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Women's Fiction
Stories you won't forget.
Parting Gifts by Tracy Tripp is the most beautiful contemporary Christian novel. Just once in a while, a novel comes along that just 'speaks' to my soul and Parting Gifts is that novel. It warmed my heart, and I never wanted it to end. ~ Christian Bookaholic, Julia Wilson
Parting Gifts
Sarah has a secret.
Life-long friends, Mary and Sarah, would do anything to protect each other. But when Sarah goes up against a neighborhood stalker, the unimaginable happens. After a lifetime of avoiding her pain and shame by pushing away her loved ones, even her cherished family memories have turned dark. Now a dying older woman, Sarah must decide. Is taking her secret to the grave selfish, or is she again protecting the ones she loves?
Parting Gifts: Trigger Warning
Please click the button to see the trigger warning if you are sensitive to some topics.
Well written. Reminiscent of the style of leading romance writers and with much depth of understanding of family and love relationships. Mary Foca, author of Defy the Winds
Still Life
Jacob sits in jail awaiting trial for a fatal hit-and-run accident, hating himself for the pain that he has caused his family, petrified that more secrets will be discovered. He will do anything to keep his family together until he realizes the cold hard truth that he may have already lost them. Worse yet, the only person who can save him is the one who wants him destroyed. Everywhere Samantha turns, she is met with judgment and betrayal until the victim's husband asks to meet with her. Disregarding the voice that eventually makes her wonder about his intentions, and desperate to bring her family back from the tragedy, she agrees. Soon she finds herself craving much more than his conversation and is torn between two uncertain futures.


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Stone Temple Pilots is a hard rock and grunge/metal band from San Diego, California. Led originally by Scott Weiland the band skyrocketed to stardom in the early 1990's with the release of their seminal album Core. The band released five more albums under the vocal leadership of Weiland, but drug addiction and substance abuse kept them from regularly releasing albums consistently. Albeit, infighting between the DeLeo brothers and Weiland also derailed the band often.
A dispute with Atlantic Records shelved their last effort with Scott Weiland for a few years, eventually releasing the album the self-titled work Stone Temple Pilots in 2010. After Weiland's death in 2015 from a drug overdose the band recruited other singers, including their current singer Jeff Gutt. Chester Bennington also fronted STP for a few years before his death in 2017. They have released two more albums since Weiland's death.
The band chose their name because they loved the initials STP. The group has played and performed continuously since their inception, only breaking from 2004 to 2008 during a hiatus. Much of the band's friction came from Scott Weiland's substance abuse and fighting with Dean and Robert DeLeo, the band's guitar and bassist, respectively.
Studio Albums
- Core (Released in 1992)
- Purple (Released in 1994)
- Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (Released in 1996)
- No. 4 (Released in 1999)
- Shangri-La Dee Da (Released in 2001)
- Stone Temple Pilots (Released in 2010)
- Stone Temple Pilots (Released in 2018)
- Perdida (Released in 2020)
Album Artwork
Band Members (Past & Present)
- Scott Weiland (Lead Singer/Deceased)
- Chester Bennington (Lead Singer/Deceased)
- Jeff Gutt (Lead Singer)
- Dean DeLeo (Lead Guitar)
- Robert DeLeo (Bassist)
- Eric Kretz (Drummer)

subset: commoncrawl


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We are anxious to support you.
We are anxious to support you.
Find some resources for diving deeper into PrincipalED below. If you don't see what you need reach out to us at email@example.com.
PRINCIPALED Book Study.pdf
Our book study is here!
Our book study is here!
Check out this PrincipalED facilitation guide for our PrincipalED book study! This book is organized into four sections: REFLECT, FOCUS, CONNECT, and CARE. The book study works nicely in either four or seven sessions depending on what works for your team.
PrincipalED Book Study Question Cards .pdf
The DBC PrincipalED book study
The DBC PrincipalED book study
Here is another fun way to dive into the book with a group of educators. These slides and cards work well for a fun interactive way to get the conversation going. Visit the DBC website for more ideas on how to play and learn.


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Walk Ride Rodeo Trailer
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Watch and Download the Official Trailer Movie Teaser (2019).
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Amberly Snyder (Spencer Locke)'s dreams of a college scholarship and pro rodeo career are brought to a halt when she's involved in a devastating accident. Now unable to use her legs, she refuses to give up on her dreams and instead decides to fight her way back into competitive barrel racing. Based on the incredible true story, Walk. Ride. Rodeo co-stars Missi Pyle, Bailey Chase, Sherri Shepherd and Max Ehrich.
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As some of you might already know, I have developed a passion for the act of writing. Well, while my normal blogging days do not allow me to write fictional stories, I thought about using the current Christmas time and dedicate the whole week to the continuation of my last years CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. In case you haven't read the short story yet, you can find the start of it here.
For me personally, it is very interesting to see how I have improved my writing skills over the last 12 month. And honestly, I am impressed with the outcome, but better read it yourself! Well, in case you enjoy the little journey into this fictional scene I have created, feel free to share it with your friends and help them as well, to forget about this virus out there for a little while.
I wish you and your family a joyful Christmas time, a happy new year and of course all the best for the future! Take care! Stay healthy! Stay at home! And share this story with the world!
A short story written by Andreas Röding
Wednesday, 23th of December 2020
Like an invisible virus, the heat of the fireplace started to slowly spread all over the wide open penthouse suite. His mother told him not to take one of those fancy apartments, but Eduard knew it better! In fact, he always did! When he recollected it correctly, his words were rather strict back at that time! "You simply do not understand this, mum!", he heard himself saying, changing the topic to something unimportant. Indeed, his mother did not understand. He tried once to explain, but gave up in vain. Their lives have become too different. He seemed to have moved on, while she is still living somehow in the past.
"Just this email!", Eduard pulled himself back out of his daydream and forced himself to keep on working.
"Good morning beauty!", Anika woke up from the smell of fresh coffee, toasted bread and fried eggs. Carefully she opened her eyes, letting in the sun rays, that were already shining brightly through the window from the other side of the room. A wooden tray, packed with all sorts of breakfast items was neatly placed right in front of her side. "Breakfast in bed!? What have you done, Michael!?", Anika asks with a laugh, trying to clean her eyes from the sleeping dust. "Ehmm, nothing really, I guess! I just thought that you would like it!" "Like it? Are you kidding me? I love it! Thank you!", Anika responded, but would regret this reaction very shortly afterwards.
As it turned out, the concept behind having breakfast in bed was indeed a Hollywood promoted scene, which was not very practical under real life conditions. After spilling half the almond milk on the bed sheet covers and making crumbs all over the place, they both decided to relocate their morning breakfast to the table in the living room. "What a mess! I am so sorry!", Michael tried to find the right words. Anika would need to wash the whole bed sheets one day before Christmas! "Awesome idea, Michael! Thank you!", Anika responded with a laugh and added, "I guess that's the difference between Cameron Diaz and me! I can eat, sure, but she can eat and make it even look good!" They bough laughed.
It was already dark outside, when he called it a day. Packed the MacBook neatly back into its black leather cover and carried it downstairs into the shear endless illuminated space. Two camouflaged douchebags were waiting already packed in the entry hall. It was his trip back home to his parents, his iPhone reminded him in the early morning hours. Christmas was in sight. The time of the year when families get together, even in COVID 19 times! In fact, the government had allowed to meet family members over the Christmas days and so, it was not only possible, but even expected from him to come home after all.
As he waited for the elevator to arrive, he locked down his apartment using the touchscreen on the wall next to him. Lights out, windows closed, heating system in standby mode. "Pinnnggg", the elevator door swung open rather enthusiastically. "Caput Draconis" Eduard said softly, not daring to touch anything in this public elevator. "Identification successful! Good evening Mr. Snow! Private garage is selected!", a computerized female voice replied. It is very over the top, Eduard agreed, but he couldn't help it. The temptation to use a Harry Potter Gryffindor common room password was too much him. "Basement nine and three quarters! Have a good evening Mr. Snow!" the voice joked over the speakers back to Eduard, who was seemingly surprised! "Hey, the new update can be hilarious! Welcome to the 21st century!"
To be continued tomorrow in PART II.
See you next time!


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Three final year students at Don Bosco college of engineering, Fatorda, took to their hands the task of developing a sanitizing robot to change the plight of sanitization workers dealing with harmful chemicals.
As a part of their final year project, Vivek Khadilkar, Drasti Naik and Saael Kamat of electronics and communication department, designed a robot that can be operated from a distance of 400 kms.
The trio of engineering students is now planning on getting their design patented. The disinfecting robot is deployed with dual sanitizing technology of spraying chemicals and by using ultraviolet light.
This young innovation has been picked up by the state department of science and technology and the amount spent in building the prototype will be reimbursed to the developers. The prototype cost these students a sum total of INR 95,000, which was designed under the direction and supervision of their professors Michelle Araujo and Mohini Naik.
The officials of the directorate of health services will be receiving a demonstration on the operations of the robot for possible administration. The stated development was approved by chief minister Pramod Sawant and health minister Vishwajit Rane after witnessing the functioning of the automaton.
The design operates on 2 batteries of 12V each. Once fully charged, the robot can work for eight straight hours. The machine carries a tank with a capacity to hold 45 liters of chemical. It has five nozzles for spraying and can cover a range of six meters. That is not all! The device is installed with three tube lights for ultraviolet sanitization, all of them with a caliber of 230 volts and one of them situated below for the purpose of sanitizing floors.
Drasti Naik said that the machine was developed specifically as a remote controlled one and not coded to be fully automatic. This was to make it suitable for different locations and not just be coded according to a particular hospital or location's layout.
The student's contribution to fight the pandemic has really turned out to be an innovative one and the team hopes that their development will prove to be handy in sanitizing open markets, closed offices, hospitals and various public places.
Cheers to the frontline workers!


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North Carolina Food Banks >> Bahama Food Assistance
Food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries in Bahama NC
|Fish and Loaves Food Pantry
Bahama, NC 27503
|Details: Fish and Loaves food pantry opens the second and fourth Wednesdays from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. We currently serve over 30 families, and we are full Food Bank of Eastern NC partners. We have both food and clothing and are always looking for volunteers.


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To say the events of this year have caught most of us by surprise would be a huge understatement. We have a global population that is required to stay home. Many people are out of work, and the economy has taken a huge hit that is nowhere near done. There is a valid reason for concern. While there has been an overall uptick in online purchasing, that isn't across all sectors and it may be temporary. Here's a handful of tips to help your ecommerce business thrive during COVID-19.
#1 – Take a deep breath and assess your situation
Are your sales up or down right now? Even if your sales are up right now, this may be temporary as the effects of unemployment may not be felt until the stimulus and federal $600 payments stop. This an excellent time to pause and develop a plan for change. What could you be doing differently that would make your business more recession-proof? Is your supply chain (where you get your products from) secure? Can you ship? These are just a few questions that you need to ask and answer.
Even if you're currently busy, your business' survival may depend on careful analysis now and a plan for action that you can use for the next year or so. You may need to pivot away from what you have been doing, to something new.
#2 – Ease your customers' fears
Post a notice on your website with a banner leading to it. Send out an email. Post to your social profiles. The message should be the same. It should detail:
- that you care about your staff and customers,
- what you are doing to keep your team and customers safe,
- whether or not you're still shipping,
- any details or reduced customer support, like phone hours, they may encounter.
Make sure your Corona notice is all about your staff and customers. I've seen too many that just drone on and fail to demonstrate any concern for the buyer.
#3 – Keep shipping
Even if you can afford to fully shut down, it is a bad idea to do so as you'll lose customers and site traffic. This may be very tough to recover from. Whether or not you can ship is a two-part question. The first question is will your suppliers be able to ship to you or, if you drop ship, to your customers? The second part is can you continue to ship the orders you receive.
Supply chain
If your inventory is located in China, it may be some time before you can expect any consistency in shipments. Some items do appear to be shipping, but counting on that is dangerous. A resurgence at any time will sink any recovery. Look to source products from North American warehouses.
Even if you are getting your products from US firms, they may have trouble sourcing their products or materials used to make their products. Talk with your vendors and stay on top of which items are most at risk.
This may be a good time to take inventory of your top sellers. Make sure you have ample supply.
If you can't get to your warehouse to ship, this presents the other have of this problem. What can you do? The first option is to take some of your inventory home. Fill your garage. Enlist your family to help ship. UPS and FedEx will pick up and USPS may.
What if that isn't practical? Well, I know of a few store owners sneaking down to their warehouse. They aren't putting employees at risk and are still shipping. Just be aware this may violate local law.
The third option – use a fulfillment house. Also known as 3PL (3rd party logistics), these are still open as they are considered to be essential businesses. You deliver your inventory to them and they pick, pack and ship. Yes, there are fees, but there are also often lowered shipping costs. Many businesses use exclusively 3PL to manage their inventory and logistics as it can be less expensive than employees and all the costs associated with storing and managing your inventory. FBA, or Fulfillment by Amazon, is the best known but it is not a good choice right now as they are prioritizing their own inventory and essential items from third-party sellers.
#4 – Keep marketing
Perhaps you feel predatory by trying to get your audience to keep spending, or perhaps you're really busy handling your business yourself. Marketing can be outsourced if need be or parts of it can be done by your employees who are working from home. However, you do it, keep going!
Stimulus checks have begun and many stores are seeing significant upticks in sales. Capture those sales now as we don't know what the future holds.
Don't be shy about offering sales and bigger markdowns especially on seasonal merchandise. You don't want to get stuck with old inventory that you'll have to unload at even lower prices. We'll talk about doing things differently below. Until you have that plan mapped out, just keep on doing what you're doing that works.
#5 – Time to analyze and draft a plan
This is the perfect time to shift what you do in your "spare" time. I strongly recommend you find the time to do this even if you feel overwhelmed. The goal is to look for things that you can change to improve the overall efficiency of your business. When you use your assets, time and money, more efficiently your profits rise faster.
Improving efficiency can encompass a variety of actions including how and where you market, user experience, and streamlining operations.
#6 – Improve the efficiency of your marketing
We get busy, the sales roll in and we get lazy. That's pretty common but it can end badly. Costs to acquire a new customer (CPA) may rise. You may be investing a ton of time and money into methods that don't help your business. Are your assets being used in the best manner possible? Should you be trying new things? Online marketing is a perpetually changing space, and sitting back on your laurels can be suicide. Typically this decline happens slowly, and before you know it, you are in trouble.
Where do your customers come from?
It's time to dig into your Google Analytics and see where your traffic and, more importantly, buying traffic comes from. Hopefully, you are using UTM codes on any inbound links you place so you can track the source, campaign, and content that leads to sales. Tip #1 – your best "selling" content is the type of content that you usually should do more of.
If you're seeing lots of traffic from your efforts that isn't buying, don't rush to cut it yet! It's time to dive in deeper as Google uses last-click attribution. Simply, this means the last click used to get to the site, other than direct, gets credit for the sale.
Multi-channel funnels
Making a decision based solely on last-click attribution is short-sighted. More often than not a shopper will visit your site more than once before making a purchase. Here's an obvious example. Email is never an original source for the sale as shoppers must visit your website, or enter a contest you're running, to be added to your email list. Google credits a lot of sales to email, and that information is useful, but when it comes to other marketing efforts such as social media, SEO or advertising, an understanding of where the first click came from is an important part of the puzzle.
When a shopper visits your site more than once, from different channels, we want to know this information as it gives a more holistic view of how different traffic drivers work together to result in a sale. If you mistakenly cut back on a first click, or intermediary click, marketing method you may unexpectedly find a decline in sales.
Google has several reports that can give you information on multi-channel funnels. It's a deep topic so I'm going to refer you to another source to learn more. In the meantime, you may want to add tracking to your email signups and track those as events that lead to a "micro-conversion." The average amount of sales per subscriber that you get from email campaigns, can be used to gauge the economic value of a new subscriber.
Are you getting the most from your email?
Let's start by saying email isn't dead. Email is like popups. As long as they aren't overdone, and there is a right and wrong way to use popups, they are big money makers even if as store owners we find them annoying. It is not uncommon for a store to see 25% or more of its revenue coming from email. The name of the email game is automation and personalization. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon and are using these tools, you are most certainly leaving money on the table.
I get that given the current circumstances, cash may be tight, but if you don't have the time to invest in learning how to do this yourself, and upgrading your email platform, then you should invest in professional help. Email is still the highest ROI for commonly used marketing methods. The average ROI on email marketing is 122%!
Oh, but you say you're already getting 35% of your revenue from email. Congratulations! Of course, that's great. Or is it? A great result doesn't indicate you've maxed out the potential for that marketing channel. In addition, an over-reliance on your existing audience may mean you're not investing enough to drive new buyers. Your store absolutely must continue to draw new buyers or it will decline over time.
How good is your SEO?
If you haven't done a technical audit of your website in a while, it's time. Google is constantly changing the game and you need to stay current to keep higher SERP rankings. The major emphasis over the past year, exclusive of great content which has always been paramount, include:
- Speed, especially on mobile. A slow site loses visitors and provides a poor user experience. Wonderful products and content won't help much if people can't get to it. Google now ranks your mobile experience first, before your desktop, so a poor user experience on mobile can really hurt.
- Ease of navigation and checkout. User experience has always been key so the more engaged they are onsite, the more often they convert, the better Google sees your site as a top resource to answer their question, aka search query.
- Schema. Schema, also known as structured data, are bits of code that you don't see while shopping that identifies different bits of data on the page and includes things like the product name, pricing, part number and more. An older site may have none. A newer site may not have adequate or up to date structured data.
Pages with good schema will display more completely on Google and may earn those top of the page "knowledge panels." These are those large-text, boxed answers you see on the SERP. You want those. Get schema.
- Broken links, missing images, alt descriptions, etc.
Find out what your issues onsite are. Then clean up your technical SEO.
Look to add new marketing methods
SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing are quite hot right now. Pinterest is frequently forgotten yet yields great returns for the right types of products. Most store owners have never heard of programmatic marketing. Are you, should you be, advertising on Bing?
Are you doing all you should with video? YouTube is the #2 search engine and YouTube videos also get prime real estate on Google search results pages (SERP). Not being on YouTube is a problem. These are all methods your competitors are probably using to acquire new customers.
#7 – Optimize your site for conversions
When is the last time you applied a critical eye to your website to see what your shoppers see? When is the last time you did a site refresh? If it has been more than 3 years you're probably due for a site refresh, but don't jump into that without a clear plan.
Lots of things that used to work, like many deep layers of navigation, can now lower your conversion rates.
Warning: don't just start removing categories. This has to be done carefully within an SEO plan as those categories pages may be landing pages and a quick removal can hurt your traffic and rankings. We strongly recommend working with an expert on technical SEO and making changes within a plan.
New options that either didn't exist before or were too expensive for many merchants are now possible and preferred by shoppers. It's really key here to realize that with the dominance of mobile shoppers for most online stores that you have to plan for how mobile shoppers shop.
Which brings up a key factor here, your site MUST be fast and super easy to navigate and checkout on a mobile phone. This is no longer an option; it's a requirement. There is also a wide world of new software that can be used to help boost your conversion rates or average order size.
New conversion tech includes:
- Category filters have become affordable and are a preferred method for navigating a website.
- Chatbots can add value to your shoppers whether you offer live chat or not. The best of breed chatbots can be programmed to be super helpful and direct people to the right products, almost like a product selector (and these are available too but start around $400 mo), as well as answer support questions 24/7. It's also really nice to not have to answer "where is my order" or "how can I return this" chat inquiries. Many bots can be configured to allow the shopper to reach a real human.
- SMS / Text messaging and push notifications. At the moment, open rates are super high, above 95%. Over time I expect this to go down as it becomes more commonplace and just "noise." However, at the moment, mobile notifications work like a champ. Just be careful not to overuse them and to comply with laws regarding text marketing.
- Voice search is the newest entry to the marketplace. Voice search works very much like a chatbot only it is voice-activated and used on mobile instead. No more fat fingering – that's the #1 reason for lower conversion rates on mobile. Typing on a phone sucks. The closer you get to ending that need, the higher your conversion rate.
- Personalization is an amazing option for businesses that can afford the technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) powers these tools. The goal is to provide a unique shopping experience on your website to those that have been there before. A great example is Amazon. I don't even have to log in, it can tell via a cookie who I am and the home page is a wealth of suggestions based on past visits.
Even if you can't afford to do this on your site, you can offer this experience via email with the right tools and they can be surprisingly affordable for nearly any e-commerce business.
- Alexa and Google Home skills and actions. I'm not yet sure which brands are using this other than Amazon, but brands who can build this tech will have a distinct edge. Messages I've gotten in the past few weeks from Alexa include "you recently purchase [a supplement], would you like to order a refill?" I can already use Alexa to add to my grocery shopping list in Cozi, an app I use to manage recipes and lists. When it's on my list, it appears in my Amazon Prime account and asks me if I'd like to add those items to my order. Wow!
That's just the tip of the broadening iceberg. Just be aware that there are also lots of companies selling software that is questionable in value. When I arrive on a website that screams at me, with a contest wheel, an email subscription pop, little slide-outs that tell me "so and so just bought…" and there is a countdown timer on the product page, I know this site is run by someone new to business, and that most of it is fake. I won't buy from a site that is all "blinged out." Your website should be clean and let your product be the attention-getter, not bling.
Learn how your site visitors behave
There are two ways to make decisions about what will improve conversions on your site, guessing (or assuming), or measuring. In addition to data tools like Google Analytics and search console, there is affordable technology that can provide invaluable insight into what site visitors do while shopping. Tools like Lucky Orange, Hot Jar, and Inspectlet start at $10 mo and offer heat maps, funnel tracking, click maps and session recordings that can point to exactly where you lose your shoppers. Before you redesign, learn how customers use your website.
#8 Streamline your operations
In the early days of a new business, we tend to do everything ourselves and manually. Perhaps your entry-level tech was a shopping cart and excel. As you began to feel swamped, you hired people. That's usually a good thing. However, adding new technology that streamlines your operations and improves the value chain – what you offer your customers in terms of service, can prove more efficient and free your human assets up to do things that require a human touch. Good technology can reduce the headcount you need, reduce mistakes and speed processes. Leaks in your processes absolutely cost you money; a cost you are probably not tracking.
Ideas –
- Add a helpdesk solution something like ReAmaze to your store. ReAmaze is chat, chatbot, support desk, and knowledge base that can power answers for your customers 24/7/365. It also pulls in all your sales and communication channels into one dashboard. On many carts, helpdesk software pulls in order information too. This makes it a snap for a single person to manage all your customer communication and quickly answer order-specific information. Help Scout, and XSellco are similar types of solutions.
- Inventory/ warehouse / order / multi-channel management software. I hope you're not still using that excel sheet. If you are, maintaining accurate numbers, understanding inventory turn velocity, shrink, which items sell well together, predictive inventory, etc. is all very difficult. This type of software manages features not typical with your "in the cart" inventory manager. Among what you may gain,
- deeper analytical information about your inventory, true profitability, and customers,
- the ability to create kits or product bundles without loss of accurate SKU counts
- easy sales across multiple websites or marketplaces like eBay or Amazon while ensuring the accuracy of your inventory,
- faster order fulfillment,
- it may tie to your Quickbooks without requiring an expensive connector.
- It may also save you money if you're currently importing orders from different marketplaces into your e-commerce shopping cart.
- Shipping software – Some store owners still cut and paste addresses from their shopping cart software into an online shipping site like USPS or UPS. They may stick with a single shipper because comparing rates is too time-consuming. Every order is pulled, picked, and then packed and labeled at once. Worse, some are doing all this work then paying Endicia $15 mo to print USPS labels. Ugh.
There are several really great shipping programs available at surprisingly low cost to the store owner. Our two favorites are ShipStation and ShippingEasy, sister companies that offer a slightly different feature set. Both offer low commercial USPS rates, free from the added fee of Stamps.com or Endicia. ShipStation has discounted UPS rates for those who don't already have lower negotiated rates.
You benefit from the elimination of cut and paste, the ability to compare for cheapest method, automatic feeding of tracking information into your cart and having the tracking code sent to the customer. You can pull a pick list and pull products from the shelf in the most efficient manner for your business. Additional analytical information can help you make better decisions. Why aren't you using one? Note some order management systems have their own fulfillment piece.
- Dropshipping software – in a nutshell, this software keeps your supplier inventory synced with your store, provides for product data, provides for automated, or semi-automated order placement (your order to the vendor), and then supplies tracking information to the shopping cart. Why are you doing this manually?
How many hours can these programs save you? Multiply those hours by the economic cost of that employee – or your time, and that's your cost savings. If it frees up YOUR time, you can now engage in other revenue-generating efforts like marketing, merchandising, finding new suppliers, etc. That's how you grow.
#9 – Disaster-proof your tech
If the only place you have your store technology is on your website and your computer then you are asking for trouble. The typical rule for data safety is that you want it to exist in at least 3 places, and one should be offsite. Here are some tips for you.
Your shopping cart. In most cases, your SAAS provider – Shopify, BigCommerce, Demandware, Miva, etc. does backup its servers. This preserves your core technology but doesn't guarantee your theme customizations or data. If you have built your store on open source software such as Magento, Open Cart, or WooCommerce, you may, or may not have a backup from your host, but it's on the same server so if the server fails, you may still lose your site.
In either case, what you are getting from your host is not adequate. We recommend using an ecommerce-specific backup program such as Rewind.io. Rewind backs up your data and files, but will also allow you to do partial recovery. This is a distinct difference over standard – it's all backed up. Let's say that you lost a chunk of your blog, and I have personally done this before. If you roll back or restore an older version of your site, you will lose other updates such as the products and orders you have received since the last backup. That's not good. Rewind lets you roll back only what you need. It will also track changes so you can determine when and who created an issue.
On your computer, you should be backing up your files to the cloud using your favorite service, and to a hard drive.
#10 – Make money
Use this time to optimize your strategy, your marketing, and your operations and continue to grow despite the market.


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After losing the opening Test, England have turned around their fortunes with back-to-back victories in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth
England face a selection dilemma as they look to beat South Africa in the fourth and final Test to complete a 3-1 series win at The Wanderers.
After losing the opening Test, England have turned around their fortunes with back-to-back victories in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
Coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root must make tough choices in the bowling department before Friday's start with Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes knocking to get into the side.
If Archer proves his fitness, England will have to decide whether to use him on a fast wicket in the rarefied air of the high altitude venue or stick with off-spinner Dom Bess, who claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings in Port Elizabeth.
Archer's pace will be valuable but does come at the expense of runs.
England have ensured success against South Africa by being miserly with the runs, which flustered the hosts.
Mark Wood made an impressive comeback in the last game with genuine pace to rattle the home batsmen, who fell like nine pins in a innings and 53-run defeat. It would be hard to leave him out.
Silverwood also said Woakes had been impressive in the nets. "We've got options available to us again, so that's superb." he told reporters.
In contrast, the home side look rather lightweight as top bowler Kagiso Rabada is banned.
His over-the-top celebration after picking up Root's wicket last week earned him a demerit point and triggered a one-match suspension as he had accumulated four demerit points over a 24-month period.
His absence is a serious blow for South Africa as it leaves their attack thin on a ground, where usually their bowlers strike fear into the opposition with a non-stop barrage of pace.
They must choose either Dwaine Pretorius, with only two previous Test appearances, or uncapped left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks.
The hosts are also expected to drop batsman Zubayr Hamza and bring back Temba Bavuma, who was axed at the start of the series because of a lack of runs but responded with 180 in domestic competition last week.
The match is likely to be the last home game in charge for captain Faf du Plessis, who said he would reconsider his role after two away tests in the West Indies in mid-year.
It will also be the last for Vernon Philander, who is retiring from test cricket to join Somerset.


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Hi there!
I have a card featuring the new Pocket Slider die from The Stamps of Life.
I cut my card from two pieces of paper. The polka dot piece is the top and the Blue Jay is the inside slider part.
I added the slider part on top of a Tangerine rectangle cut to an A2 size. You could add this part to another card base to have an additional space to write.
I used a preprinted die cut included in a previous card kit. It fits the Jar2stamp die perfectly. There are also some bees, too.
I stamped the two sentiments with Licorice Archival ink. These are from the Sayings4jar.
I punched a hole at the top of the inside and added a piece of seam binding and another bee.
This is such a fun set!
Thanks for stopping by!
I am entering this card in the following challenge:


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Billy Currington Returns With Sensual New Song 'Bring It on Over'
Billy Currington returns today with the new song "Bring It on Over," the singer's first release since the 2017 single "Wake Me Up."
Written by Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip and Jesse Frasure and produced by Frasure with Dann Huff, "Bring It on Over" is sleek, modern radio country that echoes recent, dance music-influenced work by Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett. Driven by a metronomic programmed beat and its 16th-note pulse, "Bring It on Over" conveys a sense of urgency about intimacy — Currington sings of being preoccupied with his lover, counting the minutes until he can return to her place. Oh baby, just wait a minute / If you're in the bed stay in it / I'm about to dive on in it," he sings, playing up his loverman persona with characteristic laid-back soul.
"Bring It on Over" also marks Currington's first release from an upcoming album project, though no further details are available at this time. Currington's previous album Summer Forever was released in 2015 and produced the Number One singles "Don't It," "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To," and "Do I Make You Wanna." That gives Currington 11 career Number Ones, stretching back to 2005's sultry smash "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" and the 2006 hit "Good Directions" (co-written by a pre-fame Luke Bryan with Rachel Thibodeau). In 2010, he scored a Grammy nomination for "People Are Crazy," the second single from 2008's Little Bit of Everything.
Currington has a handful of tour dates on the horizon, including a September 21st show at Thunder Mountain Amphitheatre in Loveland, Colorado and another on October 26th at Floore's in Helotes, Texas.
More News
DJ Khaled Goes Nuts as His Son Asahd Performs Their Songs at His Graduation
- Stuntin' Like My Daddy
- By


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Dress Code
The ballet dress code has two primary purposes. The first and most important purpose is practical: it allows the instructor and student to have a good view of the body in order to detect misalignment or other technical errors that may be covered by baggy clothing. Their second purpose is more abstract; class uniforms create a sense of discipline and professionalism as well as promote unity within classes and a sense of achievement as each level "graduates" to a new leotard/T-shirt color.
Class leotard (see colors and styles below), pink tights, pink ballet shoes (canvas preferred). Pointe students must have pointe shoes in good repair. Skirts and tutus are only to be worn on parent observation days.
Leotard Colors/Styles by Level
Creative Movement: Light pink short-sleeve
Elementary 1: Lavender short-sleeve
Elementary 2: Light blue short-sleeve
Ballet 1: Burgundy tank
Ballet 2: Plum/dark purple tank
Ballet 3: Teal any style except halters, rhinestones, and cut-outs
Ballet 4-5: Black any style except halters, rhinestones, and cut-outs
Creative Movement/Elementary:
Fitted T-shirt (see colors below), black leggings or bicycle shorts, white socks, white or black ballet shoes (canvas preferred)
Ballet 1-5:
Fitted T-shirt (see colors below), black tights, white socks, white or black ballet shoes (canvas preferred).
T-shirt Colors by Level
Creative Movement: White or light pink
Elementary 1: White or lavender
Elementary 2: White or light blue
Ballet 1: White or burgundy
Ballet 2: White or plum/dark purple
Ballet 3: White or teal
Ballet 4-5: White or black
optional Classes
Girls: Class leotard, black character skirt, black character shoes.
Boys: Class T-shirt, black tights, black jazz shoes or boots.
Girls: Class leotard; black jazz pants, capris, or shorts; black jazz shoes
Boys: Class T-shirt, black tights or jazz pants, black jazz shoes
Modern Improvisation
Girls: Class leotard, footless tights, bare feet
Boys: Class T-shirt and tights, or black unitard, bare feet
Hair, Jewelry, & Warm-ups
Hair should be neatly pulled back and secured with no loose strands. Use plenty of hairpins to hold the hair so it doesn't come down during class. A hairnet and hairspray or gel help to prevent flyaways. Snoods and butterfly clips should not be used. Acceptable variations of a classic bun include a French twist, crown braid, two side buns, and braided buns, as long as the hair is tight and secure.
Jewelry is not to be worn in class. Stud earrings are acceptable. Instructors reserve the right to ask students to remove articles of jewelry if they are distracting or unsafe for the dancer to wear in class.
False nails should not be worn in class.
In the winter months, dancers may bring a fitted ballet sweater (pink, black, or class color) with them to class. Also, fitted light pink leg warmers or a fitted light pink or black full body warmer may be worn during cold weather periods. Baggy cover-ups are not allowed during class.


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Connecting with the public's feelings is the main goal around communication strategy at the point of sale to raise revenues and enhance the brand perception.
Knowing the tastes, preferences, needs or buying habits of the public will help to awaken their basic emotions that translate into a greater number of conversions as well as strengthening customer loyalty towards your business.
And how can we achieve this? Your business data is the key; all the information generated every will bring a better understand and respond to the emotions of consumers.
Let's see how to use that data to generate emotions.
The Heart of Digital Transformation: Emotional Intelligence
Using data to respond to emotions
When you meet a person, and you give them a gift, all the information you have about them will help you choose something they are sure to like. All that data is your best tool to make the right choice and offer something that will appeal to that person's emotions.
Your company or business can do the same; if you know the tastes, needs or interests of your audience you will be able to offer that answer, capture their attention and transmit the corresponding emotions.
Where do you find this information? Retails generate it at all time
The data generated in your retail can be converted into an intelligent communication strategy that integrates sensations and emotions in real time; it allows you to put a face to your customers and generate an emotional connection that motivates them to make decisions that improve sales.
Smart Intelligence helps you build these emotions
By processing offline point-of-sale data and using AI, algorithms and other tools, we analyse and process it to extract consumer behavioural patterns and turn them into real and effective intelligent communication strategies.
AI will help us to offer that perfect message adapted to the emotions we want to transmit.
Emotional marketing strategies at the point of sale based on data and its analysis to generate basic emotions to consumers are a good communication strategy as they are easily understood by all types of people.
The analysis of all this information allows you to detect the profile of customers who visit your business depending on the time of day and time slots or their behaivour habits. This will help you to present them with proposals that really capture their attention and arouse the necessary emotions for them to decide to buy or acquire it.
Smart responses with Smart Digital Signage feelings
You don't have to convince, you have to excite and adapt your messages according to what your audience expects to receive. Smart Digital Signage strategies help to achieve this through emotional marketing actions based on personalised content.
They are the most effective for generating emotions once we have created those consumption models. If we already know in advance what kind of customers will be at the point of sale, why not adapt the content in real time?
Content is at the service of emotions
Empathy is the key to emotional marketing; Artificial Intelligence allows us to know and offer a real response to needs, desires and emotions. In other words, it helps us to put ourselves in their shoes to create an emotional bond.
If you know in advance the profile of the public that comes to your point of sale in the evenings, you can adapt the content to offer a real solutions to the consumers at your point of sale and at every precise moment.
Offering emotions will enhance your brand
We will briefly outline some of the benefits for your business and communication strategies.
≫ Better response to their needs
≫ Increased sales and conversions
≫ Increased customer bonding
≫ Encourage recommendation
≫ Brand recall and loyalty
≫ Improve satisfaction
You can generate emotions that translate into more sales and a better brand image!
Achieving this is easier than you think and Ladorian wants to go hand in hand with you in the digital revolution in your retail. Contact with our professionals!


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Arkansas Tech University Education Fair Use
Copyright Infringement Policy
This document is intended to explain the policies and procedures Arkansas Tech University follows in response to notifications of alleged copyright infringements on the University network.
Copyright on Campus
This informative video clip clearly explains the ins and outs of U.S. copyright law.
United States Copyright Office
World Intellectual Property Organization


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Where Digital Signage Can Be Used?
Our Products & Services
MJN Digital help companies boost productivity, showcase their marketing efforts, increase revenues, decrease overhead, improve their employee retention rates and build brand awareness in a stunning, timeless way.
Commercial Display
Customer's Feedback Solution
Self Service Kiosk
Interactive Kiosk
Digital Bulletin Boards
Software & Application Development
Why Choose MJN Digital?
We abet You persuade
Your Marketing Goals
A large number is motivated toward digital signage in your industry? Maybe it produces desired outcomes.
Working with a MJN Digital specialist will render services for you:
Develop brand authority with consistency, so delivery of accurate messages be possible.
Grab 10x more customer motivation in contrast to static signage.
Enhance your sales and focused on transaction values with influential communication and convincing for sales.
Provoke an easy messaging interface and assure them about brand design and cooperation.
We sustain Your
Lifecycle efforts reduced
Without considering the difference in shapes, formats, and model, we will assist you:
Eradicate the risks of errors and mortifying blue screens instead of using the same software that runs problem-free in 170+ units.
Instead of pursuing multiple suppliers cooperate with us for assistance moreover.
Avoid cost maximizations and minimization by neglecting the possibilities of mistakes.
Reduce repetitive printing costs by giving away prom expensive static signage.


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Picture from UN News
We, members of civil society, are deeply concerned about the developments surrounding Nur Sajat's case. On 8 September 2021, Nur Sajat was arrested by the Thai Immigration Department following a request by the Malaysian authorities. These dangerous developments, taking place against the backdrop of growing restriction of freedom of religion and increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiments, have a wide-ranging impact on all people, not just Sajat and LGBTIQ persons.
Since the exposé by Harian Metro on 20 September 2020, several state actors have responded with alarming alacrity. Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan stated that PDRM is working with the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney-General's Chambers to extradite Nur Sajat. According to a media statement, Nur Sajat is wanted for the following charges:
- Insulting Islam (S. 9 of the Selangor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment)
- Obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions (S. 186 of the Penal Code)
- Using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty (S. 353 of the Penal Code)
The latter two charges are allegedly related to a scuffle that took place on JAIS premises when JAIS officers proceeded to arrest her after taking her statement. Nur Sajat reported that she was violently pinned down and handcuffed. Nur Sajat also made a police report against the JAIS officers on January 13. However, the status of the investigation remains unknown.
In a communication to the Malaysian government on Nur Sajat's case (JUA MYS 4/2021), UN Special Mandate holders stated that "Ms. Sajat cannot be discriminated against and be restricted in the exercise of her right to freedom of religion or belief solely based on her gender identity. As provided in Article 29(2) of the UDHR, in the exercise of one's rights and freedoms, one shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society, none of which is negatively impacted in regard to the activities of Ms. Sajat."
In this communication the government was asked to provide the following information:
- What steps have been taken to guarantee Ms Nur Sajat's right to freedom of religion or belief without discrimination and harassment by non-state actors and State agents.
- The measures taken by the Government to protect Ms Nur Sajat and her family from further intimidation, harassment or pressure and to ensure their safety.
- What measures are planned or implemented to combat the growing pattern of incitement to violence?
- The Permanent Mission of Malaysia replied on 24 March 2021 by saying that they have "transmitted the Joint Urgent Appeal (JUA) to the urgent attention of relevant Malaysian authorities."
Wide-Ranging Impact
Since the release of the Harian Metro expose, various state actors have expressed restrictive measures against trans and LGBTQ persons, which have been gradually escalating since the introduction of fatwa prohibiting trans people's rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy in 1982.
The Perlis Fatwa Committee released a fatwa, titled Hukum Berinteraksi Dengan Mukhannath (Pondan/Mak Nyah/Bapuk/Pengkid/Tomboi/Transgender) or a guide on interaction with mukhannath (Pondan/Mak Nyah/Bapu /Pengkid/Tomboy/Transgender), which considers transgender and LGBQ people in general as fasik or someone who violates Islamic law because of their gender identity and gender expression as well as perceived sexual orientation. The committee's views on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are inaccurate, not evidence and rights-based, and most importantly extremely harmful. Among the harmful things in the fatwa is the prohibition of transgender people from entering mosques and performing haj and umrah because of their gender identity.
YB Nik Abduh (MP Bachok, Kelantan) called for more state-sponsored rehabilitation programs for LGBT persons in Parliament on 21 September 2021. Rehabilitation or conversion practices are widely discredited because of their long-lasting harmful impact not just on LGBTIQ persons but also on people who are connected to them.
This comes after the Prime Minister, in answering a question in parliament, noted that the government has rolled out a range of activities to 'bring LGBT people back to the right path'.
The continuous and escalating anti-LGBT sentiments in Malaysia are extremely concerning.
A Suhakam study on the discrimination against transgender people based in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor found that 72 of 100 respondents thought of migrating to countries with better legal protection, legal gender recognition, accepting environment, among others. 54 respondents said that they don't feel safe living in Malaysia. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, between 2017 and 2018, over 50% of people who sought asylum in Australia were reportedly Malaysians. 'LGBT' and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion are two of the four main reasons cited by Malaysian applicants. Other reasons include domestic violence and family pressure.
We recall that in its bid to secure a seat at the Human Rights Council, Malaysia made several pledges during the Human Rights Council pledging session on 8 September 2021. Malaysia reiterated its unequivocal commitment to advancing human rights. In line with this, the Malaysian government must respect the principles of non-refoulement and Nur Sajat's right to seek asylum.
We call on the state and members of the public to end all investigations and harassment against Nur Sajat and respect her right to seek asylum as stated under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The threats and risks against Nur Sajat because of her gender identity are blatant. Over the years, Nur Sajat has experienced bullying, doxing, harassment with impunity by both state and non-state actors, which have escalated by the day.
Summary of activities by the government in relation to LGBT issues as stated in Parliament on 14 September 2021 by Ismail Sabri, the Prime Ministers:
- Pelan Tindakan Sosial Islam, Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (PTSI JAKIM) 2019-2025 or Action Plan on Social aspects of Islam, Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (PTSI JAKIM) 2019-2025 was developed to address social ills among Muslims in Malaysia, including LGBT issues. The action plan has led to the creation of a task force made up of a few ministries and agencies who are working together to address LGBT issues
- Support and Guidance programmes.
- Mukhayaam or religious camps, which aims to provide "spiritual guidance and awareness" and health information, particularly HIV related information to LGBT persons. As of June 2021, at least 1,733 LGBT people have participated in the camps. As a result of the camps, 12 NGO komuniti Hijrah or ex-LGBT NGOs consiing of Muslim LGBT persons have been established.
- Follow up and support programmes through religious sessions or classes and seed funds for business by the state Islamic departments and councils, among others.
- Education and advocacy programmes in relation to LGBT issues, which includes seminars targeting school and university students, school counsellors, parents, volunteers and representatives of islamic NGOs, health providers. The seminar provides information in relation to how to stay away from LGBT behaviour, how to help someone to abandon their LGBT behaviour, among others. On 4 September 2021, a Pre-Workshop Conference for a Nusantara Religious Camp with LGBT community from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore was held.
- Donations through the Musa'adah Fund for LGBT people. 525 Mukhayyam participants benefited through the fund.
- Establishment of a social center. The Family and social community service center or Pusat Khidmat Keluarga dan Sosial Komuniti (PKKSK) under JAKIM provides syariah counseling, islamic psychospiritual therapy and Ilaj syarie (Islamic treatment). These services are available nationwide
- Development of publications by JAKIM, which includes the Ilaj Wa Syifa (Treatment and Rehabilitation) module.
This statement is endorsed by:
- Justice for Sisters
- Agora Society
- All Women's Action Society (AWAM)
- Amnesty International Malaysia
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
- Center for Independent Journalism
- Deaf LGBTIQ community
- Diversity Malaysia
- EMPOWER Malaysia
- KRYSS Network
- Legal Dignity
- PLUHO (People Like Us Hang Out!)
- North South Initiative
- Sisters in Islam (SIS)
- Shh… Diam!
- Parti Sosialis Malaysia
- PELANGI Campaign
- Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS)
- Our Journey
- Transmen of Malaysia
- Tenaganita
- The KLSCAH Women Division
- Women Center for Change (WCC)
Full endorsement list here.


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The Philadelphia Eagles were sitting in a decent place with their salary cap space and after a value signing on Friday, things are still looking efficient.
The Eagles re-signed Vinny Curry on Friday and Ian Rapoport is reporting that it's a one-year $2 million deal.
The Eagles entered Friday top-10 in the league in available salary-cap space and that shouldn't change even after Curry's signing per Over The Cap.
Curry reportedly turned down the Browns and another AFC team to return to the Philadelphia Eagles and he'll now settle in as the third defensive end in the rotation.


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All of us still need to adjust to the New Normal and for some of you it can still be very demanding, especially in the retail, restaurant and service businesses.
We at CCV would not only like to be your partner when it comes to cashless payments, but we would also like to provide you with advice, information, and support to go through this strange period together.
In this blog post, we have put together a few helpful tips about online & offline business.
1. Continue to promote contactless payments
With contactless payment, there are no points of contact with the card reader nor with the cashier. The credit or debit card or even the smartphone (in combination with Apple Pay or Google Pay) is simply held over the contactless reader of the device. At the end of March, due to the current situation, the major card companies increased the limit for contactless and thus PIN-free payment to €50.00 (in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany) and 80 CHF (in Switzerland). Are you interested in a contactless payment method? Read more here
2. Strengthen your online presence
Whether it's a website, social media page or on local platform – show your presence! During lockdown it got very important to communicate regularly with your customers, and this will not change. Customers want to hear from you. If you have not yet started, maybe you can start selling your products online or ad a delivery service? We explain how to open a webshop in 5 steps. Read more here
3. Keep your terminal clean
Not only is regular handwashing important at this time, but so is disinfecting your payment terminal. Check out how to keep your device clean and safe. Read more here
4. Rely on our customer service
Our local support teams are available for you as usual. If you have questions or need extra support for payment offline and online, just reach out to us! Find your closest CCV center. Read more here


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We hold certain truths within ourselves. These make up a part of the whole of who we are.
With so much out of my control, I relied on my identity. I can't count on things working out as planned, but I can relax, knowing who I truly am.
When life is uncertain, who wouldn't want some stability? My stable rock was my sense of self.
Last week, my foundation crumbled, discovering my biological father is a sperm donor. Now I'm not even certain about my ethnicity.
I take pride in my South Asian heritage. I am a Non-Black Person of Color with more privilege because I am also half British / Irish. Although now I think my roots are still of South Asian descent, the exact location is currently unknown.
When I think I know myself, the universe instead opens an avenue to learn, unlearn, and grow.
If life was perfect, what would we strive towards? Would we have the courage to keep progressing?
We are always changing. Our sense of self and self-worth will shift. Each day presents us with choices. What will we do next?
Thoughts running through my head questioning my identity and ethnicity. Loneliness felt familiar, yet so uncomfortable.
How do we remember who we are after life-altering news?
I got back up again and took risks.
I ordered a DNA test. I danced by myself in public. I experienced the beauty of New York City where I'm the most me and alive. I spent time with myself. I went out in nature.
I kept going, even when I have every right not to. I feel my feelings and let them pass.
As I've been saying lately, "This too shall pass gas."
I'm finding joy in the humor of life.
I'm slowly accepting that knowing myself isn't a destination. It's an ongoing process.
It's okay to question who we are and where we are going in life. It's alright to feel all that you're feeling and then to take one step forward.
I don't know what's up ahead, but I find hope in being a risk-taker.
Will you take the risk to unlearn and learn more about yourself? Are you willing to release yourself from the illusion of control?
I'm remembering who I am, simply to forget it all again. This path is not linear. That doesn't mean I can't embrace every second. The uncertain and certain moments. The ups and the downs. The times I feel whole and the times something is missing.
I'm living the fullness of my human experience.
Keep risking it to discover more of you. We are ever changing, that's nothing new.
Copyright © 2021 The Aulakh Initiative
All Rights Reserved.


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One of the best ministry to sow into, your channel Shalayna contains a wealth of information useful to teach, equip, help, guide,
Shalayna prayed...2 weeks later, my wife was pregnant!
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Aismalibar is exhibiting at the Strategies in Light trade show in Anaheim, California this week. Strategies in Light, being held February 28 to March 2, is the leading LED and lighting event in North America and has been for more than 15 years. Aismalibar North America can be found at booth 422 and encourages all to come see their cutting edge thermal management solutions.
Aismalibar will be showcasing their newest high technology insulated metal substrate, Cobritherm Ultra-Thin. Aismalibar developed Ultra-Thin with a dielectric layer thickness of only 35 microns, which provides higher thermal performance and excellent working temperatures. This product is well suited for high-end LED applications.
In addition, Aismalibar will be featuring FASTHERM. This product is used to achieve a faster thermal transition from the LED thermal pad to the heat sink. This technology allows LEDs to operate at a temperature 30°C to 50°C lower due to the direct thermal transition from the thermal pad to the heat sink. This superior thermal transition can be achieved by using the entire COBRITHERM HTC product range with either a copper or copper/aluminium base.
About Aismalibar
Aismalibar was one of the first IMS laminate manufacturers in the world and was the first in Europe. Aismalibar is proud to introduce their material to the North American market in 2012. Their product IMS Cobritherm ® is a qualified and recognized Insulated Metal Substrate which gives the best thermal management solutions with high thermal conductivity, low thermal impedance and high dielectric capacity. Aismalibar has implement a 100% proof test with 1-3KV (High Pot Test) to all IMS laminates coming out of their plant. This is the only way to insure the dialectical strength is perfect and that production problems are detected before PCBs arrive to the end user.


text: Two weeks ago, I was pretty pleased with my Dallas, Texas, hotel room view. And what's not to like? Space-needle-like architecture, didn't overlook a public landfill, smelled slightly of barbecue and came complete with a dramatic sunrise or sunset, although I now couldn't tell you which one. After years of opting for the local Bates Motel in anContinue reading "Her Name is Rio and She Dances on the Sand"


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Arthur Jackson receives economic development 40 under 40 award
18 Mar 2021
Arthur Jackson, senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Regional Chamber, has been named a 2021 Economic Development 40 Under 40 Award recipient by Development Counsellors International (DCI) and Jorgenson Consulting. The biennial award program recognizes rising stars in the economic development industry.
"Arthur has had great success as an economic development professional, and we at the Chamber are elated to see him receive this well-deserved recognition," says Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. "It's an honor to work alongside some of the best and brightest talent in the economic development profession, and Arthur has already shown himself to be a tremendous leader for our organization and for furthering northeast Oklahoma's economic prosperity."
Jackson was hired by the Tulsa Regional Chamber earlier this year to lead Tulsa's Future, the Chamber-led public-private regional economic development partnership. Jackson came to Tulsa from Austin, Texas, having most recently served as senior director of economic development for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented Tuesday night at a virtual reception held in conjunction with the International Economic Development Council Leadership Summit.
"As I take this next journey in my economic development career, it's special to be able to celebrate this incredible honor with my new colleagues at the Tulsa Regional Chamber and the Tulsa community," says Jackson. "I'm grateful to be recognized alongside a number of my economic development peers, and I thank DCI and Jorgenson Consulting for this prestigious award."
DCI is a New York-based integrated marketing firm that works with economic development and travel organizations globally. Jorgenson Consulting is a leading national executive search firm serving organizations in the nonprofit, economic and community development industries. An independent selection committee of six economic development professionals and site selection consultants evaluated a record-number of 200-plus nominees for this year's awards.
"This past year has demonstrated the importance of economic development in building and sustaining resilient communities," says Julie Curtin, president of DCI's economic development practice. "I'm especially impressed by the diverse perspectives and skillsets of this year's winners as they lead communities to prioritize new ways of thinking, building inclusive and equitable economies, and bringing an attitude of fresh new ideas to the challenges in the industry. The economic development future is bright with these young leaders."


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The federal government is constructing about 28 solar mini-grids with a total capacity of 2.1 MW at a cost of $9 billion.
The power asset will provide electricity for approximately 55,000 people residing in the rural regions of the country.
The mini-grids, seven of which are already operational, are being constructed by PowerGen Renewable Energy, the leading developer in Africa of on-grid and off-grid distributed energy.
Each set-up has an average capacity of about 70kW and approximately 4.5 MWh of total battery storage at a typical mini-network volume of around 160 kWh.
Covering about 11,000 connections, the seven sites that are already operational have a total generation capacity of 460 kWp and a storage volume of 1,157 kWh.
When fully operational, the entire project will serve as a base for residential and commercial customers.
The project is being implemented with a loan of $9 billion by Oikocredit, a social impact investor and worldwide cooperative promoting sustainable development through investments in financial inclusion, agriculture and renewable energy.


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May 30, 2010
American Jews and Israel
As a nightmare scenario of escalating anti-Semitism plays out, commentators struggle to cope with the indifference of so many Jews to the threat. In the June 10, 2010 New York Review of Books, Peter Beinart pens an article entitled "The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment." Peter Beinart is Senior Political Writer at The Daily Beast. He was also The New Republic's managing editor from 1995 to 2007. In the Review of Books he writes that far too many Jewish students on college campuses are "not more vigorously rebutting campus criticism of Israel." Beinart throws down the gauntlet and claims that unless leaders of groups like AIPAC and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations do not change course, more American Jewish youths will simply turn their backs on Israel.
Aye, there's the rub. Instead of discussing the Daily Alerts put out by the aforementioned Conference, which are easily available through the Internet; instead of explaining how Jewish students on college campuses are under attack by racist groups as well as radical university professors; instead of truly reaching out to the beleaguered Jewish student who is searching for ways to combat the blatant anti-Semitism, Mr. Beinart blames organized Jewish American groups as well as Israel herself.
In fact, the problem is that far too many college students are not being taught history without it being politicized. In 1995, David McCullough gave an acceptance speech for the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His talk, entitled "Why History," centered on the widespread crisis concerning the lack of judicious study of American history. The problem has become far more critical. Our students do not even know the basics of American history, let alone international history.
Few students understand the background of Palestine or Israel. Fewer students have any idea of the incessant jihadist calls for death to Israel, Jews, and Western democracy. Instead, they are becoming more and more conditioned to hearing attractive Muslim female students describe conditions of Palestinians while conveniently ignoring the facts that any credible historian can attest to. The fact that the U.N. continues to keep Palestinians in refugee camps, aka terrorist training camps -- the fact that Israel has, time and again, offered land to its avowed enemies only to have as its rewards rockets shot into Israeli towns -- the fact that alleged peace partners Jordan and Egypt aid and abet terrorists to bring in rockets, mortars, and guns -- why doesn't Beinart expose the shameless neglect on the part of university history departments, newspapers, and liberal media outlets that show a snippet of an event without ever exposing the cause and effect of Israel's reactions?
Groups like CAMERA, MEMRI, HonestReporting, Daniel Pipes, and JIHAD WATCH work assiduously to counter the obvious anti-Semitic chant of most of the world. And yet, how many young people are informed about these sites? How many professors cite these organizations to their young charges? In fact, in too many American universities, the situation has now become toxic for Jewish students. At Rutgers, for example, labor relations students are told that they can apply for jobs in Palestine! At the University of Berkeley, Irvine, students are subjected to guerrilla theatre as reenactments are made of IDF soldiers mowing down Palestinian people! The university presidents do not interfere, citing freedom of expression! And the lone Jewish student walks away appalled and scared. Political correctness informs lectures, and English composition texts display out-of-context essays which neglect to inform the students about the nefarious deeds of CAIR. Pictures are inserted that mislead students. Yet year after year, this is what is foisted upon students with nary a peep from department heads who often are misinformed or uninformed. It is so easy to take the Palestinian perspective because the Palestinians have been rendered the underdog. How many school administrators and political officials publicize and protest this one-sided pandering? Why doesn't Beinart take them to task?
How is it that the world yawns when Israelis are booed at sports events, when singers boycott Israel, when the U.N. appoints the basest of the base to its Human Rights unit? Where is the outcry from the power brokers? Yet Mr. Beinart expects 18-year-olds to shoulder the responsibilities of these daily battles? Middle Eastern Studies programs, once the jewel of genuine multicultural studies, have become the tools of propaganda and distortion by terrorist-leading pundits.
Israel and her defenders are aghast at the daily incitement for the annihilation of Jews. It hearkens back to the days of Nasser, who vowed to push every Jew into the Mediterranean...which hearkens back to the Pharaoh, who did, indeed, drown every Hebrew male child in the Nile. As Emma Lazarus said, "[A] study of Jewish history is all that is necessary to make a patriot of an intelligent Jew," but when history texts are poisoned by the likes of Finkelstein, Khalidi, and Edward Said, are we not asking a herculean task of students? What is the obligation that society owes to its young?
There is a smarmy tone to Beinart when he diminishes the genuine concerns of Benjamin Netanyahu, who sees clear parallels between the Palestinian bid for statehood and Nazism. Yet history speaks to the fact that Hitler had indeed met with the Mufti who had organized Muslim Bosnians to fight alongside the Nazis. When Egypt had the Gaza Strip and Jordan had the West Bank, it is odd that there was never any interest in setting up an independent Palestinian country. But be that as it may, Israel has time and again acceded to Palestinian demands -- in fact, Gaza is now judenfrei -- and still the Palestinians make a mockery of the responsibility that is supposed to come with statehood.
How should Israelis react? With the exception of a few brave Muslim voices, what have the Israelis received from their Arab neighbors but a reign of treachery and death? When Israel built the dividing fence to stop the horrific suicide/homicide bombing of its civilians, it received nothing but intense world condemnation. When Israeli athletes were being murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics, did the other athletes organize a massive boycott and remain adamant that the games would not continue until the Israeli athletes were released? When 95% of the West Bank was offered to Arafat to build this so-called independent Palestinian country, what happened? "Jihad, and jihad, and jihad" came from the lips of the murderer Arafat. This is not wallowing in victimhood; it is the recitation of far too many anti-Jewish events.
Why are the Palestinians the only ones whose plight is pictured on television? What about the survivors of suicide bombs, whose lives have been shattered, whose hopes have been dashed? Pierre Rehov has interviewed and filmed captured failed suicide bombers who are jailed in Israeli prisons; the bombers vow that if given a chance, they would continue to blow up Jews. Some of these suicide bombers were Israelis, born and educated in the country. Is it any wonder that Israeli Jews have a justified suspicion of the Arabs living among them?
Mr. Beinart finds Israelis at fault because they may harbor suspicions that Israeli Arabs publicly mourn on Israeli Independence Day, citing it as their Nakba. How then, Mr. Beinart, does one deal with a fifth column in a country? Caroline Glick documents the perfidy among Israeli Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, as they spy for Hezbollah. One Israeli Arab was a former member of the Knesset! Routinely, Hezbollah flags are flown at Israeli Arab political events and protests. According to Glick, the Israeli government has "failed to adopt any consistent measures" concerning Israeli Arab leaders, who routinely reject the country's right to exist.
The abridged rights that Beinart speaks of do not come close to the outright prejudice, bigotry, and racism that all of Israel's neighbors have towards Jews. And these countries do not engage in verbal discussions about how to be democratic. The amazing thing is that Israel is still concerned about being democratic, that Israel still wants to retain the higher ethical ground. But with anti-Israel world opinion and destructive invective being publicized, how can an American Jewish student counter all this?
And to cite Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as objective groups is quite an irony. Furthermore, how is it in 2005 that Palestinians themselves feared for their lives if the Palestinian Authority were to come to power? Why isn't this making the front pages among the media?
Too many pundits seem to agree with Mr. Beinart, who writes that the "drama of Jewish victimhood ... strikes most of today's young American Jews as farce." Why not ask the student who was recently beaten up by a member of the Muslim Students Association because he was a member of the Jewish fraternity Zeta Beta Tau? Why not ask the female Jewish student who was afraid of asking her professor a question about the Middle East because she had seen him at a rally where he called for the dissolution of the State of Israel? The students do not see victimization of Israel as a farce. They are the latest victims of an insidious hatred that is dominating news outlets, heads of states, and campus posters. They are frightened, not neglectful.
Beinart nonchalantly dismisses the fact that "Israel faces threats from Hezbollah and Hamas" and "is understandably worr[ied] about a nuclear Iran." But, Beinart continues, "the dilemmas that [Israel] faces ... are not the dilemmas of the Warsaw Ghetto. The year 2010 is not, as Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed, 1938." How, then, should it be viewed? Why is an existential threat to be dismissed? If Beinart feels this way, why shouldn't the young American Jew harbor these ideas? I thought history was supposed to warn us? Whose side is he trying to enlighten? In a recent interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, Beinart states that his "spiritual connection to the land of Israel is, in all honesty, weaker. Perhaps that's why I don't feel the sense of potential loss at giving up Hebron ... My love of Israel isn't about the land." Well, now we have it -- Mr. Beinart nonchalantly makes no claim about the land, so therefore, what's the big deal about giving it to the enemy? And he expects Jewish students to engage in passionate defense about Ha-eretz (the land) when it isn't important to him? Whom is he fooling? He and other writers engage in some late-night musings about the "bonds of [Jewish] peoplehood" but hold themselves to a different standard when it comes to Israel's security as a country bounded by secure borders.
When nations swear to exterminate you, what exactly should you do? Beinart waters down the very real concerns that Israelis have. Time and again, they have been lied to by the Arab nations they have negotiated with. They have buried far too many of their young, and yet they are still held to a double standard. No other country in the world is under daily attack in the media, in the courts of law, at the United Nations, and now by the President of the United States. Yet Beinart is implying that Israel is not living up to its "precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew prophets." Frankly, what is amazing is that the Israelis do live up to these precepts, even when surrounded by the most dastardly of enemies both from within and without its borders.
See also: Israel and America's Jews
See also: Israel and America's Jews


text:
The road was curvy in long stretches and lined on either side by tall trees. Shadows cast down on the 2-lane pavement provided temporary relief from the hot summer sun that beat down on the car, raising the temperature inside despite any air conditioning that might be flowing through the vents. Occasionally, the landscape would open up on one side, depending where we were at on Highway 71. A breathtaking view might appear out of nowhere, momentarily stunning me as I imagined being one of the hawks gliding through the air over the open valley below.
Birds often caught my attention. When I played outside and a group of them flew overhead, I would stop what I was doing to watch them fly over. If I focused on one bird in the group, I almost felt like I was along on the journey with every dip and zoom. When I finally looked away, the spell was broken. What would it be to fly like that, to just soar free, high overhead?
That feeling was magnified intensely watching the hawk soar over the land below. Dad must have noticed my gazing out the window. His voice interrupted my musing. "Hey, do you see that bird up there?" he said, pointing at a bird out the left side of the window. He loved to point things out to me along the drive. We made that trip together every other weekend when he came to pick me up. Sometimes other people came with him to get me, but I loved it best when it was just the two of us.
More than once he tried to freak me out by steering the car with his knees. As a tall man he could both reach the pedals and bump the steering wheel with his knees. "Watch this!" he would say and do the knee thing. I would gasp and look at the road, convinced we were about to careen to our deaths. He would grab the wheel again with his hands and laugh. His laugh was a raucous affair that filled the entire car. Had anyone been asleep in the car they would have woken up immediately. There was whole different tone to his voice in laughter. Once he got tickled, there was no stopping it. No matter if no one else thought it was funny, his laughter remained uninhibited. He and Grandma Sharp laughed the exact same way.
I looked at the bird he was pointing at, wondering where this was going. "Did you see it?" he asked me. "Yeah" I said. "That wasn't a real bird" he told me. I looked at him. "What?" I said. "It wasn't a real bird. It was mechanical. They keep quite a few mechanical birds up on this mountain" he told me in his serious tone. There were many times he would instruct me in things that were important to know. He used this exact tone when he did that.
He also liked to yank my chain and tell me things that were not true. I never knew if what he was telling me was legit or not. Sometimes I had to let it play out to know. The idea of a mechanical bird seemed crazy to me. "No, it's not!" I told him. He got animated this time, "Yes, it is mechanical." Raising my one eyebrow I said to him, "Why would they have mechanical birds up here?"
Pointing at the sign on the side of the road, he said "Look!" I saw the sign. There was one like it at both the north and south entrances of this stretch of highway. It read "10 People killed past 3 years. Don't you be next!" The stretch of Highway 71 between Fayetteville and Alma was a deadly one, indeed. The road was curvy and windy. Big trucks drove on it as well as tiny little cars. One had to really be paying attention to not get themselves into trouble on that stretch. It was curvy and windy enough that I often felt sick to my stomach as a passenger on it. I never threw up, but sometimes I wished that I could.
"If there's an accident up here, imagine how long it takes for anyone to find out and then call for help" Dad said. "It could get really bad before anyone even knows people need assistance. The mechanical birds have cameras in them. Someone watches the feed, and when they see a wreck, they call the police and emergency crews to send in help. The mechanical birds save lives!" I searched his face. He was serious. For the next 5 minutes he gave me examples and scenarios in which the birds functioned in a way to increase safety on this highway. I sat there as we continued to drive, mulling it over. Dad was quiet as I thought about it, watching me out of the corner of his eye as I considered.
I had wondered about what happened when there was a wreck. I had wondered as we zipped around corners, what if there was a wreck just around the next corner? Would we slam into it? Where would we drive to avoid it? Some of the areas up here had no shoulder at all. There was not even a way to call for help when you had an accident. You would have to wait for another passerby to come up on the wreck. Assuming they did not add to the wreck by slamming into it themselves, they would then have to drive to the nearest house or store and ask to use the phone to call for help for the wreck. They would then have to remember exactly where the wreck was located. If someone were injured severely, it would take forever to get to them.
What he was saying made a lot of sense to me. "Show me another one!" I said to him. He could see in my face that I had accepted this fact. His arguments had made sense and I was on board. Just then, the car filled with his raucous laughter once again. I knew I'd been had.
There was no stopping him this time. He had invested many miles into the arguments for this charade. There was no greater payoff for my dad than convincing the child in the car that something completely made up was fact. I sighed heavily in the passenger seat and leaned my head back against the headrest. He was still laughing. "I can't believe you fell for that!" he taunted. He loved to taunt me after he had tricked me. I think the taunting was as fun as the whole bit for him.
I wanted nothing more than to sit in my seat and be angry at him, but it was hard to be angry when he was laughing so hard. I could stare at him and give him my best incredulous expression, but nothing chinked the armor of his humor. The daggers I threw with my eyes just bounced off never hitting their targets.
Finally, I started chuckling too. "You wouldn't let it go!" I said. "I had to believe you! It's also a really good idea!" I exclaimed. This set off another roar of laughter from him. He was laughing so hard he had tears coming out of his eyes. The man was crazy. I had not believed him at first, and yet he had worked so hard to convince me. It had taken longer to convince me about the birds than most of the ruses he could get me going with. It was not like I had just immediately fallen for this thing.
You would have thought from his reaction I bought it immediately. I remained insistent that the idea was too good to be fake. "I bet someone has mechanical birds" I muttered to myself in the passenger seat. His mirth was alive in the car like a third person. Once he would finally settle down from laughing, we would drive for a quiet mile or two. Then out of nowhere he would start chuckling again, and soon it would spring up into another round of laughing.
There was nothing funnier in the world to my dad than one of his own jokes and this one had a life of its own. What was born in the car that day was a joke that would stand the test of time. It did not matter if I was 9 or 41, I was going to get teased about mechanical birds. It also did not matter if I was 9 or 41, I was still going to think they were actually kind of a good idea.


text:
in a logic program you write down facts and rules, and run the program by writing a query.
a typical fact in prolog looks like this:
which means that
tom is an
adult. in many ways this looks like a function, but it's not; nothing gets returned by this line.
a rule looks like this:
grandparent(X, Y) :-
parent(X, Z),
parent(Z, Y).
:- part can be read aloud as "is true if". the whole rule can be read very naturally as "X is Y's grandparent if X is the parent of Z, and Z is the parent of Y". (in prolog, variables are written with capital letters).
and then once you have your facts and rules written down, you run the program by writing a query. say you wrote this:
grandparent(X, tom).
the program would try to find some
X that satisfied the conditions of the program that would make everythign true.
now that we've gotten those basics out of the way, let's dive into the problem we're going to solve.
i've never had a wedding, but many of my friends have. a common problem, as i understand from second-hand experience, is how to set the seating arrangement. dozens of family and friends from all stages of life, in many cases coming from all over the country (or the world), to sit down at the same moment. it's a big deal!
complicating matters, from any given strata, your guests are probably friends with each other. but, crucially, some of your guests may hold grudges against others.
being the good host that you are, you want to sit friends with each other, and keep people with grudges apart. this is all, of course, subject to the constraints to the number of tables and seats that the venue holds.
let's start simple. first we need to know if two people are at the same table.
at_this_table(Person1, Person2, ThisTable) :-
member(Person1, ThisTable),
member(Person2, ThisTable).
this is pretty self-explanatory. the
member tests for set-membership. is
Person1 in the set called
but, in general we're not going to care much if two people are at a particular table, but rather that they're both at the same table, whichever it is.
to do that, we simply write the following.
at_same_table(Person1, Person2, AllTables) :-
member(ThisTable, AllTables),
at_this_table(Person1, Person2, ThisTable).
pair_at_same_table(Pair, AllTables) :-
nth1(1, Pair, Person1),
nth1(2, Pair, Person2),
at_same_table(Person1, Person2, AllTables).
first we now introduced this idea of
AllTables, which is a variable that will be important throughout the rest of the code. the first goal is basically just saying that, first, there is a table among all of the tables avaialable to us, and second, that that table contains both of the people we're interested in. the second goal simply makes it a bit easier to work with a set containing both of the people in the pair.
let's move to the more dramatic issue: making sure that enemies don't sit at the same table.
at_different_tables(Person1, Person2, AllTables) :-
member(Table1, AllTables),
member(Table2, AllTables),
member(Person1, Table1),
member(Person2, Table2),
intersection(Table1, Table2, []).
this one was a bit tough to write. first of all, it'd be trivially easy to satisfy this constraint by not sitting one of the people at any of the tables. to guard against that, we first have to make sure that both people are, in fact, sitting at one of the tables in
AllTables. that's what the first four lines are doing. the last line is just saying that neither of those tables share a common member: that they are different tables. there is probably a cleaner and more direct way of doing this, but it works, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
writing this so we can handle pairs of people we get the following. the first line is just handling the special case where the "pair" is an empty set.
pair_at_different_tables([], _) :- !.
pair_at_different_tables(Pair, AllTables) :-
nth1(1, Pair, Person1),
nth1(2, Pair, Person2),
at_different_tables(Person1, Person2, AllTables).
so, now we have a bit of a problem. it'd be really easy for the program to get around the constraints by making multiple copies of people! say you want david to sit with geoff, and geoff to sit with andrew, but you want to keep david and andrew apart. easy! geoff will sit in two places at once. if you don't explicitly tell the program that this is not possible, that's exactly what you'll get.
but, when i tried writing simple solutions to this, i kept running into code that would hang endlessly. some investigations of the debugger told me why. to understand it, you have to understand a bit about what it means to be a "ground" variable in a logic program.
let's say you're solving a sudoku puzzle. in the early stages of solving it, if you were to enumerate all the options in each cell that you hadn't eliminated yet, you might have something that looks like this:
4 1679 12679 | 139 2369 269 | 8 1239 5
26789 3 1256789 | 14589 24569 245689 | 12679 1249 124679
2689 15689 125689 | 7 234569 245689 | 12369 12349 123469
3789 2 15789 | 3459 34579 4579 | 13579 6 13789
3679 15679 15679 | 359 8 25679 | 4 12359 12379
36789 4 56789 | 359 1 25679 | 23579 23589 23789
289 89 289 | 6 459 3 | 1259 7 12489
5 6789 3 | 2 479 1 | 69 489 4689
1 6789 4 | 589 579 5789 | 23569 23589 23689
most of the cells are not locked in yet. the 4 and 3 in the upper left have been resolved to single values, but everythign else in that 3x3 sector is still open. in this example, the 4 and 3 are "ground" – tied to a specific value, whereas the other cells are unground – they could still inhabit a range of values.
when the logic program executes, it's going to create a number of these unground variables that could take on a range of values. so if we were to stop the program mid-way and take a look at one of the tables in our arrangement, it would be a mix of people's names and variables representing a range of possible people. when we want to make sure that someone is only at one table, we only care about these "ground" variables – those representing actual people. if we don't do this, the
program doesn't really know how to execute, and just hangs.
you'll notice this
\+ in the third goal below. that means "not". let's work through these goals in turn.
ground_member(X, Y) :-
member(X, Y),
simple – this is just finding an X such that X is ground and part of Y
ground_members_of_table(Table, GroundTable) :-
findall(X, ground_member(X, Table), GroundTable).
sliiiightly more complicated. this is true if
GroundTable has all of the "named" members of a table at any point in time. we'll use that below.
not_ground_member_of_table(Person, AnotherTable) :-
ground_members_of_table(AnotherTable, GroundTable),
\+ member(Person, GroundTable).
as before, this pulls all of the "named" members into
GroundTable and the next line ensures that the person we're testing is not part of that set. finally we get to the end:
only_at_one_table(Person, AllTables) :-
member(Table1, AllTables),
member(Person, Table1),
subtract(AllTables, [Table1], OtherTables),
foreach(member(AnotherTable, OtherTables), not_ground_member_of_table(Person, AnotherTable)).
which very simply does a bit of work to create all the tables the person should not be at (any other table than the one they're currently at), and then ensures that the person is, in fact, not at any of those other tables.
we're so close! now, we just have to make sure that our computer doesn't do any funny stuff by making some tables magically large or small on us. we need a way to constrain the tables to be as large as we want. so below we have
assign_length, which for reasons that will make sense below, assume that you have a list of tables and a list of lengths that you want to map to them, and this works for one member (at the specified index
assign_length(Idx, AllTables, Lengths) :-
nth1(Idx, AllTables, ThisTable),
nth1(Idx, Lengths, LengthOfThisTable),
length(ThisTable, LengthOfThisTable).
okay, so now we can pull all this together. this is the final goal which we can query to find arrangements that will work! going through it line by line, it's pretty straightfoward. the first three lines ensure that there will only be as many tables as we want, and that they will have only as many seats as we want. the fourth line ensures that pairs that we want to sit together are at the same table, and that pairs that we want to sit apart are at different tables. the last two lines ensure that everyone is just sitting at one table.
arrangement(Tables, Lengths, Pairs, Exclusions) :-
length(Tables, Y),
length(Lengths, Y),
foreach(between(1, Y, X), assign_length(X, Tables, Lengths)),
foreach(member(Pair, Pairs), pair_at_same_table(Pair, Tables)),
foreach(member(Excl, Exclusions), pair_at_different_tables(Excl, Tables)),
flatten(Pairs, AllPeople),
foreach(member(Person, AllPeople), only_at_one_table(Person, Tables)).
run this code, and what do you get?
?- arrangement([X,Y], [3,3], [[a,b], [c,d]], [[a,c]]).
X = [a, b, a],
Y = [c, d, c]
% variables may be duplicated within the same table if there is space
and impossible arrangements will fail:
?- arrangment([X,Y], [3,3], [[a,b], [c,d]], [[a,b]]).


text:
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