claims that she is an intensely private person and through their various accounts and many paparazzi pictures we can track the progress of Briana's baby bump.
It's clear to see that Jungwirth's bump has drastically changed in size and shape numerous times over the course of her pregnancy – especially between October and November 2015, when it grew an exponential amount. It has disappeared and reappeared and, in the final photograph, appears to be of such a peculiar shape that many people have no choice but to believe that Briana was using a prosthetic bump – much like the accusations leveled at Beyoncé in 2011. Even more suspiciously, when her pregnancy was publicly called into question, her cousin went on to post a picture of Briana's bare stomach, quite clearly heavily pregnant. Sadly, the shot did not have her face in so there was absolutely no way to verify her identity and many were left unimpressed.
Ultimately, the birth of, you know, an actual baby should have put an end to the speculation that Jungwirth wasn't pregnant, but it is the baby's birth which has garnered the most controversy. The initial announcement was inexplicably made by Briana's grandmother, Marianna Casehave, on her Instagram account @cyberwomannetwork. The post has since been deleted. In the hours that followed, there was no representative statement – in fact there has been no rep statement at any point in the last nine months – but details of the birth were sporadically leaked to One Direction fan accounts on Twitter.
Later that day, rather than spending time at the hospital, Louis Tomlinson was papped going to a Sunglass Hut. He walked past a convenient line of paparazzi, made sure to flash them his handwritten hospital wrist band, entered the store for less than a minute, turned around and promptly left. Later that night, Louis Tomlinson was confirmed by several eyewitnesses to be at On the Rox club in West Hollywood. By the time he took to his Twitter to confirm that his son had indeed been born, it was 4am in California; he was spotted leaving the club at 2. It is common practice for management to have access to their client's social media accounts – in yet another strange turn of events, the official One Direction Twitter was updated for the first time in 24 hours just minutes after Tomlinson's online announcement. Have you had enough coincidences yet?
I'm pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday 🙂 ? He is healthy and pretty amazing 🙂 I'm very happy!!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) January 23, 2016
In the days that followed, not one of Louis' bandmates, friends or family members would publicly congratulate him on the birth of his first child. The case could be made that they would express their sentiments privately, but in such a public affair the absence of comment speaks volumes.
The week that followed brought more speculation from fans that not all was what it seemed. The lack of details around the baby were considered strange – in a celebrity baby announcement there are five unspoken rules: the public will receive:
1. a name,
2. the date and time of birth,
3. the baby's weight,
4. a confirmation that both mother and baby are healthy
and 5. a request for privacy during the baby's first weeks of life.
A name would not come until 5 days later, the date and time of birth have never been confirmed, nor has the weight or health of the baby. As for privacy? The veritable torrent of paparazzi pictures which followed would indicate that no such luxury had been afforded the new parents.
Nor indeed has any been requested, seemingly. The very many pap pics were evidently taken on private property and from several angles indicating that the paparazzi had been called to the residence by someone who knew when Louis Tomlinson, who is a b-list celebrity at best, and Briana Jungwirth, who is not a celebrity at all, would be leaving her mother's condo with an infant's car seat covered in a blanket – likely supposed to imply that the baby was with them. The happy family would go on to be papped almost every day for a week, as Jungwirth left her house a baffling number of times for a new mother who was presumably still breastfeeding and recovering from childbirth.
Many fans and media outlets expressed shock at Briana's post pregnancy figure and it became common speculation that her body showed no signs of having been pregnant or giving birth. Not content with hearsay, BreatheHeavy contacted an medical professional (who preferred to stay anonymous) and had this to say about Jungwirth's appearance both during and after the pregnancy:
"Based on the legitimate pictures that were taken of her while pregnant, the shape of her abdomen is suspect. In one image she appears to be farther along in the pregnancy than she should be and in another she is significantly smaller. In the pictures released Monday, she would have been 4 days postpartum. Her body would still be swollen and most women, even with a binder, will wear loose, comfortable clothing and move with care. From the still photos we have of her, she does not seem to move that way."
They ends by saying:
"Taking all those things into consideration, no, I do not believe that woman gave birth to a child recently."
The final piece of the puzzle comes with Louis Tomlinson's first picture of the child, now named Freddie Reign Tomlinson. On January 27, Tomlinson shocked fans by acknowledging the baby with a black and white photo on his Instagram page, a blow to those who believed that there was in fact no child.
It has since been claimed that this image is heavily photoshopped, suggesting that Louis has never met the child in this picture. Buzzfeed Community user SAO puts it best when she writes, "Once again, in less than 24 hours doubts were cast as professional photographers and avid photoshoppers were taking to the internet to provide their opinions on this photo and suggesting that something was amiss."
When the contrast is altered it's clear that the baby is not touching Tomlinson's chest:
Many believe that the following image was the original used to create the shape of his face:
And when the two images are translucently laid across each other with image editing software:
There seems to be no doubt that this is the same photo, edited onto a picture like this to incorporate Louis' chest. Moreover, the shape of his shoulders and appearance of his eyelashes have been branded unnatural.
The most damning evidence of all, however, comes when we examine the Error Level Analysis of the image. In an edited picture, you'll see white pixels indicating where the image has been edited:
At this stage a simple survey of reality should tell you that this baby is not Louis Tomlinson's and that he is not complicit in pretending that it is.
An acceptance of the fact that there are far too many coincidences, inaccuracies and out-and-out lies surrounding this baby for the public narrative to be accurate does not come easily to all fans of Louis Tomlinson and One Direction. The idea that they have been deceived is not a comfortable one and not one they are willing or able to accept – this is hardly surprising.
We live in a cult of celebrity, we idolize our favorite pop stars and musicians because, now more than ever in the digital age, we feel close to them, we feel accepted by them, we feel loved by them. To learn that someone we love has lied to us is not a comfortable feeling.
But to simply say that Louis Tomlinson has lied does not feel like the full picture. His unwillingness to go along with the stunt as presented in the press speaks of a silent rebellion. Against what? We'll discuss that in part two of 'We Need to Talk About One Direction.'


text:
Under Mr Nolan's Bed (Revised)
Leah and Erica have been best friends and have gone to the same Catholic school since just about forever. Leah spends so much time with the Nolan's—just Erica and her handsome father, now, since Erica's mother died—that she's practically part of the family. When the girls find something naughty under Mr. Nolan's bed, their strict, repressive upbringing makes it all the more exciting as they begin their sexual experimentation. Leah's exploration presses deeper, and eventually she finds herself torn between her best friend and her best friend's father—but even she couldn't have predicted the shocking and bittersweet outcome of their affair.
READERS PLEASE NOTE: If you object to the taboo angle and would still like to read this story with an alternate (perhaps more satisfying) ending, check out FORBIDDEN FRUIT by Selena Kitt instead. FORBIDDEN FRUIT is a slightly less naughty, but no less sexy re-telling of Under Mr. Nolan's Bed--updated and redressed for your reading pleasure.
Warnings: This title contains erotic situations, lesbian sex, some very naughty taboo sex, sex toys, and also makes mention of pornography, salmon, amusement parks, chocolate covered strawberries, brownies (as well as girl scouts), plaid skirts, naughty uses for confessionals and some sacrilegious humor.


text: The primetime soap's third season picks up where season two ended, with Krystle finding Blake in the mountains and helping him get to a hospital. An investigation is also started to find Little Blake. While Little Blake is eventually found, a man named Adam finds out that he was also kidnapped as a child and is actually a Carrington. Krystle's past comes back to haunt her as well when Alexis meets her first husband, Mark. Meanwhile, Joseph's daughter, Kirby, comes to live with the Carringtons and is later hired as a nanny for Little Blake. Alexis and Blake travel to Indonesia to search for Steven after an oil rig he was working on explodes there. Sammy Jo decides to move to New York to become a model and announces that she no longer wants to keep her son. In the season finale, Alexis traps Krystle in a cabin and offers her $1 million to leave Blake before somebody sets the cabin on fire with them inside.


text:
Thames River (Connecticut)
The Thames River (/ˈθeɪmz/)[1] is a short river and tidal estuary in the state of Connecticut. It flows south for 15 miles (24 km)[2] through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic River and Shetucket River at Norwich, Connecticut, to New London and Groton, Connecticut which flank its mouth at Long Island Sound. The Thames River watershed includes a number of smaller basins and the 80-mile-long Quinebaug River, which rises in southern Massachusetts and joins the Shetucket River about four miles northeast of Norwich.[3][4]
|Thames River
Sailboat at the Thames River, seen from the waterfront in New London, Connecticut
|United States
|New London
|Physical characteristics
|The Yantic and Shetucket rivers merging
|⁃ location
|⁃ coordinates
|Long Island Sound
⁃ location
|New London and Groton
⁃ coordinates
|15 miles (24 km)
|⁃ minimum
|377 feet (115 m)
|⁃ maximum
|4,348 feet (1,325 m)
The river has provided important harbors since the mid-17th century. It was originally known as the Pequot River after the Pequot Indians who dominated the area. Other early names for the river have included Frisius, Great, Great River of Pequot, Little Fresh, Mohegan, New London, and Pequod. The town was officially named New London in 1658 and the estuary river was renamed Thames after the River Thames in London, England.[5]
The United States Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, a U.S. Navy submarine base, and the Electric Boat submarine shipyard are located on the river at New London and Groton. USS Nautilus was launched into the river on January 21, 1954 from Electric Boat, becoming the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.[6]
Two historic forts overlook the mouth of the river at New London harbor, now Connecticut State Parks: Fort Griswold on the eastern Groton Heights, and Fort Trumbull on the New London side.
The Harvard-Yale Regatta is held annually in New London.
New London's Sailfest is an annual event which includes OpSail, a gathering of large sailing vessels, including the U.S. Coast Guard training ship USCGC Eagle.
|Mohegan-Pequot Bridge
|New London/
|Gold Star Memorial Bridge
|Thames River Bridge
- "How New London, Connecticut, Got Its Name". The New London Gazette. The Oldham Publishing Service. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
- Eastern Connecticut Conservation District. accessed June 24, 2112
- "GNIS Detail - Thames River". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- "How New London, Connecticut, Got Its Name". The New London Gazette. The Oldham Publishing Service. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- "USS Nautilus: A record-breaking sub". BBC News. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2019.


text:
Intrepid cyclists boost Ely Foodbank with £2,000 donation
PUBLISHED: 08:57 29 May 2014
A group of intrepid cyclists raised more than £2,000 for Ely Foodbank by completing a mammoth cycle ride from the Isle of Ely to the Isle of Anglesey.
Members of the Octagon Cycling Club set out from King's Ely early on Saturday morning on a 300-mile round trip to Anglesey, in Wales, known as the Twin Isles Ride.
They gruelling feat saw the group climb some 16,000 feet of hills, slopes and mountains while burning an average of 8,000 calories each per day.
Day one was the biggest challenge for the group, with many long, steep hills and a mountain to contend with before making their overnight stop, in Bangor.
Day two saw the team arrive in Anglesey over the Menai Bridge before returning to England and arriving in Worcester for a second overnight stop.
They arrived back in Ely on Monday and were greeted by family and friends at about 7.30pm.
The group exceeded their £2,000 target for Ely Foodbank and now hope to be able to match that and give another £2,000 to other local charities.
Donations are still being taken online at https://localgiving.com/octagon-twin-isles-ride
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Ely Standard. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


text:
The lease on my 2015 LEAF S ends soon. My plan is to turn it in and purchase (not lease) the ePlus when it becomes available.
The dealer from which I leased the 2015 apparently doesn't want to inventory LEAFs. I think their clientele is more geared to pickup trucks. There have been no 2108 or 2019 LEAFs on their lot. The one I leased was on the lot for at least 6 months, and I got a great discount.
So, I plan to buy the new one from a dealer in a different town. Do you think the best strategy is to turn in the old car at the new dealer, assuming the 2019 ePlus is not yet available? Perhaps the anticipation of future sale would count for points in my favor. Or, is a turn-in a liability to the dealer?


text:
Alas, not featuring those lovable chimps we all know and love but this Vintage PG Tips Cushion from Liz Padgham-Major is a real retro treat for those lovers of the great British beverage.
Textile designer Liz Padgham-Major has taken a vintage PG Tips branded tea towel and upcycled it to make this unique, charming and comfy addition to your home. The tea towel has been cut and stitched giving it a real vintage, homespun feel. An absolute must for tea drinkers.
£40 from Brighton POD online.


text:
Mcalinden rentals, holiday lettings direct from the owners
You will find many studios, flats, houses and villas for your holiday in Mcalinden. Contact the owners directly on the IHA site and enjoy the best rental prices, promotions and last minute deals that meet your budget. Visit the picture gallery on private lettings for a break with family or friends. All holiday listings on IHA are verified, plan your journey to Mcalinden with absolute confidence!
1 bedroom Bungalow for rent for 2 people
Mcalinden rentals - Western Australia - Mcalinden Bungalow rentals
$A1954* week
book direct with the owners
from $A279/Night*
See the rates
Advert 13696
Display the map
Hidden Grove Retreat Luxury Chalet Bungalow 100m² in a charming property. unobscured, not overlooked, country side, farmland viewBungalow Rental in Mcalinden #13696 >Parking
Interior facilities
- 1 Bathroom
- Living room 35m²
- Kitchen Area
- Dining area
- Mezzanine
- Veranda
- Countryside holidays
- Ideal for couples and honeymoon
- Setting : Tranquil, Picturesque
- Forest at <50m
View the advert
2 bedrooms Bungalow for rent near Mcalinden from 1 to 6 people
Balingup rentals, at 39km from Mcalinden - Western Australia - Mcalinden Bungalow rentals
Breakfast included
book direct with the owners
Advert 23292
Display the map
Balinga Cottages Charming Chalet Bungalow in a farm setting. unobscured, country side, farmland, forest viewBungalow Rental in Balingup #23292 >TennisParkingBaby chair
Interior facilities
- 1 Bathroom
- 1 Shower room
- Living room
- Typical style kitchen
- Dining area
- 3 Double bed(s)
- Countryside holidays
- Ideal for all age groups and honeymoon
- Children welcome
- Setting : Picturesque, Country setting
- Bus stop / bus station at 500m
- Family Holiday Destinations
- Fishing
View the advert


text:
Forgot username or password?
Hey there! I have two questions before I open a send a request for opening a store:
Thank you for your help!
Great questions!
You don't need to have your payment settings ready before you start selling. Your balance will simply accumulate in the meantime.
At this time you can't group products within a store. We are constantly updating our website and are working on new cool features for sellers, so keep an eye out on that!


text:
Prepared by Russell Sias, La Paz County, AZ chairman
and member of the AZGOP bylaws committee
Russell Sias Submission Letter to AZGOP Secretary Gabriela Mercer
and member of the AZGOP bylaws committee
Russell Sias Submission Letter to AZGOP Secretary Gabriela Mercer
See all 8 Russell Sias articles on this subject
See all 8 Russell Sias articles on this subject
Article 1 -- Purpose
To put into action, and to promulgate, the spirit and values of republicanism on which our nation was founded, via a platform that honors and carries forth those values. To recruit, train, and support people of substance who honor and live by republican values, as candidates for public office who will faithfully represent the best interests of the people of Arizona and the nation. To operate the Republican Party, as a defender of the principles of the republic, thus, as a force for good in Arizona's political and legislative arenas, standing firmly on constitutional principles, regardless of political pressures of the day. To truthfully inform and educate Republican voters about the issues and candidates, during election campaigns, and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Candidates who do not demonstrably and verifiably embody the culture of good character, constitutionalism, America First, and uncompromising state and national sovereignty, or who cannot demonstrate knowledge of constitutional principles sufficient to make legislative decisions that support republicanism, are not qualified to run for office as Arizona Republicans, and shall not be supported by the party. The Arizona Republican Party renounces the culture or philosophy known by names such as "Republican-in-Name-Only" (RINO), "moderate," and "the establishment." The party recognizes that this culture represents a political perspective which is not Republican, and which is a subversive and destructive element that is both foreign to, and incompatible with, the constitutional principles on which the Republican Party was founded.
Article II -- MEMBERSHIP
A. Election
The State Committee of the Arizona Republican Party shall consist, in addition to the chairmen of the several county committees, of one member of the state committee for every three members of the county committee elected pursuant to ARS 16-821. The state committeemen shall be elected for a two-year term at the statutory meeting of the county committee's elected membership. In counties of 500,000 or more population, state committeemen posts shall be allocated proportionately to the numbers of elected precinct committeemen in each legislative district.
B. Vacancies
In addition to vacancies created by death or resignation, in counties with populations of less than 500,000 persons, a vacancy shall exist in the state committee when a member moves from the county from which he/she was elected. In counties with populations of 500,000 or more persons, a vacancy shall exist in the state committee when a member moves from the legislative district from which elected. All members must be members of their county committees.
C. Filling of Vacancies
The county chairman shall appoint a replacement for a vacancy in the office of state Committeeman. In counties with populations of 500,000 or more persons, such appointments shall also require the advice and consent of the chairman of the district in which the vacancy occurred and shall be filled by a person who resides in that district.
Article III -- MEETINGS
A. Statutory Organizational Meeting
The statutory organizational meeting shall convene no earlier than ten days after the last county statutory meeting and no later than the fourth Saturday in January in each odd-numbered year. The state chairman shall cause notice of the time, place and rules of such meeting to be mailed to each state committeeman at least ten days prior to the meeting via U.S. Mail. At the meeting, the state committee shall organize itself by electing from its membership a chairman, a secretary, and a treasurer and shall transact such other business as may properly come before it.
B. Mandatory Meeting
The mandatory meeting of the state committee shall be held in January of each even-numbered year to receive reports of officers, to elect non-statutory officers, and to conduct such other business as may properly come before the meeting. and rules of said meeting to be mailed by the secretary to each state committeeman at least ten days before the meeting, via U.S. Mail.
C. Special Meetings
Special meetings may be held at any time. Requirements:
1. A written call issued by the state chairman, or signed by 20% or more of the members of the state committee representing at least nine counties, or signed by 40% of the voting members of the executive committee;
2. Written notice of the call shall contain the object, or objects, of the special meeting and the time and place of the special meeting, and shall be mailed to every member of the state committee by the secretary at least ten days before the meeting, via U.S. Mail. The call shall contain the object or objects of the special meeting. The written notice of the call must be delivered to the secretary at least thirty (30) days before the date of the proposed meeting. In the event of a written notice of a call issued by members of the state committee or of the executive committee, the secretary shall immediately notify each person or group who may be impacted by the object of the meeting and give them ten days to inspect the call and challenge any questionable signatures. If at the expiration of such time, the required number of qualified signers remains, the secretary shall mail the notice of the call.
3. No business other than that stated in the notice of call shall be transacted at a special meeting.
D. Quorum
One third of the members of the state committee must be present in person and representing at least eight counties in order to constitute a quorum for any meeting. If a quorum shall fail to attend at the time and place fixed for any meeting, a majority present in person may adjourn the meeting from time to time without notice other than an announcement at the meeting until a quorum shall be present, at which time any business may be transacted at the original meeting
E. Manner of Voting
Members shall cast their ballots only when present in person. In every ballot the votes shall be counted individually. A roll call vote shall be taken on the demand of 10% of the members present in person. No voting by unit rule shall be permitted. On any vote utilizing a written ballot, the resulting vote count (Teller's Report) shall be read to attendees and included in all copies of the minutes.
F. Order of Business
1. Parliamentary Practice
The latest version of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the state committee when they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.
2. Statutory Meetings
The order of business for statutory organizational meetings shall be:
(a) Call to Order
(b) Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance;
(c) Program – State Chairman's introduction (Speakers may be scheduled to accommodate their schedules and to fill gaps, such as waiting for ballot counts, in the meeting.);
(d) Credentials Committee report and declaration of quorum;
(e) Rules and standing Committee reports;
(f) Treasurer's report;
(g) Election of statutory officers;
(h) Congressional district caucuses to elect state executive committee members;
(i) Other business;
(j) Adjourn.
3. Mandatory Meetings
The order of business for mandatory meetings shall be:
(a) Call to order;
(b) Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance;
(c) Program – State chair introduction (Speakers may be scheduled to accommodate their schedules and to fill gaps, such as waiting for ballot counts, in the meeting.) ;
(d) Credentials Committee report and declaration of quorum;
(e) Rules and standing Committee reports:
(f) Reports of officers including treasurer;
(g) Election of non-statutory officers;
(h) Other business;
(i) Adjourn
4. Special Meetings
The order of business for special meetings shall be:
(a) Call to order;
(b) Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance;
(c) Proof of Proper Notice of the Call;
(d) Credentials Committee report and declaration of quorum;
(e) Rules Committee report;
(f) Business as stated in the call;
(g) Adjourn.
G. Resolutions
1. Resolutions Committee
Resolutions may be offered by any registered Republican, but shall be submitted to the Resolutions Committee by a member of the state committee. The committee shall consist of one member from each county with population under 500,000 registered Republicans, and one member from each legislative district in counties with populations over 500,000 registered Republicans; each committee member shall be recommended by his/her county or district chairman. The committee shall elect its chairman.
2. Procedures
a. The Resolutions committee shall meet at the call of the Resolutions Chairman to consider proposed resolutions. Resolutions, other than memorial, may be no more than 400 words long and must be submitted 60 days before the scheduled state party meeting in order to be reviewed by the resolutions committee.
b. The committee may initiate, recommend, modify any committee-generated resolution.
c. Committee members shall work with the submitter of a resolution for the intent of creating proper and legal language. Should the resolution committee, or a member working with the submitter of a resolution not be able to agree on suggested changes to a resolution, the resolution shall be sent to the full assembly as submitter requests with the recommendation from the resolution committee as to the resolution
d. Motions to table or to close or limit debate are not allowed.
e. All resolutions submitted to the committee shall be sent with the committee's recommendations and vote count to each state committeeman with the notice of call of the meeting.
3. Memorials
Resolutions memorializing deceased individuals may be submitted to the state chairman or executive director at any time.
4. Floor Resolutions
Any resolutions may be brought to the floor if sponsored by at least 20% of the state committeemen present in person and representing at least four counties. Each such resolution, unless previously submitted to the resolutions committee and included with the call, must be submitted in sufficient copies for all state committeemen present for review. Floor resolutions will allow presentation from the floor and limited debate.
Article IV— OFFICERS
A. List of Officers and Terms of Office
1. Statutory Elective Officers
Chairman, secretary, and treasurer: two-year terms beginning and ending at statutory organizational meeting.
2. Non-Statutory Elective Officers
First, second, and third vice chairman; assistant secretary; assistant treasurer; sergeant at arms and assistant; two-year terms beginning and ending at mandatory meeting.
3. Appointive Officers
The state chairman shall appoint a chaplain, finance chairman, general counsel, registration chairman, education chairman and such other officers, as may be helpful from time to time. Officers shall hold office for the term specified and until their successors are qualified unless sooner removed as provided in these bylaws.
B. Qualifications for Elective Officers
Elective officers of the state committee and elected members of the executive committee from the congressional districts shall be members of the state committee, at the time of their election. In the choice of persons for office, there shall be no discrimination because of sex, race, creed, color, age, religion or national origin.
C. Method of Electing Officers
1. The statutory elective officers of the state committee and members of the executive committee from the congressional districts shall be elected at the statutory organizational meeting. The non-statutory elective officers shall be elected at the mandatory meeting of the state committee. Election shall be determined by the majority of the members of the state committee present in person, or in the case of an executive committee member from a congressional district, by a plurality of the members of the state committee present in person, and voting at the district caucus. Any state committeeman desiring to run for office should state their intentions to the state chairman via the county chairman.
2. Prior to the statutory organizational and mandatory meetings, with the advice and consent of the executive committee the state chairman shall appoint and publish a nominating committee and chairman thereof to recruit candidates for statewide party offices. The nominating committee shall meet before the call is issued. The report of the nominating committee shall be included in the call of the meeting. This report shall not preclude nominations from the floor.
D. Removal of Officers
An elective officer of the state committee may be removed at any time by a vote to that effect by the membership of the state committee, but an elective officer may not be removed at a special meeting unless his/her proposed removal is set forth in the notice of the call of the meeting as one of the items of business of such meeting. Appointive officers shall serve subject to the pleasure of the state executive committee.
E. Filling of Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy in any of these offices, the elected assistant shall perform the duties of the office for the remainder of the unexpired term.
1. In case of a vacancy in the office of the National Committeeman or National Committeewoman, each congressional district shall select a representative to serve on the Nominating Committee. This committee shall be chaired in the case of the National Committeeman vacancy, by the National Committeewoman; or in the case of the National Committeewoman vacancy, the National Committeeman. The Nominating Committee shall review all candidates to ensure that they meet requirements for precinct committeeman and state committeeman. The Nominating Committee shall recommend to the State Executive Committee two (2) candidates to hold the vacated office. The State Executive Committee shall elect one of the two nominees by majority vote at the next scheduled State Executive Committee meeting, to complete the term of the vacated office. There will be no nominations from the floor.
F. Duties of Elective Officers
1. Chairman
a. The state chairman serves at the pleasure of the membership of the state committee, which has sole power to elect and to vote to remove elective officers, without cause.
b. The state chairman shall be the recognized leader of the state party and, in cooperation with the state executive committee shall coordinate statewide party activities.
c .The chairman shall call for volunteers to serve on all committees formed. Committees shall, as the first order of business, hold a vote of the committee members, to elect a chairman. Committee chairmen shall serve at the pleasure of the committee members.
d. The state chairman shall have such usual powers of supervision and management as may be required for the effective functioning of the state party headquarters and staff, or as shall be assigned to him/her by the state committee.
e. The chairman, or his/her designee, shall be responsible for the preparation of the annual proposed budget of the state committee. Such budget shall be a fully executed budget document.
f. The chairman, or his/her designee shall adhere to the party platform.
g. The chairman shall provide complete access to, and/or surrender, all documents, paper or digitized, including correspondence, balloting records, procedurals, and financial records, to the membership of the state committee, upon demand, and without prior notice, qualification, or delay. The state chairman shall not withhold from other AZGOP elective officers any documents pertaining to their duties, as designated in the bylaws.
2. Secretary
a. The secretary shall keep minutes of all state committee and executive committee meetings, transmit all calls for meetings, and perform such other functions as may be incidental to the office or assigned by the state chairman. He/she shall be responsible to preserve all permanent records of the state committee and relinquish them to his/her successor within 10 days of being replaced.
b. Failure to timely surrender to their successor, all records, recordings, minutes, and all other materials relating to the position of secretary, shall be cause for permanent expulsion from the state party.
c. The secretary shall see that all meetings, including committee meetings, are recorded either by audio or video.
3. Treasurer
a. The treasurer shall receive all monies provided for the state committee, be custodian of all funds received, and disburse same upon order of the state chairman. All checks shall be signed by the treasurer or his/her appointed representative and countersigned by the state chairman or his/her appointed representative, who shall not be the treasurer's representative.
b. The treasurer shall present an annual report to the state committee and periodic reports to the chairman and the executive committee at such times as they may designate. All persons authorized to sign checks on any state committee account shall be bonded for at least $100,000.
c. The treasurer's records shall be audited or reviewed by a disinterested certified public accountant whenever the chairman or treasurer leaves office, before each statutory meeting, and at such times as the chairman or the executive committee require.
d. Incoming treasurer shall have immediate and continuing access to all previous financial records.
e. Failure to timely surrender all records, and all other materials relating to the position, to their successor shall be cause for permanent expulsion from the state party.
f. Disbursements of over $1000 shall require approval by the executive committee.
4. First Vice Chairman
In the state chairman's absence or in the event of a vacancy in that office, shall perform the duties of the state chairman until a successor has been elected. Assist the state chair in the administration of the party.
5. Second and Third Vice Chairman
Should the occasion arise, shall perform the duties of the next higher officer. Assist the state chair in administration of the party.
6. Sergeant at Arms
The sergeant at arms shall attend all state committee meetings and maintain order.
7. Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant at Arms
In the absence of the secretary, treasurer, or sergeant at arms, or in the event of a vacancy in any of these offices, the elected assistant shall perform the duties of the office.
G. Duties of Appointive Officers
1. Chaplain
The chaplain shall, at the opening of each meeting, invoke Divine guidance of the proceedings or designate someone to do so.
2. Finance Chairman
The finance chairman shall raise funds for the party. He/she shall disburse no funds.
3. General Counsel
The general counsel shall advise the chairman and the committees on all legal matters and act as parliamentarian at all meetings of the state committee and executive committee.
4. Registration Chairman
The registration chairman, in coordination with the county registration chairman, shall develop a statewide registration organization and implement programs to maximize Republican registration.
5. Education Chairman
The education chairman, in coordination with the county education chairman, shall provide an appropriate manual and ensure that all precinct committeemen are properly trained. Education committee chairman shall support training as needed.
6. Technology Chairman
The technology chairman shall be responsible for maintaining optimal functioning of the Arizona Republican Party website, determining the technologies to be used by the Arizona Republican Party, and help to ensure that all counties and legislative districts have a web presence, and shall perform such other duties as are assigned by the Chairman.
Article V— STANDING COMMITTEES
A. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the State Committee's shall consist of the state party chairman, the national committeeman and committeewoman, the chairman from each county, and the chairmen of the standing committee. The executive committee shall approve the annual budget and review and oversee and counsel the state chairman on all programs relating to the state party. The executive committee shall meet monthly during election years and quarterly during non-election years. The executive committee shall insure that the AZ GOP bylaws are complied with. The executive committee shall establish the party platform. The party platform shall be approved at the mandatory meeting bi-annually.
1. The chairman of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.
2. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called at any time upon petition to the state party secretary by five or more members of the executive committee. The date of the meeting shall be set no later than 30 days after notification to the secretary. The reasons for said meeting shall be included in the notice of the call. The Secretary shall send the notice of the call to each member, within seven days of notification, via US mail or electronic means.
3. A quorum for the executive committee shall consist of representation of no less than 8 counties who shall be voting members present and in person. The state chairman shall not be a voting member of the executive committee. If a quorum shall fail to attend in person at the time and place fixed for the executive committee meeting, a majority present in person may adjourn the meeting from time to time without notice other than an announcement at the meeting until a quorum shall be present, at which time any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the original meeting.
B. Finance Committee – The finance committee shall include at least one precinct committeeman as representative from each county, appointed by the county chairman. The finance committee shall assist the finance chairman in raising funds for the Party.
1. The chairman of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.
C. Precinct Committeeman Recruitment & Training Committee – The state chairman shall appoint a Chairman of Precinct Committeeman Recruitment & Training who shall in turn solicit a member from each county or LD to organize recruitment and training of precinct committeemen for that county or LD.
D. Credentials Committee – An individual shall be appointed by the state chairman to establish a credentials committee to determine if attendees at meeting are qualified and whether or not a quorum is met. The credentials committee shall deliver a credentials report at each meeting. The content of that report shall be provided to the Secretary, for inclusion in the minutes of the meeting.
1. The chairman of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.
E. Rules Committee – An individual shall be appointed by the state chairman to establish a rules committee. The rules committee shall consist of one member from each county, and in counties with more than 500,000 population, from each LD.
1. The chairman of the committee shall be elected by the members of the committee.
F. Federal Advisory Committee – Shall consist of three (3) members for each of the congressional districts elected at the statutory caucus. They will elect their own chairman and rules of order, and keep the executive committee and state chairman apprised of federal implications and federal laws.
G. Bylaws Committee
Shall consist of one member from each county with population under 500,000 registered Republicans, and one member from each legislative district in counties with populations over 500,000 registered Republicans. The Bylaws committee shall elect its chairman. A Bylaws committee member can be removed from the committee by a vote to that effect by those who elected him/her.
1. Procedures
a. The purpose of the Bylaws Committee is to consider new bylaws or change in existing bylaws, as needed. Bylaws changes may also be offered by any precinct or state committeeman, but shall be submitted to the Bylaws Committee by a member of the state committee. Bylaws Committee members shall work with the submitter of a bylaws or bylaws change with the intent of creating proper and legal language. Should the committee, or a member working with the submitter of a bylaw, or bylaw change, not be able to agree on suggested changes to a bylaw, the submitter may request that the bylaw be considered by the full assembly. In that event, the Bylaws committee may submit to the assembly its recommendations regarding the bylaw or bylaw change submitted.
b. Submissions of new bylaws or bylaws changes will be accepted by the committee at any time, but will not be presented to the assembly if delivered later than 60 days before the next scheduled state party meeting.
c. A copy of all proposed bylaws amendments, together with a statement explaining the purpose to be achieved and the reasons in support thereof shall be mailed to each member by the secretary with the notice of the call for that meeting. The chairman and/or members of the Bylaws Committee may report to the assembly, at the scheduled meetings, as needed. A two-thirds vote of the members present, in person, shall be necessary to pass any motion to amend.
A. Duration of Bylaws
Last amended January 27, 2018 by the Arizona Republican Party State Committee. Gabriel Mercier, State Party Secretary
B. Applicability of Bylaws
These bylaws apply fully to the county committees of the Arizona Republican Party. County bylaws may not conflict with these bylaws.


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Well I haven't had a book rated less than 3 stars all year so I guess I was due for a stinker.
I started a book club last month for fans of the new podcast My Favorite Murder. If you're a fan of true crime, I highly recommend it. This book was the first selection and it was not good. It reminded me of a few papers I wrote in college (thankfully just a few) where I procrastinated like hell and when I finally sat down to write, I realized I did not have enough information gathered and I had zero time gather more. I just bullshitted and quoted like crazy to fill the space until I was done. That's what this book reads like; A half-assed research paper.
Unless you've been living under a rock or maybe if you're super young, you know who Jeffrey Dahmer was. He was a serial killer who murdered 17 young men, mostly gay and mostly racial minorities. This book was originally published in 1991, before Dahmer's trial had even concluded and the ramifications of his crimes could truly be felt. The writer tried for a more high brow approach to crime writing by adding local history. This can be an effective technique if it's done correctly and it's relevant to the narrative. The writer spends dozens of pages on the history of Akron, Ohio. Dahmer's childhood home is located in Bath Township, which is a suburb of Akron but otherwise has nothing to do with the story. I can only assume Don Davis is from Akron and wanted to use some hometown history to fill out his book.
There are some interesting parts. The murders did expose the racial divides that existed in Milwaukee and caused a great deal of social and political tension in the city. It would have been interesting to see how all of that shook out given some time and perspective. But this was lost in the rush to publish this book while Jeffrey Dahmer was still in the news.
There are excellent true crime books. Ann Rule, Jon Krakauer and Erik Larsen have written some great ones. Do yourself a favor and pick up one of their books and give this one a pass.


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Seven-inch tablets are getting cheaper by the day. In September, Amazon introduced a new Kindle Fire tablet with an asking price of just $159. Now, DigiTimes reports that Google and Asus may soon one-up Amazon, releasing a version of their famous Nexus 7 slate priced as low as $129—and possibly even lower.
Quoting unnamed industry sources, the site says Google and Asus have added a new supplier for the Nexus 7's touch panel. That supplier's panel technology is supposed to help reduce costs and allow for a thinner device. Word is that the cheaper Nexus 7 based on that technology could be priced as low as $99, although "market observers" reckon a price tag in the $129-149 range is "most likely." Asus and Google can only cut costs so much.
The cheaper Nexus 7 is expected as early as the first quarter of 2013. However, since the first quarter is often the year's low point for sales, DigiTimes says Google may choose to hold off until Q2.
Right now, the cheapest Nexus 7 still costs $199. Google has already taken steps to keep up with Amazon and the iPad mini, of course. In October, Google scrapped the 8GB version of the tablet, brought the 16GB model down from $249 to $199, and introduced a higher-capacity, 32GB variant at $249.